Wednesday, 23 May 2012

There’s optimism in the air

With seven wins out of the last eight, four wins a row, (albeit some scrappy ones) and goals galore from our star player van Persie, it suddenly feels good to be an Arsenal fan again.

It even seems the majority of gooners making themselves heard on the internet via forums, blogs and Twitter believe we can beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

This wave of optimism has even affected me, usually a real pessimist who sits through every match like a nervous wreck, even at 3-0 up. Things change quickly in football, but to go from everyone fearing a fight to even be in the top half of the table following infamous defeats to Man Utd and Blackburn, why does competing up there with the big boys now seem realistic again?

Well, as I said, some of our wins have been scrappy, which is actually a breath of fresh air; the team looks solid at the back and up for a fight, a big change from recent times, almost as though the weight of criticism aimed at the club this season has produced a response.

It also helps, of course, to have a bit more luck with injuries. One has to be grateful for van Persie’s new-found fitness, and for partnerships such as Song-Arteta-Ramsey and Mertesacker-Koscielny getting regular games and a chance to get used to each other.

Meanwhile, having just seen United thrashed 6-1 at home and Chelsea losing at newly-promoted QPR (and losing Arsenal killer Didier Drogba to suspension in the process), we’re seeing that the sides above us aren’t so untouchable after all. Without key players, and perhaps a little low on confidence and energy after playing extra time on Wednesday night, Chelsea suddenly don’t look that scary.

The passing game that Arsenal play requires the players to be relaxed and confident, and that confidence comes from results. You can see on the pitch that the players believe in themselves more now than at the start of the season.

The difficulty is, as Arsenal have so often shown, one bad result can ruin all that very quickly. If it turns out we are outclassed by Chelsea on Saturday it might take a while to get that belief flowing again.

Still, while I would grab a draw with both hands right now, I think there’s enough pace and youthful energy in this team to get at Chelsea like we did in our win at the Emirates last year. If Gervinho and van Persie can link up well again, there’s a lot there to cause Chelsea trouble.

I hope our defence stays tight, and that the lack of a right-back isn’t too much of a problem. Chelsea don’t exactly play with wingers, and don’t have that direct approach that so often hurts us. I think we can leave Stamford Bridge with our current strong run intact, and even more confidence to move forward.

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Mark Brus

I'm 23-years-old and currently living in Bristol, studying to be a journalist. I've been hooked on Arsenal since I was about 10, and as much as I sometimes wish I could stop, I can't give them up. Favourite player of all time would have to be Patrick Vieira for the sheer passion with which he played the game.

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  • DDinLA

    Hmm. How soon we forget. Let’s be realistic.

    Our away record at the bridge is woeful. Our three tests against top teams: man u, spurs and Liverpool we failed.

    In our great record that you all would love to see as a come back or resurgence are two games against the woeful Blackburn at the bottom of the table.

    Without Van Perise we would be in the bottom of the table as no one else is scoring at any significant level. RVP twists and ankle on Saturday in the first half we are done.

    In every single game this season our defense has continued to gift chances
    and make absurd errors that you know put your heart in your mouth.
    Chelsea will punish those. Particularly if we play Jenkinson for chrissakes.

    So that is the reality. All the rose colored spin doesn’t change the analysis. And pinning a win on the lack of Drogba or Terry being distracted by racism charges is desperate. They have defenders like Alex who can bang in free kicks from 30 yards as he did against us last season. Do we ?

    This new team is still far from

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    • horsesisalliknowaboutbigsy

      You sound like a gooner who knows his football, I disagree a bit with the Drogba scenario, I think if he were playing it would suit Mertsacker better as Drogba has lost a yard or two of pace, but having Sturridge up against him will be a test he will fail woefully at, I cannot see Arsenal having the midfield quality to hurt Chelsea and think from set pieces Arsenal are so poor and un organised that Chelsea will be gifted too many chances for them to fail, there are signs of a revival but it will only be good enough to keep Arsenal in the top 6 they won’t progress from that position they just do not have the squad or the ability..

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      • Joskin

        Got to agree with you here, you really have summed us up perfectly.  Love us to win tomorrow, I’m going to be there, but hand on my heart I really can’t see it happening.  Still, we can dream can’t we.

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        • horsesisalliknowaboutbigsy

          Well Done but forgive me for taking heart from it, Both our rivals have defended like Kids today, I am absolutely buzzing now, you are entitled to be happy it was a win but jesus it was 2 bad football teams and certainly not that of
           2 sides who look like being top 4 , you may yet nick it at the expense of Chelsea rather than us, they defend like that at WHL next month and we will stuff them !

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          • Berg10

            We’ll finish above you mate, that I’m sure of.

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      • Berg10

        Looks like knowing your football doesn’t always pan out eh?

        The midfield looked pretty good for me.

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    • Anonymous

      We HAVE got van Persie, the team IS coming together and is improving with every game.  There is a sense of optimism here if not in the wilds Los Angeles. 

