Previews
Written by Mean Lean on Sunday, 02 September 2012 10:46
Two blanks so far this season at both ends in our first two matches, and you would expect something to give this afternoon at Anfield. We are unlikely to face a Liverpool side who are content to sit behind the ball and grind out a point so it should make for a fair fight.
It is very difficult to predict this one, or at least go about trying to do so as both teams are facing different degrees of transition. Liverpool have already showed their Jekyll and Hyde side in the last week with a fighting draw against last season's league champions Manchester City and then a midweek dour display against Hearts.
We can only hope that the extra game of football would have taken something out of their legs but I have hoped that in the past against teams who have played an extra game and it simply didn't make a jot of difference.
I re-watched the Stoke game again last night and it is incredible how a game looks once you remove the adrenaline and fear. We were in control for most of the game and while the chemistry isn't yet set between the players, it struck me that our issue was more to do with our sharpness, especially in front of goal raher than our link up play. Cazorla, Gervinho, Podolski and Giroud have dragged a lot of shots wide in our last few games, perhaps still trying to find that auto on their targeting.
I suspect that a goal will change a lot for this team and a good victory will do even more. Once they can get that off their backs then I expect the goals to pour as they have done in each of Wenger's seasons since he has been here.
Rumours were doing the rounds that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to start the game and that Vito Manonne will continue in goal as Szczesny has yet to recover from his injury.
Arsene Wenger was quite damming about his forward line in the post match interview against Sunderland at the Emirates. Stating that our forward players lacked creativity.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has the rare quality of having both the direct approach, where he can sprint past a full back and run onto slipped passes into his path or he can get on the ball and make something happen with his creative passing and crossing.
Chamberlain combined very well with Cazorla in our pre season game against FC Koln and I wonder if that could be a promising avenue for Arsenal this afternoon should the 18 year old get the nod.
Who he comes in for is another question. Gervinho has yet to show his pre season form at least in terms of end product as he was very dangerous against Sunderland without picking out his team mates. Theo Walcott was absent from the starting eleven at Stoke and I wonder if that has something to do with his contract situation. Theo's pace could be a very dangerous weapon to have in our Arsenal given the space we could potentially get at Anfield but perhaps like at Stoke that may have to be seen late in the second half, when perhaps the extra match for our opponents kicks in physically.
Arsene has a decision to make at center back and I understand those who have suggested that we should leave Vermaelen and Mertesacker together as they have done very well but I think we need to pick our best players. Laurent Koscielny is certainly one of our better players. Especially considering the type of opponent that we are likely to face. Suarez and Sterling are quick nimble players on the ground and I would argue that there is not a better central defender in the league for handling those types of player. Unfair on the German perhaps but for me Koscielny starts more often than not.
I am looking at Abou Diaby to impose himself this afternoon and I have a good feeling about him today, His mini cameo last season at Anfield showed what he can do. He has had a few games uninterrupted under his belt so now it is time for him to dominate the middle of the pitch and drive holes into the Liverpool midfield, opening up gaps for our wide players to run into.
It is going to be a tough game and one where we will have a better idea of how far we have come or how far we need to get to.
Predicted Line Up:

Arshavin and Chamakh could be back in the squad on the bench alongside the likes of Walcott, Ramsey and Coquelin.
Three points please Gunners.
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02-Sep-2012 12:01 | | wardy - is it just me??
Is it just me or does anyone else think a Kos- metersacker partnership is better than that of a kos-Verm partnership??
i just feel that the former compliment each other better than the latter...
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02-Sep-2012 12:05 | | Jon
Would love to see rosicky in that line up. Feel diaby slows our play down a bit by hanging onto the ball too much. Hope he proves me wrong today though. COYG
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02-Sep-2012 14:56 | | ChippyPan - Two goals and a clean sheet
Two good goals and a third clean sheet,
Yoo-hoooooooo
And a bottle of rum!
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02-Sep-2012 14:58 | | Sydney Gooner
Great Victory would've been even better had Giroud scored but can't complain at all.
