Arsenal 0-1 Manchester City: Money Wins As Gutsy Gunners Eventually Lose Out.

By: jg | November 29th, 2011

I’m proud of the team today.

Par6688838

An Arsenal side composed mostly of our youth players and our second string benchwarmers did much better than anybody expected, outplaying a “reserve” Man City side that still had the likes of Nasri, Dzeko, Aguero, Johnson, and De Jong on the pitch and which likely cost more to assemble than 15 first XI’s in the EPL. However, Arsenal scuffed the few chances they had or were otherwise stifled by some good keeping by City, before a swift counterattack 7 minutes from time led to City’s winner. A respectable performance that we can take much from.

Britain Soccer League Cup

The first half started in a fairly even matter, with both sides going for it, although there wasn’t much in terms of chances created. Arsenal didn’t seem overawed at the prospect of facing a much more experienced City side- in fact, the Gunners went with their mouths barking rather than guns a blazing in the early stages. Arsenal played a intense, pressing game, and wasn’t afraid to get stuck in and tackle the ball. Of course, our most exuberant player was Frimpong, who delighted himself with the chances to rough up a few rich players, including ex-Arsenal man, Samir Nasri. Although ex-Gunner Kolo Toure was also on the pitch, all of the attention by Arsenal fans was directed towards the Frenchman, who was followed by a cacophonous ring of boos whenever he touched the ball. Nasri was visibly fazed by the boos, which hindered his play, so good job, Arsenal fans!

The chances that did come were fairly threatening. In the 10th minute, Adam Johnson, who had a decent game against Miquel down our left flank, hit a shot that dipped narrowly over the bar. 2 minutes later, the biggest chance of the match came to us. Chamakh did well to hold down the ball and passed it to AOC, who passed to to an onrushing Coquelin, who drilled in a cross across City’s box. Park was at the far post to tap it in, but he was under pressure and his shot was weirdly saved by City’s reserve GK, Pantillimon (or something, can we call him Romanian Bob?), reaching behind him to tip it across the line. Perhaps Park should have shot better, but he was under pressure and it was already nearly a goal. So close. Our second big chance came in the 27th, when AOC cut inside, played a one-two with Chamakh, and unleashed a ferocious shot that was well tipped over the bar by Romanian Bob, who was having a good game. A great shot by our young promise, who was having himself a great day down our right flank.

Of course, things were looking too good for us, so after 30 minutes, Mancini flexed his financial muscles and subbed off Kolarov for Aguero. It was a testament at the difference of philosophies between the two clubs- at Arsenal, we play the reserves and youngsters because we don’t want to risk our first team players and hinder our league play. At City, 30 minutes of slightly mediocre football and you throw in your 35 million asset!
The rest of the half slowed down a bit, but City still threatened with their pace and occasional through ball. Half time came, 0-0.

SOCCER-ENGLAND/CUP

We started the second half brightly, with Ox in particular doing well to give Zabaleta nightmares, unleashing a couple of good crosses and shots that Romanian Bob did well to punch out. The game continued with Arsenal’s midfield making up in its energy and aggressiveness for its lacking in creativity, with Frimpong in particular doing well to stifle City’s game. However, City had talent and were showing it, and went close on a couple of occasions, although Kos was always there to shut them out. In the 80th minute, a good play by City led to Dzeko heading just wide of goal, a warning sign of things to come. Following a poor corner just 3 minutes later, a lightning fast counter attack, started by Dzeko and Johnson, led to Aguero getting the ball on a one-on-one with Fabianski from 10 yards out. 35 million striker don’t miss from that distance (unless it’s 11 yards, in which world-class buys such as Andy Carroll may have a little more difficulty from), so the of course the Argentine slotted it home in front of the away fans, who then took approximately 34 years to realize they were winning and start doing their stupid Poznan. Pffft. (By the way, City fans, your little comments that “van Persie will be a blue”? He knows better than to play for a club like that. Stay classy, as always.)

Anyhow, we had 10 minutes or so to get an equalizer. Arshavin came, and Koscielny and Vermaelen all pushed up to get the crucial goal. Kos got a cross across goal but it was well saved by Romanian Bob. Gervinho unleashed a great cross that was unfortunately missed by Chamakh. And near the very end, Fabianski got up front to attack a corner. Naturally, it wasn’t successful, but he got back in time to deny City from scoring on an open goal. Full time came soon after, 1-0 to City in a game we didn’t really deserve to lose.
But that’s football. Like life, the rich ones often win. More than often, actually.

