Gooner Corner

[frogpatrol]

Le Boss has targeted this young defender from the Ivory Coast. You have to love the second picture from the link.

 

 

http://gunner-blog.blogspot.com/2004/11/arsenal-sign-manu-ebou.html

[Steve]

That second pic may be of me copping a feel at my senior prom at the High School I was bussed to in the 'burbs...or I was holding her for the cops to come just like my signature line says...lol

 

He married a Belgian girl (seems like its the one in your link). Is it true love or to get EU status or both? Who cares as long as he's good and we have him, eh? haha

 

This guy and a couple others were in our preseason matches last summer. Kolo's younger brother Yaya was on trial as well. We didn't sign any of them. I think we were chasing Trablisi at the time and the 3 players (and this guy was one of them) were fairly young and inexperienced in a big league and Wenger wanted an experienced international.

 

The Trablisi deal fell through with Ajax and as you know we are desparate for defensive cover. I think he'll be more a work in progress than an experienced defender that can fill in immediately. Lauren's contract is up in the summer and I think Wenger may be looking to replace him. He's been looking at players that can play RB and cover at center half.

 

Wenger has gone into his magic hat and he may turn out to be a diamond, like his countryman.

[Steve]

Well, it was a game that neither side seemed like it wanted to win. Liverpool had the better of us in the first half and deservedly were up 1-0 at the half but both sides were crap. Reminds me of an advert here I saw on a billboard once for a radio show. They knew their show weren't good but neither was the competition, so the ad read 'We Suck Less'. And that's exactly what this game turned out to be.

We didn't have one shot on goal in the first half. The whole forward line and midfield were dire. Liverpool created far more chances, they closed us down and wanted the ball more. For the last month or so, Arsenal has been lacksadaisial from the first kick and would only start to play when down a goal. There was a lot of to do about a penalty to Mellior but he made a meal of it and in this unbiased gooner's opinion :: it was not deserving of a penalty kick.

The same script applied in this game and we came out the 2nd half playing 'Arsenal' football. Vieira got out of his stupor and scored a wonder goal from a touch and go after he had won the ball. It was an Arsenal goal and I almost forgot what those goals seemed like lately. We played the better ball for the majority of the 2nd half. Liverpool had their chances.

We had our chances as well. We should have had a 2nd on a few occasions. Strangely, we are finding it hard to get that final ball. Reyes was subbed off for van Persie and his energy was comforting but no one else was playing for us so he was on his own. Pires played terribly and I don't think he made or won a challenge. Fabregas' play is starting to be affected by the bad form around him. Can't expect a 17 y.o. to carry a team of internationals. Even his sure passes were finding LFC shirts. Freddie had his moments. Henry was in and out of the game and kept trying to dribble past 3 surrounding defenders. Vieira would lose the ball in posession or make bad passes.

Benitez looked like he was playing for a draw and if he got lucky, perhaps nick a goal as some of our opponents have been doing lately and sure enough it happened on pretty much the final kick of the game.

It was harsh to lose a game like that. We deserved a draw I think having gotten the better of the Reds in the 2nd half and they the better of us in the 1st, but with us playing so far below our standards, no passion, no team work at all, then maybe the football gods awarded Liverpool the game for playing better with not nearly as much quality on the pitch due to injuries.

 

I will say this, it seems like Arsenal's season has been coming down to one game for the last few years. It shouldn't. In '02 it was Liverpool away that changed the season, in '03 we lost 2-0 at Old Trafford and never really recoverd, in '04 we had the handbags at OT incident which Pires said changed our season in his book. This season we haven't been the same since Old Trafford. Its a long season. We shouldn't be having a make or break season on one game.

 

Wenger needs to call a team meeting. He needs to play the first half of that game and make the first team sit and suffer through it all again. He needs to tell them that he'd much rather them lose 2-1 and playing passionately and for each other, than win an ugly game where they didn't play together because over the long run, teamwork and passion is going to win games and honors. And he needs Pat Rice to be his foil and to play bad cop to his good cop to tell the first teamers they are playing like crap and if it was up to him he'd start the reserves. Now is the time you need a scottish manager, Graham would have been in their faces and had a go at each of the worst players.