COYG
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02-Sep-2012 15:00 | | MeanLean
I hate when people say I told you so but...
(From earlier preview)
"I am looking at Abou Diaby to impose himself this afternoon and I have a good feeling about him today, His mini cameo last season at Anfield showed what he can do. He has had a few games uninterrupted under his belt so now it is time for him to dominate the middle of the pitch and drive holes into the Liverpool midfield, opening up gaps for our wide players to run into"
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02-Sep-2012 15:29 | | Spectrum
A decent win for us. Finally broke the goal drought, which was a relief, as the longer we went without scoring, the more the pressure grows. So that is a plus. This was the first time I'd seen Raheem Sterling in action, and he impressed me. He showed determination, enthusiasm and good control throughout, fought for the ball tenaciously, and for me was the man of the match.
For us, I thought Vermaelen was strong in the centre of defence, and Mr. Consistent - Arteta - tidied up nicely as usual with some neat and timely interceptions. Still think he's under utilised by playing deep as a defence minded midfielder. His creativity is badly needed further up the pitch. Jenkinson did pretty well and had a good battle with Sterling over on our right flank. Cazorla looked his normal lively self, and was rewarded for his efforts with a goal - we need more like him, with his positivity and movement - but as we now know, we've been left short again.
The defence is holding up well overall, and Bould has them much better organised, with players covering the gaps for each other. It looks as though Wenger has ( reluctantly ) been persuaded to delegate some of the defence coaching to Bould, instead of running the whole show himself. That would also account for why we aren't playing such a high line so much. Something I and most sensible observers, have been urging him to do for a number of seasons. Wenger wouldn't have done these things himself, before. SOMEONE ( likely Bould ) has shook some sense into him, and pointed out the foolishness of his ways. Now we can see the very noticeable improvement. Amazing what some common sense and tactical application can achieve, ain't it ? Ironic when you consider Bould was hired primarily as an assistant coach, not as a specialist defensive coach. Nevertheless, it's working ( so far ) which is what matters. ( Bould 1 - Wenger 0 ).
We must remember that Liverpool was another team whose attack is and was, weak, and therefore didn't really test us much. Borini was anonymous, and Suarez has been out of form for a long time. And they didn't have much else to offer did they ? They should have had a penalty, but luckily for us we got away with it. Then we got a break with Gerrard's poor pass, which led to the first goal. Funny how A.K.B.'s were continually bemoaning our bad luck last season, yet when things fortuitously go OUR way, they conveniently don't raise the subject at all !
Up to now we've not had to face a potent in form forward line to really grill us. That will come after the Southampton match, which we should, and I fully expect, us to win.Though we said that about Sunderland and Stoke didn't we ? Then we play the big boys of City and Chelsea. Tevez, Dzeko, Torres e.t.c. The real test.
For now though, let's savour the win over the Scousers. I love it when we beat Liverpool. It was their dominance in the seventies and eighties that made me start supporting the Gunners to begin with. May 26th 1989, ah, dreams are made of this.
"IAWR"
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02-Sep-2012 15:50 | | MeanLean
"Something I and most sensible observers, have been urging him to do for a number of seasons"
Haha that was good.
Just to correct you though. We did not play any deeper than we have previously with Mertesacker in the side. It was the same last season when the German was in the team. The partnership of Koscielny and Vermaelen allows the team to push further up the pitch as they both have the pace to recover.
The team does look very organised and if that is down to Bould then that is fantastic. I should just point out to you that in years gone by when we won trophies under Arsene, we had the same two guys on the training ground. He and Pat Rice. We often conceeded the least amount of goals as well including the unbeaten season.
Clearly we needed to address that area and it was the managers choice to appoint Bould and Banfield as coaches.
Coaching on the training ground is not just done by the manager. Every manager has many coaches who work on many different areas. So if you think Arsene Wenger was the only man in charge of the coaching until today then you are mistaken.
Mikel Arteta was fantastic today so was Abou Diaby. In fact the whole team worked very well today. Giroud will improve he just needs games as players always do.