Par6688841

On to the ratings:

Fabianski: 6 Oddly enough, he wasn’t as tested as much as we expected. Flapped at a cross in the first half, but it missed everyone and went out for a throw. I don’t remember him making a single stop, but that is a compliment to our defense, who were (mostly) excellent today. Powerless on the goal.

Djourou: 7 A decent performance from an unnatural position. Got forward a couple of times and dealt well with Nasri and Aguero’s threat. Has improved since his disastrous show at Blackburn and has put himself back into Wenger’s good graces. Good for him.

Koscielny: 8.5 Man of the Match A truly magnificent performance from Kos today. Commanding from the back, exerting a calming presence on our defense. Didn’t give City’s multimillion forwards an inch of space, and was prominent in his customary blocks and interceptions. Had Aguero in his back pocket, but that wasn’t really a surprise considering he has already shown that type of domination against the likes of Messi and Torres. He’s finally starting to get the recognition he has deserved for quite some time now.

Squillaci: 7 Check outside, folks, and make sure the Apocalypse isn’t imminent- Squizz had a good game today. Made several good blocks, particularly in the first half, and didn’t make any calamitous errors that he has become so infamous for. Putting himself in the shop window for January, but nevertheless, an honorable performance from him.

Miquel: 6.5 A decent game from the makeshift LB. Struggled a bit with Johnson in the opening stages, but improved afterwards and eventually had a good performance. Subbed for Vermaelen for the last 10 minutes.

Frimpong: 7.5 Frimmers was our best midfielder out there today. Constantly going after the City players, particularly Nasri and Aguero, and proved to them that money does not necessarily mean you are better than someone. Energetic and spirited going up front, and with Diaby’s latest set back, has put himself back in contention for a couple of first team appearances.

Coquelin: 7 He never fails to impress whenever he’s handed a chance. Calm and composed on the ball, and just seems to be a very intelligent player. Delivered a peach of a cross early in the first half, which should have been buried by Park.

Benayoun: 7 Handed the captain’s armband today, a bit odd considering he’s only on loan, Yossi put in a solid shift today. Played a more central role than he’s used to but linked up well with Park, Ox, and our FrimCoq.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: 8 Had we won today, he would have been the MOTM. Was at the heart of anything positive we did going forward, and would have gotten a great goal if it weren’t for Romanian Bob’s great save. In the second half, he toyed with Zabaleta and was our most dangerous player. Probably ahead of Arshavin based on this performance.

Park: 6 He didn’t deserve to be subbed first tonight. Worked hard, and to be fair he was very short of service so there was little he could have done, but still kept going at it, making some good passes. Still, though the one chance he got, he scuffed it and should have done better, even if he was under pressure.

Chamakh: 5.5 His link up play is still decent, and he seems to be a good teammate, but he’s not good enough to be a decent backup for van Persie. Not at all. He doesn’t possess any significant pace, his aerial threat was limited, and seems to be clumsier than a drunk dog- it’s telling that I always worry he’s going to stumble or misplace the ball whenever he has possession. And the two big chances he got, he missed them both. At 0-0, he was in a promising position to shoot at the net, but fired horribly high and wide. And in injury time, at 0-1, he missed a great Gervinho cross entirely, in what was pretty much an open net. Van Persie and Wenger went completely bonkers- you know that our captain and, dare I say it, Bendtner would have buried that chance. If we buy only one player in January, it better be a striker.

Subs:

Gervinho: 6.5 Came on for Park midway through the second half. Wasn’t very effective, but won a few corners and delivered a great cross deep in injury time from which Chamakh should have scored from.

Vermaelen: 6.5 Came on for Miquel for the last 10 minutes. Got forward a lot and squared up to the City players, which was nice. Couldn’t replicate his heroics from Saturday, however.

Arshavin: N/A Came on for a tired Ox for the last 5 minutes as we tried to find an equalizer. Didn’t do anything of note, other than a soft shot at the very end.

