Palace Player ratings and reaction

[mandela8]

Any win is a good win but made that harder than it had to be. Looked a little toothless in attack, other than a couple of decent spells.

Ramsdale - 6
Invited unnecessary pressure at times but made the saves he needed to and should've made.

Zinchenko - 5
Ok. But sloppy at times and looked pretty weak defensively at times.
Gabriel - 7
Solid overall. Can be a little panicky in possession.
Saliba - 8.5
Pretty fuckin impressive. Solid, good positioning mostly and neat on the ball.
White - 5
He wasn't very good. Zaha is a tough opponent though but White just never fills me with confidence.

Partey - 7.5
Very good. Slows entire attacks of theirs down at times. Good with the ball trying to play through the lines, occasionally.
Xhaka - 5
He's just not very good. Nothing egregious and any other player doesn't get booked for that dive.
Odegaard - 6
Never really got into the game.

Martinelli - 5
Missed an absolute sitter and other than his goal that he barely squeezed in was pretty shite.
Jesus - 6
Fine. Worked hard, which is the minimum requirement. Made a couple of good runs that weren't found.
Saka - 3
Standard Saka performance. Where chances went to die. So slow to get the ball away. Gave it away almost constantly and even the OG came from his abysmal crossing not even beating the first man.


Very strange no subs were made until so late.

Eddie - Hench/10
The utter fuck?

[LDG]

We’ve got super Mik Arteta!!

[HCZ_Reborn]

Any win is a good win but made that harder than it had to be. Looked a little toothless in attack, other than a couple of decent spells.

Ramsdale - 6
Invited unnecessary pressure at times but made the saves he needed to and should've made.

Zinchenko - 5
Ok. But sloppy at times and looked pretty weak defensively at times.
Gabriel - 7
Solid overall. Can be a little panicky in possession.
Saliba - 8.5
Pretty fuckin impressive. Solid, good positioning mostly and neat on the ball.
White - 5
He wasn't very good. Zaha is a tough opponent though but White just never fills me with confidence.

Partey - 7.5
Very good. Slows entire attacks of theirs down at times. Good with the ball trying to play through the lines, occasionally.
Xhaka - 5
He's just not very good. Nothing egregious and any other player doesn't get booked for that dive.
Odegaard - 6
Never really got into the game.

Martinelli - 5
Missed an absolute sitter and other than his goal that he barely squeezed in was pretty shite.
Jesus - 6
Fine. Worked hard, which is the minimum requirement. Made a couple of good runs that weren't found.
Saka - 3
Standard Saka performance. Where chances went to die. So slow to get the ball away. Gave it away almost constantly and even the OG came from his abysmal crossing not even beating the first man.


Very strange no subs were made until so late.

Eddie - Hench/10
The utter fuck?

Mate you really need to get over your dislike of Saka, it’s weird.

[mandela8]

Mate you really need to get over your dislike of Saka, it’s weird.

No dislike of him. Just objective observation. He was markedly the worst player on the pitch again and I don't think anyone can honestly dispute that. He gave the ball away or wasted a chance on around 80% of his possessions.

Him and Martinelli are a real problem and why the te still struggles to create chances. They're both so one dimensional and wasteful.

A winger is the no1 priority and I think that point was boldly underlined today.

[Mac76]

Saka does hold onto the ball too long in attacking moments for sure, but he's better than a 3

[HCZ_Reborn]

Ramsdale 6 - Good shot stopping but he’s becoming a bit temperamental in terms of his footwork and creating a few hairy moments


Ben White 6 - Good cover for other defenders but Zaha beasted him a bit at times


William Saliba 8 - Unbelievable confidence, just doesn’t panic and is so composed


Gabriel - 6 - Did ok at times but also bit concerning in some of his decision making


Xhaka 4 - Utter cunt as usual, does nothing to link defence and attack and he’s the key reason teams are able to push us back


Partey 7 - Couldn’t impose himself in a way that gave us control of the game but solid defensively


