Match Reaction vs Everton

[Marc Overmars]

Always disappointing to concede so soon after scoring but in fairness I thought Everton were worth the point, although we did look more lively in the final third than they did. They're probably the best side we've played this season, that wasn't easy for us at all and on the face of it it's probably a decent point at the end of the day.

Shame we couldn't capitalise fully on Chelsea's defeat but we're still a point better off which is better than we were at the start of the weekend.

Bring on City.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Yeah we had a lead of four points going in to the weekend, now we have one of five so that's ok.

[Ollie the Optimist]

that game was incredible to watch, was a fantastic game. we started slowly but got going towards the end. Ozil, Kos, BFG were outstanding. Theo and Rosicky were brilliant when they came on. credit to AW for going bold with the triple sub.

everton are the best team we have faced all season, they've only lost to man city and barely conceded any goals, this was always going to be a hard game and a draw is the fair result. five points clear going into city. id have taken that before kick off

[IBK]

Always disappointing to concede so soon after scoring but in fairness I thought Everton were worth the point, although we did look more lively in the final third than they did. They're probably the best side we've played this season, that wasn't easy for us at all and on the face of it it's probably a decent point at the end of the day.

Shame we couldn't capitalise fully on Chelsea's defeat but we're still a point better off which is better than we were at the start of the weekend.

Bring on City.

Can't add much more apart from to say that Everton were very good and in past seasons we may well have lost this one. Feels like an honourable draw, for me.

[LDG]

I thought We gave Everton to much space between the lines in the first half, which we rectified in the second half.

We were a little off the pace today, and I though Cazorla and Ramsey weren't firing like they can.

They made it tough, but if we're going to challenge for the league, those are the matches you don't lose.

Shame we couldn't hold onto the win, but fair result, a good point, and five clear.

EDIT: should just say Kos was brilliant today.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Disappointing, still yet, a decent result. Had the better chances and should have won quite easily.

On to the next. :scarf:

[Master Splinter]

Not too disappointing, as Everton played well and we took a while to get going on.

We did have more than enough chances to win it though. A bit more intensity from the beginning and a little more care in the final third was needed.

Five points clear is still decent and hopefully we can wipe out today's missed opportunity by getting great results in the next three games.

Arteta aside, none of the midfield or forwards performed to a high level. Ozil seemed more assertive today though. Defence was excellent again, especially Koscielny. Rosicky and Theo were good when they came on.

Anyway, looking forward to the next few games. Come on Arsenal.

[Niall_Quinn]

Net results, 2 points dropped at home after an extremely careless performance, plus the failure to capitalise on a great chance served up on a plate to consolidate the lead. At the very top level it's a poor result and a setback. Matched against previous years, it's an improvement. Depends what we want this season, expectations are increased now.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Whatever results keep us top tbf.

[Newguy]

Felt Gibbs and Arteta were naive defensively at times. Arteta almost cost us at the death. We should have seen out that game, it would have given us a healthy gap going into two really tough games but on the bright side.... We're still better off than we were last week. Man City next and that will be the acid test for these guys. City are lethal at home so if we can get a result I think this team will feel they're unstoppable in the league.

Kos N BFG were solid. Best defensive partnership in the premiership.

Jenkinson was solid after he got over his nerves.

Gibbs just doesn't do it for me now that we have a serious title challenge on our hands. Defensively naive and ball watches a lot.

Everyone else were ok, Ramsey was a bit below par but his run is bound to wind down at some point.

One good thing is that Ozil is looking like he's getting settled with the pace and is now finding the net a bit more.

Still need a striker

[Darknight02]

Our most difficult game of the season to date. Draw was absolutely fair result and not many teams will play better than that.

Lots of positives

- we played terrible but kept going and players who you expect not to
Pull their weight kept going and going
- defence was outstanding and we finally know we have the confidence to
Try and be iron tight.
- they scored an outstanding goal and otherwise our keeper and defence was
Tested more than any other team and really stood firm
- Ramsey, Wilshere and Cazorla were poor but it's about time they had a bad
Game
- Rosicky was sublime with wonderful passing again
- 5 points clear and every little bit counts
- we need to not lose

[Özim]

Bit disappointed we couldn't win today being at home, Everton though were worth the draw for sure, we didn't really play well enough today.

Good to have a 5 point lead, bit concerned our performances are a little low key at the moment despite the wins, especially going into games against the two sides rivalling us for the title.

[fakeyank]

Great game.

[Bumble]

Draw was a fair result, everton were a pretty good side what might make them struggle as the season goes on is lack of squad depth but with a bit of luck they could be top 4.

we were slow for first 40 minutes but then dominated I would say until they scored where they piled the pressure on but some near brilliance from Giroud nearly won it for us.

a draw is not a bad result as in years gone by we could easily have lost.

koscielny was awesome. we didn't play that badly but everton had enough quality players to make things difficult so fair play. Walcott with a headed assist haha. barkley looks a good player too.

5 points clear and city up next in the league, exciting times.

