RSSBlackburn 1 Arsenal 1: Gunners mix it with thuggy Rovers. Incl player ratings.
Fine. Apart from the goal.
4
Not perfect it seems he can attack and defend and that must be a good thing.
7
Fine until injured.
7
Defended the Savage claim brilliantly. Knew Savage would dive so moved well out the way. It didn’t stop the Welshman throwing his leg into Kolo, but at least the ref saw it.
7
His usual self. Not perfect defensively but not bad and good as ever going forward.
7
Integral to our impressive first half, but crowded out in the second.
6.5
Usual stuff. “Brilliant at nothing” was how one friend described him to me. Same problems as Cesc above in the second half.
6.5
Good moments such as the early ball into Eduardo, but also moments of hesitancy like the one at the edge of the first half.
6.5
Like the team, good early on but faded later.
6.5
Good finish for the goal and caused trouble all afternoon. More comfortable with Eduardo? Maybe. May be no angel, but is far more sinned against than sinner.
7.5
Need to see more of him, but you can certainly say he wasn’t out of his depth. Good running, fought well and involved in the goal.
7
No nightmare moments.
6.5
Should have hit the target at the end. As an unknown quantity he always causes trouble.
6.5
It’s all very well putting him on as an extra midfielder, but doesn’t really have the presence to make a physical difference there.
6 FIRST things first: Blackburn merited their point (irrespective of how the equaliser came about), played some decent stuff and had the better of the second half.
But on the ‘violence’, I am with Wenger. I thought we coped with it far better than in the past. But it remains true that the way they play at times is a cancer on the game. It is persistent thuggery, limited not by any sense of what is right and wrong but only by what they can get away with.
It is awful to watch, dangerous to play in and in complete contempt for what football should be. In Britain, we pride ourselves as the inventors of football. We fiercely fight the increasing prevalence of diving and our sense of history is acute when recalling how it has only recently entering the game.
Yet we are so condoning of violence and thuggery that I felt like the only person who thought Michael Ball’s three-game ban for deliberately stamping on Cristiano Ronaldo’s chest perhaps just a tiny weeny bit lenient.
And that sense of history is less sharp when recalling tales of how during early games of football a deliberate foul was considered so alien that it was not unknown for the odd striker to roll penalties back to opposition goalkeepers because he considered it undue punishment of an obviously accidental act. Today we laud those who break-up the game with deliberate fouls.
I imagine by now some disagreeing readers are thinking that like my team, I need to learn how to deal with wholehearted, hard but fair, commitment. To you I say that I have seen Arsenal be undone by wholehearted commitment enough times to know exactly the difference between it and what we saw at times yesterday.
I should say Arsenal are no angels (even if RVP’s tackle was nowhere near as bad as Mark Hughes’ post-match squealing would have you believe). However I maintain I’ve never seen us behave like Blackburn did at times - epitomised by that deliberate fouler, kicker and diver, the all flawed, no genius Robbie Savage. Booked for kicking Fabregas on 45 minutes, he should seen yellow for barging Clichy into the gravel track long after the ball had gone after just 45 seconds. The way he later wrapped his leg around Kolo Toure and threw himself to the ground looking for a penalty would have made Robert Pires blush.
And yet the funny thing is that the thuggery (which went in peaks and troughs) by and large failed. We showed ourselves quite capable of dealing with it and if anything were at our strongest in the first half when it was at it’s worst.
And when Blackburn did dominate after the break, I thought it more because we simply lacked sufficient physical presence across midfield rather than because we were bullied out of it. Hit by the absences of Gilberto, Diaby and Eboue, the mdidle four of Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb and Walcott always looked lightweight and after half-time we were too often second best when possession was there to be won.
Gilberto’s return will provide some physical comfort, even if his presence is more passive than active. But with Diaby appearing brittle and Wenger in any case seemingly in two minds over his suitability in central midfield, maybe it’s time we brought in someone else with a bit of height.
The other major worry is Jens. If you haven’t seen it yet, it was a second serious cock-up in as many league games and despite Blackburn’s second-half dominance, the brutal truth is it cost us two points. There is no doubt he has a problem at the moment, but what do you do?
The obvious answer would be to drop him. But if Arsene thinks they are errors brought on by form rather than age (as I do) then it may be a case of sitting tight and letting him play through the dodgy spell.
The beautiful thing about our goal was that it wasn’t beautiful. Scrappy, nearly missed but ultimately buried. I’ll take more of them. It also involved Eduardo - who I thought looked sharp on his debut, though it did make for a less productive Hleb out left.
A second goal before half-time - from either Walcott on the break or Flamini when played in - would have made things far more comfortable. Irrespective, we need to be able to defend one goal leads.
After the equaliser, there was the chance for Bendtner and earlier Senderos should have scored with header. And then there was the time when Van Persie’s flick outfoxed his defender and left the Arsenal man with a decent scoring chance.
The defender wasn’t going to catch him. Instead, he deliberately pulled Van Persie to the ground. It meant a second booking but Nelson took the calculated decision that it was worth it.
Those early football players would have never dreamt of doing it. Nelson will no doubt get a pat on the back and be told he did the right thing.
Still, it’s not the worst away point in the world.