Zinchenko 6 - Did ok getting forward at first but as game went on found Ayew too hard to deal with



Odegaard 5 - Shows a bit of promise but then ultimately makes the wrong decision and then drifts out of the game. Should have been substituted much earlier


Martinelli 6 - Gets the 6 because he scored, missed when it was easier to score earlier


Gabriel J 6 - Is a nuisance but after thirty minutes feeding off scraps, couple of times did try and make things happen


Saka 6 - Not his best game, but to be honest for much of the second half he was our only attacking outlet….got lucky with fluke own goal. Felt he did track back to help deal with Zaha. But don’t think he should be playing as wing back


Subs - Not worth giving them a rating as weren’t on long enough

[Mac76]

Very strange no subs were made until so late.



Arteta is total shite at subs

[Marc Overmars]

3 points, clean sheet and a tricky away game out of the way. Wasn’t very polished but can’t be arsed over analysing one game in.

On we go.

[LDG]

Scotty Supporters nil

Arsenal boys 1

That’ll do nicely thanks. The inevitable loss, became the unconvincing win. True to form, we thought we’d lose, but we won badly and no good can come from it.

Last year we lost and that was much better. At least we showed our true colours.

[Gooner23]

Saliba is the mutts nuts

[mandela8]

Tommy not even on the bench either.

[LDG]

Saliba is the mutts nuts

He’s no Pascal Cygan

[fakeyank]

Wait.. I saw Saka got a 3? Which game were we all watching? Easily our best attacking player on the pitch.

[HCZ_Reborn]

He’s no Pascal Cygan

True

[I am invisible]

Glad to get that one out of the way on game one. And on a Friday night, too! I can enjoy my weekend now without that knot of anxiety. Not sparkling, but a good, professional win against a tricky opponent - Palace away is going to be a tough game for a lot of clubs this year, including the top sides.

Really pleased with how Bill and Ben are gelling - could have been a bit of animosity there, given how Saliba was loaned out and replaced with White last season, and how White has now been pushed out to RB so Saliba can take his place at CB, but I thought the two of them shielded and covered each other really well and really shut down Palace’s strongest avenue of attack. Again, professional - I like it.

[selassie]

We started really well and looked like we meant business, we faded after Martinelli's goal and for periods were under the cosh. I liked how we defended though and Ramsdale was in good form too.

It's a really good 3 points, it's a difficult place to come to so I think it's a really good start.

I'll stick by my prediction, if we add a Central Midfielder to the squad (Tielemans) then I think we have the quality and potential to potentially finish 3rd. I like the look of this team now and the squad is starting to take shape too. We have a lot of really good young players here now, some really special ones in the case of Saka and Saliba.

[HCZ_Reborn]

We started really well and looked like we meant business, we faded after Martinelli's goal and for periods were under the cosh. I liked how we defended though and Ramsdale was in good form too.

It's a really good 3 points, it's a difficult place to come to so I think it's a really good start.

I'll stick by my prediction, if we add a Central Midfielder to the squad (Tielemans) then I think we have the quality and potential to potentially finish 3rd. I like the look of this team now and the squad is starting to take shape too. We have a lot of really good young players here now, some really special ones in the case of Saka and Saliba.


Add a right sided winger to that and I’d agree, whilst I don’t have this bizarre belief that Saka is shit that another regular has on here, I think he was overplayed last season and I don’t think Pepe can be relied upon as a substitute.

[I am invisible]

Add a right sided winger to that and I’d agree, whilst I don’t have this bizarre belief that Saka is shit that another regular has on here, I think he was overplayed last season and I don’t think Pepe can be relied upon as a substitute.
:good:

I’d be happy with either an extra left or right forward because I suspect Martinelli could also do a really good job down the right if needed, but yeah we definitely need an extra option to compete with those two - another wide sprinter who leans more towards being a forward than a midfielder (and ideally someone who could play through the middle too).

