[Archived] Arsenal 6 Rovers 2

[Rainmaker]

However Todd was yet again exposed aa utterly ponderous and frankly not very interested. Van Persie must love to see his name on the team sheet.

On Todd:

He seemed to let Hleb(?) past him way to easy for the second goal. I know it was inside the penalty area, but he didn't seen interested in attacking Hlebs possession. He just jogged towards the arsenal player, and let him jinx past him.

I mean when the opposition is at point blank range, you dive at the ball, at least when approacing from the side, even if it's inside the penalty are. You don't just let them do a one-two past you.

[West Sussex Rover]

On Todd:

He seemed to let Hleb(?) past him way to easy for the second goal. I know it was inside the penalty area, but he didn't seen interested in attacking Hlebs possession. He just jogged towards the arsenal player, and let him jinx past him.

I mean when the opposition is at point blank range, you dive at the ball, at least when approacing from the side, even if it's inside the penalty are. You don't just let them do a one-two past you.

Maybe we have got a bit nervous about making challenges due to the pathetic red cards and penalties that keep going against us?

[Biddy]

Maybe we have got a bit nervous about making challenges due to the pathetic red cards and penalties that keep going against us?

Surely best to make a tackle and get a pen or red card than not bother at all and just let them dance through for yet another goal. There just seemed no commitment at the back at all which seems to be becomming a theme for Rovers recently.

[Mr. E]

Maybe we have got a bit nervous about making challenges due to the pathetic red cards and penalties that keep going against us?

this is an excellent point, the only excuse I can offer our defenders

[broadsword]

Rumours of Mark Hughes losing the dressing room??

Where does he last remember having it? He must've left it somewhere.

The fool!

[Rainmaker]

Where does he last remember having it? He must've left it somewhere.

The fool!

Probably in the other pair of pants

[rover6]

A very big problem for ROvers at the moment is that we don't have a defensive midfielder who can play in a 4-4-2. We need someone who will provide real protection to our slightly dodgy (i.e not Tugay) defence but who can also pass a ball (i.e not Mokoena). A Tugay-Mokoena hybrid would be perfect.

Even Reidy returning won't solve the problem, unless Sav is prepared to adjust his game and play the holding role.

It's nice that we played good football but our defence needs to sort itself out. I personally want to see Emerton back at right back. He was superb there earlier this season. Let's prepare for life with Neill.

And wow, what agility from Nonda. Breath-taking.

[sambo]

what a dick

liverpoo have sold out 7000 tickets

rovers have an average home crowd of 16800

its bank holiday and will attract all sorts of wavering supporters, families and people who want to see Rovers and liverpoo

bank on a corwd of around 26700

oh yes will you be there?????????????????????????????

maybe, ive had season ticket since the age of 6 but might give this one a miss

[RevidgeBlue]

Got back an hour or so ago, what a Stadium, the TV pictures really don't do it justice. I really would urge anyone to visit it at least once. Puts places like Old Trafford and St. James's Park to shame.

Now for the game, 6-2 was somewhat flattering for Arsenal, 4-2 might have been a fairer reflection but they were absolutely toying with our defence for most of the game.

That was the most worrying thing, that we were able to put up little or no resistance. We got off to an absolute flier, couldn't have hoped for a better start and I'm sure that a team that was doing well would have been able to dig in a bit and build on it.

But no, blink it was 1-1, (free header for Gilberto) blink again and it was 2-1 (woeful defending from Todd) and before you knew it it was 3-1 game over. (although the Arsenal player was offside before being fouled by Neill)

Yet another first half collapse. We almost mounted a stirring fight back in the second half but once again having given ourselves a sniff, we conceded very quickly, some downright embarrassing defending from Ooijer extinguishing any hope. The last two goals were academic in some ways but indicated a lack of professionalism and pride in our performance in others. Who knows how important an extra goal difference of minus two might be at the end of the season?

There just isn't enough steel and resolve in the side art present. And going back down a well trodden path it seeps down from the top imo with our captain and notional figurehead wanting away.

Todd and Ooijer were both awful today. I keep reading on here about how good Ooijer supposedly is, I keep thinking I must be wrong but I've seen little to suggest that. He's been a very disappointing signing given his pedigree imo.

Overall though despite the fact we must defend a lot better and show a lot more resolve in the second half of the season I'm not too downbeat about today, it makes it no more or no less likely we'll go down. We never really expected a result at the Emirates and were already in deep trouble before today's game.

