[Archived] Rovers 0 Arsenal 2

[Hughesy]

I heard someone saying we had accepted a bid from Rangers for Todd, any truth? Anyone with more info?

As for the game - 11 men, 7 men - it wouldnt of made a difference, Arsenal play world class football and they are class when in the mood. Henry was class and im glad he got a good reception when he was subbed. A True great!

[thenodrog]

Beaten by 10 better men. Derbyshire could have scored two and grabbed a point for us but he didn't and I guess that is why we still have him signed on for us.... I rather hoped that the Lpool miss was out of character but now his performance suggests otherwise.

Why Arsenal are now relegated to also rans in the Prem God only knows.

[Shevchenko]

I had to endure this game in a pub full of Arsenal supporters so...impressions...

We were poor, particularly in the first half when we had them down to 10. Passing the ball around at the back isn't going to do it, no drive and will to do anything and nothing going on either wing. As for moaning about Arsenal players cheating...look no further than Robbie Savage for the red card situation. Pathetic to fall on his arse there. Fair enough Gilberto kicked him but he didn't have to fall over like that.

As for the goals...their first one was poor, poor, poor defending from our point of view. How can you let the ONLY opposing player in the box go up and score like that? With a header? It's a joke. The second one was a brilliant goal and you can't argue to much about it. Disappointing that Fabregas was given so much time as he passed it through to Henry but there you go. He was given to much time on the ball for the duration really. Shame that Derbyshire couldn't score on 1-0, we might have been able to get one more.

Oh, and I'm glad van Persie went off without scoring against us again. I really don't like that guy.

[modes98]

After the sending off, a game that we should have won hands down, yet a game that you knew we didn't stand a chance.

Derbs & Nonda had 2 amazing chances that you would expect them to put away and then you compare them to the 2 goals they scored..... Both just in.

So unlucky but in so many ways we didn't deserve it!

[RevidgeBlue]

In terms of general play they were in a different class to us - with ten men or eleven - can't understand this Arsenal bashing on here, the Fabregas incident apart.

Despite the gulf in class the game hinged on Derbyshire's miss with roughly 20 minutes to go. Faced with an empty net and an equaliser against "the Arsenal" the lad panicked and missed the ball completely. Won't be able to repeat that mistake if he wants a career in the top flight. Then again it's not exclusive to young lads, in injury time Derbyshire put Nonda clean through on goal with a brilliant pass but the experienced international failed to control the ball.

If Derbyshire had have scored the first one, I'd have quite fancied us to build up a head of steam and win. As it was Henry went more or less straight up to the other end to make it 2-0.

Not our finest hour by any stretch but not the worst either.

[Neil Weaver]

One of the majority I think, we just didn't look as sharp as Arsenal. No complaints about the result. We got away with beating Pool without being the better side, we can't do that every time. Cheating and timewasting - well Paul, Arse weren't too good (or bad depending on your view) but didn't get on my nerves as much as Bolton, Everton last week, or Wigan in our home game. Sadly it's increasingly common.

[Scotty]

We were the better team 11 v 11. After the sending off Arsenal played superbly - their midfield was a lesson in passing, movement, workrate and tenacity.

In saying that we had enough chances to win the game, or at least get back into it, but sadly Derbyshire was found lacking. He was poor today (he shouldn't have been picked ahead of Nonda imo anyway) and should have been subbed early on. When Nonda came on he looked like he didn't have a clue where to play - should he stay wide-right, should he play up front. He did neither. It's probably unfair to single him out but he's not up to it YET and should be relegated to the bench where he's capable of making an impact.

Mokoena was awful in the first ten minutes but then did ok, Savage lost his competitiveness once he'd been booked, and Emerton missed Bentley (as did the rest of the team). Pedersen was Rovers' man of the match by a mile.

Zurab lost Toure for the goal and I wonder how many times he has to do that before Hughes realises that he's a waste of space. The rest of the defence did ok. Neill played well.

We lost to a better team who raised their game superbly once they went down to ten. I don't clap many opposition goals but I clapped Henry's as it was top class. Those asking why we clapped need to get a life and appreciate football. We were second best today, but the good news is we don't have to play Arsenal again in the league. Bring on City.

[Jan]

Pedersen was so "good "that Tugay had a right go at him for not being on the wing where he wanted to pass to him, and then didn't pass to him for the rest of the half.

Pedersen was back to his inept worst today. Hleb had the measure of him by a country mile.