What I love about those two [Saka and Martinelli] is even when they’re not at their sparkling best they never hide - as a minimum, you’ll always get a hard-working 6-7/10 from them, where they press and track back and work their arses off, and generally allow us to maintain the structure of our play. Pepe may have a high ceiling when he’s on it, but his floor is just too low for me to want to rely on him - when he’s not on it (which is more often than not) we’re basically playing with 10 men.

[Chippy]

Saliba is the mutts nuts

Yep. Shame he is only here for a year. He will be outstanding (not difficult in an average Arsenal team) and go to one of the big clubs for £50m.

[I am invisible]

Yep. Shame he is only here for a year. He will be outstanding (not difficult in an average Arsenal team) and go to one of the big clubs for £50m.
We’re looking at a potential fee of £70-80m for Fofana - no way Saliba goes for less, even once he’s down to his final year. He’ll have A LOT of very wealthy suitors after him.

Obviously I hope we sign him up to a new deal and he stays for a lot of years, but this is one of those situations where I don’t think we have much to worry about - we’ll either retain a generational talent or come out of it with enough money to buy a world-class replacement.

[mandela8]

Wait.. I saw Saka got a 3? Which game were we all watching? Easily our best attacking player on the pitch.

Fuck up.

[Letters]

Wait.. I saw Saka got a 3? Which game were we all watching? Easily our best attacking player on the pitch.

Mandela hates Saka. No one knows why. Probably racism.

[mandela8]

Mandela hates Saka. No one knows why. Probably racism.

Just throwing accusations of racism about noo? You vile little bald micro penis cunt?

[Letters]

It’s good to see that moving to the US has mellowed you :good:

[HCZ_Reborn]

Letters! That’s naughty :haha: even I haven’t accused him of racism for shits and giggles

Nah my theory is that he’s being contrarian. I do think he genuinely thinks Saka is overrated and whilst I don’t necessarily agree with that, I think some of his criticisms are quite valid.

But the 3/10 was pure shit house trolling because I suspects he thinks we are all reaming Saka

[mandela8]

Letters! That’s naughty :haha: even I haven’t accused him of racism for shits and giggles

Nah my theory is that he’s being contrarian. I do think he genuinely thinks Saka is overrated and whilst I don’t necessarily agree with that, I think some of his criticisms are quite valid.

But the 3/10 was pure shit house trolling because I suspects he thinks we are all reaming Saka

Nah.

Look, man. Every player is subject to the same criteria. You start with a 6 and go up or down depending on your good/bad contributions.

Almost EVERY time Saka got the ball, unless he played a simple inside/backwards pass, he lost the ball. EVERY time he was put in a good position he wasted the opportunity. Multiple chances broke down when it got to him. He made once tackle on Zaha, which wouldn't have been necessary if he actually tracked backed with more urgency. Even the OG was the result of another abysmal cross that had zero chance of finding a teammate.

He offered nothing positive, at all. Again.

Only Martinelli was nearly as poor...but he fluked a goal. You look at all my ratings against this criteria and see the sense of tell me where I'm wrong

[GP]

Mandela hates Saka. No one knows why. Probably racism.

How can he be racist? His shoe shine is black.

[mandela8]

It’s good to see that moving to the US has mellowed you :good:

Shockingly, i take offense to accusations of racism.

Fud.

[mandela8]

How can he be racist? His shoe shine is black.

And I don't even wear shoes, so the fact I keep him around says it all...

[HCZ_Reborn]

Nah.

Look, man. Every player is subject to the same criteria. You start with a 6 and go up or down depending on your good/bad contributions.

Almost EVERY time Saka got the ball, unless he played a simple inside/backwards pass, he lost the ball. EVERY time he was put in a good position he wasted the opportunity. Multiple chances broke down when it got to him. He made once tackle on Zaha, which wouldn't have been necessary if he actually tracked backed with more urgency. Even the OG was the result of another abysmal cross that had zero chance of finding a teammate.

