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By Walter Broeckx
Behind the numbers another look at the season.
If we look at the goals we scored we have scored 46 goals this season in the EPL. Now if we look at the other teams we see that we are in 3th place of scoring goals. Manchester City has scored 63 after an investment we cannot afford. Manchester Utd have scored 56 goals and pays an amount of wages on their top scorer we cannot afford. In 4th place we have Tottenham with 44 goals and they have had their strikers department in full action all season including one top mercenary from Manchester City. In 23 games they have scored 2 goals less than us. In 5th place we have Chelsea who have paid the highest sum last January for a non scoring striker. An amount we cannot afford and they have scored 41 goals that is 5 goals less than us.
So despite all those teams paying enormous amount of money we sit far away of the 2 top scoring teams. But we are not doing that bad compared to the rest. And if you look at Carroll and Torres it is clear to see that just buying anyone even if well proven in the EPL means nothing at all in terms of return on investment on the field. If we also consider the fact that this has been one of the lowest spending transfer windows of the last decade it is fair to say that not many clubs wanted to sell and not many players wanted to move.
You must have 3 parties in agreement to transfer a player. We can ask for a player but if the selling team doesn’t want to sell, then there is no deal. As usual Arsenal has said nothing at all during the transfer period so we know nothing at all. We can speculate that we have been trying to buy every striker in the world and another one can speculate that we have done nothing at all. Only a few insiders will know the truth and probably nobody of us will ever be informed.
Let us have a look at the goals conceded. We have conceded 34 goals so far this season. And this means that we take place 11 in the ranking of goals conceded in the EPL. This is a bad position at first sight.
But 18 goals of those 34 has been conceded in 4 games. That is more than 50% of the goals conceded in 4 games. Manchester United, Chelsea, Blackburn and Swansea. In the other 20 games we conceded 16 goals.
Now if we remember right the game against United was the day that we only had Koscielny left as a first team defender and every shot United took flew in the top corner of the goal for some reasons. In the Blackburn game we scored 2 stupid own goals and were on the back of an offside goal and this was the first game of Santos at left back and it was clear to see that he still had to adapt to the team and his team mates. So the conditions in those two games were a bit special to say the least.
And we also should keep in our mind that in the other games we have been hit by injuries at full back so we had to play 3rd, 4th, 5th choice players in those positions, drag centre backs to the wings. And even with all this we still only conceded 16 goals in those other 20 games.
We had 8 clean sheets so far in the EPL. Last season we had 12 in total in the EPL. If we keep it up like we do for the moment we should have more clean sheets than last season. And this with all the injuries we had is not a bad thing for the moment. With more defenders coming back we should at least get the same number and if all goes well we should be able to improve on this.
In fact it is yours and mine guess to imagine how we would have done if we would have had Sagna and Santos (and Jenkinson and Gibbs) available in the last months. And the extra rest we would have been able to give to players like Koscielny and Mertesacker who have been massive when almost all our defenders have been injured and they kept on playing.
Of course we could and should have done better when it came to scoring goals this season and certainly in some games we didn’t win but had enough chances to win. The fact that Walcott didn’t score as many goals as hoped for but if he keeps on giving assistt like he did yesterday he will be very valuable. And the fact that Gervinho had to adapt to the EPL will not have helped at all. Also the fact that Arshavin is having a poor season so far and he was good for some 10 goals last season and even more assists was something that nobody could have predicted. And we also have Park who doesn’t seem to get a lot of game time and who should be able to score a few goals. And Chamakh who had such a bright start of his Arsenal career last season has totally disappeared from the score sheets. Last season he scored 7 goals at the start and had some assists and this time it just doesn’t work for him. And then we have The Ox…doesn’t he look like the real thing? With him making progress like he does I do believe we will be more dangerous in the next games.
We have had an unbeaten run this season in the EPL, so we just should try to start one again and who knows where we will finish. We are 5 points behind 4th place with 15 games to go. All the teams drop points when unexpected and so have we so far. Once we get back to a run of games with a few wins we could regain confidence and score more goals. We have done it before when we had less injuries so why not support the boys out there and get them to another run.
I love the result but hate the officiatting. Webb is Motm. Wonder why fa is so helpless in this webb and utd affair.
Anne,
I think it’s never too late to propose doing something.
or too early or too late. Either way, a groundswell start with little wavelets.
@bob
Here is the link. Although the video ends before the interviewer calls an abrupt halt to proceedings and fails to discuss the major issue brought up by the Chelsea coach. The whole broadcast then finishes without any debate from the guests in the studio, very strange. Hopefully someone else can confirm this.
http://www.skysports.com/video/inline/0,,12606_7490470,00.html
I think for Arsenal supporters, we are all used to the excremental sandwich. But listening to the Chelsea supporter walking along Embankment who rang 5 Live, you could hear he was on the verge of tears.
For us it’s beyond a joke, for Arsene Wenger, it’s hard not to look at the man and see bloodshot eyes, and 10 years of stress etched into his features.
For the Chelsea fan unused to the corruption, it was clearly all too much for him. And in all honesty, when you consider how much a season ticket costs, who wouldn’t be close to tears?
If you bought a sofa in John Lewis or Harrods, or a car for 10K, and it was not fit for purpose, it would go back quicker than you could say ” Web’s Wonders”.
The management of football is not much different to the management of the banks. They don’t give a toss about us, all they care about is lining in their own pockets.
What more can you say?
Tasos,
Cheers your for doing this. It offer a tangible exhibit at least of the bigger fix (stick) at work in the public eye.