With Bellamy starting to catch fire and another mauling possible on Boxing Day courtesy of our static defence Boro and Wigan are the two games we MUST pick up an absolute minimum of four points from.

[rover6]

The PSV fans who were raving about Ooijer, were if I remember rightly, talking of him as a right back. He plays CB for the national team but I agree that so far he has been unconvincing in England. (He hasn't been helped by those around him).

[FourLaneBlue]

Which idiot decides not to have a player on both posts at set-pieces?

It must have cost us about eight goals this season already. It's been mentioned time and time again but nothing changes.

Actually sod it...sort it out Hughes! When we are defending a set-piece then put a man on each post! If it means bringing back an extra man thus handicapping our (non-existent) ability to counter-attack at speed then so be it.

[gumboots]

Got back an hour or so ago, what a Stadium, the TV pictures really don't do it justice. I really would urge anyone to visit it at least once. Puts places like Old Trafford and St. James's Park to shame.

Sorry, got to disagree, the soul has gone from Arsenal football club. It's simply not a football ground, Arsenal fans should be very unhappy with their new home. It lacks charachter, atmosphere and a sense of identity. I would love to watch a cup semi their or something but as for a spiritual home for a football club it comes nowhere near St James or Old Trafford! Please stop building stadiums like this, a football ground needs so much more charachter than the Emirates, which frankly looks like it was designed by the same guys as any new McDonalds, Vue Cinema or Wagamamas!

[LeChuck]

Maybe we have got a bit nervous about making challenges due to the pathetic red cards and penalties that keep going against us?

We got a 50-50 penalty given for us and kept Neill on the field when he could have easily been sent off. If referees really were against us those decisions never would have gone in our favour.

After reading peoples' comments on here after the game (mainly Philipl's) I was expecting a hard-luck story for Rovers...but I finished watching the match ashamed. The defending was shambolic, we could have prevented almost all of those. Ooijer committed himself twice on Van Persie's fourth, they weren't even great tricks and he should have known Van Persie never strikes with his right foot for the second dummy. By the end they were taking the ######, they even managed to hit a fifth whilst doing so.

However, if we take out those mistakes at the back, we do have things to build on. Hopefully this can kick-start Nonda's season, the ability is there for all to see, maybe he's just been taking time to find his feet as a lot of foreign players do. We need defenders to return as soon as possible though, Todd is too slow, awkward and clumsy.

[1864roverite]

maybe, ive had season ticket since the age of 6 but might give this one a miss

like I said DICK

[FourLaneBlue]

We obviously got some breaks from the ref today.

Anyone who whines on about not getting the rub of the green needs help...there is no way Neill should have stayed on the pitch once the penalty was awarded (whether it was a penalty is a different topic) and we had a number of things go for us. That said....what have commentators got against us this year?

We were just beaten by the better team. Thankfully we don't play there every week...roll on Tuesday.

I'LL REPEAT AGAIN...WHY AFTER CONTINUALLY BEING PUNISHED THIS SEASON FOR NOT HAVING PLAYERS ON THE LINE AT SET-PIECES DID WE THROW AWAY THE LEAD (AND THE GAME) BY NOT HAVING PLAYERS ON THE POSTS TODAY?

AARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[West Sussex Rover]

A very big problem for ROvers at the moment is that we don't have a defensive midfielder who can play in a 4-4-2.

Well apart from the only 3 central midfielders we have fit, i suppose thats true

Savage and Tugs are labled as defensive midfielders, however as we have 2 central defensive midfielders and not 1 attacking (central) and 1 defensive (central) midfielder who are able to play together, they both try to share the attacking and defensive duties which means we get caught on the break sometimes...

What we need is an ATTACKING midfielder, and then whomever we play most probably Savage needs to be told clearly that his duties in midfield are defensive primaraly! That would leave the new attacking midfielder to go forward without having to worry about his defensive duties too much!

Mokoena is labled as a defensive midfielder too however i dont think he's useful in any formation including 4-4-2...

What we are lacking in at the moment is a solid defense, a pacey central attacking midfielder and a solid pacey striker/forward... Basically what Arsenal had yesterday which was so lethal. A very quick offense and midfield that caught us on the break too many times and a defence that was adequate for the job.

Hopefully when we get Nelsen/Zurab back fit and the left defender in with Emerton on the right our defence will look more solid. With an addition of a pacey striker, Hopefully homegrown and a decent young pacey midfielder and possibly Dunny there to, to add to the pacey midfielder we will look allot more solid and dangerous!