The loss is hard to take, obviously. But the positives from this game were too big to not point out. Considering the gulf in the difference of the monetary value between the two teams, we played a very good game, and didn’t receive the thrashing that many were saying we were going to get. Koscielny had another great game. Ox, Frimpong, and Coquelin had very promising performances, that bode well for the future- or the now, because I’m pretty sure Ox is now our first choice backup for Theo and Gervinho based on today’s performance. If our finishing had been a bit better, we could have gotten something out of this game. And the biggest point still remains, that we managed to give the likes of van Persie (who was fantastic as a supporter in the stands today), Ramsey, Arteta, and Theo some well-needed rest. Would we have won today with our first team players on the pitch? Probably (at the very least, van Persie would have buried the chances Park and Chamakh were given). But let’s face facts- a win today would have meant a two legged semifinal against Liverpool (no way we would have gotten Cardiff, they’re reserved for United) right in the middle of January, which would have strained our team’s capabilities to maintain a good run in the league. And I’ll repeat what I said in the comments of the preview- our main aim this season is to retain CL qualification. Doing so means we still have a good shot of getting RvP, Walcott, and Song to sign new contracts, and for us to get better players next summer. Does that mean we have to give up our other trophy pursuits? Not necessarily, but today we had to, and if you’re looking for someone to blame for giving up arguably our biggest chance of winning something this season, blame Wenger for not adequately buying in June/July and the team’s decrepit performances at the start of the season- our woeful start meant that we really can’t lose any ground from now until May, at any cost, if we are to make it to the CL. Face it- would you rather win today with van Persie and make it to the semis, but at the higher chance he gets injured next week, or have him fit, healthy, and focused for the next month?

So today we lost, but, like I said, we have every reason to be proud of our performance. Our reserves did very well, our youngsters shined, and now I am legitimately excited about our date at the Etihad in 2 weeks. Because if the likes of Frimpong and Ox gave City a run for their (endless) money, what can the likes of van Persie and Ramsey do?

Forward Arsenal.

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Category: Arsenal News

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Modi

jg, I liked everything you wrote except when you started blaming Wenger again. This should stop and we should now be behind the manager. We don't have full info of why Wenger delayed his purchases. But if you look back to the last AGM, it is clear that Arsene didn't have funds to compete with the other richer teams, and therefore had to wait for his sales revenue and use them for his new signings. We need to stop bashing Wenger each time we lose.
Zamil_m10

...likes of van Persie, Ramsey aswell as Song, Theo and Szeczny! Great odds

I think the CDM role beside Song looks uncertain, a levelled competition between Arteta/Frimpong/Coq atm
Nasty

guys dont jinx napoli. I need to see 300 million go down the drain, so i can troll the shitty forums...
Perry S.

FORZA NAPOLI!!
Zamil_m10

cooolioooo my Serie A team is Napoli too!!! *highfive*
Malvin10

Remember, there's no membership fee for the BSM, we are open to everyone and have approaching 10,000 followers on various social networks etc. And we will report back to our followers.
So in the spirit of our openness, below are the topics we discussed with the club yesterday and await their response.
We were very limited with our time, the meeting started late (not our fault) and finished earlier than we anticipated especially as we'd agreed an agenda in advance and were therefore unable to cover everything.
I apologise for it's length (not the first time I've had to say that . . . I wish).