[milla]

Felt Gibbs and Arteta were naive defensively at times. Arteta almost cost us at the death. We should have seen out that game, it would have given us a healthy gap going into two really tough games but on the bright side.... We're still better off than we were last week. Man City next and that will be the acid test for these guys. City are lethal at home so if we can get a result I think this team will feel they're unstoppable in the league.

Kos N BFG were solid. Best defensive partnership in the premiership.

Jenkinson was solid after he got over his nerves.

Gibbs just doesn't do it for me now that we have a serious title challenge on our hands. Defensively naive and ball watches a lot.

Everyone else were ok, Ramsey was a bit below par but his run is bound to wind down at some point.

One good thing is that Ozil is looking like he's getting settled with the pace and is now finding the net a bit more.

Still need a striker

This :gp:

- Despite our strong CBs pairing our wing backs are poor IMO. I wasn't happy at all with the way Gibbs allowed Deulofeu a good 1-2 yards of space (on his strong foot) for that goal, horrible defending.
- Also think it is about time we start playing proper wide player (at least on one side), Jack is a solid CM but defensively exposed on the wing.
- Next game rests Ramsey, he was tired and poor today.
- Bring in a new striker. Bif is tiring and missed too many chances for my liking.

Everton weren't that good defensively, they are good counter attacking side but resorting to cynical challenges when facing the same problem. Having said that, Everton is definitely the strongest team we have played this season.

5 points clear on the top. If we do it right, we definitely can get 6 points out from our next games against the money bags. :coffee:

[Ollie the Optimist]

why are we moaning about wing backs? gibbs made a mistake today but that was our first goal conceded since united away. we've conceded 11 goals all season, both full backs and centre backs have been outstanding so far. one made a mistake today but doubting we could challenge for the title with gibbs in the side is just wrong. he's been superb this season

[Letters]

Fairly happy with the point. For all their possession we made the better chances. I thought Lukaku was outstanding for them.
Everton were well worth a point, thought we were going to sneak it when we got a relatively late goal but credit to Everton, it was an outstanding equaliser.
Could have been 2-1 either way in the end. You could say these are the sorts of games you win if you're going to win the title but if you'd given me 5 points clear at this stage of the season I'd have bitten your arm off. Actually, I'd probably have laughed at the notion. We're not going to win every game, Everton are 5th for a reason, they've only lost once and that was City away where everyone's getting a pasting.
Overall I'm a bit disappointed but relatively content with the result.

[BOBN]

England need to build a team around Barkley in time for the World Cup. Most talented English midfielder by a country mile.

[Niall_Quinn]

England need to build a team around Barkley in time for the World Cup. Most talented English midfielder by a country mile.

Wrong thread, try here: http://www.grandoldteam.com/forum/forums/2-Everton-Forum

[Nayan]

draw was a fair result but disappointed we didn't nick all three points

[selassie]

England need to build a team around Barkley in time for the World Cup. Most talented English midfielder by a country mile.

yep, he schooled Ramsey & Arteta today, he was immense. He's been playing at a very high level all season.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Bit frustrating after taking the lead, i also think as well as Everton played our starting line up gave them the initiative. Arteta and Ramsey especially had very poor games today, Ramsey's passing was all over the shop and Arteta was just not protecting the back four very well.

Ozil was for me probably our best player and deserved to get on the scoresheet....our defending on the whole was pretty good...and Szczesny had little chance with the Delofeu goal....but when you consider the impact on the game Rosicky and Walcott had when they came on i think in hindsight it would have been best to start with them.

[Marc Overmars]

I did find it odd Ramsey was taken off, not that the subs didn't perform because they did, but because of his freakish engine and how useful it could have been during the last 15 which was fairly end to end.

[Power n Glory]

Wilshere and Ramsey shouldn't have gone off. Arteta should have made way. He was awful. Gibbs was terrible as well. Played well too narrow and our left side was exposed all game. Cazorla also need to step his game up and get firing with the assists and goals.

Everton came out the blocks flying but we did well to get back into the game in last 15 of the first half. But Martinez is no fool. They didn't come out firing like that again in the 2nd half. He knew the team didn't have enough in the tank. We had a better 2nd half but Everton were still dangerous on the break and looking for counters.

Ozil was our best player but too many poor showings. Ramsey was off, Cazorla seems to be missing that edge. Giroud was off, Jack couldn't get into the game! Jenks was ok today. CB's coped well but left badly exposed. Arteta was really off and this was a game for Flamini....we need to learn from this. But we fought our way back into the game. Gibbs should have done better to close his man down but there were mistakes before that. We gave away possession from a poor throw in...Arteta kept jumping in to tackles and missing leaving our back line exposed....it could have been prevented.

On to Napoli and we'll need to step our game up for City! But we shower character and didn't let our heads drop after a lightening start from Everton.

[Munchies]

http://vimeo.com/81344595

[Özim]

Koscielny was outstanding today, made some superb interceptions, Mertesacker did well too.

Midfield was very off key though IMO, Cazorla, Wilshere, Ramsey and Arteta were poor, Ozil was slightly better but not great either.

Everton really ran the show in the 1st half, we just couldn't deal with their closing down (other than in the last 5 minutes), second half was much better though.

