ArsenaLOL

[windermereROYAL]

If you look at the internet it`s not difficult to see that Arsenal are almost universally hated, it doesn`t help when you have ex northern players queuing up to give their worthless opinions.
However what can`t be disputed is the fact they`ve been one of the best two clubs in the country for the last 4 years without lifting a trophy.
This seasons record FWIW P38 W29 D6 L3 GF82 GA23.
Not so bad for a team that are shit in 50% of their games as RR points out. I`d love it if they pick up 2 or more trophies this term just to shut up the gimps.

[Royal Rother]

FWIW - I said dull, not shit.

[Sutekh]

If you look at the internet it`s not difficult to see that Arsenal are almost universally hated, it doesn`t help when you have ex northern players queuing up to give their worthless opinions.
However what can`t be disputed is the fact they`ve been one of the best two clubs in the country for the last 4 years without lifting a trophy.
This seasons record FWIW P38 W29 D6 L3 GF82 GA23.
Not so bad for a team that are shit in 50% of their games as RR points out. I`d love it if they pick up 2 or more trophies this term just to shut up the gimps.

Would have been interesting had Liverpool decided to actually defend their title, rather than just write the season off, given they’ve taken 4 points off the Arse this season. Could have done with an entertaining title race this time round rather than the boring shambles it’s becoming. Only realistic challengers are FC 115 and I doubt anyone wants them to win it either.

[Winston Biscuit]

I don't think they are hugely dull, it's just not the most entertaining football to watch. I think in recent years Man City & Liverpool have based their moments of dominance on exciting attacking players, and its been great to watch, but Arsenal seem more about defending and trying to stifle the opposition

in previous seasons if I saw Liverpool or Man City were the tv game I would pretty much try to watch it as there would be something good going on, but this season when Arsenal are the Saturday teatime game or the sunday match, it stirs nothing in me and I so I often don't watch

Arsenal's highest PL goalscorer this season has just 6 goals, and in the top goalscorers chart this season is 23rd.

[windermereROYAL]

Arsenal's highest PL goalscorer this season has just 6 goals, and in the top goalscorers chart this season is 23rd.

But still have 46 goals, 2nd behind city on 49 who`s highest scorer has 20.

[South Coast Royal]

Arsenal's highest PL goalscorer this season has just 6 goals, and in the top goalscorers chart this season is 23rd.

But still have 46 goals, 2nd behind city on 49 who`s highest scorer has 20.

They have a lot of goals but watching goals from corners is not that alluring to make you want to watch them.

Efficient and with a deep squad I think they are near certs to win the league this season especially as they usually beat the lesser clubs whereas other contenders do drop points to the lesser clubs.

[South Coast Royal]

On the basis of net spend over the past 5 years Arteta should be challenging, as they are, on a number of fronts.

I know figures don't always tell the full story as they might be different over 6 or 7 years for example but I thought the figures for net spend over the past 5 years were interesting as follows:-

Man Utd £675 million
Arsenal £663 million
Chelsea £651 million
Tottenham £574 million
Newcastle £424 million
Liverpool £ 420 million
Man City £396 million

The most noticeable thing to me is the amount Spurs have paid out when their fans are often very shouty about the club not spending money.
Also Liverpool, despite last summer's splashing of the cash, they are nowhere near the biggest spenders nor are City, i.e. the 2 champions from the past 2 seasons.

[windermereROYAL]

Arsenal's highest PL goalscorer this season has just 6 goals, and in the top goalscorers chart this season is 23rd.

But still have 46 goals, 2nd behind city on 49 who`s highest scorer has 20.

They have a lot of goals but watching goals from corners is not that alluring to make you want to watch them.

Efficient and with a deep squad I think they are near certs to win the league this season especially as they usually beat the lesser clubs whereas other contenders do drop points to the lesser clubs.

For the life of me I can`t get my head around the flak they get for scoring from corners, there`s not a single team in world football that doesn`t try to score from them, if so what`s the point in having them?
Just because they`re good at it it`s wrong, right?
Last time I looked they had more then 60 goals in all comps from open play, but the critics prefer to look at the set pieces.
Whatever floats your boat to keep the hate fetish afloat.

[Royal Rother]

But still have 46 goals, 2nd behind city on 49 who`s highest scorer has 20.

They have a lot of goals but watching goals from corners is not that alluring to make you want to watch them.

Efficient and with a deep squad I think they are near certs to win the league this season especially as they usually beat the lesser clubs whereas other contenders do drop points to the lesser clubs.