Ticketing Pricing Given the outrage at the club’s decision to raise season ticket prices last summer, we’d like assurances that no further increases are planned for next season. We know a lot of people who had to give up their season tickets because they simply couldn’t afford them any more. It’s heartbreaking to see people who’ve devoted themselves to Arsenal for decades have to give up watching the club they love.
This season, many matches have gone on general sale – almost unheard of in the last 10 years – and the club is witnessing exactly what we predicted. Fans cannot continue to be punished where there are other avenues that should be targeted first.
The club should be under no illusion that if further increases are passed on to supporters, there will be widespread protest – at the kind of levels never seen before at Arsenal. We had representatives from other key supporters groups offering participation in the summer, in case we organised a protest, so this demonstrates that the feeling is not isolated.
More variety in ticketing We think the club needs to be sensitive to the financial situation most supporters currently find themselves in. There are many ways in which this can be achieved:
1. We’d like the club to introduce a two-tier season ticket. One would be ‘as is’ but the second option would be a season ticket for league matches only. This could prove to be a very popular innovation. Fans who are finding it hard to afford their season ticket would have a cheaper option, and it would free up tickets to cup games which are currently limited in availability for lots of supporters. Those who purchase the full season ticket would naturally receive priority over the ‘lite’ version when it comes to cup finals etc.
2. We feel that the club should offer season ticket holders a short-term repayment plan whereby the ticket can be paid for over three months (1 June, 1 July, 1 August). Naturally the club could add an administration fee to each payment for doing this, clawing back any threat of lost interest.
While the club have previously offered loans with other financial institutions, or credit cards, we feel this is irresponsible – the club shouldn’t be offering more ways of getting people into debt, considering the current financial climate. Keeping it simple and in-house is the key.
3. We’d like the club to offer the chance of downgrading your season ticket – of course assuming there is a seat available in that price band. Options could be offered when renewing, giving season ticket holders the chance to:
- Renew your current membership/seat - Upgrade to a better seat - Downgrade your seat
4. If a season ticket holder gives up his/her season ticket, give them the option of buying a Silver membership. It’s hugely unfair of the club to shunt a loyal supporter to the back of the queue i.e. Red membership if they cannot afford their season ticket any more.
Stadium seating Bring back the Clock End We commend the club’s decision to finally name the stands, but would like this to move on a step further.
Since moving stadium, our fans have been split up around the ground and despite the ‘Red Section’ being allowed, the atmosphere inside the stadium is still poor. We therefore suggest that the club allows season tickets in the lower tier of the Clock End, which would allow like-minded people to be able to sit together and create a great atmosphere. Of course cup considerations need to be taken into account but why not operate as we did at Highbury i.e. provide those season ticket holders with seats elsewhere, as and when the situation arises? There is massive interest out there for a new Clock End to be formed, and by doing so, this would create a great deal of good feeling from fans towards the club. It would show the club really does care. Having a clock above the stand doesn’t make it the Clock End. Having fans there who want to recreate the old feeling of the Clock End most certainly does.
Away fans The position of away fans in the ground is something we also would like to see changed. At the moment, away support gets a prominent position in the lower tier, taking up thousands of the cheapest seats in the stadium. We would like the club to investigate the option of moving away support to the upper tier, bringing the following benefits:
-They would be out of sight of the TV cameras. It’s disheartening to see away fans standing, creating atmosphere etc. in prime view, while our ‘Red Section’ is tucked away in the opposite corner.
-They’d be further from the pitch, making it harder for them to generate loud support for their Team By far the biggest benefit – it would provide thousands of cheaper seats for Arsenal fans Yes there are many considerations to bear in mind… there would need to be work done on turnstile entry and exits, and there’s the safety issue of fans below. But if this is done by other clubs (Man United and Newcastle spring to mind) why can’t it be done here?
Unreserved seating We’d like the club to consider an experiment of unreserved seating. Providing a section of the ground where friends can buy tickets and sit together, it would mean fans coming into the ground earlier and it would definitely help create a better atmosphere inside the ground
The ‘matchday experience’ The Wonder Of You You wouldn’t believe the number of calls we’ve had, to get the club to scrap this song. It’s nothing to do with Arsenal and while we see the attempt to get it adopted as a club ‘anthem’ it hasn’t worked. Simply relegating it by playing it a few minutes earlier has enraged people even further – as if the club refuses to admit it hasn’t worked. Get rid, and get rid immediately!
Good Old Arsenal Play ‘Good Old Arsenal’ as the teams take to the pitch – if not as a permanent measure, at least for the 125 year celebrations against Everton. We know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s as close to an Arsenal anthem as we’re ever likely to get. It keeps ties with our traditions and it’s a proper Arsenal song.
‘Shout the names back’ Are there plans to change the “shout the names back at me” ritual? It’s cringeworthy to say the least and while it was a nice idea to steal it from Bayern Munich, it hasn’t worked. The vast majority of our core support can’t stand it. “Gerveeeeeeen!!” ?! Horrid.
Attendance figures While we can see the reason for the club being overly covert on this i.e. refusing to admit that a lot of people are no longer turning up, there’s a lot of ridicule about how the whole thing has been handled. At the end of the day, attendance is NOT how many tickets have been sold. It’s how many people are at the game. Taking the option of announcing it on the quiet doesn’t help the club. What is the club’s view on how this has been handled?
Heavy-handed stewarding We get a lot of comments from people over this – that stewards are all too quick to be aggressive with Arsenal fans, while the away support can pretty much do what they want. Personally (MH) I saw a steward giving two children a telling off after a recent match, because they’d stood on their seats to applaud the team off the pitch. These kids were visibly scared at such treatment and I was close to having a stern word with the steward involved. Giving someone an orange coat doesn’t make them the riot police, and something needs to be done on this.
Safe standing We hear from one of Ivan Gazidis’s Q&A sessions that the club would support the investigation into the introduction of safe standing at Arsenal. While we realise this is a bigger issue, we’d like Arsenal to be seen to be leading the way in this innovation. We have been in talks with the Safe Standing Roadshow and are prepared to arrange for them to visit the club and demonstrate how it works in Germany and how far the technology has advanced.
Red & White Holdings We fully believe that given the shareholding R&W has in the club, the Board shouldn’t continue to block their willingness to contribute to how the club is run. The club has to move forward and work in unison – shareholders, club and supporters alike. We believe that R&W deserve a place on the Board and we are firmly behind this._________________Fuck off you clueless tart . . .
Stan Kroenke

Fuck off you clueless tart??? I never forget Malvin! We'll raise ticket prices any damn time we fucking please. You don't like it? Bugger off to Spain and support Barca.
brenton

BSM stands for Black Scarf Movement?
Rico

I missed the game and only caught the highlights and I was very impressed by the way our youngsters control and dominated City. I am going to rant for a bit so I'll apologies now. am sorry!

