[Archived] Arsenal 6 Rovers 2

[Jordan]

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.

That winterbum is a tosser ###### hate him, thorwn beert at the telle

[Paul]

Does anyone know if Jordan's managed to get home?

[The1mattjansen]

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!

I havent yet been to the emirates, but based on past visits to Bolton, Sunderland, Derby, Leicester and Southampton I completely agree that with every new stadium the atmosphere and soul of the whole club is lost. The stadium is there home and these new American style concrete domes just dont do justice to the beatiful game.

Long live Fratton Park.

[Cocker]

Neil - rash challenge yet again, Poor defender, reputation built on World cup, where his rash challenges cost the Aussies.

Emerton - not very good. He gettin bit fatty.

Bentley - Good game, although hes too greedy. Too many rovers attacks are quit short because the glory boy wants personal glory.

Neil made a name for himself last season with Rovers because I thought he was excellent. He did have a good world cup apart from the Italy incedent. He has been poor this season but if you watch, he seems to be out of position half of the time and Nelson wouldnt have let that happen - I always bang on about the Nelson effect but its true.

Emerton has been excellent this season I think and when he was on the ball (not off it) yesterday I thought he did ok.

Bentley did really well I thought - If we had one he would have been our man of the match yesterday. He always looks hungry and wants to do well for the team. Its about time we had someone that wants to go forward and have a go instead of get scared and go back to Brad or just bang it up into the sky.

All in all after having calmed down after yesterday I have to say our forward play was ok. Remeber we very nearly made it 3-3 and if that had have happened it could have all been different. Our defence is whats letting us down.

Arsenal were just awsome yesterday and Chelski or Man U would have found it hard against that.

Bring on Liverpool and some festive cheer

[Timmy]

problem here

nobody is talking about rovers as relegation candidates...as opposed to likes of watford, charlton, west ham, 'boro etc.

rovers could slip under the radar and end up in trouble without anybody noticing

take MOTD yesterday. OK aresnal played great, but not one comment by the pundits on the problems with rovers. Compare this with the charlton game in which all post match comments were on how bad they were

[AggyBlue]

take MOTD yesterday. OK aresnal played great, but not one comment by the pundits on the problems with rovers. Compare this with the charlton game in which all post match comments were on how bad they were

That's because we didn't play that bad. We had a twenty minute second half spell were they just couldn't cope with us.

Overall we were OK when in possession of the ball. The problem was when they had it, we couldn't get near it.

Also we have some influential players missing.

I don't expect anything from the Liverpool match either but hey, I'm not worried..........yet.

[rover6]

There's more than a little room for concern but unlike Charlton, we're not playing like eleven Darren Peacocks.

More like 4/5 Darren Peacocks.

We should be worried because some recent performances have been underwhelming to say the least. However, we will get out of this - have faith in Hughes.

[den]

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

Agreed that Neill should have been sent off [if it was a foul].

However, so should the Arsenal player for bringing down Bentley for our pen. - So no, we didn't get the rub of the green.

[USABlue]

Bring on Liverpool and some festive cheer

Here's the scary bit, I have been looking at our fixtures ahead and I really only see 2-4 points from the next 6 games. We are in for a hard winter.

[philipl]

This Gunner reckons 6-4 would have been a fair score. At the moment, any score against anybody is a good prediction for the Rovers.

[West Sussex Rover]

Here's the scary bit, I have been looking at our fixtures ahead and I really only see 2-4 points from the next 6 games. We are in for a hard winter.

If we play like we know we can. I can see 7 points in our next 4 games...

Dont forget that if Sparky gets his act together, we should have new players for Wigan on the 1st!

[rover6]

Agreed that Neill should have been sent off [if it was a foul].

Trying to derobe Van Persie in frustration of his own clumsiness wasn't clever either. He could've got a second yella for that.

[Modi]

If we play like we know we can. I can see 7 points in our next 4 games...

Dont forget that if Sparky gets his act together, we should have new players for Wigan on the 1st!

By my understanding only if someone is out of contract, as the window doesn't open until 1st Jan and there's noway the registrations will be processed by 1500...