I thought Everton's attacks had a lot of pace in them and that caused us problem, a lot of the time we were much slower to get forward which was a bit frustrating as it allowed Everton to get men back.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Haven't posted anything for ages but I think this game could have been the one we'd look back on and say- "if only" (hopefully I am proven wrong). Anyway firstly props to Everton, clearly the best team we played besides Dortmund and they really gave it ago. Despite this, we should have won, and I just hope its not a regret at the end of the season. I mean the script could,kt have been written better,I doubt we'll get another weekend where everything goes our way like this one and we get 24hrs extra to know what we need to do. A Fergie Man U would (and have) won this kind of game and so would even a Mourinho Chelsea (even this poor one), if the situation was the same. The pressure is only going to get worse from now on and these players are going to need to learn to deal with it better. Everyone already said our failings or what AW should be concerned of but I'll just list em by priority:

1. We need a new striker- preferably one known for a lethal scoring record.

2. AW has to watch his subs. No more robotic 65th-75th min subsitutions. Yes he tried something different with the 3 subs at one time, but IMHO it was foolish and desperate- and we were lucky in such a tough unpredictable game we weren't made to pay for overreacting. He should have brought on Theo earlier, he could have followed with Flamini later... but the biggest error IMO was taking Ramsey off. In this sort of game you'll always regret taking off your biggest goal threat and once they equalised I knew their was no way back. Plus I think Ramsey, despite his poor showing, has earned some slack and should definitely had been on the field till we knew this game was completely safe.

3. Gibbs will cost us more goals with his immaturity and is the weak link in our defence. Yes he's more at fault for todays goal than anyone, but I'm not saying this soley on todays performance. If you watch him closely he still has a lot to learn when dealing with pressure and judgind danger but also his temperment suggests to me he will cost us more points. I think Nacho should start especially when we play big games where we know we will need everyone to pull their weight in defence.

4. Flamini should start big games EVERYTIME- either with Arteta or even if it is over him. He is the better player and a big game player. EVERY SINGLE TIME.

5. GET A STRIKER. This is the main thing stopping us from blitzing this league.

Well done to AW, well sone to the team, but again IMHO, all of this will be meaningless if we don't win the league this year and only a January signing is stopping this from being a reality.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Arteta was woeful

Flamini was great apart from being too eager for their goal

Fair play Wenger with the triple subs, got it spot on

A point aint bad

[AFC Leveller]

Everton were the best team we have played all season (including the CL IMO) and when you consider they are 5th and have only lost once this season (having beaten United and Chelsea) then a draw isnt bad at all.

However, we should be winning the home games against the non top 4 sides and we were 7 minites from doing so but Everton got a top top goal that was almost unstoppable. Everton had pletny of posession due the the fact that we gave them way too much space and also becaise they have a good midfield. This season in the big games (spurs, pool, dortmund, and yesterday) we have let the opposition have the ball and sort of waited to se what they could do before we went for it and im not too sure thats gonna work against City on saturday. we have a better passing team then most in the league so i dont understand why we have gone for this approach this season (some may arue that its an improvement from seasons gone by where we;d attack from the first minute before being hit on the counter).

all in all, a decent point and our lead is now 5 points (4 before the weekend) so we've increased our lead on the chasing pack.

City away will be very tough considering they put 10 past United and Spurs this season but a draw there would be good considering our lead right now but WE HAVE TO WIN AGAINST CHELSEA.

[Globalgunner]

Arteta, WAS woeful and is always looking like the person most likely to cost us when the other team puts pressure on or if its a counterattack. He loses most of his 1 on 1s and will then resort to fouling in costly positions. I dont blame him because he never was a defensive midfielder and Wenger keeps playing him as such. The one thing that grates me with Wenger is when he puts personal loyalty to a player ahead of the interests of the team. Arteta should have been substituted and not either Ramsey or Wilshire. Arteta, however is vice captain and Wenger somehow cannot bring himself to put 2 captains on the bench at the same time, its as if the thinks that somehow will reflect badly on him. which i guess it will.

We need another proper defensive midfielder to play with or sub in for Flamini and a striker who will make the difference in games like this. I like Giroud and what he brings to our game but he is in the 3rd tier of strikers with Messi, Ronaldo and Aguero et al in the 1st tier. Since we cant get those we need to shop at the 2nd level, either in January or June

[Globalgunner]

Everton were the best team we have played all season (including the CL IMO) and when you consider they are 5th and have only lost once this season (having beaten United and Chelsea) then a draw isnt bad at all.

However, we should be winning the home games against the non top 4 sides and we were 7 minites from doing so but Everton got a top top goal that was almost unstoppable. Everton had pletny of posession due the the fact that we gave them way too much space and also becaise they have a good midfield. This season in the big games (spurs, pool, dortmund, and yesterday) we have let the opposition have the ball and sort of waited to se what they could do before we went for it and im not too sure thats gonna work against City on saturday. we have a better passing team then most in the league so i dont understand why we have gone for this approach this season (some may arue that its an improvement from seasons gone by where we;d attack from the first minute before being hit on the counter).

all in all, a decent point and our lead is now 5 points (4 before the weekend) so we've increased our lead on the chasing pack.