Nasri gets a starting game in the Carling Cup, so this means he is a reserved player or a second team player? ha ha! Also I want to point out he thought he was coming off but then realised he is a tit and Mancini only wanted to give him instructions..... DUH!!!
Mancini says after the game that "we had a chance, they had a chance" am sorry but is that he's way of mean we attacked and pressured them for 83 minutes and then you had your first (and only) attempt on target?? Tool!!

Oh anyone see the Spuds game? what a disgrace! Paok got a player sent off for hand ball when his hands when almost behind his back! spuds got beat though and I smiled :D

Interesting result for Man Utd, teehee!

(I missed the past two games and we were defeated, I must not miss any more or I will blame myself - Superstitious! )
Gigi_man

so, Manure out...2 Championhip teams in...wonder if I hate a little bit the strikers that didnt score and won it now...just sayin' because we would have a shot with just Liver pool and 2 Chmp sides, right?
Homey_Mills

So much for the Cardiff-United semifinal that you predicted. Poor Utd.
Will

I keep feeling more an more proud of our young team's performance! A certain Manchester club has just lost to Crystal Palace...
Kanjar

Well, I was bored at work, so...

All numbers are in millions, courtesy of transferleaguedotcodotuk.

Fabianski2pantilimon6Djourou0toure16Koscielny10onuoha0Squillaci4zabaleta6.5Miquel0kolarov17Frimpong0savic9Coquelin0hargreaves0Benayoun0de jong16OX12nasri22Park3johnson7Chamakh0dzeko27Gervinho10aguero38Vermaelen 10razak0Arshavin15total66164.5
Kanjar

Pantilimon 6
toure 16
Onuoha 0
zabaleta 6.5
kolarov 17
savic 9
hargreaves 0
de jong 16
nasri 22
johnson 7
dzeko 27
aguero 38
razak 0

total: 164.5
Kanjar

Abject failure. Let me try again:
Fabianski   2
Djourou     0
Koscielny  10
Squillaci    4
Miquel       0
Frimpong   0
Coquelin    0
Benayoun 0
OX           12
Park         3
Chamakh   0
Gervinho   10
Vermaelen 10
Arshavin    15

Total: 66
Georgedb1

Great game, respectable loss. I personally like City, never mind their newly found riches; aside from the Arsenal I would rather see them win the league over Manure any day. And I certainly would not mind seeing another 1-6 THRASHING of Manure by City. Any team that does that to Manure is okay in my book.

And of course City fans are going to develop egos. Who wouldn't? We haven't won anything in 6 years but I know my ego as an Arsenal fan is as big as the moon. City are top of the league and have a bright short short to midterm future. That's all that matters in football. As long as they manage to avoid a Leeds scenario, they're going to take their winnings and make the best of what they have (as they should). Don't single them out for not being humble in winning, that's a flaw that all football fans need to work on.
Gunnerson

We have massive egos that we ironically justify by our superior class in comparison with new money blues or the thuggish bunch (the stokes). I still don't understand this aspect of class as fans... We are shitty losers, pompous winners, and quite success spoiled at times... we have booed our own players and called for our legendary managers head etc. As fans we are just like the rest of them. Probably better looking though.
Alvin

Only heard the game on the radio last night but looking through the comments from others it seems I got a good impression of what we actually looked like. Fact is their ‘keeper kept them in the game and when you consider they had four or five players out there alone who cost more than our entire squad, we can certainly be very proud of the lads. Disappointed that Park didn’t have a better game, Chamakh has clearly lost whatever it was he had when he first joined us (although as someone else mentioned on here, getting on his back won’t help him) and as for Arshavin…well, I’ve said everything I want to say about that useless, lazy git and the sooner he packs his bags and gets lost, the better. Other than that, a great showing and it was great to hear the praise the commentators were showering on Kos. I said yesterday that I thought Verm was more deserving of the no.6 shirt and it’s true that he’s been excellent since he first kicked a ball for us and has that same never-say-die attitude that Big Tone had, but now that Kos is settling he’s really stepped up and I can’t help feeling that we’ve seen nowhere near his best yet. If he continues the way he’s going, he’ll be just as deserving as Verm of the shirt. Either way, with those two, Djourou getting back to his old self, Mert already an undoubted talent who just needs time to adjust, ditto Santos and both Miquel and Jenkinson clearly great defenders in the making (not forgetting Sagna still to come back), plus of course one of the best young ‘keepers in world football in Chezzer, I really think Wenger has finally sorted the defence. Now he just needs to turn his attentions to the front and I have absolutely no doubt we’ll be title contenders again. C’MOM YOU GUNNERS!!!
Patoux21

Good to finally read in this blog some nice objective comments about my ex-boo Arshavin
Bumblefock

(record scratch)
Perry S.

