Arsenal 1 – 0 Stoke
Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction
This wasn’t a great game…
It’s hardly surprising when you consider the opposition. Stoke are a horrible side, in every respect. I find their style of play and their character equally repulsive.
Their performance at the Emirates was one of the most negative I’ve ever seen by a Premier League team. It was a strange tactical decision when you consider our vulnerability at the back. If Stoke had gone for us, we might just have buckled.
As it was, we simply had to be patient, and the late introduction of Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski helped bring about the tipping point. When Stoke did occasionally venture forward, Mertesacker and Koscielny had more than enough to deal with anything The Potters threw at them.
I’m delighted the goal was scored in ‘controversial’ circumstances…
The brief reprieve provided by the linesman only made the crushing blow of Podolski’s goal all the more profound for Stoke’s players and manager. It hurt them, and I’m glad it did.
Nacho Gonzalez…
…had a solid if unspectacular debut. I suspect we’ll accustomed to describing him in that manner: he seems to be a no-nonsense, safety-first kind of player. That’s fine by me: not enough of our supposed defenders are willing to be defenders first and foremost.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain…
…is having a difficult season. If only there was a cliche to describe the struggles of a player who made a significant impact in their first season, only to then struggle to replicate that form second time round. Alas.
Chamberlain has two basic problems. The first is that the outstanding form of Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski has limited his opportunities. The second issue is that when he is afforded a chance to start, he invariably tries too hard to impress. On one occasion on Saturday he beat his man to get to the byline, only to turn back and try to beat him a further two times. By the time he eventually got his cross away, all the men in the middle were marked.
The Ox could learn something from Podolski: efficiency is key.
One of the most interesting battles took place away from the pitch…
Bizarrely, the Arsenal stewards decided that the second half of this heated game would be the opportune moment to try and convince the singing section of the crowd to break the habit of a lifetime (well, six-and-a-half years) and sit down. Needless to say, they failed, and gave up after about ten minutes amid chants of, “Stand up if you love Arsenal!”.
On the subject of the Arsenal fans…
I can’t help but chuckle at our continued failure to master the scansion of one of our own chants. Arsenal fans are fond of singing a certain ditty that implies that the mother of the manager of our local rivals may be seeking employment as a lady of the night.
Whenever the manager changes, so must the chant. While there is usually a period of adaptation, we are now six months in to Andre Villas Boas’ reign, and still that chant dwindles embarrassing out whenever it reaches that crucial point.
The problem, it would seem, is the sheer number of syllables in Villas Boas’ name. Might I suggest using the popular acronym ‘AVB’, and that way we can get on with questioning the honour of his mother in the time-honoured tradition.
Being seated right next to the Stoke fans in the Clock End – this has to be one of the sweetest ever goals. First we went mad celebrating when the ball hit the net, then we had to endure those neanderthals jumping up and down at us when it looked like it was disallowed – but when the Ref then gave us the goal again, the celebrations were ten times louder and more enjoyable than the original goal.
Stoke fans really are a bunch of knuckle-dragging scumbags. Cheering Arsenal injuries, booing Ramsey, and gurning at us like the bunch of brain-dead troglodytes that they are. But when you have a low-life like Pulis at the helm, and a meat-head thug like Shawcross as the captain, can you expect anything other than that pond-life to support them?
3 sweet points. Thanks ScumStoke, now fuck off until we take more points of you next season!
Went mad, ten times louder i assume thats a joke!! – How do you sit through that crown green bowling match atmosphere every other week.
Football is about passion ! so see if you get some for next season as it gets a bit boring 1500 stoke fans trying to create an atmosphere all afternoon in a gold fish bowl.
What a bunch of pussys you lot really are EMBARASSING to football supporters
Ha Ha Ha you state football is about passion and yet you turn out each week to watch your selection of poor to mediocre players defend for 90 minutes in the hope of stealing a goal from a set piece while trying to injure or maim other professionals.
Stoke are a joke of a club
Stoke being a joke is your opinion and you have every right to spout it.
Please answer the points I made – Are you embarrassed by the lack of passion and support you produce wth 60k poeple??
Look at our support on Saturday and as you say we have to watch that shit.