Three cleansheets on the spin a tough match won against a team that should have beaten Manchester City but for mistakes.
Very pleased.
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02-Sep-2012 16:05 | | Spectrum
shit, i am so gutted that Arsenal did not lose today, would have been the perfect time to have a go at the manager. shit
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02-Sep-2012 16:05 | | Spectrum
Looking at our first goal against Liverpool reminded me of something. Having ( apparently and fingers crossed ) resolved the defence issue, why not use this as a platform, and return to our counterattacking strategy ? Wenger wants to play the Ox through the middle, he says. So why not use his pace and that of the likes of Cazorla, and er, yes, even Walcott to advantage ? Deploy Giroud or Podolski as a target man perhaps ?
We played our best football when we hit teams on the break. Use our new found defensive solidity to good effect. We've lost that attractive, fluid football style we USED TO HAVE a few years ago. We went tippy tappy, and now look ordinary and indirect in our passing. Will the Senile One consider it ? Well it took him about five years to get someone else to sort out ONE problem. What chance of this, in our lifetime ?
"IAWR"
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02-Sep-2012 16:06 | | Spectrum
oh! didn't mean to post that here. i am honestly an Arsenal fan. yeeah we won the game [ahem]
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02-Sep-2012 16:23 | | Spectrum
Paspartu is making false posts and attributing them to me. He's done this before. Childish behaviour. But what do you expect from someone who doesn't deny he's twelve years old ? Now he's using yet another username - red kangaroo - over at the "A Cultured Left Foot " A.K.B.site. Poor kid. Never got much attention from his parents.
Now Mean Lean. You've been made aware of this fraudulent idiot, are you going to ban him THIS time ? Or can anyone do the same, thus making everyone's posts dubious and pointless ? If not, then why have rules ? Will you continue being a hypocrite, or uphold your standards ?
"IAWR"
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02-Sep-2012 16:41 | | Spectrum
"shit, i am so gutted that Arsenal did not lose today, would have been the perfect time to have a go at the manager. shit ". *
* I did not post this, Golum ( paspartu ) did. He also did the ones at 16 : 06, including the one in Craig's name.
But as you mention it, I don't need the team to lose to "have a go at Wenger." He provides us with SO MUCH ammunition on an almost daily basis, that it's not necessary.
"IAWR"
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02-Sep-2012 16:54 | | Spectrum
Mean Lean - As you're probably working on writing a spin sheet - sorry - er, "article" about our transfer activities ( or non - activity ), I thought I'd save you a lot of time and trouble. Just use this template to explain it........
EXCUSE 1 ...............................................................
EXCUSE 2 ...............................................................
EXCUSE 3 ................................................................
EXCUSE 4 ..............................................................
EXCUSE 5 ..............................................................
Always here to help. Let me know if you need more space.
"IAWR"
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02-Sep-2012 16:59 | | Spectrum
Mean Lean - Half an hour gone, and still no word from you on banning paspartu. Chosen the hypocrite option, then ?
"IAWR"
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02-Sep-2012 18:05 | | Vuja De
An outstanding away performance from the mighty Arsenal today.
Mean Lean, your preview was spot-on, well done!
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02-Sep-2012 20:29 | | MeanLean
Spectrum,
I have been away from my computer number one so I haven't read the comments. Number two, I do not have time to be chasing after arguments between people. Unless you are going to start paying me to do so.
I have been busy with my family and writing my 'spin' as you call it. This is really simple. If you do not like this site, the content or the comments then go elsewhere. It really is that simple.
You do not agree with anything that I write anyway so I am not sure why you bother yourself with picking apart what I write.
I do not have the time or patience to deal with squabbles.
As you are so sure of the divides in sites, why not pick one that you agree with. I am not interested in chasing jumping IP addresses like yours, paspartu and craig.
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02-Sep-2012 20:30 | | MeanLean
Thank you Vuja De,
It was a great display. Hopefully more is around the corner.