He offered nothing positive, at all. Again.

Only Martinelli was nearly as poor...but he fluked a goal. You look at all my ratings against this criteria and see the sense of tell me where I'm wrong

I apologise then, you actually are deluded.

Literally the only player to give us any consistent attacking impetus in the second half when everyone else is doing the deep block. He’s a winger being played as a wing back and often he’s holding onto the ball for ages because your boyfriend Odegaard is nowhere to be seen.
I didn’t think he was great yesterday but Saliba aside the whole team was mediocre. Wasn’t happy with the performance at all

Again the cross was a decent one but tends to be a bit wasted given we’ve got no one taller than 5ft 9 in attack even then it was of decent heading height and enough of an issue for Gueye to try to intercept.

[mandela8]

I apologise then, you actually are deluded.

Literally the only player to give us any consistent attacking impetus in the second half when everyone else is doing the deep block. He’s a winger being played as a wing back and often he’s holding onto the ball for ages because your boyfriend Odegaard is nowhere to be seen.
I didn’t think he was great yesterday but Saliba aside the whole team was mediocre. Wasn’t happy with the performance at all

Again the cross was a decent one but tends to be a bit wasted given we’ve got no one taller than 5ft 9 in attack even then it was of decent heading height and enough of an issue for Gueye to try to intercept.

Yeah...I don't really consider giving the ball away constantly and wasting the few chances they create as 'attacking impetus', tbf.

[mandela8]

But I do accept your apology.

[Chippy]

Just throwing accusations of racism about noo? You vile little bald micro penis cunt?

Wow! That's a bit harsh on letters. I got banned from here years ago for much less.
You are an angry person :rolleyes:

[selassie]

Yep. Shame he is only here for a year. He will be outstanding (not difficult in an average Arsenal team) and go to one of the big clubs for £50m.

We must do all we can to tie him down, this kid is going all the way to the top IMO, he legit looks like he’s going to be a World Class CB pretty soon.

[Letters]

Shockingly, i take offense to accusations of racism.

Fud.

Except you don’t, because you know I wasn’t being serious.
You know this because you have raved about Partey, who is also a coloured gentleman. And you know I saw that because I replied about it. In fact, oh look you’ve got such a boner for Partey you’ve given him the second best rating yesterday.

So my post obviously wasn’t to be taken seriously.
And neither is your faux outrage :good:

[Letters]

Wow! That's a bit harsh on letters. I got banned from here years ago for much less.
You are an angry person :rolleyes:

Did you? :lol:
Tbf we barely moderate this place now. Although we might have to start again now mandela is back :lol:. In real life mandela isn’t actually that angry, he just likes to play that character on here.

[Chippy]

Did you? :lol:
Tbf we barely moderate this place now. Although we might have to start again now mandela is back :lol:. In real life mandela isn’t actually that angry, he just likes to play that character on here.

Yes. I used to post as Ashburton 2006 years ago :whistle:

[Letters]

I see :threaten:

[Alpha]

Any win is a good win but made that harder than it had to be. Looked a little toothless in attack, other than a couple of decent spells.

Ramsdale - 6
Invited unnecessary pressure at times but made the saves he needed to and should've made.




Zinchenko - 5
Ok. But sloppy at times and looked pretty weak defensively at times.
Gabriel - 7
Solid overall. Can be a little panicky in possession.
Saliba - 8.5
Pretty fuckin impressive. Solid, good positioning mostly and neat on the ball.
White - 5
He wasn't very good. Zaha is a tough opponent though but White just never fills me with confidence.

Partey - 7.5
Very good. Slows entire attacks of theirs down at times. Good with the ball trying to play through the lines, occasionally.
Xhaka - 5
He's just not very good. Nothing egregious and any other player doesn't get booked for that dive.
Odegaard - 6
Never really got into the game.