[Shaddy]

The biggest problem with the result is that before the match, Newcastle and Wigan, who were the 3 points ahead that one might assume we would make up in our match in hand, were also just 3 goals up on us in goal difference. Now, even if we won the game in hand to tie with Wigan, we will still be way behind on goal difference, not to mention some of the other teams around us.

A loss of more than 3 points in my opinion.

[Jan]

We obviously got some breaks from the ref today.

Anyone who whines on about not getting the rub of the green needs help...there is no way Neill should have stayed on the pitch once the penalty was awarded (whether it was a penalty is a different topic) and we had a number of things go for us. That said....what have commentators got against us this year?

We were just beaten by the better team. Thankfully we don't play there every week...roll on Tuesday.

I'LL REPEAT AGAIN...WHY AFTER CONTINUALLY BEING PUNISHED THIS SEASON FOR NOT HAVING PLAYERS ON THE LINE AT SET-PIECES DID WE THROW AWAY THE LEAD (AND THE GAME) BY NOT HAVING PLAYERS ON THE POSTS TODAY?

AARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well, at all of the corners in the first half, we started with two players on the line. Gray to the left of Brad and Tugs to the right. However each time, Gray sort of wandered off aimlessly before the corner was taken and Tugs went to the other side. If he hadn't, he'd have been in the right place for the first goal. (Gray's fault)

I don't think it's HUghes' fault. I truly think he's told them, but as we know, Gray isn't the sharpest tool in the box and, I suspect, just thought- ooh, pretty ball over there- or the suchlike and wandered off.

Todd was the last line of defence for the second goal (although technically it should have been Ooijer as it was his side of the box). He ran to make a block, but whoever it was just was too cute and instead of blocking, he ran over where the ball had been. Not clever, but not disinterested either. HOwever, there were definitely no last ditch tackles going in a la Nelsen from him, or even more noticeably, from Neill. There was one point where Todd was trying to organise the defence (since neill wasn't bothering) but Neill simply pointed to the armband and walked off. THAT'S Hughes' fault!

As I said, I didn't see the second half, but my impression was that we pretty much matched them for long periods of the first half. Oh and there were a LOT of Arsenal fans in with us.

[West Sussex Rover]

Gray sort of wandered off aimlessly before the corner was taken and Tugs went to the other side.

Probably thought he saw Coleen Rooneys missus waving at him from the side of the pitch!

[FourLaneBlue]

I don't think it's HUghes' fault. I truly think he's told them, but as we know, Gray isn't the sharpest tool in the box and, I suspect, just thought- ooh, pretty ball over there- or the suchlike and wandered off.

It's not that I really blame anyone...just that we both know it has been happening all season and is as predictable as a Cliff Richard Christmas Single. Yet...it keeps happening.

[RevidgeBlue]

Probably thought he saw Coleen Rooneys missus waving at him from the side of the pitch!

Hee Hee! Nice one.

(Know what you mean but don't you mean Wayne Rooney's missus?)

[LeChuck]

A loss of more than 3 points in my opinion.

Nonsense. If there were 5 or so games left of the season then that may be true, but in the context of the whole season this was just one game with three points at stake.

[West Sussex Rover]

Hee Hee! Nice one.

(Know what you mean but don't you mean Wayne Rooney's missus?)

Didnt i say that? just missed the , thats all. Been a very long day!

[Jordan]

WOW How gud where wee todu.

Mark Hughys Blu AND wHITE army

Its ben a long 24 hors today with the hel of beer

Just get roight oyt of mee a

Wats that who screwing the goal is the nonda shabani nonda

We love the Rovers we do!!!

dont now what im doing havin house parti

I thknk we asign carlsbery

best play today gamst

save me man from bunmnley

Sav AAAAARRRRGGGGGGG savior of the hovers

[Exiled_Rover]

I'm sure the Football First commentators have creamed themselves in the commentary box.

As for the result and the performance, well it's always pathetic when you concede so many goals. It's firmly on Hughes' head too - you can't go and play football at L'Arse. Not only are they notorious for tearing teams apart, but their side cost at least triple what ours did to assemble - that's footballing suicide right there. Our lack of pace is always going to tell in the Premiership, with this being the worst side possible to play an open game with.

Bring back the dogs of war, at least it was entertaining to watch 11 players with spirit, rather than these surrender monkeys.