The Oakland Gooner’s Thoughts on the Arsenal Victory Over West Bromwich Albion

by William Boone
William Boone on April 9, 2013 in Arsenal with No comments

Wow.

First things first and most important, Arsenal won and were awarded three points, temporarily putting them in the top four. Second, my heart didn’t give out and I’m alive to write this. It was always going to be tough, as WBA have given us a good test every time we’ve played them in this most recent spell in the Premiership. They’ve done a good job under both Roy Hodgson and Steve Clarke (as much as I loathe to admit anything associated with Chel$ki is respectable). Respect due but moving on.

The Gunners needed three points and that’s what we got. I have to admit that I watched it streaming on the “interwebs” (did Al Gore trademark that or can I use it?) and there were several moments I missed based on that, so I needed to watch the game again so that my poorly pixilated laptop didn’t go into seizures. I was surprised that what I had watched poorly pixilated actually was what happened. Arsenal continued in the shape that has gathered points it recent weeks and were on the front foot from the off. They sized it up and got it sorted. I love Tomas Rosicky as I have been professing for the last several columns and will expound further later. He changes Arsenal’s game.

When he and Mikel Arteta are running whatever is going on in the midfield, regardless of if it’s Santi, Walcott, Ramsey or whomever (looking at you Franny Coq as I lament Diaby’s plight as also previously outlined). When Jack comes back, is he better than the third or fourth midfielder in the selection process? Regardless, I am totally fine with how they have been playing on the field eight of the last nine games (Spurts being the exception), provided we have 11 men. PROVIDED WE HAVE 11 MEN ON THE FIELD.

The tackle had to be made and the red had to be given, that’s simple. Shane Long is tricky and perhaps, and being generous, is half the size of Per Mertesacker. Maybe he should have just tried to eat him. Per was the last man, it was a scoring opportunity, and was a straight red. He knew what he was doing and took the dismissal well which is something I find all too uncommon today. Arsenal walked away and figured out what to do next, they didn’t surround the ref and complain. They got on with it. Somewhat uncommon. The ref isn’t going to change his mind, actually. He can’t.

Shut up, get your man off and accept that you now have to figure out how to win the game. There is a reason for a ref and that’s what everyone who has ever stepped on a pitch has to accept. Per was a sterling example of this. I’ve made tackles I know will be red cards and I did it so my keeper wasn’t in a one-on-one situation. One of them punched me in the head for doing it and went on to save the penalty. Lukasz Fabianski almost did that and was perhaps a bit hard done by. Howard Webb will not be discussed and/or commented on here but if that’s the best ref in England, something it wrong. Note to Howard: not your show, buddy.

The watching was brutal the last 20 minuets after the sending off. All I could think was, clear it, sort the back line and get it up field so someone can stick it in the corner. I do not blame Olivier Giroud for taking the late shot but if I was his captain, I would have bleeped the bleep out of what I said to him if it was being recorded. Just take the ball to the corner and let WBA try and take the ball off him.

What it comes down to is that Arsenal were super lucky to come away with a win. I would have settled for a draw after the red. So many, ok, three chances, but WBA was running the game. There was no closing down and the Arsenal were just trying to boot it. I don’t think that’s a winning strategy overall (Sam Allardyce I’m looking at you) but they pulled it out of their arses and got the job done even if it was ugly in the end. THREE POINTS!!! Oh, and the Spuds lost points this morning…I will refrain from making smiley faces.

Other Observations:

-         Squad players getting more time means they play better? What? Alert the press…TR7 is apparently the squad depth Arsene Wenger was referring to in the window. He did it last year, so what he can only play 23 games a year…I’ll take him over anyone else we could have signed at that point and he was free…“Like a new signing,” as the boss would say.

-         Which also leads me to my main man, Tomas “insert expletive here” Rosicky. I’ve been overly talking about him as a player, but seriously, you have to give the guy props. I’ve only known/got to watch one other No. 7 at Arsenal and that was Bobby P. (All respect to Liam Brady and David Rocastle) Maybe he can only play half a season. I’ll take that if that’s the expectation. So what if he’s getting older, if he can put in 60 minutes with how he’s been playing, sign him up until he wants to quit. Wenger hinted as much in his post-game comments. That would be fine with me.