 

Its still early but they need to make the Chelsea game their last stand. If we lose the title and I am not conceding it, then I'd rather it be Chelsea. If Man Utd wins it then we were outmanaged and its too hard to swallow. If Chelsea wins we were at least out spent and its Jack Walker and Blackburn all over again. I'd rather be outspent than out managed in losing the title.

[sayjann]

'Benitez looked like he was playing for a draw'

 

i missed that Steve,was he a sub? and if so when did he come on?.

 

never saw the game or any Goals from the Weekend but am happy that Utd are starting to claw back the deficiet.

we were written off after 4 games while having many injuries,but i knew things would get better in the long run.

slowly catching up the Arse and that will do me,we may not win the Title but as long as we finish above the Gooners i will be happy.

just saw the Goal by Mellor and i cheered so much.......555.

[limbo]

First half Arse was terrible, no pass ended up with an Arse player and the midfield didn't seem to exist. Pires was dreadfull and gave the ball away which lead to the first goal, Luckily he was involved in the Arse goal, other than that it seems the team had a complete off day.

 

Didn't see that much of the 2nd half.

 

3 outstanding goals tho, Alonso, Vieira and Merrow, one by one outstanding.

[bibblies]

"Neither side seemed like it wanted to win"?

"Benitez looked like he was playing for a draw"?

 

What game were you watching? We pissed on you, had more energy, won all the challenges and played lovely attacking football. And the stats bear it out. You barely had a shot!

 

It's not often a Liverpool fan can be proud of a performance these days so give us our due when we finally play well, at least!

[Steve]

After we scored, LFC were playing for a draw, when Simana got hurt and Nunez came on for him. LFC were the far more livelier in the first half but Simana was invisible, Mellor had one or two chances but what else? Don't mistake Arsenal playing worse as LFC playing great. Palace looked great against us if you look it that way. LFC has been poor for the last few weeks. They outplayed us the first half.

 

I was watching the game with LFC fans on the other side of the pub and their moans were louder than ours. LFC's midfield was packed with guys who neutralized ours. Gerrard their MOTM but I wouldn't say LFC's play was a superior display, just better than a poorer Arsenal side.

[Zaad]

ENjoyable game, so was the one prior New-Eve

 

I think both sides were generally happy with yesterday's encounter (not result) since the Arse seem to be out of their topform and Liverpool missed their two main strikers plus att. mid.

 

I was fearing yet another late goal by Arsenal when they kept pushing for a win late second have but then a fantastic goal made the difference.

 

P.S. Limbo, It's MELLOR and you shouldn't ever forget that name

[bibblies]

Bah humbug. You could hardly get out of your half and there was a reason for it: Gerrard and Alonso. That was only the third game they've played together. The first was against Bolton (Xabi's first game in the Premiership, settling in) and the second was in the 2-0 win over Monaco (where we also bossed it). Best central midfield in the Premiership.

 

Liverpool Team Statistics Arsenal

2 Goals 1

5 Shots on Target 1

5 Shots off Target 1

2 Blocked Shots 1

6 Corners 0

6 Fouls 16

2 Offsides 1

0 Yellow Cards 2

0 Red Cards 0

66.7 Passing Success 72.0

80 Tackles 52

45.0 Tackles Success 38.5

55.2 Possession 44.8

55.3 Territorial Advantage 44.7

 

[kman]

bibblies said:We pissed on you, had more energy, won all the challenges and played lovely attacking football. And the stats bear it out. You barely had a shot!

Hardly pissed on .. Lets face it, it didn't take much to have more energy than our bunch of wasters yesterday. I did think Gerrard had a cracking game but the rest were ok, which was all you needed to be. I'm bloody glad Baros wasn't playing.

 

It has to go down as one of the most inept performances for years, 0 corners and only 3 shots in 90 minutes.. pathetic. Don't flatter yourself Bibblies we just didn't turn up. It seemed most of our lot were thinking about what to do next week with a few days off especially Pires, Reyes and Ljundberg. I'd make them go to Old Trafford on Wednesday, sit on the bench.

 

I don't mind losing if we put up a show, but to lose like that pisses me of .. and no Steve I don't think we deserved a point.

 

Still Spewing

K.