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03-Sep-2012 19:58 | | djded - help polish fans
http://www.canalplus.pl/sport/liga-angielska
vote on arsenal vs southampton
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04-Sep-2012 18:49 | | paspartu - hehehe ml ..c how they dont like it up em ? haha
muahahah youve lost it poor speccy...im red kangaroo now..and i also log with your name to pretend to be you ?
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhahahahhahaahahhaahhhhhhahha
how is that lad in the dark tunnel doing....craig? ...any predictions ?
ahahahahah
forever in my shaddow ...
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04-Sep-2012 22:59 | | paspartu
as you can see ...he dont care how much you get ridiculed for your stupidity, in fact, i think he enjoys it too..
most do actually ..
now i wonder if the capped crusader craig, the ccc sensation, can find his way out that dark tunnel he's been ever since wenger made a muppet out of him..again...
CCCraig next time give us the lotto mate ? you never know ...
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06-Sep-2012 12:00 | | Spectrum
Golum / "red kangaroo" - The reference you made to "little Englanders'"over at "A Cultured Left Foot " is always a dead giveaway. And you'll be the muppet when we lose two or three players to injury, and are forced to play others out of position, or play inexperienced kids because Wenger thinks we have enough depth already. Just like he said we did last season, and the one before. And we saw what happened, didn't we ?
Just don't let me hear A.K.B.'s using injuries as an excuse for not doing well this time around. Wenger has taken a reckless and unnecessary gamble for the THIRD TIME running. He had a large transfer budget, yet he CHOSE not to spend it. You see ? - even when he HAS the money, he refuses to use it. You won't be able to say "we had BAD LUCK " with injuries when they ( inevitably ) occur.
It won't be down to bad luck, it'll be down to zero contingency planning. And it'll be HIS fault, nobody else's, when it happens, because HE makes the decisions. With our record of crocks in the making, it's crazy and irresponsible not to even get LOAN players in for cover. Do you honestly think Diaby, Gibbs, Vermaelen, Arteta to name just a few, are not going to be out for lengthy periods at some stage ? There's simply no excuse. But you'll all say "Who could have known" ? Well Arsene knew, and he didn't DO anything about it when he knew HE SHOULD have. Unbelievable stupidity. But we've grown accustomed to that at this club.
"IAWR"
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06-Sep-2012 12:12 | | Spectrum
And Golum - Of course it was you that impersonated Craig and I with those posts. No-one else is juvenile enough to do that. Whilst you may think you're being clever,it's transparently obvious. You're simply demonstrating that your I.Q. is not much higher than your age - twelve. But you're so stupid you don't even realise that.
"IAWR"
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06-Sep-2012 12:25 | | Spectrum
I notice Mean Lean hasn't written an article giving his thoughts on our transfer window non event. Not even a comment on it. Hmm. Interesting. Either he too is embarassed at the lack of activity, or else he tacitly agrees and approves of it. Or perhaps I pre-empted him with my offer of that excuse template for him to fill in ? Here it is again, Mean, for when those injuries we all know ARE going to happen ( except Wenger ).
EXCUSE 1...........................................................
EXCUSE 2 ............................................................
EXCUSE 3 .............................................................
EXCUSE 4 ...............................................................
EXCUSE 5 ................................................................
"IAWR"
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06-Sep-2012 12:54 | | Spectrum
Golum - You asked Craig for predictions. I'll give you one for the upcoming match against Southampton. I expect nothing less than a solid win. We should be good enough to win 3-0. If we don't, then something's wrong. If we can't easily beat newly promoted struggling teams like the Saints, we won't deserve to pretend we're contenders. Incidentally, Centrebet betting agency has us as 15 / 1 outsiders to win the league, with the other bookies laying similar odds. So they don't think we'll last the distance yet again. The other three at single figure odds are ( predictably ) City, ( hot favourites ), with United and Chelsea also in the mix and close behind.
But we might have a better chance of an open top bus parade with the top four trophy. We're at fairly short odds for that. Knew that would please you.