For the life of me I can`t get my head around the flak they get for scoring from corners, there`s not a single team in world football that doesn`t try to score from them, if so what`s the point in having them?
Just because they`re good at it it`s wrong, right?
Last time I looked they had more then 60 goals in all comps from open play, but the critics prefer to look at the set pieces.
Whatever floats your boat to keep the hate fetish afloat.

Where’s the hate fetish showing?

I’m known on here as a bit of an Arsenal fan-boy, but I am honest enough to say I find them pretty dull to watch in many games. That’s certainly not hate, just truth, but then I’ve always placed a higher emphasis on entertainment that most.

[Orion1871]

Remember years ago when Arsenal fans embraced their dullness? "One-nil to the Arsenal."

Not sure why Windemere is so touchy about it given they're winning the league.

[windermereROYAL]

Remember years ago when Arsenal fans embraced their dullness? "One-nil to the Arsenal."

Not sure why Windemere is so touchy about it given they're winning the league.

Touchy or just stating facts, in the second half of the 23/24 season that won 16 of the last 18 games by an aggregate of 54-9 but still got pipped in the final week of the season because the FA in their wisdom scheduled Spurs vs city 5 days before the end, there was only ever going to be one result there.
They played expansive attacking football blowing away teams 5 and 6-0, and they still finished 2nd, that`s where the bottling tag came from because they lost at home to Villa in that period.
Seems like they can`t win now because they now rely more on a defensive set up and still taking pelters.
Just IMHO.

[South Coast Royal]

But still have 46 goals, 2nd behind city on 49 who`s highest scorer has 20.

They have a lot of goals but watching goals from corners is not that alluring to make you want to watch them.

Efficient and with a deep squad I think they are near certs to win the league this season especially as they usually beat the lesser clubs whereas other contenders do drop points to the lesser clubs.

For the life of me I can`t get my head around the flak they get for scoring from corners, there`s not a single team in world football that doesn`t try to score from them, if so what`s the point in having them?
Just because they`re good at it it`s wrong, right?
Last time I looked they had more then 60 goals in all comps from open play, but the critics prefer to look at the set pieces.
Whatever floats your boat to keep the hate fetish afloat.

Clearly you don't care whether football is entertaining when neutrally watching a team.
Before last weekend Arsenal were 4th from bottom for scoring goals in open play in the Premier League this season.

If you love watching corners with all the pulling and pushing and diving I would suggest that wrestling might really be your thing rather than football.

BTW , as RR says "hate" just doesn't come into it.

[Sanguine]

We've all been through '1-0 to the Arsenal', Vic - and Arsenal won a lot more stuff when they were 'boring'.

Arteta should be getting some huge credit. Sure they've not got over the line the last two seasons, but like Klopp did with Liverpool he has them thereabouts and challenging. Now this season they are very quietly putting together a tilt at a quadruple. I don't think they'll get there but - six points clear in the PL with 14 games to go, eight out of eight wins in the CL, final of the Carabao Cup, and clearly the best defence in the league despite the aberration at Old Trafford.

They should win their next three league games comfortably. Do so, and they'll probably only need to win half of their then remaining 11 games to take the title.

[South Coast Royal]

We've all been through '1-0 to the Arsenal', Vic - and Arsenal won a lot more stuff when they were 'boring'.

Arteta should be getting some huge credit. Sure they've not got over the line the last two seasons, but like Klopp did with Liverpool he has them thereabouts and challenging. Now this season they are very quietly putting together a tilt at a quadruple. I don't think they'll get there but - six points clear in the PL with 14 games to go, eight out of eight wins in the CL, final of the Carabao Cup, and clearly the best defence in the league despite the aberration at Old Trafford.

They should win their next three league games comfortably. Do so, and they'll probably only need to win half of their then remaining 11 games to take the title.

Fine-you will have read that I don't disagree and feel that they are certs to win it.
The point that RR and I were making to Windemere is that they aren't a great watch which I guess their fans don't care a toss about having failed to win the big one for so long.

I don't think they will win the Champs League but have an outside chance of the treble with their squad having more depth and cover than anybody else.

[BRO_BOT]

We've all been through '1-0 to the Arsenal', Vic - and Arsenal won a lot more stuff when they were 'boring'.

Arteta should be getting some huge credit. Sure they've not got over the line the last two seasons, but like Klopp did with Liverpool he has them thereabouts and challenging. Now this season they are very quietly putting together a tilt at a quadruple. I don't think they'll get there but - six points clear in the PL with 14 games to go, eight out of eight wins in the CL, final of the Carabao Cup, and clearly the best defence in the league despite the aberration at Old Trafford.