-         Speaking of like a new signing, Aaron Ramsey. He has also had an “insert expletive” middle name couple of weeks. And I love it. All action and where he needs to be. I am fortunate to have seen Ray Parlor play and would liken him to Ramsey. Not a star but someone with a little bite in the tackle when needed and a general presence on the field you notice. Needs to work on his finishing is my only criticism. It amazes me how much he gets abused and hated on by people of the team they “claim to support.” Charmingly as ever, Twitter was alight. Granted, he missed a sitter. The guy has played less than a full season after having his leg destroyed by a troll. Ok, I don’t believe in trolls but anything in red and white stripes that looks like Ryan Shawcross will be referred to as a troll at this point so take that for what you will. Getting on someone doesn’t change what has happened and doesn’t help them personally. That’s another rant but my general feeling is if you don’t know what it takes, haven’t tried and want to criticize, shut up, please, and let the man get into a rhythm. He’s 22, just in case you forgot, and he joined the club as a 16-year-old and has been in the first team since, injuries excluded.

-         I like Giourd, but his defending and tracking back just doesn’t do it for me right now. He’s a good target man and knocks the ball down well but I think needs to get off his arse a little and the get into the Arsenal half and bug defenders enough to think about what they are doing as far as trying to distribute. For WBA, Long did an excellent job of at least trying to pressure the distribution from the back. As it is now, he looks bored and on the halfway line doing it. You should never look bored on the pitch, regardless of where you play. And if someone is telling him not to track back then, well, telling us people would probably shut all of us up on twitter now, wouldn’t it?

-         Jerome Thomas is a decent player, isn’t he? He always has a good game for whomever against Arsenal. There have been several youngsters that have left the club that I think got let go a bit soon, but you can’t fault for wanting to play, they had the talent. Seb Larsson, Fabrice Muamba and Thomas come to mind as players that showed their ability at the Premiere League level week in and week out. It may have taken them a couple of years to get good and no one was going to push Cesc out, let’s be honest. People not making this list include Jerome Pennant, David Bently and “Little Nicky” Bentdner. Not to fault them for being human, but if I was 20 and on £800 a week I probably would have gone out partying as well. The English have a term for these types of folks, but as my mother doesn’t approve of the word, I won’t use it here.

-         Based on The Liverpool Toffees (Everton, I couldn’t come up with better derision…) taking a point off the Spuds on Sunday, Arsenal have a better league position, but still very little breathing room with Chel$ki winning. Time to suck it up and win out.

21 points left to claim and the Arsenal can take them all. Shush, we can talk about the upcoming ManUre game some other time

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!

The Oakland Gooner’s Thoughts on Reading and Abou Diaby

by William Boone
William Boone on April 2, 2013 in Arsenal with No comments

So during the break for us to catch up with the rest of life (or the international break depending on what you want to call it) I started going through all of my notes from the season. Some of the things I’ve addressed/mentioned/ranted about but I didn’t get to everything as, well, it was disjointed. Strangely enough, the home win against Reading somehow brought it all together.

A great and needed win, eight more to go and as Arsene Wenger said, we can only worry about ourselves. We win out and I think we will finish 3rd and on current league form and our run-in vs. that of Chelski and the Spuds I don’t think it’s a stretch. Won’t be overly disappointed if they put in a good effort and I end up wrong but I think we can do it. Other thoughts and general observations:

  • Damnation, Reading can stick a foot in. They had so many blocked shots I was dumbfounded. So I looked it up. According to Sky Sports, Reading blocked 11 shots. And Arsenal still scored four goals. Maybe Reading got a little lucky; maybe it was another situation of Arsenal trying to walk the ball into the net. Not judging one way or the other, but that game could have easily been 10-1. Good on them, Adrian Mariappa looked to be a quality player to me based on what he was facing and who he had lined up next to him.

