Arsenal v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[rob_bridge]

We need to play four teams as bad as West Ham were the other week. Fulham, Sunderland and QPR at VP and either Reading/Norwich away surely?

Yep let's hope so. There is a half decent team in there technically speaking but lacking leaders everywhere on the pitch.

[andyh]

Oscar Arce you are right, we have not played well enough all season and this is defo they worst team since 86-7. Possibly worse in fact.

I am sick of hearing people say it was Arsenal away we could not expect to win etc. Do yu think Southampton said that before beating Man City at home 2 weeks ago? Or QPR at Chelsea before their win? We are too meek on the pitch and too accepting of our fate.

They should be fighting like rabid zombies with cucumbers up their Arses.

Well, for those who say we should not expect anything from games against Arse. etc, there is a simple answer....
we probably wont have to worry about it for a while as we might not be playing them again for a very long time.

[PeterWithesShin]

Reading the comments of Arsenal fans on the Guardian report of the match, all bemoaning how tough it is following Arsenal etc etc, I snapped.

"Oh, it's so hard, supporting Arsenal"" ... why is following this club so tough?" yada yada yada, as you all compose angry tweets to share with Piers Morgan.

Take a look at the majority of the other teams in the various levels of professional football, especially since the introduction of the Champions League, the golden teat you suckle off year after year.

Ninety percent of you haven't got the first idea what "hard" or "tough" is in following a football team, you bunch of cossetted, moaning Tarquins.
Not the first idea.

[rob_bridge]

Reading the comments of Arsenal fans on the Guardian report of the match, all bemoaning how tough it is following Arsenal etc etc, I snapped.

"Oh, it's so hard, supporting Arsenal"" ... why is following this club so tough?" yada yada yada, as you all compose angry tweets to share with Piers Morgan.

Take a look at the majority of the other teams in the various levels of professional football, especially since the introduction of the Champions League, the golden teat you suckle off year after year.

Ninety percent of you haven't got the first idea what "hard" or "tough" is in following a football team, you bunch of cossetted, moaning Tarquins.
Not the first idea.

Well fucking said - bunch of Jonny Come Lateley Areshold fuckwits who haven't the first clue about football.

Piers Morgans - hello.

Fuck right off the lot of them. Rival ManUre and Chelsea for annoying offensive Celebrity Fans. At least with the latter 2 teams no-one can ever take them seriously. And no-one should epect them too

[PeterWithesShin]

Out of interest Paulie, did they post it?

[olaftab]

Vlaar got a knock on his calf in training

That sounds like Bull shit!

[PaulWinch again]

Sounds a bit like 'he has a calf strain' and then was out for 3 months with no explanation.

[villan from luton]

We were five ponts better off last season from comment tonight, I have to say I would rather be where I am now under Lambert than last season. We look like we have the potential to score goals, not like at the same stage last season when Keane left. Others agree it is bad, but it has been coming. Is that Lamberts fault then? He has made mistakes, no doubt about it, but he is trying to get them playing football. He needed help in January to sort defence out

[Chipsticks]

Reading the comments of Arsenal fans on the Guardian report of the match, all bemoaning how tough it is following Arsenal etc etc, I snapped.

"Oh, it's so hard, supporting Arsenal"" ... why is following this club so tough?" yada yada yada, as you all compose angry tweets to share with Piers Morgan.

Take a look at the majority of the other teams in the various levels of professional football, especially since the introduction of the Champions League, the golden teat you suckle off year after year.

Ninety percent of you haven't got the first idea what "hard" or "tough" is in following a football team, you bunch of cossetted, moaning Tarquins.
Not the first idea.

The thing is, there's probably a load of fans from lower divisions saying the exact same things about us.

[saunders_heroes]

Reading the comments of Arsenal fans on the Guardian report of the match, all bemoaning how tough it is following Arsenal etc etc, I snapped.

"Oh, it's so hard, supporting Arsenal"" ... why is following this club so tough?" yada yada yada, as you all compose angry tweets to share with Piers Morgan.

Take a look at the majority of the other teams in the various levels of professional football, especially since the introduction of the Champions League, the golden teat you suckle off year after year.

Ninety percent of you haven't got the first idea what "hard" or "tough" is in following a football team, you bunch of cossetted, moaning Tarquins.
Not the first idea.

The thing is, there's probably a load of fans from lower divisions saying the exact same things about us.

Yeah that's what I thought. It's all relative.

[eamonn]

I'm a bit surprised at all the negativity on here. I think the general consensus pre-match was that anything other than a defeat in this or the Citeh games were bonuses despite Arsenal's form. Difficult then to read "It's not games against Arsenal that will relegate us it's the ones against Reading, QPR, Wigan..." OK, well please hold your fire until we play those games (we lost to Wigan I know, I mean the away one).

I watched the game amongst the Arsenal fans today (and Christ, we moan about a lack of atmosphere at VP? Try spending every home game alongside these dullards) and I was pleasantly surprised at our play for most of the first half after a poor start.  Lengthy spells of possession and working two or three very good openings. More impressive than most away sides manage there. Second half, Arsenal had more chances but it wasn't until our equaliser (from an Arsenal corner! Stitch that, cornalty!) that they turned up the heat - again, as you would expect from a team that still has some really talented players. We don't play in a vacuum so it's not as easy to say stop defending so deep when the opposition have players with better retention who can press for long spells. Set-pieces were largely meat and drink for us at the back but we got away with a couple of scares before the winner and yeah, there was a bit of inevitability about the timing of it. But I wouldn't get so down on it being another late goal conceded and a point dropped - it was sustained pressure at that stage and a game lasts for 96 minutes (today), that's the way it goes.

On the plus side we really look like hurting teams every time we counter and that's a big positive we need to take into the remaining games. I do fear for us a little at taking the game to teams at VP where the onus will be on us to force the issue in the upcoming home games against QPR, Fulham and Sunderland. Defensively we are still far too open to play against and it's been Lambert's biggest failing. A designated defensive coach would make a hell of a difference. Even fatty Dunne's presence would help a lot but neither of those things are going to happen now so we have to take confidence from the attacking and set-piece defending today and hopefully turn it into a bonus point or three against Man Sheikhy next week.  I actually feel more confident after today that we'll stay up then after the West Ham game. We looked far more dangerous, more fluid with the ball and better at defending corners today.

[silhillvilla]

Taking Westwood off for El Ahmadi is just plain stupid.
We look a better balanced side with Westwood on the pitch.
El Ahmadi is truly shambloic.

[Drummond]

John Matson, BBC Match of the Day commentator:

"Goodness me this was not a convincing performance from Arsenal and it nearly wasn't a victory. Arsenal had so much of the play but Aston Villa, who were so bright on the counter-attack, will consider themselves unfortunate to lose. The end of an extraordinary week at the Emirates."

That's an independent view.

[PaulWinch again]

John Matson, BBC Match of the Day commentator:

"Goodness me this was not a convincing performance from Arsenal and it nearly wasn't a victory. Arsenal had so much of the play but Aston Villa, who were so bright on the counter-attack, will consider themselves unfortunate to lose. The end of an extraordinary week at the Emirates."

That's an independent view.

I disagree with it unfortunately, we countered nicely in places but we played far far too deep and it's why we always concede goals late.

[villan from luton]

Drummond, we are doomed, awful, lost 2-1 at Arsenal, that must mean we are relegated lol. What a load of tosh, did we show fight, do we look like the team of 86-87 as some suggest? No we dont IMHO, we can score goals but have to stop the nonsense at the other end.  Lets back the team unless we know they are shirking and have not seen that