29 Apr 2019 21:51:56
I think our away form has to be down to Emery not getting his tatics right. Did you know he once went a full season without an away win with Seville? Really? His away form for his career is shocking baring PSG who let's face it barely break a sweat week in week out in the league, they managed to throw away a heft lead when they went to the Nou Camp. The problem has to be Emery’s tatics. Does anyone actually see a game plan when we go away? i'm not saying ‘Emery out’ as i'd like to give him the 2 years he is promised. What i am saying is this time next year we could be in the same predicament except every team around us will be stronger. maybe not Chelsea 🤣.
29 Apr 2019 22:12:18
If we don't improve our away form next season the blame lies with one person. At this moment in time, it has to be players because most of the squad he inherited with the same problems. We can blame him or the players but until he has his chance to put it right or not, it is an issue that has been around this place for the last 6 or 7 years. I have my opinions as to why we struggle with defending and that lies with xhaka, mustaffi, not a good enough left back or right back and wing backs that can do a job but we can't put out three reliable center backs. We do seem as a team to have just stopped playing football as well, which i can't explain. Players i trust and rate are not applying themselves as they were. Why?
29 Apr 2019 22:45:03
I see no plan or idea - “ Mustafi gets exposed in a back 4 “. 7 days later - Mustafi in a back 4. Clueless
Clearly no training or coaching happening with defence.
The guy interviewed for the job and must have known we can’t defend - no excuses and no lowering of the bar
It was right to get rid of Wenger but it’s disrespectful to let this guy do no better and say it’s ok
Playing a crap midfield in front of a crap defence against Oakace - a joke
Making Ozil captain - a joke
His coaching from the touch line - best thing he did was the dive impression but then did a crappy swim - joke
Wenger left a good attack - the only plus this season
Wenger left a poor defence and we strengthen but going no where under new management and Bould
Issue - board has NO ambition and that’s why we are where we are. Swimming in the middle size pool with no ambition or crazy funds required.
I don’t want him sacked but his appointment sums up our ambitions perfectly then you have the mess of our back room staff and management. Club needs rebuilding.
29 Apr 2019 22:55:17
This time last year it was the responsibility of one man to make sure all his players did apply themselves and if they didn't he was accountable for his players actions and inaction.
1 year on and I don't think those rules have changed.
29 Apr 2019 23:59:13
Steve - why does the guy play Mustafi in a back 4 some 7 days after stating he gets exposed in a back 4? Why play a poor midfield in front of a poor defence against palace? Why make Ozil captain? Baffling.
30 Apr 2019 01:48:33
Well he must be countable for his team selection and coaching methods, we all slammed wenger for playing xhaka week in week out, ge get a new contract and he is a regular in a team. You want to build then use the young players. Iwobi seriously what a waste of space, miki too. Mustafi is a mistake waiting to happen so why not play the young greek and coach him right and make him learn from his mistakes, well at least he will be learning. I mentioned this before you blame the players and not the system which is ridiculous. Burnley, Stoke, Leicester and wolves have they hot a better defenders than us of its so obviously right then maybe we should get a few from those teams I’m sure they won’t be that expensive.
30 Apr 2019 02:10:16
In Emerys defence. He knew full well that we had defensive problems and signings were made accordingly. With a limited budget the following were signed: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Sokratis, Guendouzi and Torreira. Bar Lichtsteiner, who was signed on a free, all have been decent signings and have been integrated well into the team.
If I recall correctly we started the season without Koscileny, Maitland-Niles and Jenkinson due to injury and then two of our top performing and first choice defenders Bellerin and Holding suffered season-ending injuries. Whilst, following a bust World Cup, Torreira was integrated slowly into the first team. As a result of the injuries Koscielny was rushed back from his serious injury, whilst other defenders were rarely rested. Monreal and Kolasinac also picked up injuries and missed matches.
At present we sit in 5th place, one place higher than last season, with more points than last season and we are in the semi-final of the EL having beaten Napoli over two legs without conceding a goal, with the tactics spot on.