Martinelli - 5
Missed an absolute sitter and other than his goal that he barely squeezed in was pretty shite.
Jesus - 6
Fine. Worked hard, which is the minimum requirement. Made a couple of good runs that weren't found.
Saka - 3
Standard Saka performance. Where chances went to die. So slow to get the ball away. Gave it away almost constantly and even the OG came from his abysmal crossing not even beating the first man.


Very strange no subs were made until so late.

Eddie - Hench/10
The utter fuck?

:violin::violin:

[Chippy]

I see :threaten:

Do you remember? ##

[mandela8]

Except you don’t, because you know I wasn’t being serious.
You know this because you have raved about Partey, who is also a coloured gentleman. And you know I saw that because I replied about it. In fact, oh look you’ve got such a boner for Partey you’ve given him the second best rating yesterday.

So my post obviously wasn’t to be taken seriously.
And neither is your faux outrage :good:

Glad we're on the same page here.

[fakeyank]

It’s good to see that moving to the US has mellowed you :good:

We have more people coming to the US who shouldnt have access to guns then :rolleyes:

[Xhaka Can’t]

I honestly am for strict gun control.

I swear to god I wouldn’t make it to the office without shooting the fuck out of everyone around me.

And most times these days, my office is in my garden

[Letters]

:lol:

If I had a gun and could use it with impunity then there would be a lot of dead people. People are twats.

[selassie]

Add a right sided winger to that and I’d agree, whilst I don’t have this bizarre belief that Saka is shit that another regular has on here, I think he was overplayed last season and I don’t think Pepe can be relied upon as a substitute.

Yeah I kind of agree, we do need an extra quality option on the wing, but I've not completely given up on Pepe yet, if we can't shift him then he's not a bad option to have, Arteta just needs to play him more. Pepe is a very hot and cold player but when he is on it he is a very good player IMO.

[mandela8]

Yeah I kind of agree, we do need an extra quality option on the wing, but I've not completely given up on Pepe yet, if we can't shift him then he's not a bad option to have, Arteta just needs to play him more. Pepe is a very hot and cold player but when he is on it he is a very good player IMO.

Pepe is a great option. He almost always creates something and you can tell players hate playing against him. I'm really not clear on what he's done to be ostracized, tbh. Sure he's come on and been pretty wasteful in possession at time but absolutely not to a much greater degree than Saka and Martinelli are every single game.

In reality he isn't an option at all because Arteta doesn't see him as one. That's why they need another wide option ASAP.

[HCZ_Reborn]

He almost always creates something?, he really doesn’t does he?. I have no doubt he is capable of creating good attacking opportunities and can score excellent goals. But this accounts for about one game in every five where as the rest of the time, refuses to track back, poor first touch….gives the ball away with atrociously lazy passing.

I think he would be good enough if he bothered to apply himself but the fact is he doesn’t want to. He gives every impression that he’d be much happier in the French league where he can beat troglodytes with ease and not have to extend himself.

Let’s be fair, he makes Ozil look like someone with a strong work ethic.

[I am invisible]

Just put Pepe out of his misery ffs! He could still be a good option for someone, in the right set up, but he's obviously not a match for what Arteta wants and Arteta isn't going anywhere, so I really don't see the point in prolonging this - it isn't helpful to anyone at this point. Pepe needs to salvage his career going into his peak years and we can't have £140k/wk sat on the bench, taking up a squad place and not contributing.

[mandela8]

He almost always creates something?, he really doesn’t does he?. I have no doubt he is capable of creating good attacking opportunities and can score excellent goals. But this accounts for about one game in every five where as the rest of the time, refuses to track back, poor first touch….gives the ball away with atrociously lazy passing.

I think he would be good enough if he bothered to apply himself but the fact is he doesn’t want to. He gives every impression that he’d be much happier in the French league where he can beat troglodytes with ease and not have to extend himself.

Let’s be fair, he makes Ozil look like someone with a strong work ethic.

Absolute nonsense, man.