 

  • How Arsenal handled Reading in the first 10 to 15 minuets is exactly what they haven’t been doing regularly enough this year. There hasn’t been enough of seeing how the other team comes out before attacking and/or deciding how to defend what’s coming and getting caught on the break. The early goal was key. I don’t think this defensive unit is really built to keep all clean sheets to be honest (mental individual errors being the culprit there) but if the team can get one or two and get organized before the inevitable happens, then I think nine times out of 10 Arsenal win the game which I can live with. Now if they could only sort out defending set pieces and how to take corner kicks…

 

  • Gervinho reminds me of our last No. 27, the one and only Emmanuel Eboue. He could be useless, he could be dazzling. Sadly, “the Gerv” doesn’t do the little Russian dance before being subbed in. (It’s out there, and worth a watch but I got bored Googling it) Both players had both good and poor traits: The good: They run at people, squaring up the defender as opposed to trying to get past them like Theo seems to want to do. Great. Over elaborate? Less great. Fluff a sitter or two? Bemused. Gervinho has been on the border of that with his contributions over the last year and picked it up for himself/pride/etc. somewhat with his performance today and verses Swansea. I do miss Eboue, but for the entertainment on the sidelines, not for the player on the pitch.

 

  • Tomas Rosicky is the man. Even when he has an off day offensively passing as he did against Reading, he is always chasing the ball. If you watch him on a screen from a distance or a skewed angle and it doesn’t look like he has feet, it’s just a blur. He has such tight ball control in confined spaces as well. I loved playing with midfielders like that in front of me. I say a lot of things but honestly, I think Arsenal would have won something if he hadn’t been out for 18 months and then another six, respectively, between 2007 and 2010. Enjoy him while you can (and when you can for that matter) as he will soon go the way of the Pires…

 

  • Speaking of that, Rosicky and Abou Diaby both joined Arsenal in 2006 and I read somewhere that Diaby has played more games for the club than Tomas. Both have played less than 200 games for the club in seven years. If you do the math, sadly for both players and for the club, that’s a really low number. Which leads us to Abou…

 

  • Alas, poor Diaby. Good luck to him. When Arsene didn’t buy in January, he cited squad depth in general and Diaby in particular as to why he didn’t need to. Now all we have is Franny Coquelin to fill that defensive mid backup spot and he hasn’t been entirely convincing this year. (*shakes head)  Sorry, back to the point. When Diaby was on his game, he was very good. When he was off his game, he was most likely hurt and playing on it and making both the injury and fan perception of him worse which I think kind of sums up his time at Arsenal in a way. Having done my ACL and knowing what it takes to get back to playing shape I don’t envy what he has to do over the next nine months but I’m rooting for him. He may be a pampered, well-paid professional football player but with his injury history and persistence in trying to come back you have to feel for the guy, especially if you’ve donee six months of PT/rehab. The good news is he is only 26, so maybe he can have a Rosicky-like renaissance at 30 (which is probably the next time he will get off the treatment table…)

Come on, you Gunners!

The Oakland Gooner Sounds off on the past month

by William Boone
William Boone on March 22, 2013 in Arsenal with No comments

So it’s been a while. Postponements and disappointments have limited my interest/desire to dwell on the sanguine and the absent. But things have actually started looking a bit better and so I feel that, as it is spring, we must both celebrate the passing of winter and the coming of the warm/good/finishing 3rd season of the year.

 

Burying winter:

Final thoughts on the FA Cup exit to Blackburn: My cynical side says such is cup competition. My supporter side says “What the f$%k!!!” The lads didn’t take the chances that were available and got sucker punched on the break. A familiar story in the last several years, sadly. Several players looked jaded, and if squad rotation was needed there were better options as far as healthy players in the squad (based on what appeared to be the strategy) than whom the Manager chose. That may be because he has completely written them off and they will never play for him again but that’s another column in and of itself (the subject being the club’s general lack of disclosure on several levels). And it’s one more trophy we won’t win this yea

Then the loss to Bayern Munich at home. This was the story of shambolic defending from front to back, though I would put a large chunk of the blame at the feet of the midfield for how it tracked back and stood off when it should have challenged the ball.