And he's had his hair done a terrible strawberry blonde all over and cut in an EVEN more effeminate style.

[Scotty]

Pedersen was so "good "that Tugay had a right go at him for not being on the wing where he wanted to pass to him, and then didn't pass to him for the rest of the half.

If that's true (and I'm sure it's not) then that just means that Tugay's a knob.

[Hypo-Luxa]

Gamst wasn't inept. He wasn't playing inspired but he wasn't the problem today. The problem was we took our foot off the gas when Gilberto was sent off and we didn't kill the game off like we should've with that golden opportunity. Tugay wasn't totally sharp today either so let's not shift blame from the whole team to one specific player...

[Paul]

Cheating and timewasting - well Paul, Arse weren't too good (or bad depending on your view) but didn't get on my nerves as much as Bolton, Everton last week, or Wigan in our home game. Sadly it's increasingly common.

I think the difference, and I'm still feeling upset about this, is I know what to expect from the teams mentioned. Bolton are boring to watch, Everton have been rubbish since the day Moyes arrived and Wigan, well my view is they simply aren't very good.

On the other hand Arsenal at home is one of the season highlights for me. I expect great football and a really enjoyable match, being beaten is acceptable when you know it was a good display. I'm guessing, but feel a stop watch would show Arsenal "wasted" perhaps 15-20 minutes of play. Ranging from Fabregas' play acting to everyone of them doing the really silly stuff like walking away from dead balls when standing beside it instead of throwing it to the team mate who was taking the throw-in, free kick or whatever.

Arsenal may be very, very good but fundamentaly they are cheats, which for me is the worst insult you can throw at any sportsman/woman. Mind you I doubt any of them, Henry excepted perhaps, would care if you said this to their face.

[Bobby G]

To be fair, I wouldnt say they are cheaters other than possibly Fabregas who likes to knob around a bit, and hey at the end of the day even though Savage was kicked by Gilberto, he went down like he was shot and was up 5 seconds later, so if an Arsenal player had done that we would be having a real go at him.

[Paul]

As for Savage, now I've watched MOTD, yes he did go down like he'd been shot but he was back up in seconds. An Arsenal player would have been down for minutes, Savage made a lot of it but Gilberto lashed out at him with both foot and arm. Compare this with Fabregas who took a poor, clumsy but without intent tackle from Tugay and we have a 2-3 minute stoppage, stretcher, long limp to the touchline and 30 seconds later he's running around like a spring lamb. CHEAT.

Going back to Henry's goal, someone said it wasn't that special. Well I see what you mean, if we're looking at spectacular the Scholes GOTM today was more spectacular. At the game the movement out of defence between Henry and Fabregas, beating 5-6 Rovers players, just walked through us really, little interchange of passes and bang, in it goes. This was very, very good.

[Manchester Blue]

We lost to a better team who raised their game superbly once they went down to ten. I don't clap many opposition goals but I clapped Henry's as it was top class. Those asking why we clapped need to get a life and appreciate football. We were second best today, but the good news is we don't have to play Arsenal again in the league. Bring on City.

Fully agree with that comment. I'm as blinkered as the best when it comes to Rovers but if you cannot appreciate quality when you see it you shouldn't go to the games. Put simply Arsenal are too good at the moment.

[thenodrog]

Fully agree with that comment. I'm as blinkered as the best when it comes to Rovers but if you cannot appreciate quality when you see it you shouldn't go to the games. Put simply Arsenal are too good at the moment.

I applauded it too. Superb goal. MOTD commentator in his slavering gushy praise of Henry got it completely wrong though when he said freidal got nowhere near it. He actually got quite a strong touch on it. I've said before that part of the cost of my ST is justified by watching world superstars playing at Ewood Park! Maybe it's just me but imo after years in the doldrums watching lower division 'park players' I regard it as a pleasure and a priviledge. Too many on the other hand appear not to share my appreciation of such. One thing that does concern me still, and I may be wrong with this but too many goals against appear to be coming from our right hand side.

I've said this before but whilst Pederson's shot was equally well placed and superbly saved he really needs to start aiming for inside the far post. Goalkeepers find attempts to the near post far easier to save. If he needs confirmation of that he should observe Henry.

Paul before you get holier than thou about time wasting cheats (and I'm with you 99% of the time) but please consider Tugays usual substitution routine.

