24 Nov 2017 06:29:05
Poor result last night, but mission accomplished with a game to go in the group stage. Finished in top place and gave youngsters, players returning from injury and squad players much needed match time.
It also showed that certain players need to be moved on, if we want to challenge for the top prizes;
Ospina: Too short a keeper for my likening.
Debuchy: Poor last night, gave away a needless penalty, got booked. He should have been moved on a couple of seasons ago.
Chambers: Was part of relegated Middlesboro's team last season and I we should have taken the offer of £15m in the summer and kept Gabriel or/ and brought in a CB.
Coquelin and Elneny: Simply not good enough, even as squad players.
Walcott: Didn't play last night, but needs to go.
On the positive side, we have a decent crop of youngsters who need to play. Indeed, Maitland-Niles played well last night, probably our best player.
With the first team well rested we must consolidate after beating the toot, with a win at Burnley at the weekend.

1.) 24 Nov 2017
24 Nov 2017 08:47:32
You do know R. G. that cologne are bottom of the German league and haven't won a game yet, we also won our group with a games to spare but the difference is our group contains Dortmund and real Madrid lol.

2.) 24 Nov 2017
24 Nov 2017 10:35:47
Raver your welcome to it mate, who needs all that champions league stress with the last 16 embarrassing exit and disappointment.
With the Europa league we have a built in excuse of its only our reserves should we fail plus we get the chance to bring in the first team should we get to the QF and grab a bit of silverware.
The champions league is great as a novelty but making up the numbers loses its appeal after a few seasons, yes the occasional win over a big club is brilliant but ultimately the lows outnumber the highs unless your actually going to mount a serious challenge that sees you into the last 4 at least.
I think a few seasons out of it makes taking part fun but to continually make up the numbers is boring as you may well find out mate.

3.) 24 Nov 2017
24 Nov 2017 11:28:52
Raver61 - The simple difference between us and the toot is that we win trophies. The toot lost to Arsenal in the league, despite mysteriously resting players from International duty that miraculously turned up against us and then had to play a strong eleven in the CL, then will have to play a strong eleven in the easy match against WBA. The problems arise when you play Leicester away and the rest of the busy December schedule, whilst we have rested our entire first eleven this week and still waltzed through into the last 32.
The amusing thing is that we easily beat trophyless toot, a team with a manager that has won absolutely nothing in 8 years as a manager, nor have any of his squad won a single trophy whilst at the toot. Indeed Walker has fled for higher wages and the chance of actually winning trophies and Danny Rose is also unsettled due to never having won a single trophy and being on low wages. The same goes for unhappy Alderweirald and others. Echoes of Sol Campbell who had to move to a big club in order to get paid properly and win trophies.
Simple task, list the trophies won by the toot during your lifetime. You never answer this because it gets to you, as you are too young to remember the sole win this century in the League Cup, which you have already been dumped out of this season. 1961, yes 1961, closer to WW1, then 2017!

4.) 24 Nov 2017
24 Nov 2017 14:24:21
I think we are being a bit disingenuous to Raver, sniffily pretending we are not jealous of what his club has achieved and indeed their participation in the Champions League itself. We were happy enough to bray about it when we were in it; just now we're not and suddenly it's of little or no consequence.

I'm no lover of Tottenham and Raver has managed to privately get under my skin on occassions, but his humble acknowledgment last week that his team didn't show up and ours did, gained a new found respect from me to him.

The REAL point is about the "champions league" itself for me. It is a deathly boring competition until it gets to the er, knockout stages, which to my mind is why the European Cup was so much better.

I'd love us to have a European Cup again: only then Champions of each of the 54 UEFA Member Associations of Europe should enter. because that's a tough number to accommodate I'd do this:
Take the Champions of the eight lowest lowest coefficient ranked countries, two mini-leagues of four, quick round robin, event, home and away, the winner of each group qualifies for the "First Round" proper. That leaves 48 Member Associates left.
The top 16 co-efficient clubs get a bye to round two. Using the National Coefficient has the knock-on effect of meaning that suddenly this has a meaning to the clubs too: the higher their national team is ranked, the better for the club: eradicates to a degree the "big" clubs players suddenly going down with dandruff or body-hair issues that currently mysteriously mean they are "unavailable" to play for their country in friendly internationals.
Clubs from countries ranked 17 - 46 (30 clubs) + the two winners of the pre-lim groups get thrown into a hat and drawn, home and away.
Resultant 16 winners join the previous clubs who had a bye into Round Two.
Thereafter a straightforward draw, play home and away, winner through to the next round, repeat.
Not rocket science, not radical, less dull games.
To win the competition the clubs from the top 16 still would have to play nine matches, which, as football is ruled by money and TV still seems a reasonable number of games: in today's Champions League they play a maximum of 13, so there would no doubt be horror at the prospect of losing four games' revenue. But let's face it, some of the group games today are just dull, predictable and meaningless. Yes, I know it means we'd be deprived of seeing Real Madrid v Barcelona; Manchester City against Manchester United; Cefn Druids v Gap Connahs Quay; Arsenal against Spurs in the last eight onwards, but that could happen elsewhere, if it so desired and the fates combined.
Like in a European Cup competition reserved for clubs who come close in their league (call it what you will, I don't know, lemme see now, what about "The UEFA Cup" or maybe "The Europa Cup") .
And while we're about it, have a European based competition for the winners of each domestic member affiliates "FA" Cup? Call it, er, "The European Cup Winners Cup"?

I think Arsenal were pitiful last night against Koln. Elneny, who I have previously valued at least as a squad player, should never, ever, ever, be allowed to take any kind of playing position that requires him to "cross the ball" if one of his opponents has the temerity to "get in the way".
If we're going to blood the kids, blood the kids, don't give hopeless has-beens or never-will-be fringe first teamers YET ANOTHER chance to show us how inadequate they are.
#WengerOOT!

5.) 24 Nov 2017
24 Nov 2017 17:05:32
I've I seen this post before somewhere. Help I'm stuck in this horrible loop 😵.

6.) 24 Nov 2017
24 Nov 2017 19:15:48
Thanks bergot I always tell how it is win, lose or draw. R. G. I actually think you will win the Europa league as the quality in it is utter poor and Arsenal will play the bigger players in the later rounds, as for players leaving spurs you need to look closer to home as ox went to Liverpool for LESS money and ozil and Sanchez have run down their contracts to leave for BIGGER clubs. Yes you won last week and fully deserved the 3 points but at this moment in the season I still think we are in a better place than you.

7.) 24 Nov 2017
24 Nov 2017 20:01:38
BVH,

Having become literally bored to death with our constant failings in the Champions League, I for one am not now going to big up the Europa Dopa League.

It’s another pants competition with a desperately needed bonus of a Champions League spot.

If our standards are now that low that the aim is to win that cup to qualify for a tournament we should be in by right then we are proper forked.

This season was an opportunity to play the youngsters in this Cup and benefit as Leicester and Chelsea did by having no real Europe thus able to concentrate on the Premier League but sadly Mr Wenger has already made a pigs ear of that opportunity.

So I’m literally excited about nothing whilst he remains. I’ll watch every game, enjoy weekends like last but just wait out the remainder of the unwarranted contract in the hope we can then make the RIGHT change and get back to doing what big clubs do.

8.) 24 Nov 2017
24 Nov 2017 22:25:51
Oh for god sake raver you have brought up ox to Liverpool, you have opened up a can of worms there mate . Calculator where's the calculator . It doesn't make sense he on less money 😂.