City away will be very tough considering they put 10 past United and Spurs this season but a draw there would be good considering our lead right now but WE HAVE TO WIN AGAINST CHELSEA.

It was only unstoppable because Gibbs refused to close him down. He doesn't yet have that in his game the awareness that makes a top defender. He wont have done himself any favours with the watching England manager

[LDG]

There is some serious bed wetting going on here, after a draw against one of the form sides :lol:

Get a grip. You can't win 'em all.

[Zerlathon]

Obviously I'm a little disappointed that we didn't grab all 3 points (we all wish that we could win every game), but I feel that a draw was a fair result.

[Marc Overmars]

We're not always going to have it our own way, so sometimes you've just got to accept we came up against a decent side who had a go at us and earned their result. I'd be more concerned if we were dropping points against cannon fodder like our rivals are.

[Power n Glory]

It was only unstoppable because Gibbs refused to close him down. He doesn't yet have that in his game the awareness that makes a top defender. He wont have done himself any favours with the watching England manager

Yeah, it wasn't unstoppable. A good strike but he showed him too much of the goal. He had a shaky game. Monreal has looked very good recently and thought he'd get to keep his place.

[I am invisible]

Shame we couldn't hold on with 10 minutes left, but I guess you can't really begrudge Everton their point - good team, likeable manager, and one of the more respectable clubs in the league, and you can see why they're doing well.

Not too much to take from a game like that really, but I guess the main positive for me is that I thought we coped very well with exactly the type of big, powerful, pacey striker that we usually struggle badly against - that at least is another step in the right direction in the continued development of this side...

[I am invisible]

Lev probably meant unstoppable shot rather than goal - obviously any goal can be prevented if you go far enough back in the build up...

[selassie]

I agree with others that say Everton are the best team we have faced this season maybe with the exception of Dortmund.

I felt we were dominated for the first half an hour or so, Everton seem to have our number and controlled the midfield, we did improve and the last 10 mins of the first half and a majority of the second half we were marginally the better team.

There were a lot of poor performances out there yesterday, especially in Central Midfield where I felt Ramsey & Arteta got dominated for large parts of the game, Santi was also very poor, he offered next to nothing offensively.

More worringly was our lack of pace in the offensive areas and due to Everton's pressing game we looked sloppy and slow offensively, we pretty much resorted to tippy tappy.

Overall a point wasn't bad given the performance but...we are now under pressure to win one of the Citeh or Chelski games, whilst big games don't determine our fate for whether we will be champions we really need to win one of the big games because it's been a long time coming.

[Grebbo]

Cazorla has looked poor for most of this season - he needs to be dropped. We have so much competition in midfield that we don't need to be playing players who are not performing.

How come Gnabry doesn't feature anymore? We seem to lack pace on the wings and he played pretty well there. This team really needs a fit and on form Walcott - he could really be the difference to us winning the league or not. He was our top scorer last season and always gets lots of assists.

Like others have already mentioned; I'm not going to lose any sleep over drawing with Everton. They played well and we're not going to win them all. Our rivals all fucked up this weekend so it wasn't a bad point tbh. I had a feeling we'd drop points before the game.

[Newguy]

There is some serious bed wetting going on here, after a draw against one of the form sides :lol:

Get a grip. You can't win 'em all.
Its always nice to be pragmatic, but I think its healthy for the club and supporters to be in a state of expectancy at the moment. We had enough chances to be 2 up at half time.

Everton played well first 30-35 mins but, we've see that before from us and like us in the past chesney didnt have a save to make.

You cant win them all but we should have beat everton at home when youre one up with 7 minutes of football to play and a 7 point buffer up for grabs.

As 21 alluded to, lets hope we dont have to many games to look back on with that "if only" expression written all our faces cause we screwed it up.

[Power n Glory]

I agree with others that say Everton are the best team we have faced this season maybe with the exception of Dortmund.

I felt we were dominated for the first half an hour or so, Everton seem to have our number and controlled the midfield, we did improve and the last 10 mins of the first half and a majority of the second half we were marginally the better team.

There were a lot of poor performances out there yesterday, especially in Central Midfield where I felt Ramsey & Arteta got dominated for large parts of the game, Santi was also very poor, he offered next to nothing offensively.

More worringly was our lack of pace in the offensive areas and due to Everton's pressing game we looked sloppy and slow offensively, we pretty much resorted to tippy tappy.

Overall a point wasn't bad given the performance but...we are now under pressure to win one of the Citeh or Chelski games, whilst big games don't determine our fate for whether we will be champions we really need to win one of the big games because it's been a long time coming.

I noticed on Wednesday against Hull that we were overplaying and going into tippy tappy mode. That was a comfortable game and Hull wasn’t threatening. But it annoyed me to see silly attempts at flicks and one touch balls when we’re failing to even do the basics. Attempting to run before we can crawl I guess. Worst culprits are Giroud and Cazorla at the moment. Playing one to many passes or trying to be too intricate when there is time a space to go for a shot or the better option is to wait and hold up play as space opens up. It’s great when it comes off but there is also a time to be direct and test the keeper.