[West Sussex Rover]

By my understanding only if someone is out of contract, as the window doesn't open until 1st Jan and there's noway the registrations will be processed by 1500...

Surely if the price and contract is agreed the deal would go through on the stroke of midnite?

[FourLaneBlue]

Surely if the price and contract is agreed the deal would go through on the stroke of midnite?

No because the FA have to process it etc...I doubt they are going to wait up working on a National Bank Holiday instead of celebrating the arrival of the New Year just so we can have some new player for our game that day.

[West Sussex Rover]

No because the FA have to process it etc...I doubt they are going to wait up working on a National Bank Holiday instead of celebrating the arrival of the New Year just so we can have some new player for our game that day.

Fair doo's...

[only2garners]

It seems to me that everyone who wasn't there yesterday is panicking and those that were there have some perspective. Playing against an arsenal team in wondrous form we were 3-2 down with 5 minutes ago and looking like the side most likely to score. Given our injury and suspension position I'd have taken that position before the match. We were going for an equaliser and got caught as was always likely. Are people seriously suggesting we should have sat back and played out a 3-2 defeat.

On refereeing decisions, whilst Neil might have been lucky to stay on the pitch, I was convinced with the naked eye from about 10 yards away that it was offside. I could have been wrong but we'll never know as, despite commentators noting that we were claiming offside no TV camera was produced to look at it. That seems very odd to me - there always seems to be a camera able to judge that at every other match. And if that was a corner for the first goal then god knows who it came off as Todd was nowhere near Toure - again I was 10 yards away. Someone complained about Savage being booked - as I recall it was right at the end of the match, about the first foul he had committed and didn't look particularly bad. On the other hand, Hleb, who had been booked in the first half, clearly deliberately handled to stop a Rovers break in the first - it was a clear booking but wasn't. Adebayor in the first half didn't get booked until his fifth foul, at least one of which on Bentley was horrible.

All this doesn't mean we didn't deserve to lose - in the end Arsenal were just too good for us but the scoreline doesn't begin to tell the story of the match. I'm afraid you really did have to be there in this case.

Like many new grounds, the Emirates looks beautiful but the actual experience of watching the match was poor. I imagine it's good if you're in the upper tier but where we were we had an excellent view of one goal but couldn't see a damn thing at the other end. You would have thought that Row 12 would be OK but the rake was so shallow we were more or less at player eye level.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Todd and Ooijer were both awful today.

Agreed. I was embarrassed by some of the hopeless defending on show at the Emirates yesterday.

Philipl would make a good spin doctor. We're just one point above the relegation zone, our defending has been shambolic for much of the season (we've conceded more goals in the Premiership than any team apart from Charlton), and Philip appears to suggest that everything in the garden is rosy apart from some refereeing decisions going against us.

At the start of the season Jason Roberts ridiculously claimed that Rovers could qualify for the Champions League this season. I think some of the players (and indeed the fans) need a reality check. Having finished 6th last season, we're now firmly involved in a relegation dogfight at the bottom end of the table.

A number of factors have played a part in the hugely disappointing results this season - the shambolic defending I've previously mentioned together with a chronic lack of pace throughout the side, tactical naivety, an over-reliance on Tugay to provide any semblance of creativity in midfield, players who are unable to cross the ball properly on a consistent basis and two strikers in McCarthy and Nonda who've performed like bone-idle wasters on a number of occasions this season. (McCarthy was of course missing yesterday while Nonda admittedly had one of his better games.)

Nonda and David Bentley, who was playing against his former team, both seemed to be "up for it" yesterday. Why weren't they up for it during certain other games this season?

In contrast, Andy Todd appeared to be slow, half-hearted and disinterested yesterday. Is this perhaps a case of a player who feels that his time at the club may soon be coming to an end and therefore he can't be arsed to put in the required 100% effort?

Arsenal's first goal came from typically abysmal marking from Rovers at a corner - Gilberto allowed to rise unchallenged and score from a free header. For Arsenal's second goal, Hleb was allowed too much time and space to dribble into the box and score.

Andre Ooijer was guilty of poor defending for Arsenal's fourth goal. Van Persie should have been closed down earlier outside the box before he dribbled into the penalty area and turned Ooijer inside out. A top-class defender wouldn't have continually backed off from Van Persie as Ooijer did.