His stats are still decent despite being a peripheral figure. If you looked at his stats for when he played a bit more consistently they were actually good and SIGNIFICANTLY better than any of his peers.

I don't get the tracking back nonsense either. He's certainly no worse than Saka, in that regard, so either it's not really required by Arteta or people are being held to grossly different standards here.

[mandela8]

Just put Pepe out of his misery ffs! He could still be a good option for someone, in the right set up, but he's obviously not a match for what Arteta wants and Arteta isn't going anywhere, so I really don't see the point in prolonging this - it isn't helpful to anyone at this point. Pepe needs to salvage his career going into his peak years and we can't have £140k/wk sat on the bench, taking up a squad place and not contributing.

This is the sad reality, man.

Arteta cost Arsenal champions League football last year when they couldn't create a chance yet Pepe couldn't get a sniff. A complete waste for everyone.

[Niall_Quinn]

Pepe is out in the cold because he's not a robot. I don't watch this bollocks version of Arsenal any more, especially now they play in pink shirts. Instead I watch older matches where entertainment was on offer. A player like Theo Walcott, frustrating as he was, wouldn't get near Arteta's team because he was way, way too positive in his play. The job of the wide men in the current system is to provide outlets for the excruciating lateral passing game that bores everyone to death, including the opposition. Pepe likes to move the ball upfield towards the opponent's goal and then move himself forwards, this denying the central midfield the coveted lateral or backwards pass. That's a big no-no. Might have been why Ozil and Auba got pissed being here too, though that's just a hunch. The play is so horribly negative that 5 minutes of actual football in a game now goes down as a decent performance. Jesus will get pissed with it too and in 2-3 years he'll be off for half what he's worth. Happens all the time and no sign of it changing. The speed Wenger's teams used to get the ball upfield was a joy to behold. The crap on display now is quite the insult by comparison.

[Chippy]

Pepe is out in the cold because he's not a robot. I don't watch this bollocks version of Arsenal any more, especially now they play in pink shirts. Instead I watch older matches where entertainment was on offer. A player like Theo Walcott, frustrating as he was, wouldn't get near Arteta's team because he was way, way too positive in his play. The job of the wide men in the current system is to provide outlets for the excruciating lateral passing game that bores everyone to death, including the opposition. Pepe likes to move the ball upfield towards the opponent's goal and then move himself forwards, this denying the central midfield the coveted lateral or backwards pass. That's a big no-no. Might have been why Ozil and Auba got pissed being here too, though that's just a hunch. The play is so horribly negative that 5 minutes of actual football in a game now goes down as a decent performance. Jesus will get pissed with it too and in 2-3 years he'll be off for half what he's worth. Happens all the time and no sign of it changing. The speed Wenger's teams used to get the ball upfield was a joy to behold. The crap on display now is quite the insult by comparison.

Welcome back Quinny. I have missed you :cheers:

[HCZ_Reborn]

Just put Pepe out of his misery ffs! He could still be a good option for someone, in the right set up, but he's obviously not a match for what Arteta wants and Arteta isn't going anywhere, so I really don't see the point in prolonging this - it isn't helpful to anyone at this point. Pepe needs to salvage his career going into his peak years and we can't have £140k/wk sat on the bench, taking up a squad place and not contributing.

You speak as if there are clubs queuing up to sign him.

Like with Torreira, when we do eventually get rid of him we are going to be making a massive loss on him.

And even before that Neurodiverse lego haired Wally became our coach, Pepe looked a very hit and miss player. He can be brilliant, but just as often he can have the first touch of Sidney Cook and won’t even show for the ball.

[The Wengerbabies]

I don't watch this bollocks version of Arsenal any more, especially now they play in pink shirts. Instead I watch older matches where entertainment was on offer.

I'm with you on this. I've really not been into it at all for the last few years, I barely even know any of the players tbh.

I thought I'd give it a go and try and get back into it this season but I put on the game see that knee bullshit is still going on and now we have a fucking pink kit, I just turned it off.