Yes, we determined that Arsha left Patoux for Mertesacker, and that is why Patoux holds this deep grudge against Arsha.
Bumblefock

so, we stay tuned for the next episode of the pride and prejudice?
Patoux21

People should stop focusing on Nasri. He's no longer a gunner and he's going to lift at least one trophy at the end of the season. Something that would probably never happen under the next decade of Wenger's "undisputable reign". Cesc already lifted one I believe.
Casimir

Cesc lifted the Spanish homologue to the Community Shield, which no one cares about.

Let's see if Nasri actually earns a trophy and give him credit when it actually happens. For now it's just empty speculation and a long season.
Martin

The first time I read this I thought "homologue" was some sort of derogatory insult.
brenton

That's because you're racist.
Gunnerson

lol honestly, same... followed by a mental glimpse of david villa's delicately carved eyebrows.
Db10

But I want him gone. More than I've ever wanted any Arsenal manager gone. His repeated failure to address what needs to be addressed is just not good enough at that level and at a club of our stature.
The real shame is that a man that should be remembered solely for winning two doubles and an unbeaten PL winning season and his positive influence on the game in general will now be remembered as much for his massive failings of the last half a decade and his often ridiculous statements to the press. That's a real shame
gooner gunner

If you're so damn smart, maybe you and Homey should call Stan.
brenton

Homey, you can post under your own name.
Guest

Maybe for you.
Darit Prince

WE WILL NEVER WIN ANOTHER TROPHY UNDER WENGERFor whatever reason;
- Squad - Tactics - Financial constraints - City - United - The economy
We will never win another trophy under Wenger.
FACT.
gooner mayhem State Farm

Tottenham, Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea, RVP injury, RVP leaves, tea leaves, nuclear disaster, world war, rain, knocked out of champions league and lose $35 mil, Harry does not go to prison, Barcelona, Real Madrid, fog, snow, Mourinho comes back to Chelsea, Abramovich stays at Chelsea, oil prices, ticket prices, we need help, Kos and TV5 move to Spain, Wenger re-signs, Wenger re-ups, London economy, Messi, messy, daylight, world-wide famine, European economy collapses, euro devaluation, Fergie resigns, Rooney gets sick, Wenger has a fight with his wife........... For starters.
Mwanangu

NOT EVEN A PLASTIC TROPHY UNDER WENGER......Fact!
Patoux21

If I knew his address I would send him one of these as a Christmas gift
Patoux21

If I knew his address I would send him one of these as a Christmas gift
Patoux21

If I knew his address I would send him one of these as a Christmas gift
Orion

Challenge accepted.
Homey_Mills

I hereby promise that none of the above comments were written by me under a pen name.
FredJacob

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Axel

Coq was out of position for the goal.. He dis not track Aguero's run back.. Excellent game otherwise..
Melon Man

I thought Arsenal's rough house tactics worked quite well in the main to disrupt the City slickers, and in Frimpong they have the new Joey Barton, if he works on his violent side.

The Crazy gang spirit is alive and well in North London, well done.
Tomisin

Horrible typo(s), you kept misspelling Na$ri.
Bumblefock

Frimpong for best midfielder is probably a stretch. Coq was much better. Frimpong still looks like lumbering hooligan. Lots of poor temper, not as much intellegence on the ball as believe, defending on the edge of fouling. Dont like him at all.
LachlanS

Although I hate to see us lose a match like this where we deserved something more, I am very relieved. I wouldn't have cared if we had won the CC really, and it would just be detrimental to the rest of our season.

I am keen to see Benayoun get a bit more time on the pitch after last night. I thought he played well enough that he should be rotated in and subbed on a bit more often to relieve the pressure on Ramsey.