I am certain that Emery will look to the club to sign a CB and possibly 2 full backs in the summer window, and will also possibly move on at least a couple of defenders who he knows are not up to the job. Don't forget he has barely had a season in the job and with 2 matches to go in the PL, we can still finish top 4 and are 2 matches from the EL Final. It has taken Klopp 3 years and Pochettino 5 years to assemble their current teams and neither have won a trophy to date, yet are considered to be doing an excellent job at their respective teams. In addition I am certain that Emery realises that the make up of the current squad lacks players with defensive attributes across the squad. We have way too many players that add lttle defensively in a league that requires players to defends from the front to the back. You get little defensively from Ozil, Mkhitaryan and Iwobi. Whilst Bellerin, Maitland-Niles, Monreal and Kolasinac are not the best of defenders, even if they do offer quite a lot going forward. Ramsey is great going forward, but again offers little defensively. Interestingly we are reportedly looking to sign midfield players that provide a defensive shift, such as Dennis Praet and others.
{Ed001's Note - in summary, to save any of you reading this idiocy as RG is still not understanding reality, RG is defending Emery by saying those things that were nothing to do with him were done right. There, you can thank me for saving you time that you would have completely wasted on that total load of nonsense.}
30 Apr 2019 02:16:00
Sy, i understand what you are saying but i also understand he might not be blessed with many options. I can't think of a player or players that are good enough to come in and do a proper job. What central defender is going to come in, what right back, what left back? He is hamstrung this season with what he started with. Me personally i don't think we have the players at the back or a proper holding mid, however many carpets we look under. He inherited problems and he hasn't been able to eradicate that with the standard of defender depth he was left and came in too. Ask your mates who support any top 6 team, how many of our defenders they would take and you will get your answer. No ask any top half supporter!
30 Apr 2019 06:29:34
Steve - I agree and disagree with you as he had Kos on the bench and could have played a back 3. He’s made so many strange decisions front, midfield and defence all season and has tinkered the most compared to every epl side.
I agree the players are poor plus injuries haven’t been perfect but he should still coach the defence better, not put Chambers on loan ( I criticised him heavily at the time ) .
I agree that he deserves one more season but I don’t think he’s earned it st all not done anything to suggest it will change BUT I just think decency means you have two seasons - time will tell but I give him 4/ 10 this season
Keep the bar high and don’t let him crawl under it because we’ve had a change and he shouts crap from the touch line.
30 Apr 2019 06:30:02
Thanks for the reply Steve - you made me think ðŸ‘.
30 Apr 2019 07:36:30
That’s for saving me from reading that drivel Ed. 😂
Steve you don’t need to ask fans of other teams anything.
You need to ask yourself how a manager can be supplied with a new CB and DM and and still be as woeful if not worse defensively. You would absolutely slaughter Wenger for this joke of a season but it’s all good because it’s Emery.
Some nut job actually said he’d improved players the other day, he’s not improved one, the majority look worse, including our new DM.
It’s literally like they have no direction.
Why are you defending the indefensible. The team is more of a shambles than it’s ever been.
Why are you clutching at anything rather than seeing what’s actually happening. It’s like you have your fingers in your ears going lalalala.
We don’t even play decent football, do you have any idea what style of football we’re even supposedly playing, high press, counter or the just utter 💩 system.
30 Apr 2019 07:36:52
Firstly I would like to thank Ed001 for posting a defence of myself to a rude comment he made to me yesterday. Hopefully, he will do the same today. If you continue to attack comments I make with rude, odd, rants then you will lose another fan that simply has an opinion. I have no problem with well constructed, useful responses, but using the words 'idiocy' and 'nonsense' are hardly constructive to what is a just opinion.