The first goal was just coming and I have to say very well-taken. It was down the rabbit hole from there. The organization between the lines just wasn’t happening. Granted, the second goal was a bit fluky but that too was coming. Lukas Podolski’s goal was slop of the highest degree as Manuel Neuer was doing something other than watching his line and was way out. It was something and if they hadn’t gotten the 3rd everything changes in the game and the tie, but that’s not how the universe works some times.

They were a better side on several levels on the night. Depth, depth, depth was all I could think. They have world-class players sitting on the bench, and we have Andrey Arshavin. Someone wrote soon after this game that Munich outspent Arsenal by £100 million over the last three years in transfers. It showed. We then get to look forward to a pasting in Munich…

Then the abysmal showing at Tottenham. The less said of this the better. If I’m being honest, and if you were watching the game, you should be as well, you knew the game was over after the second goal. Again, the defense was lacking communication and got caught out. I hate to admit that Gary Neville has every said/done anything proper but his analysis on sky was right on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKm85q3t6bQ

It was a game so devoid of urgency on Arsenal’s part it made my head hurt, though that may have been the booze from the evening prior. (It also may have been my mate English Mick cackling with delight but he supports Liverpool so you just have to point to the table to shut him up.) It completely erased any memories of the fact that Arsenal had won three on the trot in the league going into that game. The head’s were up a bit in the second half but it wasn’t enough to get more than one back. That it came from a set piece I suppose can be taken as a positive.

On a lighter note, at least the Everton game got postponed because they are in a competition we’re out of so we can prepare for a hopeless game/funeral in Munich. Or so everyone was saying at least…

 

The springing of spring(?):

So, Arsenal is going to Munich, down 3-1 from their home-leg portion of this tie. What’s the best that can be hoped for? Sell more of those purple shirts with a valiant effort? I didn’t really care where they got the motivation I just wanted to see a good shift and the show of some heart. I’m glad to say that I wasn’t disappointed. The first goal came early and the team was organized front to back with even Olivier Giroud tracking back. Munich obviously missed Bastian Schweinsteiger but this was a vastly better organized (dare I say prepared) team than what was on show at the Emirates.

I think the real difference for Arsenal was Tomas Rosicky. Full stop, he is a super talented player. I know he’s had his injury problems but he always, ALWAYS makes the team better when he plays, it’s a shame how his career has been so significantly blighted by injury. At least he didn’t get done in a bad tackle (my rant about those is here: http://www.denchblog.com/the-stamping-must-stop/) but we really could have used him more over the last several years. When healthy, for my dollar, he is better than Helb, Arshvin or Samir Nasri, all of whom were purchased while he was in the squad but crocked. He shuts it down in midfield and even if his passing isn’t as sharp as it could be (lack of PT might have something to do with that) he still adds something that’s been missing. End of Rosicky fawning.

I think Arsenal needed a second goal between the 30th minuet and the half or the first 15 minuets of the second for it to be something that could be done. The boys kept at it and put in an overall effort the fans can be proud of or at least have a little pride restored based on Bayern’s home record after the first leg. It was the best defensive performance as a team I’ve seen all year. I said it at the time, when this team plays like this and you think about who is in the squad but missing through injury this can be a really good team. (Note I didn’t say great, but really, really good)

Going to Swansea, needing three points. The first half was forgettable for all but of the AO-C’s crossbar challenge game. Again, the defense was well organized front to back and Swansea were well stymied and didn’t have much of a go at goal outside of a very poor clearance by young Carl Jenkinson. The second half was all Arsenal outside of maybe between the 50 and 55-minute mark. I just knew it was coming but then was sure it was blown when Giroud knocked the ball back off the cross but somehow Nacho Monreal was there and somehow put it in the back of the net. Swansea dropped after that and the subs sealed the deal in injury time. A good game for the neutral, three points for the Arsenal and elation for Gooners everywhere.