[Xhaka Can’t]

I can’t be arsed wasting 90 minutes of my life watching not much happen, let alone the two hours either side of it with assholes talking shit about either previewing nothing much happening or reviewing how nothing much happened. And that is before you get to the biased opinions expressed whilst analysing a slow game in ultra slow motion to accuse an Arsenal player of deliberate heinous cheating that fooled the ref while showing the same boring type of event to have a circle jerk over a Tottenham player doing the exact same thing.

I’ll watch the odd game if I’ve fuckall else to do. And only then, I restrict that to Arsenal games. I’ll maybe watch Canada at the WC, but that’s it and it’ll only be 3 games.

[I am invisible]

You speak as if there are clubs queuing up to sign him.

Like with Torreira, when we do eventually get rid of him we are going to be making a massive loss on him.

And even before that Neurodiverse lego haired Wally became our coach, Pepe looked a very hit and miss player. He can be brilliant, but just as often he can have the first touch of Sidney Cook and won’t even show for the ball.
There’ll be plenty of clubs out there for him, but every one of them will be expecting a massive knock-down deal for him now, most likely at the very last minute of the window. And they’ll get it - his high wages and the way his reputation has been trashed will make sure of it. Nothing to be done about it, though - there’s no big deal out there and no significant recouping of fees coming our way at this point - there’s only drawing a line under it and moving on.

Tbh, though, I wasn’t even thinking about the type of deal we might get. I just think this idea that there’s a way back for him here - that there might still be a place for him in this system - needs to stop. There isn’t. It’s not happening. Put it out of your heads and move on, people. He’s already on our bench behind three kids (maybe even four if you include Eddie) and the club have shown their intent to invest big in another, wide forward this summer. Whether you rate him or not, the whole Pepe debate just feels utterly redundant at this point.

[Mac76]

I can’t be arsed wasting 90 minutes of my life watching not much happen, let alone the two hours either side of it with assholes talking shit about either previewing nothing much happening or reviewing how nothing much happened. And that is before you get to the biased opinions expressed whilst analysing a slow game in ultra slow motion to accuse an Arsenal player of deliberate heinous cheating that fooled the ref while showing the same boring type of event to have a circle jerk over a Tottenham player doing the exact same thing.

I’ll watch the odd game if I’ve fuckall else to do. And only then, I restrict that to Arsenal games. I’ll maybe watch Canada at the WC, but that’s it and it’ll only be 3 games.

it's actually going to the games that i enjoy - i try to watch the away games online but given i can't afford to pay for them it's always a bit hit and miss, plus i've other things to do

i've got to say some of the performances i see at the ground are better than how people portray them on here, but maybe it's just the experience of being there and being caught up in it, or equally how the TV shows it

[I am invisible]

...i've got to say some of the performances i see at the ground are better than how people portray them on here, but maybe it's just the experience of being there and being caught up in it, or equally how the TV shows it

Yeah, that's been a very consistent theme on all of the Arsenal podcasts and fan channels for the last year or so - the general mood in the ground and down the pubs and in the surrounding area is really positive and nothing like you see online. Even online it's starting to feel like smaller and smaller pockets.

Also, for anyone who hasn't already, I highly recommend subscribing to a good selection of the better Arsenal podcasts and fan channels and getting away from Sky and the mainstream media - the level of debate and analysis is so much higher and more nuanced, and you don't realise how much of the negativity you feel comes from being saturated by the Sky soap opera and all the media narratives that are constructed around us.

[I am invisible]

This is the sad reality, man.

Arteta cost Arsenal champions League football last year when they couldn't create a chance yet Pepe couldn't get a sniff. A complete waste for everyone.

Tbh, I don't feel like either side is really in the wrong here.