My comment above is a defence of Emery, who after all did take over a team in decline and there were limited funds available to rectify the situation. Defensive players have suffered injuries and suspensions, I actually have no idea what you mean when you state that my comment above amounts to 'things that were nothing to do with him were done right'. And would be pleased if you could kindly clarify this strange comment. I reiterate that we are currently sitting in 5th place, one place higher than last season and have more points than last season, whilst having beaten Napoli over 2 legs without conceding a goal and are in the semi final of the EL. Yes, recent PL results have been poor, but so have the results of all 4 CL chasers, 3 of whom are still in European competition, which as the season ends shows the fatigue in the respective squads. Emery was handed a leaky defence with the likes of Jenkinson and Lichtsteiner, who if your comment that Emery had nothing to do with signings is correct, hewas a player who is clearly well past his best. In addition the defnsive injury situation has been dire. Bellerin and Holding have missed most of the season, others misssed the start. Let's see if you allow me the courtesy of this response and if you can make a sensible reply all the better. As for understanding reality. I can assure you I do. I played football to a high level and have my coaching badges. Perhaps you can let me know your qualifications to comment.
{Ed001's Note - you have been told a billion times but refuse to listen that Emery does not sign players. As for rude, you deserve everything you get with the way you speak down to everyone when you are not in any position to do so. You have been blocked a number of times for your attitude but refuse to heed the warnings, just like you refuse to listen when you are told Emery is a coach and does not conduct transfer business.}
30 Apr 2019 08:11:11
I think RG went to the Donald Trump school of reality Ed001 mate, simply deny the all facts and stick to what suits his preferred argument over and over and over again.
the rest of the world can accept what they want it means absolutely nothing to RG or Donald, what suits them is all the truth they need.
{Ed001's Note - I can see a lot of similarities.}
30 Apr 2019 10:51:35
Ed you are a legend mate, RG fifa doesn’t count as coaching badges.
{Ed001's Note - I really would not care if he had them. The FA coaching badges are nothing to do with an ability to analyse the game. They are not even indicative of an ability to coach, considering they were created by people who did not coach teams - such as Alex Ferguson and 'Arry Redknapp, who rarely even went out on the training pitches to watch training. Well 'Arry would if there were cameras around! The coaching badges are just a way to milk more money from the lower end of the game for the FA.}
30 Apr 2019 11:34:06
I know everyone is looking at our defence as the problem, but i don't quite see it like that. Yes Mustafi is garbage and has to go, but we have other defenders who are good, but we still get exposed. I think its the way were set up, with absolutely no press, even when the ball is right up the pitch. Time and again against Leicester, they could bring the ball right up to our defence with absolutely no pressure or tackles. Maddison had our third of the pitch to himself. Iwobi and Miti sort of track back, but with no real purpose of supporting their wing back (combined with the fact there are totally clueless as forward players) and Torreira has gone massively backwards, and combined with Xhaka is giving no protection to the back 2/ 3. Ultimately its down to the manager to change our style, the way we transfer the ball up the pitch (still way too slow, too square and over commit ahead of the ball) , and the way we defend as a team (actually press the ball, pick up runners etc) and until these things change, i don't see our results changing. For me either the bulk of the team needs to go to enable the manager to bring in new players who can play the style he wants, or, if we are already playing the style he wants, then i believe we need to change managers.
30 Apr 2019 12:17:20
Strange that some people constantly criticise premier league refs yet each and everyone of them have passed numerous exams and have enough certificates to paper the average size bungalow.
Last I heard Lewis Hamilton didn't hold a UK driving licence but he seems to know what he's doing behind the wheel.
Qualifications are proof of being able to revise and retain enough information to pass a test, ability and wisdom are gadged soley on how much others value what you offer.
And by others I don't mean agreeing with yourself numerous times or telling people how good you are, it has to be people other than yourself and there value of what you contribute to any given subject.
30 Apr 2019 16:02:16
Stoner, that is your opinion and that is mine. one question. Why are you right and i'm wrong? Because you have a different opinion than me, it definitely doesn't make it right, or wrong come to that. You just think differently, some people think the same and some dont. I've taken a relaxed view after wenger left because of all the problems he left behind, i got bitter and didn't enjoy watching is. Believe me or not, i prefer watching us now because i'm not bitter. I do think we play better football but i also hate us getting beat and sometimes think we play rubbish. For me, i don't think we have the players to do any better at the moment and i'm happy to see where this summer goes. I actually thought last summer, wenger left us rotten to the core and i always thought this was a massive job that would not be sorted in one season. i'm sticking to that.