I think we really need a better striker. Someone that can create space for themselves and get goals as well as set up play.

[AFC Leveller]

Lev probably meant unstoppable shot rather than goal - obviously any goal can be prevented if you go far enough back in the build up...

yeah thats what i meant mate. The shot was too powerfull and direct.

[selassie]

I noticed on Wednesday against Hull that we were overplaying and going into tippy tappy mode. That was a comfortable game and Hull wasn’t threatening. But it annoyed me to see silly attempts at flicks and one touch balls when we’re failing to even do the basics. Attempting to run before we can crawl I guess. Worst culprits are Giroud and Cazorla at the moment. Playing one to many passes or trying to be too intricate when there is time a space to go for a shot or the better option is to wait and hold up play as space opens up. It’s great when it comes off but there is also a time to be direct and test the keeper.

I think we really need a better striker. Someone that can create space for themselves and get goals as well as set up play.

Yep I agree.

I like Giroud, I think he offers this team a lot...but...if we harbour ambitions to be the number one team in England and eventually in Europe then our Centre forward spots need upgrading asap. Giroud would make a very nice second choice striker/squad option, we would hard pushed to find anyone better anywhere IMO.

[Dein-machine]

Cazorla has looked poor for most of this season - he needs to be dropped. We have so much competition in midfield that we don't need to be playing players who are not performing.

How come Gnabry doesn't feature anymore? We seem to lack pace on the wings and he played pretty well there. This team really needs a fit and on form Walcott - he could really be the difference to us winning the league or not. He was our top scorer last season and always gets lots of assists.

Like others have already mentioned; I'm not going to lose any sleep over drawing with Everton. They played well and we're not going to win them all. Our rivals all fucked up this weekend so it wasn't a bad point tbh. I had a feeling we'd drop points before the game.

Tbf I'm worried that Cazorla could turn out to be the next Arshavin. He looked good last year in a lightweight midfield lacking quality. We needed a revitalised Rosicky to come in at the end of the season & drag us over the line. This year we have Rambo,Ozil, Flamster, Arteta with Jack gracing us with the odd bit of magic & all of a sudden he doesn't look so good. His final ball is often poor & so is he's shooting. I'd drop him & let Theo have a go at coming in off the left with a view to moving up alongside Giroud if neccessary.

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Heard on the radio when we went up and thought that's it, 3 points in bag! However didn't hear Everton draw level so bit gutted when I saw the result. However on reflection a point against them is one more than we had before kick off so I won't grumble too much. Especially as the centre of our defence looks very solid with even Hansen saying good things about BFG and Kos.
There is no reason why we can't go into the next games on a high :scarf:

[Niall_Quinn]

Yeah, it wasn't unstoppable. A good strike but he showed him too much of the goal. He had a shaky game. Monreal has looked very good recently and thought he'd get to keep his place.

And it was offside, but we had one of the most overrated refs in the league in charge so he didn't spot it. Great finish by the Spanish bloke though. Apparently Wenger has been after him since his mum pushed him out, so why is he on load at Everton I wonder?

[Niall_Quinn]

Poor old Giroud - one draw and we want him out. He's been immense this season and with an ounce of luck would have won the game with the last kick and been carried off shoulder high. Fine margins. We'll struggle to get anyone who can do what he does overall for the team, especially in the January window. I doubt Wenger will buy anyone who is cup tied, in fact I doubt he'll buy anyone at all, maybe he'll pick up a load deal or something. I don't think Everton were the best team we have played - Dortmund looked a lot more dangerous. I think we were careless, gave them much too much space and time. If we'd have pressed them like we have pressed teams in other games they wouldn't have had so much control. I have a feeling the tactics called for a low energy game with an eye on upcoming fixtures. It didn't pay off. Really we should have had it won by half time, two great chances. Again, fine margins.

[BOBN]

Poor old Giroud - one draw and we want him out. He's been immense this season
Has he really? Hes been alright like but you guys cant keep saying people like Ozil and Wilshere are this, that and the third and then be suprised that a striker gets a few goals.

And it is a few goals. Bar those two gifts against Southampton, his late goal against Palace is his only league goal since September 14. So he scored in the first 4 games and thats his lot since.

And Ozil saved his bum by finishing after he made an utter cock-up of that chance. Bendtner would have fancied that chance.

Girouds run his race for the season. Hes done. A new striker couldnt come quickly enough.

[fakeyank]

Has he really? Hes been alright like but you guys cant keep saying people like Ozil and Wilshere are this, that and the third and then be suprised that a striker gets a few goals.

And it is a few goals. Bar those two gifts against Southampton, his late goal against Palace is his only league goal since September 14. So he scored in the first 4 games and thats his lot since.

And Ozil saved his bum by finishing after he made an utter cock-up of that chance. Bendtner would have fancied that chance.

Girouds run his race for the season. Hes done. A new striker couldnt come quickly enough.

He was fouled in the goal attempt yesterday. If Ozil hadnt scored, that was a red card to the defender. Doubt the ref saw it though.