"IAWR"
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06-Sep-2012 13:08 | | paspartu
lol so whoever calls you shitheads as little englanders is paspartu now ? lol nice logic ...do you think the world is blind? ..do you think the rest can not see how arsenal is a victim of english media stupidity and discrimination ?
so what if we lose two or three games ..ill still support my team
did you think that we are little englanders like you to only care about kodak momments with the trophies and that we would care to listen to ex players and managers who havent won a thing critisising arsenal and wenger ?
lol....
as for impersonations..youre flattering yourself ..i dont need to do it ..i can disgrace you as paspartu just fine
the thing is that ive got under your skin and it shows ... and that was my intetnion all along ..heheh ...did you really think that you would come here as a troll to talk shit about our team and that i wouldnt fuck you ?
lol.....

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06-Sep-2012 13:12 | | paspartu
predictions again? lol ..you didnt learn last time then did you ? you always want to leave your butt open and exposed dont you ...hahah i guess its a habit from the time you were imprisoned in the mental ward ....
how is your friend ? you know who i mean ...the one who confessed he is antiwenger and then claims his site is objective ....ahahahahahh that tw@t in arsenal truth ...is he still hidding then ? hahahaha
tell him to not act like a girl and let us in his site ..i guess he is afraid i will crash it within 5 mins ...hehehe ...
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06-Sep-2012 13:18 | | paspartu
So they don't think we'll last the distance yet again.
ah you mean those little engladers who have been predicting the last 6 years that we will drop from the top4 ?
puahahah theyve been getting embarassed the last 6-7 years running mate ..why would anyone listen to them ? lol ahahahha
youre such a fool...youre no match for me ...bring others ..youre a piece of cake ...

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06-Sep-2012 15:01 | | Spectrum
Golum - Don't know why I get suckered into having a "discussion" with a fool like you. ( quote ).... ..."and that we would care to listen to ex players and managers who havent won a thing critisising arsenal and wenger " ? Are you calling Mourinho a manager who hasn't won anything ? Because he had quite a bit of criticism for Wenger. See my posts to Shogun.
As for "Arsenal Truth" not being objective ; have you read his latest article on the Liverpool match ? He has praised the team's performance, and has even given limited and cautious praise to Wenger. link ; http://arsenaltruth.squarespace.com/arsenal-truth/2012/9/4/arsenal- play-well-shock.html
By "not going the distance", I mean winning the league. Finishing FIRST. The bookies don't think we have a realistic chance of doing that. I know the thought of finishing first is incomprehensible and unsettling to a servile Wenger arse licker like you, but believe it or not, we actually did finish first once. And yes, it was under Wenger, ( and also believe it or not - before Wenger ). That was in the days ( pre - 2005 ) when he still had credibility and knew how to win. The time when even I praised him for his achievements with us.
The difference now is that I recognise that he's a spent force, and is taking us nowhere. You and your ilk, haven't. So I've moved on from being slavishly sycophantic to him and living in the past. Times have changed, but he hasn't changed with them. He's in decline, and is taking our club with him.
"IAWR"
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06-Sep-2012 23:10 | | paspartu
mourinho? lol nah mate you said bookies....lol...christ boy you dont remember what you wrote huh...
as for your mate in a.t he is a jerk. he says in the open he hates wenger....lol...and then he claims that his view on arsenal and opinion aint biassed....lol ...stupid and psychotic at the same time.
noones licking wenger ....were just appreciating what he;s done for arsenal and hope he continues his fine work, youre just talking shit and cant handle it when i smack you like a bitch
is that your In Arsene We Rely signature at the bottom of your post ?
good lad...youre learning....
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07-Sep-2012 00:41 | | Spectrum
Golum - Just for you ( if Mean Lean doesn't blank it out, that is ) - "IAWR" = "In Arsene We Rust ". There. I feel better having cleared that up for you.
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07-Sep-2012 01:13 | | Spectrum
Golum - "no-ones licking wenger ....were just appreciating what he;s done for arsenal and hope he continues his fine work " - and I ALSO appreciate what he's done. I was a great fan of his too, and I was just as proud of the titles we won under him in 1998, 2002, and crowned with the 49 match unbeaten campaign of 2003 /4 - "The Invincibles." - who can ever forget them ?