Nine games to go, 27 points to win, 3rd place to claim. Let’s hope the lads are up for it. I know I am.

The Oakland Gooner’s Thoughts On Arsenal Over the Past Week

by William Boone
William Boone on February 22, 2013 in Arsenal with No comments

Disclaimer: I’m a Gooner from Northern California if that hasn’t been established, and yes, I question my sanity regularly or at least for the last eight years.

I get what they give us on Fox Soccer (commentary is trite nonsense most of the time) or the pub you have to pay to enter to watch a Euro feed (that’s a rant for another time), but I feel that the overall negative attitude pervading us Gooners is missing the point, and didn’t want to contribute to that by writing after Blackburn.

So after waking up too early and getting myself somewhere to watch the FA Cup tie with Blackburn,  a late Friday night, an early Saturday morning based on the late Friday, having to leave a bird in the bed and a few beers with the lads makes you think twice about both what you say and what you think. During the match, I was persuaded not to stab myself with a pen and a fork (different occasions) and I decided to reserve my judgment, watch it again and then be judgmental. I fully acknowledge that my opinion can be disputed based on where my head was at while watching the game, so feel free to have a go.

I have to say that Colin Kazim-Richards’ goal pretty much sucked the life out of my weekend and left me in a state where I felt comment wouldn’t be appropriate at that moment in time lest I be rash. So I decided not to. I watched it again on Sunday and thought that overall it wasn’t a bad game on the part of the Arsenal. With that said, a loss is a loss and another cup to crash out of, if perhaps unluckily. It was a poor result, nonetheless and head-to-bar banging inducing. I was persuaded to stop by the barkeep who told me that there would be another day but that he didn’t really want me back for the Munich game. Acceptable. I decided to wait to see what the German giants would have on offer before I got into this piece. That was to my chagrin.

Blackburn played a game with purpose and tact that seems to have been something we’ve been missing. Remember when we won against AC Milan at the San Siro a couple of years ago? The team went out knowing what they had to do and did it. Cesc Fabregas scored a screamer for the winner.Cesc_vMilan

I will point out that AC Milan played with purpose and strategy against Barcelona at the San Siro on Wednesday and got the result they desired, strategy is lacking, period. But I digress. The only reason I bring AC Milan up is how we came out against Bayern Munich.

Night and effing day. No plan, nothing cohesive. If I was Jack Wilshere, I would have been shouting more from the third minute. As someone who has played in the center of defense and occasionally a fullback for going on 25 years, I was embarrassed to watch the game with several of my midfielder friends.

It just got worse after Tony Kroos’ goal. So many things wrong happened outside of his excellent strike (credit where credit is due) but seriously. I don’t want to put the Verminator down, but he has been lackluster to say the least and his general behavior on the pitch doesn’t make him Capitan material to me, at least not now.

The defense was as organized as my attempts to heard cats or chickens anywhere. Wojciech Szczesny was culpable on the last two, but Arsenal was just outplayed. Point being, Bayern had a plan. Close down the central passing lanes, make Arsenal play out from the back.  Bayern did their homework, forced Arsenal to shunt the ball out to the wings where Theo Walcott couldn’t do much but run at three people. In my experience, I would take those odds any day of the week. Well played, Jupp.

The third goal was a killer, especially when we had actually switched on after the goal from Lukas Podolski. I don’t care if it was awarded poorly, that ref was having a blinder; it might have been from all the black obstructing the minimum eight elbows Jack got to the back and head. No, the ref was crap but that’s no excuse. Time to move on.

So, the last two results have been disappointing to say the very least. People are calling for the managers head and booing the team AT HOME. Unacceptable. Who’s fault is it? Obviously the manager deserves some of the blame, but he has been given his resources and this has been the best he can do. I tweeted after the game that I was embarrassed to be both an American and an Arsenal fan based on where they are as a team right now in comparison to when I started to follow them.