On the topic of bringing in another striker in January, do we have any wishlists. I think if we could get a combined 20 million for Arshavin, Chamakh and Squizz then I think we should bring in Doumbia. I think he is an amazing player with amazing talent, and he would suit the Wenger mould very well I think.
Tomisin

Rumor has it that we had scoust in the stands to watch podolski...not a bad idea. I also find Damiao an interesting option too.
JG

I haven't seen much of Doumbia, but his scoring record and his comparisons suggest that he would very much be a type of complete forward who can score a lot of goals. Which would be perfect for Arsenal.
But I think that if we're going to buy a forward in January, it won't be Doumbia. CSKA are in no position to sell, and as one of Russia's biggest teams, are assured of UCL football almost every season. That's why we're looking at Germany for talents right now, and the likes of Podolski and Reus, whose teams aren't as big in Germany and are not assured of success while they stay there, are more attractive propositions for Wenger.
LachlanS

Yeah I did consider that, but I am merely dreaming. I think if we could get him for 25, it would be money very well soent. I am not familiar with many other appropriate strikers, but podolski would be another great option and would also be considerably cheaper I would have thought.

I don't really follow the french league, is there anyone available there?
Gigi_man

Right on.
I will look for a rerun of the game, but nothing to be ashamed of, less than half money and a "tú a tú" perf. AS I said before, we need a striker, hopefully AW gets it now.
I know no one wnats to hear about Barza but a 1-0 loss to Getafe, and our 1-0 loss to City...same score, different otcome.
Lets get a fast guy, slim, thin, precise...any ideas?
Gigi_man

Just read AWs words....not liking them much, I agree that we did well, should be proud and all, but he just doesnt mention a trophy at the end, only top 4, I mean we got a better shot mathematically at the other 2 than to get 4th, why not push all the way? How did they do with LIverpool winning UCL and finishing 5th that year?
mylovelyarsefeederclub

I'm sure all the arsenal players play on merely £300 a week, its all about the passion and love of the shirt ay! none of the arse players live in flash houses or drive flash cars, its never about the money! take off your arsey tinted glasses, swallow your bitter pill, bite your vile tongue and take your defeat with bit of dignity! hold on, how much did you pay for Chamberlain again? Ermm was it £15k or £15m? i'm sure southampton was esctatic to flog him for free based on your history and class, it wasnt all about the money was it :)
gooner petey

You boys are going to get another well deserved ass whipping on Pearl Harbor day. Bayern embarrassed Mancini in Munich and they will abuse him even more next game. No chance Napoli loses to Villareal at home, so you boys are out of the Champions League at the group stage. $300 million of net transfer fees just doesn't buy what it used to. Or maybe it's just that Mancini is still shit in the CL as always. Unfortunately, for you, class is never for sale. It has to be earned.
Ian

hold on how much did you spend on santa cruz? adebayor? we spend our money carefully and invest it to make a better team. not just on players that we stash on our bench when we get bored of them. we dont just hand out money cause we can. 15 mil for 15 years of good football from chamberlain doesnt sound too bad? either that or profit from the sale
Gigi_man

Man I d be ashamed of the kind of money and only one goal versus kiddies...just sayin'
Oxlade? Money? yeah so? compare anything to your actual payroll and buying prices....shame should be for only scoring one goal,
city_real_man

We did what we needed!! Sent you boys home early. Have a good vacation. Wenger no longer has more money than everyone else, so he's done. Good luck for 6th place gigiboy!!!
Gigi_man

"did what we needed"...?

I just hope you re not a banker or an investment advisor hahaha; Sent us home? yeah...at that price and with our kiddies? really bad financial operation, but if you re happy...enjoy man!

Good luck to City when the auditors come!!

PS all in all, I prefer that you win the EPL instead of Manure so get those books straight!!
city_real_man

Glad you're rooting for us over Manure. It should help.

Kiddies? Round up all the MEN you have and bring them with you December 18th. We will still whip them like red headed step children!! Your last trip to Manchester didn't work out so good. "Arsenal, we still love you, we REALLY do"!! So sad :(. Even Fergie was sad. This next trip will be even worse. Tell Arsene to bring his medicine. Bring RVP and TV5 too. Our fans want to get a close look at our new summer signings. Kun and RVP? Fucking brilliant!!!

Auditors? You worried?? We OWN the auditors. Platini, UEFA? We own them too. We may have to pay a $3mil fine in 4 years? Who gives a shit. We wipe our asses with that. FFP? The Wharton MBA's will advise. It's OK.

I'm rooting for Arsenal over Newcastle for 6th place too. Europa is OK. $30 mil less revenue for Stan. It will make him cry. Who gives a shit?