      Have another look at the glass you are holding, is it half empty or maybe it’s half full.

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      • Berg10

        Brimming over JiN.

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    • Berg10

      Our away record at the bridge just improved then?

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  • horsesisalliknowaboutbigsy

    Plenty of wins and goals because you have played shit teams and when you realise at 6pm on Sunday you are still 6 points behind the mighty yids and we have a game in hand you will feel all flat knowing that you still have to play Man City and we have played them already..no optimism should be the title ! ha ha

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    • SpudsAreShit

      …heard it all before, you’re just prone to having bitch fits because Spuds made the Champions League one year and you suddenly think they’re the team to beat… dream on LOL 

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      • horsesisalliknowaboutbigsy

        In all fairness I am not interested in the champions league, I think it is a load of nonsense I really do, I think it has totally killed football with it’s fortnightly mickey mouse league tables playing rubbish teams for the sake of it right up until February, Yes our one and only venture made me realise what a waste of time it is, we played Inter, AC and Real Madrid, we got to the quarter finals and we went to some lovely grounds, I have now been to all of the grounds I consider to be top notch having been to the Nou Camp on other visits and I see little sense in competing in a competition that we have no chance of winning, it should be for champions only and back to a knockout basis, being honest but you will only take offence to it, I think the whole of Arsenal FC and it’s fans have been hoodwinked by Wenger into believeing and accepting a succesful season is finishing 3rd or 4th, I fully realise I follow a club who are unlikely to ever be in it if my wish was granted, but I think a club like Arsenal should not be calling a good season 4th place, but then that has always been the difference between our fans, we love spurs and are passionate you my friend are just another glory hunting egotistical EMIRATES fan, what a shame that you move a matter of yards and the real fans got lost in the move…your club is littered with people who want to be seen to be Arsenal Fans ..hence the lack of passion, clearly the away fans are the Highbury Boys…see ya and if we do get 4th I will do all I can to get you reinstated because last years world cup and the lack of interest in it sums up what you lot making such a big deal of 4th place has done to our game…toodle pip..

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    • bpod

      In case you havent realised your on an Arsenal website so why dont you fuck off back to your Shitty Spuds sites.If i were a spud fan and found out you were going to Arsenal sites i would give you a slap.

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      • Anonymous

        bpod,

        Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, it makes for a far more interesting reading than sycophantic, one eyed drivel.  You should read more carefully Bigsy’s postings, they are far more inteligent than your foul-mouthed rantings.

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      • horsesisalliknowaboutbigsy

        If you were a Spuds fan as you put it, you would be talking football ..

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        • Berg10

          Talking football but not titles.

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    • Anonymous

      Wishful thinking on your part Bigsy.  You know that we are going to finish above you, just as you know that the Europa league is the pinnacle of your expectations.

      Top four?  Yer ‘avin a larf!

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      • horsesisalliknowaboutbigsy

        JIN I honestly don’t think you will, I don’t think you have the squad or the ability in it, look at it in an unbiased way, who from Arsenal would get in the Spurs line up week in week out ? Scezesny yes perhaps, Vermaelen when fit (rarely), Robin Van Persie ( injury risk) , and Jack …You would not have players capable of shifting Bale, Modric, Parker, Van Der Vaart, Adebayor, Ekotto (not that he is great but better than Gibbs or Santos) ..perhaps a few like Sagna on their day but even people like Defoe or Dawson would be accepted with open arms at the Emirates in some quaters…you just aint good enough and what you have that is good enough is injury prone…you don’t have 4 centre halves of the quality of Dawson, Gallas, King, Kaboul..you don’t have holding midfielders of the quality of Parker and Sandro..Lennon and Walcott are both a waste of space but I doubt Lennon will feature too highly with VDV playing in that deeper role the twitch will shuffle our midfield about and sacrifice Lennon, and Arshavin will certainly never be as good as Bale being shoved out wide out of position..Wenger has a team of players all being played out of position, both your wide men are better centrally and I see no reason why OXO is not absolutely thrown in with some ineffective rubbish like he is playing currently, I think these are the reasons Spurs fans are now laughing at you all, because it is blatantly bloody obvious that Wenger does not know what he is doing, you cannot play half your side out of position in the prem and be a success..love the debating and the banter but that is a bottom of the heart honest reply, personally if were Wenger I would buy Pavyluchenko and pair him with Arshavin up top and play RVP off of them..funny how Pav and Arshavin were gold dust, Shevchenko and Rebrov, but split them up and they are all crap ! food for thought, play a bloody player where he is good ..Arshavin is class and Wenger is no genius in fact he is an idiot for not getting the best from him by playing him as a backtracking wing back, wenger would play Hoddle at right back and Brady at left back if he had Gazza and Jack in the middle…Clueless !

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        • Berg10

          Gallas is past it and King perpetually injured. I’d take Kaboul, the rest you can keep, Kosher’s better than Daws imo.

