Monday, November 06, 2006
Oh Dear...
Crap doesn’t even begin to describe yesterdays lackluster performance against West Ham at Upton Park. It was the polar opposite of the CSKA and to harp on about the ref missing a deadsure penalty is just to gloss over the inadequacies in our play overall. West Ham’s goal came from football we are unwilling to replicate without Eboue. A strong run to the byeline, pull back and someone attacking the ball at speed. This movement is difficult to defend against because the defenders’ momentum is in the opposite direction always giving the attackers the advantage. Instead we play pretty passing trying to thread the ball through a miniscule gap that gets ever smaller as teams realize all they have to do is pack the area in front of the penalty box and we’re stuffed.
Adebayor, despite his goal at Old Trafford is never going to be a 20 goals a season player for us or indeed anyone. Wenger has gone on record as saying he liked Darren Bent and Andy Johnson but while they continue to score goals for fun we struggle. Henry has 6 goals this season, including 2 penalties and 2 headers, a most unHenry-esque return.
Wenger acted like a spoilt brat in his bust up with Pardew. For God’s sake football is about emotion, something the powers that be at the Arsenal are doing their damnedest to price out of the new stadium, and Pardew has had a tough old time recently. To play well against one of the supposed Big 4 and knick 3 points at the death; well I think he’s entitled to celebrate. AW represents the Arsenal and not Chelsea, he should be man enough to rise above the bait.
It was interesting to see Fabregas start bullying Sheringham at the end of the game and have Harewood pull him this way and that. Interesting because the young Spaniard had been invisible all game, finally he lets himself gets goaded by the oldest geezer in the League, someone whose hatred of the Arsenal is well known.
I said after the Reading game that cruising against teams like Sheffield United, Watford and Reading aren’t the challenge and the last two games have seen us conjure up one goal, a free kick, and one point. I can’t see us going to Bolton and winning 4-0 like the Mancs, can you?
Adebayor, despite his goal at Old Trafford is never going to be a 20 goals a season player for us or indeed anyone. Wenger has gone on record as saying he liked Darren Bent and Andy Johnson but while they continue to score goals for fun we struggle. Henry has 6 goals this season, including 2 penalties and 2 headers, a most unHenry-esque return.
Wenger acted like a spoilt brat in his bust up with Pardew. For God’s sake football is about emotion, something the powers that be at the Arsenal are doing their damnedest to price out of the new stadium, and Pardew has had a tough old time recently. To play well against one of the supposed Big 4 and knick 3 points at the death; well I think he’s entitled to celebrate. AW represents the Arsenal and not Chelsea, he should be man enough to rise above the bait.
It was interesting to see Fabregas start bullying Sheringham at the end of the game and have Harewood pull him this way and that. Interesting because the young Spaniard had been invisible all game, finally he lets himself gets goaded by the oldest geezer in the League, someone whose hatred of the Arsenal is well known.
I said after the Reading game that cruising against teams like Sheffield United, Watford and Reading aren’t the challenge and the last two games have seen us conjure up one goal, a free kick, and one point. I can’t see us going to Bolton and winning 4-0 like the Mancs, can you?
# posted by Me @ 4:58 PM 