They should win their next three league games comfortably. Do so, and they'll probably only need to win half of their then remaining 11 games to take the title.

Fine-you will have read that I don't disagree and feel that they are certs to win it.
The point that RR and I were making to Windemere is that they aren't a great watch which I guess their fans don't care a toss about having failed to win the big one for so long.

I don't think they will win the Champs League but have an outside chance of the treble with their squad having more depth and cover than anybody else.

I've only watched them play a full game against Utd. They were tidy but lacked a real threat up front.

I can see a rule change coming because putting 16+ men in the box, and then praying it ping-pongs off one of them in the scramble, makes for turgid football. The 'blocking' they are using used to be known as 'fouling' and would be happier in the NFL. I think to counter it, I'd use the Kyle Walker approach of just going to ground once contact is initiated and rely on VAR to rule anything out.

[South Coast Royal]

We've all been through '1-0 to the Arsenal', Vic - and Arsenal won a lot more stuff when they were 'boring'.

Arteta should be getting some huge credit. Sure they've not got over the line the last two seasons, but like Klopp did with Liverpool he has them thereabouts and challenging. Now this season they are very quietly putting together a tilt at a quadruple. I don't think they'll get there but - six points clear in the PL with 14 games to go, eight out of eight wins in the CL, final of the Carabao Cup, and clearly the best defence in the league despite the aberration at Old Trafford.

They should win their next three league games comfortably. Do so, and they'll probably only need to win half of their then remaining 11 games to take the title.

Fine-you will have read that I don't disagree and feel that they are certs to win it.
The point that RR and I were making to Windemere is that they aren't a great watch which I guess their fans don't care a toss about having failed to win the big one for so long.

I don't think they will win the Champs League but have an outside chance of the treble with their squad having more depth and cover than anybody else.

I've only watched them play a full game against Utd. They were tidy but lacked a real threat up front.

I can see a rule change coming because putting 16+ men in the box, and then praying it ping-pongs off one of them in the scramble, makes for turgid football. The 'blocking' they are using used to be known as 'fouling' and would be happier in the NFL. I think to counter it, I'd use the Kyle Walker approach of just going to ground once contact is initiated and rely on VAR to rule anything out.

On Tuesday night Chelsea tried at the last moment to send 4 players upfield.
The effect was meant for Arsenal to then have 5 defenders back to mark 4, 1 player on the edge of the box and just 4 players crowding around the keeper.

The surprise element was lost when the ref blew the whistle to have one of those meaningless chats with a couple of players pushing and pulling each other.

[Sanguine]

I vaguely remember little old Reading using a 'rushing' tactic when defending free-kicks. Maybe under Pardew? Albeit this was to catch the opposition offside. As the attacker was about to take the kick our entire defence would sprint out and the attack would little a little lonely. And offside. I don't remember it failing once, tbf.

[BRO_BOT]

I vaguely remember little old Reading using a 'rushing' tactic when defending free-kicks. Maybe under Pardew? Albeit this was to catch the opposition offside. As the attacker was about to take the kick our entire defence would sprint out and the attack would little a little lonely. And offside. I don't remember it failing once, tbf.

Just need to block one player...

[BRO_BOT]

Fine-you will have read that I don't disagree and feel that they are certs to win it.
The point that RR and I were making to Windemere is that they aren't a great watch which I guess their fans don't care a toss about having failed to win the big one for so long.

I don't think they will win the Champs League but have an outside chance of the treble with their squad having more depth and cover than anybody else.

I've only watched them play a full game against Utd. They were tidy but lacked a real threat up front.

I can see a rule change coming because putting 16+ men in the box, and then praying it ping-pongs off one of them in the scramble, makes for turgid football. The 'blocking' they are using used to be known as 'fouling' and would be happier in the NFL. I think to counter it, I'd use the Kyle Walker approach of just going to ground once contact is initiated and rely on VAR to rule anything out.

On Tuesday night Chelsea tried at the last moment to send 4 players upfield.
The effect was meant for Arsenal to then have 5 defenders back to mark 4, 1 player on the edge of the box and just 4 players crowding around the keeper.

The surprise element was lost when the ref blew the whistle to have one of those meaningless chats with a couple of players pushing and pulling each other.

Don't even need the surprise element for this to be effective. The general defensive principle is to be +1 at the back (as you noted).

The more players in the box the more it favours Arsenal's approach.

[windermereROYAL]

Actually I`d like to see a new rule introduced for corner kicks where no player is allowed inside the 6 yard box until the corner is taken, the goalkeepers are in a no win situation, they have nowhere to go.
Not sure it`ll happen but it should.