Naija man,
Why would you think that the FA is so “helpless”? On the contrary, they seem to do everything they can to obstruct, derail, put off, substitute for, distract from the one fix against the Fixes – namely, actual real-time video replay. They’re in the same league with ManUre’s success – it’s their flagship global brand.
All,
Thanks to Tasos, we have: http://www.skysports.com/video/inline/0,,12606_7490470,00.html
People should definitely see this interview and make up your own mind as to what’s at work in it. To me, Chelsea’s coach says a Mouthful about Don Fergus and the lineman at Old Trafford in the previous match; and in this match, he struggles and struggles with whether to say it, and how to put it, and then ends on this note of courage and clarity:
“I’m not sure [he is saying so] Howard is trying to compensate for something.” And then comes the cut off/lack of follow up.
I think the piece is gobsmacking. Let’s see how the League reacts to it – whether it dares fine him, just like it recently backed off from fining Arsene, this last time Arsene took a clear, if slightly indirect indictment of the refs. In this case, Chelsea’s coach mentions Howard by name and raises a question, just before the lack of follow-up question and the cut off.
@Rhys
I shouldn’t hold your breath waiting for a reply from that exchange company. IMO Once they floated on the stock market their whole philosophy changed from punter friendly to hard nose business model.
Good luck anyways.
Anyhow, midst all the doom and gloom…let’s try and summon some hope for the future
Reasons to be Cheerful:
1) Apple are moving into TV products, and are already talking about football rights….imagine if they razzed the backside of Sky the way they razzed Nokia and their shambolic products?
2) We know have a trifecta of English stars: Jack, Theo and Oxo
Eventually the Football Authorities might wonder at the wisdom of slamming a team who produce the hardcore of the national team.
ANy others?
@marcur
FFP. I realise most are dubious but if the January transfer window is anything to go by, maybe just maybe its starting to take effect.
And that can only be looked upon as being beneficial to our club.
@marcus
sorry
I hope the OX/Wiltshire dont play in the Euro’s.
Wondering how many goals old Torres has scored since the big transfer?
One day, I am convinced, we will see the intro in football of the review system a la cricket. THEN, the dodgy refs will find it difficult to favour their “sugar daddy” clubs with outrageous penalty area decisions. At 88, I might not live to see it but rest assured, my friends, the day WILL come.
So don’t despair.
Some people seem happy that Both Chelsea and Man Utd dropped points today, then stating ref bias as the reason for the draw. I do think both Man Utd penalties can be justified through the laws of the game (although both soft). The real question for me is, would Arsenal have got them both awarded(I think not). For me there was a third penalty shout later on in the game for a push in the back as a corner was taken this was not given. Early on in this match Torres was booked for a push in the back of a Man Utd defender who was trying to shield the ball back to his keeper, This for me was obstruction as the ball was not within one meter of the defender and should have resulted in an indirect free kick to Chelsea. There is too much inconsistency with certain refs officiating certain teams. For me these refs do not have a veiw on how they see football being played.
Unverified, from a Chelsea board:
Since April 2005 Howard Webb – 26 Utd games, 8 pens (including today) = roughly 1 every 3 games
All other refs – 197 Utd games 24 pens = roughly 1 every 8 games
Chelsea are now winless in 7 matches Howard Webb has officiated against Manchester Clubs (0 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses.
@marcus
Good point about our England players, but don’t miss out young Gibbs – if he can get fit. After that there are others in the pipeline, some of whom should make the England team.
I must say that I watched the first penalty and I think there was a foul as Sturridge clattered his foot at the back of Evra his foot. A stupid and unnecessary foul I thought. I then stopped watching to have dinner and only now found out Utd got a second penalty. But don’t know much about it.
But I know that in the first minutes of the game I thought that Utd should have had a penalty when Cahill brought down Wellbeck. But I think Webb didn’t want to blow his cover yet (well his cover was blown over here a long time ago) and when you want to stay unnoticed you mustn’t act too soon. He now only acted when the need was high and he couldn’t hide from his “duty to help United”.
But must say didn’t see the whole game so maybe I missed a few things
The question is would Arsenal get those two penalties from Howard Webb against let us say…. United? And I don’t mean Newcastle Utd…
Nicky,
From your lips to God’s ear.
Cheers and be well!
They’re super soft both of them… but are they NON penalties? I’m not so sure anything can be done; glad to be proved wrong though.
@marcus,
That’s basically how Barcelona overturned the pro-Madrid bias in Spain. Biscuits for instance, is a despicable cheat with a World Cup winners medal and is therefore unbookable.
Arvind, these were Webbalties (c) like I used to call them.
Does anyone know what the commentators said about these penalties ????
I know if arsenal wouldn’t have got these penalties, they would have said that it was a strong challenge from the defender and the forward should have stood up instead of going down so easily.
i heard from a friend that Manure has got around 30% of all the penalties awarded this season, can someone please tell me if its true. IAWT
jay
http://www.football-lineups.com/tourn/FA_Premier_League_2011-2012/stats/penalties/
MU got 10,67% of all penalties so far
Can not remember the season but again it involves MU and a Mr Dean.He officiated in 49 games that season , 41 not involving MU he awarded 1 penalty in the remaining 8 games which MU were involved he awarded 9 penalties.Dogface may be able to verify/confirm the season and number of penalties.Nothing changes regarding MU referees and results
@Steve Vallins
Check this link out;
http://www.soccerbase.com/referees/referee.sd?referee_id=135
@ Tasos bit late but thanks for the link