Could you imagine what you lot would be like if you supported a less successful team – while from my experience you lot would’nt turn up! and by the passion you lot showed on Saturday we didn’t think you had!!
I suppose it is hard to be passionate about watching your team try and score goals against a group of ‘players’ with little to no talent who are only there to try and get a draw at best. I’ve been to Emirates many many times and the atmosphere has always been good when both teams are actually trying to play football.
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there are indeed some sayings for players who struggle their second season
sophomore jinx
second season blues
it’s called sarcasm
Nacho Gonzalez?
Yeah, he’s that Uruguayan player, right?
in US sport, when you do epic in your first season, then less well in your second, they call it a sophomore slump.
Wonder if we’ll ever see Ox in the middle of the pitch again. He looked great there against AC MIlan in CL last season.
Last time i expressed fear over potential injury to Gibbs and left back crisis resulting in Santos, shirt swapping clown, TV deputing, poor team balance.
Viola, gibbs got injured. Nacho was signed. JIT. Hope gibbsy recovers before away tie with Bayern Munchen. Nacho looks like a decent signing. Delecious victory over stoke.
1-0 to the football club!
stoke fans are helping to pay off the stadium. i believe we should thank them for that.
Bit harsh on The Ox I feel, from where I was sitting in the Clock End it looked like he had a good game in the first half.
Stoke, what a disgusting bunch of maggots. From the very first minute their goalkeeper was trying to waste time….disgusting filth. What amazes me further is how any supporter would want to turn up to watch that garbage they throw out every week.
Now what you peasants forget, that if it wasn’t for Sir Arsene, you’d be watching the same kind of crap that Stoke fans have to put up with.
Finally GS, you show no bounds – my dad says it is people like you that give Arsenal a bad name. It shows the mentality of you silly Englanders, where instead of singing and supporting Arsenal’s greatest ever manager – you’d much rather sing abusive chants about other managers. Englander mentality at it’s best. I think GS it is time you got buried under a car park in Leicester to join one of your ancestors
GS, I would just practice at growing good grass. Your advice to Sir Arsene is laughable as is your contribution to the Arsenal blogging fraternity.
Like all bullies, Tony Pulis is a coward. The reason he didn’t have a go at us is cos he’s a chickenshit little lower league disgrace to football with zero tactical brain.
Stoke supporter: (a) Anyone who speaks up in favour of men as crude, talentless and hateful as Andy Wilkinson and Ryan Shawcross should be in custody not a football ground. (b) Embarrassing has two r’s. Get your probation officer to enrol you in some adult literacy classes.
My 3yr old daughter sings “and avb’s mother is a horse. Sheeee’s a horse!”. If she can manage it surely the rest of the fans can
You sound like a good father – great ethics you’re instilling in your daughter (Shout abuse at a football match)- I’m sure she’s going to turn out well.
You chavvy Englanders have no idea. No wonder your country has fallen from grace with plonker fathers like Bill
I bet you’re one of these “supporters” that would rather have overweight alcoholics and drug addicts in your team rather than the French grace Sir Arsene has given you over the years.
For a start your talking about a group of away fans. They always sing louder just listening to ours. And no I’m not embarrassed because At least we don’t boo the sick like your lot do. Why even come to this page? Do yourself an us a favour and go home and wank
To all Stoke fans…
If I had to watch that kind of football every week – I’d turn off the TV and stick more shrimp on the barbie.
That isn’t football, it’s thuggery, with Shawcross the biggest gormless thug going.
Stoke represent Anti-Football. And any Stoke fan watching that rubbish, must be the thickest morons going.
Silly Englanders, Englander Mentality, Chavvy Englanders perhaps you can tell us where you are from and let us throw stupid stereotyped insults in your direction you absolute muppet.
Shut up Chavvy Tim, before I shove my barbie skewer up your arse.
And before you come on here ranting, maybe you should learn how to grow good grass in your Wembley Stadium, once you have done that, then come and talk to me.
How did I do dad?
Hmmm do you often start by offering to put thing up other mens arses or are you making a special exception for me? I think you need any advice on how to so your dad it’s not like it would be the first time would it?
Sorry to let you down but it’s not my Wembley stadium nor do I have and input into the ground keeping of the stadium perhaps you need to take it up directly with them.
Ashley cole wilm have a 100th england cap. We may fault him for the manner in which he left arsenal, but time has shown him to be correct. We lack ambition and we sell off our top players,and any player who wants to win trophies and.earn lots.of money.shoild go to another club.
i believe ashley cole.did us a favour back then for telling it as it was, and we were.fools.not to listen. He got screwed over for 5,000 a week. We get screwed over every transfer wimdow.
And at the same time Arsenal did not hesitate to give bendtner a bumper deal on 50 pr week. Jesus no wonder Cashley left. One of only a few tragic affairs of late. RVP gone, but if we put the combied money of flops like Chamack, Squill, Arshavin, Park, Santos and players on inflated wages such as Denilson etc. We could have payed the one quality player we had what ever he wanted the next four years. And maybe even won something… Instead we made Fergie champions……….. Again.
If we pay Cashley Cole £5k extra per week, we will have no money for the good grass.
You Englanders think you can tell Sir Arsene how to do his job…haha….peasants!
How does what Arsenal were or were not prepared to pay Ashley Cole have anything to do with good grass?
You do realise that Arsenal don’t play at Wembley and that the pitch at the Emirates is one of the finest in the world.
Perhaps it’s you that needs to keep of the grass.
Its all about the green grass. I only watch that wonderful green grass weekly. I’m really sad when I can’t watch that wonderful green emirates grass. Away games really hurt seeing how bad the grass is in other parts of the peasant country.
It has everything to do with Ashley Cole….
Do you expect us to pay high wages to all the players that come knocking on Sir Arsene’s door?
I would much rather have undemanding players on low wages like Squillaci, Djourou, Denilson, Santos etc rather than Fabregas, RVP, Cole. And obviously Sir Arsene would too. It is the savings made here that make it possible for him to choose the good grass over the Wembley type grass. Do you get it now, peasant?
Dear Timmykins,
My dad says that I shouldn’t be so damning of you little Englanders. After-all, it’s not your fault that you can’t grasp the concept of good grass.
You say: “the pitch at the Emirates is one of the finest in the world”……And you are right! And it is all because of Sir Arsene insisting on good grass rather than the high wage demands of traitor RVP.
Now FYI Timmykins, me and my dad have never been to an Arsenal game in our lives – but it is clear that we are the real supporters and you are the plastic type.
Not many people know this but after Arsene finished welding up the trusses on the new stadium he grew the green grass in his front room square by square then he and Annie and Sonja carried it the grove and Annie laid the grass while Arsene laid Sonja.
He has been fertilizing it with shit players ever since
and Annie laid the grass while Arsene laid Sonja. haha
lol @ Munitionsman
wenger out
We love the green grass, we do
We love the green grass, we do
We love the green grass, we do
Oh green grassw e love you
Ok GS, I think everyone is bored of the crappy Stoke game. Can we have a new one please
Replace one word in a movie title with the word “Penis”
I’ll get things going…
Honey, I shrunk the Penis
Three men and a Penis
Scary Penis 3
Ace Ventura: Pet Penis
I think we can see from the England and Brazil match that Wilshire is going to be the next king of quick one-twos and when we have a midfield attacking trio of Wilshire, the Ox and Theo, we’ll have the dynamic, fluid team play that we’ve all been waiting for.
Not to mention youngsters who haven’t yet come onto stage, like Afobe, Aneke and Akpom.
You Englanders have no sense of humour…
The fellowship of the penis
The two penises
the return of the penis
Penises of the caribbean
dead mans cock
At willie’s end
stoke are wearing barcelona colours. that don’t make them barcelona players.
Sir “Wegs” Wegwick and The Raiders of the Lost Penis
Sir “Wegs” Wegwick and The Temple of Penis
Sir “Wegs” Wegwick and The Penis Crusade
Sir “Wegs” Wegwick and The Kingdom of the Crystal Penis
Wtf GS?? Sort it out
Pulp penis
Resident penis
Night of the living penis
Saving private penis
Nightmare on Penis Street
The man with the Golden Penis
From Penis with Love
Penis of Solace
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Penis
The Penis always rings twice
No, that certainly wasn’t great (nor game nor penis).
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