Where I and the A.K.B.'s differ, is that you lot still think he can reproduce those days again.That he is still the same man today as he was then, when he's clearly not. He earned respect for what he did back then, and rightly so. Sadly, since then he continually tarnishes his reputation, and the respect I and other realists had for him, has evaporated as a consequence. Now like a faded rock star, he's living off past glories, and the extended credit you A.K.B.'s continue to grant him.
......."Hope he continues his fine work." - What "fine work" has he continued ? I don't see anything that he's actually WON in the last seven to eight years, do you ? And don't come back at me with the "15 years of C.L. qualification". With the resources of a "big" club like ours, that's what we should be expecting him to do. What we should be asking is ; how many titles COULD we have won, if he hadn't been so incompetent and neglectful over that time ?
"******************" ( just so there's no doubt )
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07-Sep-2012 01:24 | | Spectrum
Ha ! I see the censor has been at work again - ( ***************** ). People on here can swear at and abuse each other as much as they like, and that's all considered okay, but dare to say the phrase "I. A.....W. R..t " and you' ve committed a crime against humanity. Strange logic indeed.
"IAWR"
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07-Sep-2012 10:17 | | paspartu
"and I ALSO appreciate what he's done"
...ahahhahahahahhahahhahahaa you got a nice way of showing it ...ahahhahaha i aint being sarcastic... aha... i mean it....
of 2003 /4 - "The Invincibles." - who can ever forget them ?
well obviously youve forgotten about it ...calling wenger useless in tactics and how he doesnt know how to motivate his players ..puahahah.....you are so ignorant that the other day you were attributing the invincible's success to some scottish traitor ex manager who had left the club like a decade ago ....ahaha
so what he hasnt won anything while arsenal has been repaying the stadium and playing with children ? so what? lol...he won three epl titles in less than a decade...and considering arsenal previous history id say he;s still got credit for another two decades....so sit tight
In Arsene We Rely
luv'it

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07-Sep-2012 10:28 | | paspartu
whats in decline is the quality of your replies...i had you for so much better in debate and discussion..usually you nail such subjects...you get them spot on ...bullseye ....what happened buddy ...straying off and jumping from here to there with no consistency in your arguements ...shocking display..never expected that
p.s: (i aint taking the pi55 , these are my genuine thoughts you know)
or maybe i am.... what do you think ?

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07-Sep-2012 10:31 | | Spectrum
"He's still got credit for another two decades". You have a problem there, Golum. He'll be gone LONG BEFORE that. Which doesn't leave him much time left to prove he's still got what it takes, does it ? Convenient excuse for covering your arse when he does fail, though.
"IAWR"
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07-Sep-2012 10:37 | | paspartu
and id like to repeat this for it makes me laugh
"and the respect I and other realists had for him, has evaporated as a consequence."
realists ? is that how you call yourselves then ? my oh my ...you kids better check the expiry date on them drugs yeah ....hahah realists ?????
so ....on one side we have realists like spunkum who put on their realistic face and call wenger a failure ... hahahaaa.... and on the other hand we have people admitting in the open that they hate wenger but that their views/opinions aint biassed...
fine comedians

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07-Sep-2012 15:20 | | paspartu
lol you really are thick arent you ? who said anything about wenger staying for another two decades ?
all i said is that hsi early success has given him credit for another two decades when you consider the frequency arsenal has won champion's titles historically
but then again youre a mug and i have you hopping around like a bunny grasping at straws ..
right where i want you to be
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07-Sep-2012 15:39 | | paspartu
he aint got time to prove he;s got what it takes ? ahahhaah what are you talking about silly boy ? what makes you think he has to prove anything ? he proved his worth long time ago mate ...class is permanent..
and as a matter of fact there is noone better in money spent/points won ratio in the whole of football. voted manager of the decade because of this special attribute he has over the rest.
im surprised how a "realist" like you dont pay attention to such hard cold facts

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