It is Stan Kroenke’s fault we are where we are. I’ve been to the Emirates once while it was being built and I realize it costs a lot, but why do you go to hiss at the team you supposedly support? It’s a stupid waste of money if you’re going to hiss. Trust me, I’m an Athletics fan.

Watching sport is supposed to be enjoyable, if it isn’t to you, why do you bother? Change will come in some form or fashion, regardless of YOUR opinion. In the meantime, suck it up, support the club you claim to support and stop with the vitriol…

The Oakland Gooner’s General Arsenal Thoughts on the last week

by William Boone
William Boone on February 5, 2013 in Arsenal with No comments

In looking for a narrative for this piece, I failed to find one. That may because I’ve been in bed the last three days with what I think is a cross between swine flu and anthrax poisoning but I’ll spare the details. So I’ve decided to just give some general reflections on the games we’ve had in the last eight days.

I touched on Brighton a bit in the last post, but after watching it again (at least most of it when my body wasn’t trying to forcibly expel a lung) I have some additional thoughts there, as well as on the Liverpool game and the cloggers from Stoke. I don’t call Stoke a game per se, as I don’t know what to call the bastard child of football and rugby that they play. So, on to the matter at hand.

Brighton:

The supposed lack in strength of depth of the squad was put to bed somewhat, in my mind at least anyway. I have always been a huge fan of Tomas Rosicky and when he’s healthy, he shows he can do the business. I’m glad he’s getting back to fitness and as most should recall, his coming back into the team in the second half of last season corresponded with a major upturn in form. Now, I’m not saying he keeps Jack out of the team when healthy, but he certainly adds something to the squad.

I also want to mention that Andre Santos, despite his portly demeanor put in a good shift and isn’t as crap as everyone seems to think. He may not be a left-back mind you, but he isn’t a horrible footballer either. Something needs to be done to rectify the defensive frailties, especially against lower league opposition, but fair play to Brighton and Gus Poyet (even if he was a spud) for trying to take the game to us.

Now on to Blackburn in the next round in the FA Cup. This is a club in such disarray it’s either going to be a walk in the park or a brawl. Fingers crossed for a walk in the park.

Liverpool:

Where to begin?

Shambolic defending? The most horrid away shirts since ours last year? Martin Skrtel being one of the most frightening-looking individuals this side of an alien movie? No, I’ll prefer to focus on the positives.

After we switched on, we scored two great goals and should have won the game based on the run of play in the last 15 minuets. I’ve always had somewhat of an affinity for Liverpool. Maybe it’s because I asked my dad for an Arsenal shirt (I told him they wore red) before his trip to England when I was 18,  but he brought back a Liverpool shirt and a ManUre shirt. I knew I couldn’t wear the United shirt for some reason. I have respect for Steven Gerrard (and to a lesser extent, Jamie Carragher) for being one-club players.

That said, a point is two dropped and that is what it is. Final thought: this sucks for Kieran Gibbs. He was finally healthy for a prolonged spell and had been playing some good ball, the highlight being the cracker against Swansea. I would also spare a thought for Santos. He may be a bit out of shape, but he hardly deserves the stick he gets and wasn’t (though almost) at fault for any of the goals conceded.

Stoke City:

At their kick-ball best (quite literally in Ryan Shawcross’ challenge on Laurent Koscielney for which he should have seen red) Stoke provided their usual challenge. I loved seeing Jack going after Michael Owen for the swing on Mikel Arteta; we need more of that type of fire in the team. A friend said that not since Viera have we had someone with that type of fire, and I tend to agree. We just don’t need the associated red cards.

I thought Nacho Monreal looked good in his debut in what could be trying circumstances, but he seemed to give as good as he got. Lukas Podolski made a huge difference, as did Santi Cazorla to a degree, and this highlights why squad depth is needed in a 38-game plus cups season. Good to see Arteta back, he is definitely the metronome of this current squad. All in all, maybe a little lucky and we left it late but got the points we deserved.

I’ll have some additional thoughts on the closing of the transfer window and other miscellaneous things my fevered brain has been pondering for your consumption shortly. (Maybe that’s what I have, the consumption…)

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →