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Errors, mistakes and details and yet…

By Walter Broeckx

When you go to United the last thing you want to do is to concede a quick opening goal. I think I can even imagine Wenger saying before kick off: don’t make a silly mistake. Well it took us only 2,5 minutes to make one.

After uttering a lot of swearwords against my compatriot in our mother language I will leave it out of the article.  Unless you want to know what I have to say to him. Okay, so here we go: “G*dverd*mme, Thomas, wa was da? Komoan hé, ge kunt beter dan da. Veule beter! Ik zen der bij in Schalke dus loat moar is zien wa da ge werkelijk kunt! Komoan Thomas, nie opgeve, hader warke en terug in form geroake’.

Okay you can try google translate on this but I’m afraid it will bring you nowhere. It is written in our local dialect and Thomas will understand it. And others from around Antwerp will.

Maybe we could do a little quiz about it. The one who can translate it the best and who comes to the Fulham game (or to the Schalke game) will get a free pint (or whatever you like to drink) from me. If you see me just give me the translation on the day or leave it in the comments.  The other members of the Arsenal Benelux supportersclub are excluded from this competition.

So the worst possible start of the game for Arsenal. And from then on you knew it was a mountain to climb. I think the game plan was to try to get a draw. I thought we had a rather defensive line up. Ramsey and Podolski were more midfielders than attackers. So only Giroud up front and he got nothing coming in to him.

Ref Dean wanting to steal the show with giving United the obligatory penalty after the ball hit Cazorla on the arm. Arm in front of his body and face. I wonder if Dean has read the new instructions?  Oh well, this is Old Trafford, this is SAF in the stand, this is what you can expect over there. Rooney missing was only justice being done.

A bad first half from Arsenal but we have turned things around before after a bad first half. But to turn things around at Old Trafford you need the rub of the green. We didn’t get it in the second half on a few occasions. People pointing at a few good saves from Mannone are right. He played good but that is part of the game. He is there to stop the ball and he did just fine.

When we needed a bit of luck it didn’t happen. Giroud hitting the post when it was 1-0 and when we had a lot of the ball was a moment that could have turned the game.

Cleverly should have gotten a second yellow card for his scissor tackle on Wilshere. Ref Dean let him off the hook. After all this is Old Trafford. This is SAF watching. And this is Dean. He liked to do another United games this season so can you blame him for not sending off a United player? Yes I do of course but well… we all know how those things go.

Instead of having to reorganise United could continue to  play their favourite game: leaning back and then countering at speed. And score a second goal after a short taken corner. Mannone almost could divert it in to a corner and that would have been a world class save. It just went in behind the goal post. So 2-0 down. Still having to play 11-11.

Then came Dean into action once again. I have no complaints about the second yellow card from Wilshere. That was the only decision he could make. Of course the difference between Cleverly and Wilshere was obvious. The United player could stay on the pitch and United could play with 11 and the Arsenal player had to go. 2-0 down 11 vs 10. Game over.

Cazorla scored a late equaliser. And in the last 5 minutes or so we had 3 very good chances our selves. Cazorla playing in Walcott who shot over the crossbar. And De Gea making a stop on an attempt from Giroud.

The strange thing about this game was that we played bad, made a terrible early mistake that cost us the game, we hardly created things and if we would have been lucky and if the ref would have done his job in a proper way, things could have been different. And despite all this with a little bit of luck we could have nicked a point.

It all went United’s way because we gifted them an early goal and then didn’t change our tactics in the first half just defended and didn’t let United create that much that I can remember. The lack of speed was obvious and a few other things which I noticed this season and that I will taken one in another article.

Having had Dean twice in our first 10 games we can hope that we don’t see him around in the next 10 games (false hope I think) but at Old Trafford no clever ref will do what he has to do against the home team.  Was it game changing? Who knows? The only thing I know is that Dean didn’t take his responsibility when he had to it and send Cleverly off when we were only 1-0 down. And the description I gave at the end of last season was once again confirmed: Dean is a very clever man who knows what to do (or not to do) to support his own career.

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The books…

The sites…

November 5th, 2012 | Category: Arsenal stories | 64 comments - (Comments are closed)

64 comments to Errors, mistakes and details and yet…

1 2
  • avatar iniez
    November 6, 2012 at 2:17 am

    Shard,
    I can’t help but think van persie is trying to endear himself to the united fans. That tackle on sagna was horrible, certainly card worthy. I would love to put him and frimpong on the same pitch, I’m sure he can’t wait to break his chocolate leg open like a kinder surprise. Frankly I’m surprised jack didn’t do it. Maybe this is just the thing to rekindle some of the old arsenal fire. We’ve become far too nice..time for another keown. Also interesting to note that robin suggested he and santos switch shirts, yet santos is the one that got drawn and quartered. And its funny how santos was in no rush to trade his shirt but van persie made sure to give his in front of everyone

  • avatar Sammy The Snake
    November 6, 2012 at 7:20 am

    I still trust taht we’ll finish 4th, just because Tots, Everton and Newcastle are even worse than us.

  • avatar rupert cook
    November 6, 2012 at 8:46 am

    @Pat, if the team had improved in seven years nobody would be moaning all the time. And what is wrong with being frustrated with a team that shows very little fight or self-belief? I don’t mind us being beaten by Manu but I’d like the team to put in some effort, maybe being paid astronomical wages makes these players indifferent.

    The same problems repeat themselves every season, it’s not like any of this is new but each year we’ve had one or two players that made us slightly better than the other teams chasing fourth, last year it was RVP alone, but who will it be this year? Cazorla, Giroud, Gervinho, Wilshire…….my money would be on Diaby if he could stay uninjured for more than a week.

  • avatar Al
    November 6, 2012 at 9:18 am

    Arsenal don’t play with the get in their faces mentality, so I don’t agree with those saying they lack the stomach for a fight. History has shown where we have tried to match our opponents aggression-wise the refs punish us for less than half the things the other team gets away with, the Wilshere incident v cleverly, young,or vp, being a case in point. In fact I’d best my last penny had vp made that tackle in Arsenal colors he’d have walked. We all know the number of red cards Viera totted up. His tackled weren’t particularly as nasty as keane’s, or even gerard’s, but he still got punished more than anyone.
    I can’t help but notice how vp has become a media darling, even being used in sky adverts, ever since swapping Manchester for London. It’s sickening to read some comments here going on about how we don’t have the hunger for a fight, bla bla bla, one just wonders ‘do these people watch the same games as us?’
    Before the game I put a bet, not a monetary one though, with my mate where I said utd would get a penalty. Never mind the circumstances surrounding the penalty incident, but if its become so obvious why can’t everyone see this?? If layman like me can predict something like well before the game don’t you think the players themselves even fear the worst? I’d say so. Imagine approaching a game with such a mentality. In general refs find it easier to give a red card or penalty against Arsenal than any team like say Stoke. And you don’t expect the players to be aware or affected by that? Please.

    I know someone on here asked this earlier, not sure they got an answer, but when was the last time a utd player got sent off against Arsenal? That’d be interesting.

  • avatar rupert cook
    November 6, 2012 at 9:37 am

    I’m not going to stand up for refs. There has been talk for years about bias to Manu. That’s fine but you have to prove there is bias before suggesting every game we play the ref plays for the other side. I wouldn’t be surprised if refs do bend over to please Ferguson but then maybe they’d do the same if Wenger was as vociferous as old red nose when decisions go against him. Wenger certainly spends a lot of time berating officials during the game, maybe he should be as vocal afterwards. He has been in the past.

    Never mind the circumstances surrounding the penalty. What, you mean the blatant handball? That was a penalty. But that time Rooney fell over an outstretched foot at OT a few years ago, that clearly wasn’t a penalty.

    Let’s see if we can get a penalty against them in the return fixture. Of course you have to get men in the box in the first place to achieve that.

  • avatar Brickfields Gunners
    November 6, 2012 at 9:40 am

    @ Al , I too told my neighbour ( a ManUre fan ),before the game that they will be given 3 extra officials to help them ,as well as 3 penalties and we would have 3 players sent off ! Thank god I always get my predictions wrong !

  • avatar John
    November 6, 2012 at 9:53 am

    Al,

    The only MU sending-off against us that I can recall was Cantona at Highbury, for going OTT on Adams…..must have been in early 1990′s

  • avatar rupert cook
    November 6, 2012 at 10:00 am

    Let’s just accept that we’ll never win at OT again. Can’t we just give them the three points and conserve our players’ energy? One less game a season, one less chance for a red card and an injury.

    But can we blame the refs for our shambolic performances against Norwich and Schalke?

    Arsenal have something to prove tonight. I hope the players feel that.

  • avatar Mandy Dodd
    November 6, 2012 at 11:30 am

    Wenger has been extremely vocal on referee performance and bias…and it just leads to a ban for him, in contrast to other managers who happen to be more cosy in the LMA. I do not have the stats, but I would imagine Wenger has been in more trouble with the esteemed authorities than any other EPL ref
    We did not lose that game because of the ref, but the inbuilt bias that is Dean was there for all to see. VP should have walked…but they never do at their ground, and can charge around trying to injure opponents safe in that knowledge. Even the physical teams like Stoke will hardly put in a tackle at OT. The Santi pen, unfortunately they get given, quite wrongly in my opinion. Look forward to our next appointment with Dean when we face the Spuds.
    But that aside, we were shocking. On another note, it seems we are not even trying to keep Theo…without knowing all that is going on of course. Surely this is not sending out a good message…in terms of goals and assists, last season, most were from VP, Song and Theo. Maybe we could not do much about VP, but seems Song and Theo have/ will depart without a fight….is that really how we should be running things? I am a Walcott fan, ok he may be sick / injured in recent games, but I am starting to find the whole thing frustrating as I believe we could keep him if there was a will

  • avatar rupert cook
    November 6, 2012 at 11:39 am

    Agree Mandy over the Walcott issue. If he goes then that’s the three main players from last season gone in the space of six months. Seems like lunacy to me. It’s going back to the days of Brady and Stapleton. I had the impression we were meant to be competing with the top clubs, not selling our best players to them.

    The tiny hope I have is that we get 20 million for him and then invest that plus the 35 million we have and spend the 55 million total on REAL super quality players. Judging on our recent exploits in the market though that seems unlikely.

  • avatar Mandy Dodd
    November 6, 2012 at 11:57 am

    Think Liverpool are only offering around 8 million Rupert, if he does go, Wenger will have to buy in Jan whether he likes it or not as we will not have sufficient cover out right, Ox and Gnabry are not ready for that kind of pressure. Just have a feeling shared by many that Walcott is being edged out, but that he is the sort of player who could come back to haunt. Whilst Liverpool do not appear rivals for a top 4 place, we should not be doing anything to strengthen their cause….unless of course we bring in a very substantial signing, highly unlikely in Jan.

  • avatar rupert cook
    November 6, 2012 at 12:03 pm

    8 million is far too cheap. We need a bidding war. Pool are way off the top four pace but Rogers is well aware he has to buy in January, he has said so. Walcott may not be their only signing. Apparently statistics show that without Saurez assists and goals Pool would be bottom of the league. They really are a one man team.

  • avatar Pat
    November 6, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    Al, hundred per cent right.
    Iniez, very interesting point about the shirt swap.

  • avatar Micko
    November 6, 2012 at 1:47 pm

    @ Al
    I don’t know the last time Manu had a player sent off against us but I have had a quick look and gathered some Manu stats (knocked them up quickly myself so hope they are accurate)for this season (so far) and last……
    This season Manu have had

    0 Red Cards
    18 Yellow
    and got 4 penalties (out of 10 games)

    Whereas the opposition have
    4 Red Cards
    16 Yellow Cards and
    0 Pens

    Last season Manu got
    1 Red Card (straight, against Man City)
    52 Yellow Cards
    and 12 penalties

    Whereas the opposition got
    5 Red Cards
    60 Yellow Cards
    and got 2 penalties

    Now the first thing that looks unusual is that even though Manu got 52 yellow cards they did not get one person sent off for 2 bookable offences.
    Also if they continue to get penalties at the current rate they are on course to beat last season’s total and get 15 this season.

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