The 20/21 Season

pretty good header tbh but flapianski should have done better.

Hopefully we can get good money off him

Ryan; Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Xhaka; Elneny, Ceballos; Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli; Lacazette

Subs: Leno, Chambers, Mari, Cedric, Partey, Willian, Nelson, Pepe, Nketiah

Decent first half. Should have scored 1-2. Got a bit unlucky with the offside but technically correct?

midfield flat however that was expected.

Xhaka's recent run at LB makes me think he is starting there against Villarreal too...

And horrible Arsenal turn up again.

Can we just not play at the Emirates anymore?

I definitely think players have no motivation to play in the PL as compared to EL.

Now Laca's pulled something.

Going well.

last sec equaliser ffs. state of Arsenal

Mat Ryan our best attacking player

unreal pre-assist.

just happy we avoided losing our record against fulham.

the consequence of Arteta never playing Martinelli... when the boy gets a chance he is too eager to impress. Bunch of moments in the first half he was in a good position to make something happen but mistimed his acceleration, or overran the ball too much or just wasn't composed enough to find a teammate in a better position. Could have left the ball too for Ceballos to finish in the box in the early minutes of the game. As he gets more minutes he just needs to learn to let the game come to him, he is way too talented enough to not grow into a very good player (unless of course Arteta compromises his development.

The Ceballos header was unlucky, VAR drastically needs to improve their offside rule and their overall decision-making.

Didn't watch the second half, choose to go take a nap rather. But a dodgy pen for Burnley and a Nketiah 97th minute equaliser tells me all i need to know about the second half.

So fuck the Europa League I guess.

Jay29 wrote:So fuck the Europa League I guess.

I don't think i will ever see Arsenal win a European competition in my life

sad...

how many years is it gunna take before the quality levels out in the Super League and we won't be the whipping boyz of the competition anymore? 10?

We must thank our lucky stars we're from beautiful, wealthy Islington, London that's gunna be our allure for top players.

I mean this sincerely: what even is the point anymore?

Arsenal's league position is irrelevant if they're guaranteed a Super League spot every year. Challenging for a PL title on the back of ESL money would feel empty. Nor would there be any realistic hope for success in that competition. Arsenal would be one of the most detested clubs in football.

Or, Arsenal are booted out the CL, docked points and relegated, and no longer able to provide players for international competitions.

There's no scenario where I, as a fan, win here.

I remember back in 2006, being a kid seeing Arsenal play in their first Champions League final. How excited and nervous I was the entire day at school, and then how crushing losing that game was. Still, I had hope Arsenal would make their way back to the final one day. 15 years later it never panned out that way, and now it never will.

Playing in the ESL would be living a lie for this club. Thinking they're "elite" and entitled to everything when they haven't won a bloody league title since 2004, have never won a Champions League, and whose last European cup was in 1994. They're 9th in the Premier League now with a rookie manager and a squad full of scrubs. There's zero sporting merit.

The whole thing is just vile.

Unfortunately I'm afraid nothing can be done. These owners are all shadow, whatever public backlash fans, tv pundits, Uefa, Fifa and others can throw at them now, very little of it would reach them. It's the game of numbers and I'm sure over period of time, the profit will outweigh any received outcry. If Stan stood as low as moving an iconic sport team from their original city to different one, he's used to this kind of move. I don't expect Uefa and Fifa will do anything either, they are weak will, corrupted and profit driven, right now they fuming since none of the cake left for them.

My opinion of Arsenal last few years have been lowered and lowered, mismanagement is one thing but this man, this is basically shoving one big metal polearm up the fans backside. Even the intention of itself is already vile, no amount of justification would do any good faith for me. It's pure greed, spirit of elite competition bullshit, founding member lol I mean u just drew against Fulham at home at 97 minutes.

As for myself, I'm a fan who haven been paying money to watch Arsenal & Parma since the day I could make money of my own. Now it's very simple, if this ever comes true, I will just follow Parma who will be in Serie B next season.

Jay29 wrote:I mean this sincerely: what even is the point anymore?

Arsenal's league position is irrelevant if they're guaranteed a Super League spot every year. Challenging for a PL title on the back of ESL money would feel empty. Nor would there be any realistic hope for success in that competition. Arsenal would be one of the most detested clubs in football.

Or, Arsenal are booted out the CL, docked points and relegated, and no longer able to provide players for international competitions.

There's no scenario where I, as a fan, win here.

I remember back in 2006, being a kid seeing Arsenal play in their first Champions League final. How excited and nervous I was the entire day at school, and then how crushing losing that game was. Still, I had hope Arsenal would make their way back to the final one day. 15 years later it never panned out that way, and now it never will.

