(The not-so-temporary quite-official) Gooner Thread

Great result and good team display. Admittedly it was a weakened Liverpool side but I'll still take the 4-1 win. Ramsey was disappointing for me but I hope him and Kos don't have serious injuries. I'd like to mention someone who probably hasn't been getting the praise he deserves and flies under the radar - Nacho Monreal. So solid there at left back. Maybe not quite as good going forward as Gibbs but still a good performance.

Nacho Macho Man is going well but I'd have Gibbs start 8 games out of 10...

That was awesome. Great goals and great performance. Being Liverpool though you're never quite safe. How many times has it happened to us in the 95th minute against them? When they got the penalty I had brief visions of 3-3 but thankfully Giroud put that to bed. Great feeling to stuff them after Anfield last season.

Not bad that.

Think Ramsey looked bad in comparison to Ozil and Sanchez, but that is a bit of a harsh comparison to make. He did a lot of the dirty work with the Coq (thought the Coq was terrific)

The coq was his usual self. What a revelation he's been. 

Loved that match. On a real roll here. If we can finish second with an FA Cup that would have to be considered a very good season.

City got up and lost for us yesterday, they're back to 4th and 2nd is ours for the time being.

Here's the final string of games:

Not without a tinge of Arsenal-flavoured regret, mind you. This is the best squad we've had in a long time. Wish we went on with it this season. Just started far, far too slow..And the Monaco debacle..

Shark, looking at that Chelsea might clinch the title on our ground.

Assuming we both win coming into that match we'll be 7 points behind. If they win we'll be 10 points behind with 4 games left or 12 points available, but they'll still have to play their game in hand. Not mathematically possible.

Really need United to get up for at least a draw, and for us to get 3 points.

Arse were fantastic against us...sure, we played some poor football and had the odd player not included or out of position BUT you would have beaten any team, any line-up with that effort.

Form team in the competition with Citeh on the slide, United hitting their straps but with a tough run and Chelski still just doing enough. i'd imagine you won't chase them down but the FA Cup might as well have red and white ribbons added to it already (for you, not us haha).

How is the Wenger Out brigade sounding now? Probably same as the Rodgers In brigade (although I'm still torn on that).

wengerout brigade will be back next form slump

slow start cost us this season, world cup + injuries hurt us in the first couple of months

no such excuses next season

One injury and Arsenal's form will dip again. Well done the physio staff as a consistently full strength team brings results. 
There is still a scrap for second but I think Citys form means they are out of that

Consistently full strength? 

Not us. 

Never us. 

Ah good, was assuming them to be 10 ahead already with the game in hand but didn't notice it was after our game.

Haha the Wenger-Out Brigade, I don't think many from that group have changed their opinions there. No excuses next season - I thought that was this season, or the one before this, or the one before that?

Great result over the weekend, Coquelin really has been outstanding for us second half of the season and I hope he stays there ahead of Arteta until the end of the season. Monreal has also looked a lot more comfortable given a consistent run of games in his natural position.

If we hold onto second that's not a bad effort and the FA Cup back-to-back is without a doubt a success.

If you completely ignore the financial constraints Wenger had up until last season then I guess you could say it's been the same old sh*t for many years now. 

We all know that's not the case though - even PoL himself has dropped that argument recently so I guess everyone has finally come round to the fact that Wenger was financially hamstrung by our new stadium from 2004 until 2013, conveniently almost the exact same period we didn't win a trophy. Despite that he still managed to consistently build competitive teams off the sniff of an oily rag. It's phenomenal really, and most people are now realising that. 

If he was to win successive FA Cups and a league title next season that would be the most awesome vindication...

That's a mighty assumption you hold over me and the rest of the gooner population - thought you knew me better than that Paul :)

Financial purchases have not been the only factors behind my opinion (yes the major ones), but I've been happy to put them aside until the end of the season given we always finish well to make the top 4. 

St. Tott's week  34

Win at Burnley, QPR to hold  the Special Whine, Chumps lose to City

Be a good weekend I reckon.

Not good enough to be in the team at the moment even when fit.

You mean starting 11 right? Because I would agree with that. But I think he, like Welbeck, Walcott, The Ox, Rosicky and Gabriel, all represent the kind of quality we want on the bench challenging for starting berths.

When the guys who are just coming back (Arteta, Debuchy, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain) are ready for the first team there will be a lot of good players who won't even make our bench. 

Pretty strong squad these days. 

Our purchasing in the last couple of seasons has been excellent in hindsight.

Ignoring the super young players (Ajayi, Macey, Bielik), since 2012 this is the full list of players we've bought in;

Podolski

Giroud

Cazorla

Monreal

Ozil

Flamini

Sanogo

Sanchez

Debuchy

Ospina

Chambers

Welbeck

Gabriel

For some of those, time will tell, but to be honest I can't pick a failure out of that lot. Poldi and Flamini haven't contributed as much as we might've hoped but that's down to others performing rather than them under-performing. Jury is out on Sanogo, and Debuchy has been injured too much to tell, but the rest have been successes so far in my opinion.

Contrast that with this little ripper of an article and it paints us in a rather good light...

http://www.football365.com/f365-says/9793915/F365-...

This. It's a squad game, everyone will get games. And the definition of squad depth is keeping players like Wilshere and Walcott even when they may not be in the first 11, not selling them.

Agreed ajc. Wilshere is easily kept and definitely in that category. 
I do wonder about Walcott though. He doesn't seem to be the type of guy who makes a difference off the bench, he's not young anymore, he seems quite ambitious, and he's got a real hard ass of an agent to boot. Somehow I think he'll be gone at the end of this season, but for the first time in a few years that thought doesn't bother me. 

Wenger on Wilshere

"We are not in a position anymore where we have to sell our best players," Wenger said. "We cannot make a case of any headline in any newspaper in a press conference from things that are not true."

If we win the FA Cup this season then Wenger becomes the joint most successful coach in that competition with 6 trophies. His win % in FA Cup games will be better than any Manager in history.

For a specialist in failure his track record is a bit surprising.

We would also become the FA Cup's most successful club. Currently level with United with 11 wins.

If we get past reading and get liverpool in the final it will be the chance for redemption for 2001.

That was a super gutting final. We looked so comfortable all day, felt like a real kick in the teeth that did. 

Would be great to beat 'Pool in the final

Not sure I agree with this. The problem for Walcott since he has returned is that we haven't needed a match winner off the bench, we've needed a match closer.

Unfortunately he's trying to get into a side playing top notch football, if we have a bit of a slump he'll get a shot. Remember he's come back from an intense injury, I'd almost take the gamble of seeing him through to the end of his contract and if in that time he can't find a spot and get comfortable I'd let him go...

Got screwed by the ref. Nothing went our way.

This. Messi always said he was the one they feared the most when playing us too. He's just come back from the worst football injury and at a time when we're in form and haven't needed someone to come on and stretch tired defences. He'll be a crucial player for us again.

That was fudgeing awful. Henchoz making that save right at the start and going unpunished, all the misses and then of all people that git Owen at the end. Remember us getting a phone call from the UK while watching it that a relative had passed away too. Even my Father who is the most one eyed Spurs fan imaginable said "that was daylight robbery." Most of my worst Arsenal memories seem to have come against Liverpool. Do not want them if we get through. Imagine the script for Gerrard in his last game etc.

Your dad supports Spurs and you support Arsenal? How did that come about?

When you are a teenager many lads think their Dad is a Cock?

My old man's a ManU "fan". 

Initially you'd think that's not as bad but at least ajc's old man's team hasn't won the league in his lifetime (or many people's lifetimes these days).