What was clear today was that Arsenal needed just 1or 2 touches today whilst we needed 3 ponderous ones (and usually a look up to see who to pass to).

Rules as they are today the sending off was a no-brainer. No doubt about it and right in front of the ref. Compare this to some of our sendings off e.g. Todd at Pompey, Zurab at Anfield last year, Tugay v Spuds ...... and bloody Wilcox at Forest! etc etc

[RevidgeBlue]

We were the better team 11 v 11. After the sending off Arsenal played superbly - their midfield was a lesson in passing, movement, workrate and tenacity.

In saying that we had enough chances to win the game, or at least get back into it, but sadly Derbyshire was found lacking. He was poor today (he shouldn't have been picked ahead of Nonda imo anyway) and should have been subbed early on. When Nonda came on he looked like he didn't have a clue where to play - should he stay wide-right, should he play up front. He did neither. It's probably unfair to single him out but he's not up to it YET and should be relegated to the bench where he's capable of making an impact.

Mokoena was awful in the first ten minutes but then did ok, Savage lost his competitiveness once he'd been booked, and Emerton missed Bentley (as did the rest of the team). Pedersen was Rovers' man of the match by a mile.

Zurab lost Toure for the goal and I wonder how many times he has to do that before Hughes realises that he's a waste of space. The rest of the defence did ok. Neill played well.

We lost to a better team who raised their game superbly once they went down to ten. I don't clap many opposition goals but I clapped Henry's as it was top class. Those asking why we clapped need to get a life and appreciate football. We were second best today, but the good news is we don't have to play Arsenal again in the league. Bring on City.

I agree with your overall match analysis but not with your rating of individual players.

Mokoena was awful full stop. Haven't a clue what Hughes sees in him and picking him ahead of Tugay was a huge tactical error imo.

Neill was brilliant going forward but a complete liability defensively, and on another day might have ben sent off for conceding the free kick which led to the first goal.

MGP saw plenty of the ball second half but I thoght he had a stinker. His final ball and delivery of set pieces was appalling.

Having moved the previously impressive Brett from right back we saw the return of good old old Bert on the right wing doing his headless chicken routine. To think we lost four seasons out of him playing him in the wrong position.

But on the whole I think we've played a lot worse and as well as being extremely talented Arsenal are right at the top of their game at the moment. As I said above, despite the gulf in overall class it all boiled down to Derbyshire missing an open net and later on Nonda spurning another similarly easy opportunity. They had two half chances and buried them.

[Eddie]

He put in a couple of great balls, both Derbyshire and Nonda should have scored from MGP's deliveries.

[RevidgeBlue]

He put in a couple of great balls, both Derbyshire and Nonda should have scored from MGP's deliveries.

Neill put the ball in for the open goal Derbyshire missed and Derbyshire put Nonda clean through on goal only for him to miscontrol it.

Don't recall any other particularly obvious chances.

[Eddie]

Derbyshire missed a sitter of a header from a corner, taken by MGP and Nonda had a great chance just after he'd come on when MGP put a great cross in from just outside the box and Nonda got inbetween the two centrebacks and unmarked about 6-8 yards out.

[thenodrog]

We didn't have that much threat in the second half but imo most came from MGP on the left.

[RevidgeBlue]

Derbyshire missed a sitter of a header from a corner, taken by MGP and Nonda had a great chance just after he'd come on when MGP put a great cross in from just outside the box and Nonda got inbetween the two centrebacks and unmarked about 6-8 yards out.

Still can't recall the first one, but my view of the second incident was that it wasn't really a chance because the ball was just a bit too high for him.

[Paul Mellelieu]

Any penetration on the right ended when Bert was pushed back and Derbyshire moved wide right. Still maintain that it was a game we should have won on the chances we created.

[Eddie]

It was slightly high but he should have done better, the first one on the other hand I bet you that 99% of this messageboard could have put away.

[Flopsy]

What even Ricky?

I knew we were in for a hiding to nothing when it was on FiveLive, I cant remember a game we've won when they've had us as the main game to be commentated on

[Ozz]

Flops-it was the only game being played at that time!

Crap day, crap performance.

I hope that Hughes learns from the mistakes-When playing Arsenal start with your best eleven players, not keeping faith with the bit part players used against weaker sides.

And Tugay needs to start in the big games. Struggled coming on off the bench IMO.

EDIT_Amazing turnout from the Arsenal fans, couldn't beleive how many they brought. Must all be millionaires.