          Wenger doesn’t aim for fourth, that’s his minimum, something he’s achieved continuously, tou’re right, this is our low point but it will get better not worse whereas I can’t see much more improvement from the spuds.

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          • horsesisalliknowaboutbigsy

            Kosher’s better than Dawson ? I think we leave it there..ha ha

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      • horsesisalliknowaboutbigsy

        JIN I honestly don’t think you will, I don’t think you have the squad or the ability in it, look at it in an unbiased way, who from Arsenal would get in the Spurs line up week in week out ? Scezesny yes perhaps, Vermaelen when fit (rarely), Robin Van Persie ( injury risk) , and Jack …You would not have players capable of shifting Bale, Modric, Parker, Van Der Vaart, Adebayor, Ekotto (not that he is great but better than Gibbs or Santos) ..perhaps a few like Sagna on their day but even people like Defoe or Dawson would be accepted with open arms at the Emirates in some quaters…you just aint good enough and what you have that is good enough is injury prone…you don’t have 4 centre halves of the quality of Dawson, Gallas, King, Kaboul..you don’t have holding midfielders of the quality of Parker and Sandro..Lennon and Walcott are both a waste of space but I doubt Lennon will feature too highly with VDV playing in that deeper role the twitch will shuffle our midfield about and sacrifice Lennon, and Arshavin will certainly never be as good as Bale being shoved out wide out of position..Wenger has a team of players all being played out of position, both your wide men are better centrally and I see no reason why OXO is not absolutely thrown in with some ineffective rubbish like he is playing currently, I think these are the reasons Spurs fans are now laughing at you all, because it is blatantly bloody obvious that Wenger does not know what he is doing, you cannot play half your side out of position in the prem and be a success..love the debating and the banter but that is a bottom of the heart honest reply, personally if were Wenger I would buy Pavyluchenko and pair him with Arshavin up top and play RVP off of them..funny how Pav and Arshavin were gold dust, Shevchenko and Rebrov, but split them up and they are all crap ! food for thought, play a bloody player where he is good ..Arshavin is class and Wenger is no genius in fact he is an idiot for not getting the best from him by playing him as a backtracking wing back, wenger would play Hoddle at right back and Brady at left back if he had Gazza and Jack in the middle…Clueless !

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    • Berg10

      As I said to you last week you haven’t been setting the world on fire yourselves, (I haven’t revisiyed to see a reply), yes you beat us (lucky) and Liverpool, the rest were as you put it “toilet”.

      Let’s have a bit of optimism Arse fans, yeah maybe we aint where we’d like to be yet and we need reinforcing but until then try and be positive, there is improvement and we have to build on it.
      ” 6 points behind the mighty yids” please stop exagerating bigsy, you’ve achieved nothing for a very long time and I’d have Wenger over Rednapp anyday.

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      • horsesisalliknowaboutbigsy

        Would You ? I wouldn’t ! Wenger called on some very good fellow countrymen at a time when they were the best on the planet, since then he has done nothing but sell top class talent and replace it with shit, he let an endless list of top quality midfield hardmen walk out and left the club with a big soft tickly under belly, I despise Redknapp but look at how he has built us up with half the revenue on most of your cast offs…disagree entirely and let’s get this back to those facts please and not some fairy story..results and league tables don’t lie as you lot have said for decades, until now of course..god you remind me of our fans Berg10..this season is the one ! it really is ! ha ha   xx

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    • Berg10

      Well at best you’ll only be 3 ahead of us on Sunday evening and no more of this twaddle that Chavski played shit, you can only play what’s in front of you and when we beat city you’ll say the same again lol!

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  • horsesisalliknowaboutbigsy

    Plenty of wins and goals because you have played shit teams and when you realise at 6pm on Sunday you are still 6 points behind the mighty yids and we have a game in hand you will feel all flat knowing that you still have to play Man City and we have played them already..no optimism should be the title ! ha ha

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  • Mikel_arteta

     We are dead without rvp… Park-Rvp-Gervinho… somehow… if we put these 3 players upfront instead of walcott and less focus on midfield… we can win this one… Park is not that bad… He has not started a single match yet at the premier league… He has made a total of 1 goals and 1 assist in 2 games in the Carling cup… While the goal was absolutely fantastic! Arshavin will come in the 2nd half and make some magic with rvp… But.. another stupid yet questionable doubt, why is wenger still not playing PARK CHU YOUNG!?

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  • Anonymous

    Well Bigsy?

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    • Berg10

      It’s likely that the usual knockers and pessimists that enjoy coming on here writing us off BEFORE the matches will be as silent as Stan Kroenke for the time being, ‘though I see Bigsy has posted that both teams were shite but not too long ago he and several others challenged us that if we win at the cowshed we’d be considered as on the up …didn’t happen what a surprise.
      Proud to be a Gooner.

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