I feel for Pepe, I really do - he's not a bad player, and I still think he'd be a great option for a fast, counter-attacking side (someone like a Wolves or even a Spurs), but his career has been royally fucked by dodgy agents and Directors of Football, selling him on a move that was never right for him. And now he's stuck in a team that don't play how he likes to play and saddled with a massive price tag and wages that make him almost unsellable. It's a terrible waste of what could have been a really good career.

But by the same token I don't blame Arteta on this one either. Being a manager is a tough gig, with people waiting to stick the knife in at every slip, and at the very least I think every manager deserves the right to succeed or fail on their own terms. Pepe isn't a player he ever wanted or asked for - Emery didn't even want him ffs! - and he clearly isn't a fit for what he's trying to do. He might not have given Pepe as many chances as some would like, but he has been given a lot of chances - more than enough for Arteta to know whether he's right for the role he wants or not. We as fans might not know exactly what it is that he's looking for in that role, but you have to trust that Arteta does and that he's seen more than enough of Pepe now to make a call on it. He's had to make do with the broken bits of other people's squads for 2 and half years now, and going into his 3rd full season I think he's well within his rights to expect to have the players he wants / needs to make his ideas work.

[Xhaka Can’t]

it's actually going to the games that i enjoy - i try to watch the away games online but given i can't afford to pay for them it's always a bit hit and miss, plus i've other things to do

i've got to say some of the performances i see at the ground are better than how people portray them on here, but maybe it's just the experience of being there and being caught up in it, or equally how the TV shows it

The thing I miss, and I do miss it a lot is, meeting up with friends at the Pins. Wondering if there was still time for that one last pint (there always was), before heading off to the ground.

What is telling, as I write this, the picture in my head is of walking to Highbury. Even now, after all these years, that place is ingrained in my consciousness and my heart.

We lost our soul in 2006.

[Mac76]

Yeah, that's been a very consistent theme on all of the Arsenal podcasts and fan channels for the last year or so - the general mood in the ground and down the pubs and in the surrounding area is really positive and nothing like you see online. Even online it's starting to feel like smaller and smaller pockets.

Also, for anyone who hasn't already, I highly recommend subscribing to a good selection of the better Arsenal podcasts and fan channels and getting away from Sky and the mainstream media - the level of debate and analysis is so much higher and more nuanced, and you don't realise how much of the negativity you feel comes from being saturated by the Sky soap opera and all the media narratives that are constructed around us.

very true

[HCZ_Reborn]

I can’t be arsed wasting 90 minutes of my life watching not much happen, let alone the two hours either side of it with assholes talking shit about either previewing nothing much happening or reviewing how nothing much happened. And that is before you get to the biased opinions expressed whilst analysing a slow game in ultra slow motion to accuse an Arsenal player of deliberate heinous cheating that fooled the ref while showing the same boring type of event to have a circle jerk over a Tottenham player doing the exact same thing.

I’ll watch the odd game if I’ve fuckall else to do. And only then, I restrict that to Arsenal games. I’ll maybe watch Canada at the WC, but that’s it and it’ll only be 3 games.

In fairness this was my attitude long before even Wenger left, the only game I feel I can stand to watch live is one where I’m watching in the stands.

I tend to find myself watching a game back later on (I don’t always bother if we lose)

[KSE Comedy Club]

What was the reason behind us playing in our third kit for this game anyway?

Why not the actual black away kit which looks 1000% better than bloody pink!??

[Letters]

Shirt sales? :shrug:

[Mac76]

Shirt sales? :shrug:

You'll never convince me the club would be that cynical :sulk:

[KSE Comedy Club]

Shirt sales? :shrug:

Sadly, I think you might be right.

It's awful - the kit and the reasoning behind wearing it.

[I am invisible]

Shirt sales? :shrug:

That's a horrible thing to say about a top-flight football club! :o

[Letters]

You'll never convince me the club would be that cynical :sulk:

:lol: NQ is rubbing off on me.
(Not like that)

[KSE Comedy Club]

:lol: NQ is rubbing off on me.
(Not like that)

Ooo-err!