Playing in the ESL would be living a lie for this club. Thinking they're "elite" and entitled to everything when they haven't won a bloody league title since 2004, have never won a Champions League, and whose last European cup was in 1994. They're 9th in the Premier League now with a rookie manager and a squad full of scrubs. There's zero sporting merit.

The whole thing is just vile.

i understand your sentiments... but i feel this is a bit of exaggeration.
The incentives just changed, that's all. There will still be prize money and trophies to play for all. It will just take time for the bad taste to leave our mouths... and time for our quality of players to even out with the rest of Super League. Success comes in waves... Man United have basically been at our performance level too since Ferguson left.

Arsenal out now. EL matters again.

No better time to force the Kroenkes out than now.

If that would only happen.

Even better if more thought is given to the 50+1 rule used in Germany. That way fans could actually have a say. Not just a disassociated owner whom has no care for the product on the pitch and whos only concern is an investment.

Wonder if this will affect anything on the pitch? Will referees be biased against us? Will opposition teams be extra motivated to play us?

it doesn't look too good tbh. We are forever going to be hated

Also i really don't think Aubameyang should be our captain. We need to sell him this summer and make Xhaka captain again

On the pitch not much will change. The players and coaches weren't a part of this. They weren't told a thing. There shouldn't be any ill will between them.

In the stands, yes, fans of the other 14 will relish games against us even more which give it morr spice.

On an executive level, the other 14 hate our guts.

RealGunner wrote:Wonder if this will affect anything on the pitch? Will referees be biased against us? Will opposition teams be extra motivated to play us?

it doesn't look too good tbh. We are forever going to be hated

lol it's not really us though... it's not on the fans, the players, the coaches, or even the board... It's the owners. Anyone who thinks otherwise would be daft.

RealGunner wrote:Also i really don't think Aubameyang should be our captain. We need to sell him this summer, and Xhaka too. Let's not forget about Xhaka and his weaknesses as a player and a leader. He has failed us before, and falling back on him would be accepting that we are the fools of insanity. We can do much better than Xhaka.

corrected.

There was a fan forum with Josh Kroenke and Vinai tonight. Some gems:

Kroenke: We asked ourselves, what is worse: ESL with Arsenal or without? Also asked ourselves what do the fans want? The global fans wants Arsenal vs Barcelona as often as possible. English fans want to see more big matches, but you still want your cold nights in Stoke (reference to a sign in the Stamford Bridge protest). We got it wrong.

Vinai: Arsenal not authors of this proposal. On this project the train was leaving the station.

One fan to Kroenke: You do not understand English football, you do not interact with fans, you have no clue, English football is clearly not for you. You should leave.

Another fan: Are KSE aware that the vast majority of fans do not believe you are fit to be owners of our club? You said you have betrayed our trust, but let me be very clear, we have never trusted you or KSE.

The whole thread here:

https://twitter.com/REDactionAFC/status/1385266532498935810

"The global fans want Barca vs Arsenal as often as possible"

If we're being honest, us "legacy" fans want to play Barcelona and the like more often as well.

But, for me at least, the opportunity to play a big game like that comes about because we played well over a 38-game season and then qualified from a group stage. It makes it more special, especially when progression in a competition is on the line.

If you have a format where big teams always face each other as a matter of course, then the games lose meaning. Games against Barca will start to feel like those routine games against Fulham and won't capture the imagination of the casual fans anymore. There'll be diminishing returns.

Fundamentally, I believe these billionaires don't grasp that. They see the level of competition and the glamour of the games, but they don't understand the underlying emotions that make those games feel special. More controversially, I don't think the average casual fan really gets it, either, because they haven't invested the same amount of time into clubs. Football isn't their whole life like it is for some fans in Europe.

So to be told that those fans are going to be traded in for newer ones? Never going to go down well.

Jay29 wrote:There was a fan forum with Josh Kroenke and Vinai tonight. Some gems:

Kroenke: We asked ourselves, what is worse: ESL with Arsenal or without? Also asked ourselves what do the fans want? The global fans wants Arsenal vs Barcelona as often as possible. English fans want to see more big matches, but you still want your cold nights in Stoke (reference to a sign in the Stamford Bridge protest). We got it wrong.

Vinai: Arsenal not authors of this proposal. On this project the train was leaving the station.

One fan to Kroenke: You do not understand English football, you do not interact with fans, you have no clue, English football is clearly not for you. You should leave.

Another fan: Are KSE aware that the vast majority of fans do not believe you are fit to be owners of our club? You said you have betrayed our trust, but let me be very clear, we have never trusted you or KSE.

The whole thread here:

https://twitter.com/REDactionAFC/status/1385266532498935810

what were their responses to those fan comments?