[GP]

Giroud has been superb. Anyone with eyes that work can see that.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Has he really? Hes been alright like but you guys cant keep saying people like Ozil and Wilshere are this, that and the third and then be suprised that a striker gets a few goals.

And it is a few goals. Bar those two gifts against Southampton, his late goal against Palace is his only league goal since September 14. So he scored in the first 4 games and thats his lot since.

And Ozil saved his bum by finishing after he made an utter cock-up of that chance. Bendtner would have fancied that chance.

Girouds run his race for the season. Hes done. A new striker couldnt come quickly enough.

Cripps :bow:

[Ollie the Optimist]

Has he really? Hes been alright like but you guys cant keep saying people like Ozil and Wilshere are this, that and the third and then be suprised that a striker gets a few goals.

And it is a few goals. Bar those two gifts against Southampton, his late goal against Palace is his only league goal since September 14. So he scored in the first 4 games and thats his lot since.

And Ozil saved his bum by finishing after he made an utter cock-up of that chance. Bendtner would have fancied that chance.

Girouds run his race for the season. Hes done. A new striker couldnt come quickly enough.


You what now? Have you watched our games this season?

[BOBN]

You what now? Have you watched our games this season?
Yep, and I see a worker who is ultimately pretty blunt who doesnt possess a single attribute that quality defenders would be worried about.


Giroud has been superb. Anyone with eyes that work can see that.
Tidy flicks around corners does not equal superb.

What the fook word would you use to describe Suarez and Aguero then? You leave yourself nowhere to go when you are a slut with your tongue. Save words like "superb" for those that deserve :wave:

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

GP :haha:

Shown up by a pub poster.

[fakeyank]

:haha:

[Penguin]

You have to take fatigue into account with Giroud. The guy works as hard as anyone on the pitch and is constantly putting his body on the line while fending off scrote pub team CBs who get away with a lot of shit. Doing it every three days has taken its toll on him and he has played the full 90 minutes for a lot of those games. I'm surprised he can still stand let alone play football.

We do need competition for his place though. It might be hard to find someone in January but a short term option is fine as long as we invest in the summer.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Yep, and I see a worker who is ultimately pretty blunt who doesnt possess a single attribute that quality defenders would be worried about.


Tidy flicks around corners does not equal superb.

What the fook word would you use to describe Suarez and Aguero then? You leave yourself nowhere to go when you are a slut with your tongue. Save words like "superb" for those that deserve :wave:

You said you'd be on good behaviour from then on, so do so.

[Letters]

I like Giroud but he's not at the level of a striker who you can see winning us the title.
This side + Suarez or RVP would win it, IMO.

[Power n Glory]

You have to take fatigue into account with Giroud. The guy works as hard as anyone on the pitch and is constantly putting his body on the line while fending off scrote pub team CBs who get away with a lot of shit. Doing it every three days has taken its toll on him and he has played the full 90 minutes for a lot of those games. I'm surprised he can still stand let alone play football.

We do need competition for his place though. It might be hard to find someone in January but a short term option is fine as long as we invest in the summer.

He should have been one of the more fresh players. Everton played midweek with the same line up against Utd and we had players that started against Hull midweek. I just think he failed to take his chances and it’s hard to blame fatigue. Arteta, Wilshere and Gibbs also had off games but were rested during midweek. It’s really hard to assess the effects of fatigue from our viewpoint.

[LDG]

Why can't people accept that sometimes you play a game where you're a bit under par, and the opposition are bang on form?

We got a draw against the form side on the league, and in a way, we were a very good individual goal away from a win. The draw was a fair result, and a decent point.

This micro-analysis is a waste of time, as there wasn't a great deal wrong, aside from being a bit off the pace....

You drop points during a season, whether you end up as Champions or not. Often, the difference in these ones is not losing, as apposed to not winning.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

It's a curious feeling. I genuinely thought that with 8 minutes to go we had won the game. I certainly celebrated Ozil's goal as if that was the case. When things did not transpire that way I couldn't help questioning the fact that it didn't.

I thought alarm bells should have been ringing when DelLaSoul came on. If it didn't I would question why it wasn't if you had watched Everton's last few games. I know we do the whole, concentrate on ourselves thing, but you'd hope they were remotely aware of the form and ability of the Spanish kid.

I mused before the game that I thought Ramsey could do with a rest but came to the conclusion I was probably being over concerned. I did't catch the first half but an awful lot of people here are suggesting he looked tired. That said, I thought it would have been a decent shout had he stayed on as he has the knack of pushing his legs on even when he is tired and besting his opponents late in games. Had he scored a winner, which he is just as likely to do as anyone else, playing the full 90 would have been more than worth it.

Gibbs should have been tighter, but he was square on and defenders probably worry about getting it in the face or handling it with an arm, so maybe he didn't get as tight as quickly because of that. Szczesny failed to get to it because he saw it too late, ironically. It is possible his view was obscured by Gibbs who was too close to him.

But as we have repeated it wasn't the worst point to get considering the circumstances. Just a bitter shame we couldn't compound the errors of those around us to the max.

[GP]

Yep, and I see a worker who is ultimately pretty blunt who doesnt possess a single attribute that quality defenders would be worried about.


Tidy flicks around corners does not equal superb.

What the fook word would you use to describe Suarez and Aguero then? You leave yourself nowhere to go when you are a slut with your tongue. Save words like "superb" for those that deserve :wave:

Says the man who thinks Kolo Toure is among the best defenders in world football :haha:

Jog on.

[BOBN]

Says the man who thinks Kolo Toure is among the best defenders in world football :haha:

Jog on.
He was for at least one season. Which is more than Vermalean can say tbf.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

http://ed_wp-content_v2.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/YjU3vmx.gif

[GP]

http://i.imgur.com/ekjQQRM.gif

[Dein-machine]

He was for at least one season. Which is more than Vermalean can say tbf.

I actually agree with your comments on Giroud but what's poor old Tommy boy done to you. At least Wenger for once has seen what we can all see & dropped him to the bench, not an easy decision for him to make bearing in he was his captain.
Not sure you can say he was a world class defender for 1 year only, to be world class takes consistancy - not one of Kolo's assets.

[Power n Glory]

Why can't people accept that sometimes you play a game where you're a bit under par, and the opposition are bang on form?

We got a draw against the form side on the league, and in a way, we were a very good individual goal away from a win. The draw was a fair result, and a decent point.

This micro-analysis is a waste of time, as there wasn't a great deal wrong, aside from being a bit off the pace....

You drop points during a season, whether you end up as Champions or not. Often, the difference in these ones is not losing, as apposed to not winning.

This is all apart of match analysis and reactions. It's just a discussion about the game. Why try to discourage that?

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

:haha: LDG

Party pooper.

[Power n Glory]

It's a curious feeling. I genuinely thought that with 8 minutes to go we had won the game. I certainly celebrated Ozil's goal as if that was the case. When things did not transpire that way I couldn't help questioning the fact that it didn't.

I thought alarm bells should have been ringing when DelLaSoul came on. If it didn't I would question why it wasn't if you had watched Everton's last few games. I know we do the whole, concentrate on ourselves thing, but you'd hope they were remotely aware of the form and ability of the Spanish kid.

I mused before the game that I thought Ramsey could do with a rest but came to the conclusion I was probably being over concerned. I did't catch the first half but an awful lot of people here are suggesting he looked tired. That said, I thought it would have been a decent shout had he stayed on as he has the knack of pushing his legs on even when he is tired and besting his opponents late in games. Had he scored a winner, which he is just as likely to do as anyone else, playing the full 90 would have been more than worth it.

Gibbs should have been tighter, but he was square on and defenders probably worry about getting it in the face or handling it with an arm, so maybe he didn't get as tight as quickly because of that. Szczesny failed to get to it because he saw it too late, ironically. It is possible his view was obscured by Gibbs who was too close to him.

But as we have repeated it wasn't the worst point to get considering the circumstances. Just a bitter shame we couldn't compound the errors of those around us to the max.

It did seem as though we were shocked. Must admit, I haven't been paying attention to Everton either but that's not my job. Just wondering if we did our homework. If we're going to be up against teams that are good in possession then we really should play Flamini over Arteta and it probably was a mistake to take off Ramsey considering the amount of tackles he wins for us. But we have a big game coming up for the CL and then City so it’s understandable. We should have really held out for the win with less than 10 minutes on the clock.

Regarding Gibbs, I think he was guilty of playing too narrow and close to the cbs. On plenty of occasions he’d tuck in and give their winger and wingback way too much space and could see that if a ball were to play over to his side, he’d have a lot of ground to cover and they’d be within striking distance. That’s what happened for the goal. If he was tighter from the start there wouldn’t have been an opportunity to shoot.

[BOBN]

I actually agree with your comments on Giroud but what's poor old Tommy boy done to you. At least Wenger for once has seen what we can all see & dropped him to the bench, not an easy decision for him to make bearing in he was his captain.

Eh? He was stopping Arsenal Football Club from prospering. Directly responsible. Weve been brilliant (:sick: little bit slutty use of the word 'brilliant') from the very day he was dropped.

The real question is, why DONT you hate him?

But its not just his fault. Wenger making him captain was the moment I took down my "Wenger Knows" poster. No matter what happens I can no longee trust this man implicitly.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

It's a curious feeling. I genuinely thought that with 8 minutes to go we had won the game. I certainly celebrated Ozil's goal as if that was the case. When things did not transpire that way I couldn't help questioning the fact that it didn't.


That was the problem. We lost concentration because in our minds we thought we had won. When we go a goal up we usually win so the players switched off. We worked so hard to get that goal and when we finally got it, the players relaxed. In essence, they should have concentrated 200%. It's a shame but hopefully they learn from it.

[BOBN]

Another thing, masterclass from Martinez. Thats the next Arsenal manager right there.

[Letters]

That was the problem. We lost concentration because in our minds we thought we had won. When we go a goal up we usually win so the players switched off. We worked so hard to get that goal and when we finally got it, the players relaxed. In essence, they should have concentrated 200%. It's a shame but hopefully they learn from it.

I don't really see it that way. We didn't get caught on the break or concede to a silly defensive or 'keeping error.
It was just a really good goal, it happens.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Gibbs could have stopped that.

[Letters]

I didn't think that at the time but even if I have another look and agree, it wasn't a lapse in concentration, it was an individual mistake if it was one at all.

[Power n Glory]

Eh? He was stopping Arsenal Football Club from prospering. Directly responsible. Weve been brilliant (:sick: little bit slutty use of the word 'brilliant') from the very day he was dropped.

The real question is, why DONT you hate him?

But its not just his fault. Wenger making him captain was the moment I took down my "Wenger Knows" poster. No matter what happens I can no longee trust this man implicitly.

Vermaelen was terrible and just dived in for tackles without thinking about the positioning of his teammates or opposition. It was a good call for him to be dropped and I’m glad Bould is now on board to help with these sort of calls. Kos and Merts had a good partnership running earlier on last season but Wenger made the mistake of dropping Merts as soon as Verm was fit to play. He’s made the same sort of mistakes with CB pairings before and it used to get on my nerves. There was one season where Senderos was having a good run in the team and he’d instantly get dropped for Kolo once he was back from the ACON. Once Kolo was back in, the CB just looked soft and disorganised again. It’s not over for Verm. I think he may have the capacity to learn how to play in a system but I put that down to Bould’s influence.

[Niall_Quinn]

I don't really see it that way. We didn't get caught on the break or concede to a silly defensive or 'keeping error.
It was just a really good goal, it happens.

Hard to say it was a good goal, seeing as it was offside by a big margin. But it was a good piece of individual skill by Delmonte, or whatever his name is. Surprised nobody is making more of Webb's appalling performance. Everton had a lot of control because Webb let them kick us every time we tried to respond and play our game. Barry should have been sent off about 8 times.

[Niall_Quinn]

Has he really? Hes been alright like but you guys cant keep saying people like Ozil and Wilshere are this, that and the third and then be suprised that a striker gets a few goals.

And it is a few goals. Bar those two gifts against Southampton, his late goal against Palace is his only league goal since September 14. So he scored in the first 4 games and thats his lot since.

And Ozil saved his bum by finishing after he made an utter cock-up of that chance. Bendtner would have fancied that chance.

Girouds run his race for the season. Hes done. A new striker couldnt come quickly enough.

Agreed the goal tally could be higher, he's stuck on the same number as RvP and Rooney right now. But he's been immense in his overall game, from the corner of our own box where he defends excellently, his link up play which is tidy and often decisive, and some crucial goals on top. I didn't rate this guy either, initially, but he's come on very well in his second season and deserves some credit for his hard work. He's not Suarez, nobody would argue that, but names like Llorente keep getting thrown about and I really don't see how he would give us any more than Giroud. Chances are he'd give us a couple more goals but a lot less in other areas of the pitch. I'm happy with Giroud as the main striker, of course I;d like to see a decent backup brought in in January. Hard call though, finding a quality player who will be a squad player and is not cup tied already.

[BOBN]

Agreed the goal tally could be higher, he's stuck on the same number as RvP and Rooney right now. But he's been immense in his overall game, from the corner of our own box where he defends excellently, his link up play which is tidy and often decisive, and some crucial goals on top. I didn't rate this guy either, initially, but he's come on very well in his second season and deserves some credit for his hard work. He's not Suarez, nobody would argue that, but names like Llorente keep getting thrown about and I really don't see how he would give us any more than Giroud. Chances are he'd give us a couple more goals but a lot less in other areas of the pitch. I'm happy with Giroud as the main striker, of course I;d like to see a decent backup brought in in January. Hard call though, finding a quality player who will be a squad player and is not cup tied already.
I agree he deserves a degree of credit and that Llorente is not better than him.

My issue is we need to transition from "we need to buy back up" to "we need to get the best striker we can get regardless of whether they mesh well with Giroud". Giroud has not done enough to be the undisputed number 1 striker at the club, and even if he was its dangerous thinking because we did that with RVP and got lumbered with the pretty mediocre and not cheap Podolski soley because "he can play on the left and then fill in when RVP is out".

Lets just get the best bastard our money can buy and let the two scrap it out.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I have to say, I pretty much agree with all of that.

Giroud opined on the possible transfer of the bitey rodenty one in the summer by words to the affect of, 'let him come'. He himself is up to the challenge.

[Niall_Quinn]

I don't see where a genuine top tier striker will come from in the January window. Who will be available? What clubs will be selling? Suarez would cost even more than the £40mill we previously bid, he's not worth more than that in reality but in a crazy market he'd cost more. That's if we could persuade Liverpool to sell and pretty much chuck their own season in the process. Not really a possibility. Who else is there? Far more likely we'll need to get somebody in who can provide cover for Giroud.

[Power n Glory]

It will be difficult to find someone in January because clubs will be reluctant to sell, but unless you've got an eye on all the top leagues and taps on all the strikers that look the part, we can't be certain of our options. It's not as if Giroud was on anyone's radar here before we signed him and we thought he'd fit the blueprint.