For Arsenal's fifth goal, Van Persie was again allowed too much time and space in the box, while the shambles was completed in injury time when Fabregas was allowed to dribble from the centre of midfield to the corner flag without a proper challenge from Savage. The young Spaniard then dribbled unchallenged into the penalty area and his shot was first saved by Friedel, before Flamini scored from the rebound.

A phrase that was much used on this board a few years ago during the dark days of Graeme Souness's reign in charge, was: "It's time to wake up and smell the coffee." I'd suggest that some of the Rovers optimists would do well to wake up and smell the coffee and realise the seriousness of the situation we're currently in - just 19 points from 18 games, hovering just one point above the relegation zone, with the second worst defensive record in the Premiership.

We had a post about a week ago from Paul, the title of which was "We're Doing Better Than You Think." With all due respect to Paul, if he (or other Rovers fans) had been asked at the start of this season: "Would you be happy with being one point above the relegation zone on Christmas Day?", I'd suggest that the reply wouldn't have been "yes".

Charlton and Watford look likely to go down, but the remaining relegation spot is open and could be filled by one of a handful of teams - including Rovers, West Ham, Sheffield United, Man City and Middlesbrough. Those who feel that Rovers are "too good to go down" could unfortunately be mistaken. The Premiership table doesn't lie and our current position is precarious.

What does concern me is that when we play against the so-called lesser teams in the Premiership, we tend to lose. Les Reed has gained just four points from a possible 21 in charge at the Valley. His only win was against a woeful Rovers side. We faced West Ham at Upton Park at the end of October after the Hammers had been on a run of 8 defeats in a row. We lost. Our lack of steel away from home has been deeply worrying.

[Eddie]

Horrible performance, though Arsenal were quite brilliant we didn't do much to stop them at the back. At least Nonda scored.

Hughes has January to save his job.

[Presty On Tour]

1-0 up and on my knees in the street in the middle of town going wild looking on the internet on my phone.

looked again and at 3-30 it was 3-1, heart sank.

3-2 and read derbyshire was on and hope was restored that we can get something.

got to watch soccer saturday with about 10 mins left and well pedersen had a shot tipped over the bar and then it all went wrong, heads dropped and it was a nightmare finish to a game.

bentley, pedersen and nonda were our best players on the day, our defence had no answer to arsenal and i don't know if it's hughes or friedel decision but can we start having 2 players on the posts when defending corners!!

[Timmy]

Horrible performance, though Arsenal were quite brilliant we didn't do much to stop them at the back. At least Nonda scored.

Hughes has January to save his job.

we probably in a worse postion than ever we were under souness's less good seasons

yep I don't see many people claming for Hughes to go

[KingCrip]

On refereeing decisions, whilst Neil might have been lucky to stay on the pitch, I was convinced with the naked eye from about 10 yards away that it was offside. I could have been wrong but we'll never know as, despite commentators noting that we were claiming offside no TV camera was produced to look at it. That seems very odd to me - there always seems to be a camera able to judge that at every other match. And if that was a corner for the first goal then god knows who it came off as Todd was nowhere near Toure - again I was 10 yards away.

Totally agree with this. I was online with the play from my seat (and the view was awful btw, back row right in the corner!) VP deffinately looked about a yard offside to me, thought I would be able to confirm this on MOTD or goals on Sunday, very suspicious there is no good angle of this incident

Same with the corner for the first, no chance IMO. Not saying we deserved to win, but at this stage the game was very much still in the balance.

[Paul Mellelieu]

If defence of Phill he did say that we needed Nelsen back.

Just saw Brad in the Tragic Centre buying something Gucci for his wife I presume.

[LWX]

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.

im sure i remember a time when todd was good????.....and why now is the jury still out on him....how many rovers come backs can one man make???

[Eddie]

we probably in a worse postion than ever we were under souness's less good seasons

yep I don't see many people claming for Hughes to go

Yep. I think Hughes and many of the supporters seem to firmly believe that no matter what we will be safe. Sometimes after I hear him interviewed I have to remind myself that we are nearing the new year and could well be in the relegation zone when it turns.