Investment advisors? Don't need them!! We get our money from you boys buying our oil. Just keep driving those cars. $2 trillion available. Who cares about $200 million. It's like you buying some bubble gum, little gigi-boy.
Rico

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH

Enjoy Europa!!
Rico

Your fans want to a closer look at the summer signings? ha! behave little boy, RVP has respect and decency, not that you would understand those terms. So where does the spending stop? Once you have all the half decent players in the EPL? That's not winning the league, that's buying it! You think your inbred mind can work out the difference? maybe ask your sister/mother to explain.
I would rather see any other team win the EPL than you horrible money grabbing whores, that calls yourself a "team" win the league.
city real man

Rico you sound jaded. We pay Nasri more in a week than you will make in 5 years. Still living with your mama, lil boy?? Bend over, we have sumthin fer ya. You'll like it. Dec 18th. You and your mama/wife be dere. RVP is ours. He likes playing with Nasri and Clichy. Keep backing the Frenchman. NEVER will you win another trophy. NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!! 7th place, lil boy. Grease er up now!! Eeeeeeeeeehhhhh.
Rico

Is this a homosexual comment? Am sorry to tell you I don't swing that way sorry. Best of luck in that department though. Is that meant to be English? go back to school and try and pay attention in class. I don't feel right mocking people of you mentality, just isn't fair really.
jenikcarl

Interesting choice of name here... 'City Real Man'. Makes me think you also put out a placard outside your stadium - 'We also play football here!'

You really just changed football teams, didn't you? The first time I have seen a manc fan take over credit for a Man United team's performance. :P

On a football note, good play by the Gunners! Enjoyed the match :)
Gigi_man

Man, I was trying to be nice, why the "little gig-boy" naming..?

Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in.

How old are you? (before I waste my time and maybe see the reason why the naming "gig-boy")

Overall, if you really think that way, enjoy your team man, its like an expensive prostitute..I myslef prefer a torrid romance :P
malveux

7 years of no trophies, 7 more will be great. Mid table mediocrity. A torrid romance with a fat girl who stinks like a mackerel. Good luck with it all. Lil boy.
Gigi_man

hahahaha this is actually fun to reply to you guys.

Remind me again, what was ManCity number of years without trophies before oil money and your last years one..? come on, you can do better than try to upset a gooner with 7 years...if you were a Chelsea or Manure or Liverpool Id be shut, but man...you re city, you had more than 7 years, didnt you?

Now, older man, how old are you...really.
city real mano

I'll be in Dallas December18th. I'll stop by and we can watch the match together. Mano a mano. Bring extra underwear. 5 pairs. You'll need them, little boy.
Gigi_man

really? some days after still here? Man go enjoy your money winners.

Dallas? ....enjoy Dallas, er, hmm why do you telll me you will be in Dallas...? Oil?

Lil boy? really...? nothing new? well guess money doesnt buy new jokes...sad 4 you, hahahahaha

Real City Mano..? really....? REal Madrid, Ciudad REal, mano : hand? hahahaha, man you can do better, come on!
Will

You seem to be missing the point. This article was mostly about praising the young gunners for an excellent display, and was an analysis of Arsenal's performance. The jokes about city's endless cashflow were only jokes, and accurate jokes at that. Arsenal are obviously not destitute but the money is hard-earned through success and good managing: it is a self-sufficient club. City posted a net loss recently of around 200 million pounds. I can't do anything about this, but I do think, with all due respect, you can hardly say city worked, alone, to become the powerhouse they are today.
Oh, and 6 shots to 1 on target. Goes to show that you can actually build a great team to challenge any other and still balance the books (balancing the books doesn't mean without spending, it means without losing money).
arse blogger

Things were good for Wenger in his first ten years. Success comes easy when you have more money to spend on player salaries than any other team except United. Now that City and Chelsea can match his finances things are not so good, eh. No trophies in 7 years. You are correct, money means everything. It did then!! It does now. Doesn't matter if it comes from revenues or owner financing, does it??????
LachlanS

Don't kid yourself. Before Wenger arrived we didn't have a greater revenue than Chelsea. Wenger made us a huge club, but now it is nearly impossible to keep up with other clubs who have huge amounts of capital pumped into their clubs.
arse blogger

It'll be OK as long as we can edge out Newcastle for 6th place. Who needs money. Stan the man just puts it in his pocket anyways. Next year our annual revenue will be below $200 million pounds without champions league revenues. If we can't compete now, what will we do then? Let's beg Usmanov to buy us out, eh? I can't take no more trophies for the next 7 years. Without RVP, we could call him no goals, no trophies Arseman.
TK

To come to an Arsenal blog and say all this, after winning no less, is what you call the class of the "nouveau riche." Get a grip. Oh and tell Nasri not to wet himself next time, thanks. =D
Kiril

Oh nasri, I actually feel sorry for him now. As long as he stays in the PL he is gonna get abused by the mighty arsenal fans. And unfortunately city fans are growing big egos now. I'm not gonna celebrate yet, but I really hope bayern win or at least draw so the other blue team(Napoli) who deserve to play in the CL go through.