30 Apr 2019 18:06:59
Steve are giving my opinion on something that is so obvious, something there is no getting away from, something that is there for all to see.
I’m not bitter in anyway shape or form, I’m utterly disappointed having been utterly disappointed with Wengers last few seasons.
Emery has not improved a single player, no improved us one iota defensively, not improved our style of football, not shown he has a clue how to make us more solid defensively.
I have no problem with you being happy Wenger has gone as I am too I just never expected us to be so abjectly bad and it’s only United being even worse than props us up into 5th position.
If we had any defined shape and looked like defensively we were so much better organised and were just losing games because maybe we didn’t just out score the other side I’d be happy but that’s not even remotely happening.
I’m not even sure it’s a differing of opinion but that you honestly don’t want to accept what you’re watching.
Guardiola and Klopp actually improve players, make them so much better Emery has not even shown the ability to do that.
A 22 game unbeaten run was a time to build confidence, mental strength and get a group of players on board with what you want to achieve and a way you want to play. Absolutely none of that happened.
30 Apr 2019 20:13:14
No stoner, that is opinion but you can't accept that i have a different one than you. i'm not as upset about this season as you, that's not opinion, that's fact. I didn't expect there to be massive change, i'm not of that mind. But for you to tell me, i don't want to accept what i am watching, what is that about. Do you not think if i wasn't happy, i would damn well say so, i don't need help on that score. My expectations for this season was very low and for me i am happy that we haven't gone totally off the charts. Like i say, i thought we were left in a terrible state and that's also my opinion.
30 Apr 2019 21:04:00
I totally accept your different opinion and now you’ve basically explained you expected us to be utter tripe I get where your coming from.
As I said I initially didn’t get what you were seeing but as I just said, as you expected this rubbish then it makes sense.
I’m not upset either, just as I said disappointed we remain a laughing stock defensively.
But like you say it’s your opinion to be happy with that and enjoy an abject season in the hope that we will get better.
30 Apr 2019 21:19:44
Stoner, i will say this, Emery by a few including you, was given no credit whatsoever for getting us into what now looked like a fantastic position just over a week ago and into the semi of a EL. But over this last few games has gone absolutely pete tong. He got us and the players into that position and he was slagged off. He got no credit whatsoever for it, so obviously now those same people are not going to look at our present situation and say anything other than, he is crap, he hasn't improved players etc. that's just the way it is, we were lucky to go unbeaten for 22 games people were saying, for me that's utter bull. We deserved that and we also deserve to be upset about the last three games and rightly so because it just highlights how well we were actually doing before it all fell down. These 3 games have turned people against Emery that's for sure but some were not in his court anyway. But that football and football fans, always right. Lol.
01 May 2019 07:04:05
Steve it’s just THE most hilarious thing watching you defend all this stuff, not a single improvement anywhere bar rejoicing a few more points than Wengers final abject season with little or no interest from anyone on or off the pitch.
You really couldn’t make it up, yourself and me old mate Malaga loving the new boss when the fact is he’s done nowt.
Did you give Wenger credit for being top at Christmas in Ramsey’s Stella season or making the semi’s in the EL? 🤔😂
I don’t say this to fall out with you mate and we all like you say have opinions but it’s because it’s you two, oh and “Walter Mitty†that make it so amusing. 😉😂.
01 May 2019 10:53:51
Not sure i'm going to post again 😂 every time i do someone ends up in a massive debate 🙈 jokes aside, i kind of agree with you both Steve and Stoner, i can take a few possitives from the season like the home games against the bigger teams you could see he had the players hyped, we didn’t get that under wenger, you could also see it against Napoli in both legs. But he does need to sort the defence and the away from out, especially if he wants to be with us fir the 3rd season.
02 May 2019 04:30:56
No stoner, you say it because someone dares to think differently to you. you're not happy, i am ok with where we are. I don't start trying to belittle you personally because you don't agree with me. I disagree with you full stop. I don't call you whatever or whoever that's just disrespectful.