20 August 2007 at 7:27 am
I agree with you regarding violence and players’ behaviour. Like I just said on arseblog:
It really is unfair to be exposed to these rugby teams that just come to matches to kick Arsenal out of them. But if you complain, then they’ll probably do it again, as the FA will of course do nothing and referees will keep refusing to protect skillful players. If you don’t complain, then the matter can still go unnoticed. It really is shit. I blame sensationalism and all that myth about “english grit” which actually means “english tradition of compensating lack of technique with thuggery and abuse”. If good players were protected, as it should be, there would be no place for crap like that.
20 August 2007 at 8:33 am
Yesterday, Blackburn took thuggery to new heights or is it depths.
Is winning one game worth killing the game itself?
20 August 2007 at 8:43 am
were you 2 watching the same game as me? Violent??? What are you talking about? Sounds like you are merely copying Arsene’s comments rather than being able to think of your own constructive comments!
It is really embarrassing that every time Arsenal play an unfashionable northern team like Blackburn or Bolton, Arsene always whinges about the physical nature. Blackburn play a physical game (though certainly not violent) against everyone yet it’s only Arsene who seems to moan about it! Why?! It makes Arsenal sound soft and also smells of sour grapes because he didnt win.
If Arsene wants to talk about violence, he should look a little closer to home, i.e. RvP’s nasty high challenge on Nelsen - could/should have seen a straight red for that. Also Fabregas’s performance against Sparta…
20 August 2007 at 8:48 am
Ryan Nelsen is a digrace, he has watched too much bloody rugby. I blame Hughes for the way his team play. When you buy in a player like that idiot Savage then you know the way the team will play. Hopefully not every team we play will drop to the depths of Rovers, I hope they are relegated. It’s not the beautiful game when it reaches this level of thuggery. Next time I see the NZ captain I will be telling him so, shame on him and his team!
20 August 2007 at 8:55 am
Arsène did not whinge. He knows he can’t, because if he does (and he is entitled to, as Blackburn was not far away from being a disgrace yesterday, though they played well footballistically in the second half) then more teams will do the same as guys like the BBC pundits will continue talking about english grit and foreign gayness (in a more PC way but that’s the idea).
When asked about Blackurn’s conduct, he said it borderd “violent”, but said other things like that the team coped well with the physicall game, etc. Really, how can walking over the opposition player’s head be considered fair, physical play? And don’t let me start counting all Savage’s offences.
20 August 2007 at 8:58 am
“post-match squealing”??? That’s about the best description of the rubbish I’ve seen put here and spouted by Arsene Wenger. Watch the replays!!! And there were two penalties that should have been given. Robbie Savage did not dive. Watch it again! Watch what happens to his foot and then come back and bleat that it wasn’t a penalty and Savage dived.
You do yourselves no favours spouting trash about violence and it sounds like a broken record. The BBC commentators had it exactly right last night, Arsene says the same thing year in year out and we were not ‘violent’. There’s a huge difference between violence and playing with commitment and passion. Should we let you play your pretty passing football without challenges? That’s not what football is about, it never has been and I hope it never will be. We stopped you from playing and got a small reward for it, if the referee had been fair we might have got all three points.
Thuggery and abuse? Strong words that do not in any way describe our play. It’s tiresome and insulting. Change your record!
20 August 2007 at 9:06 am
@bags
Blakcburn have got some fantastic players, and they were turning into a fantastic side.
But yesterday, they just didnt play any football. Where was Pedersen? Where was Bentley?
All they did was come out to unsettle Arsenal by doing anything they could get away with.
Diving, feigning inury, always talking and complaining to the ref. There was a systematic plan to go for the man, and the Blackburn players were all smiling at each other, as if it was a lewd joke. It was frankly disgraceful, and I hope there werent any kids at the ground.
Dont defend that kind of tactics, just because it is ‘your team’. If you take a more fiar viewpoint, Blackburn may actually go back to great football which they are capable of and realise their potential.
20 August 2007 at 9:06 am
bags, yes, arsenal players are not angels but cesc and rvp were merely responding to very bad challenges from blackburn thugs. You can have bad challenges or dangerous challenges but pederson’s stamp on cesc or savage’s lunge on kolo are not to win the ball, hell i don’t even know what they are thinking of. And Mark Hughes can dare say they play the better football, well done.
20 August 2007 at 9:09 am
Kiwigooner - did you really watch the game yesterday or are you trying to jump on the bandwagon?
How was Ryan Nelsen being a ‘thug’?? - for placing his hand on RvP’s shoulder??? Van Persie went down very easily for that and the ref sent Nelsen off. But in no circumstances can he be described as a thug. He’s a realy good player, an excellent defender (a free transfer by the way, didnt cost £millions).
Next time you see him, you’ll tell him so, eh? I’d like to see you do that!
20 August 2007 at 9:10 am
Pete, how could you ever not see that savage dive? Toure did not even get close to touching him before savage leapt from the ground, how you miss that is beyond me.
20 August 2007 at 9:19 am
Savage’s shout was a penalty in the same way that Chelsea’s yesterday was.
20 August 2007 at 9:19 am
Which means in no way, of course.
Pete, come on, that’s the bias talking for you.
20 August 2007 at 9:20 am
I couldn’t agree more. Teams like Blackburn are cynical and appear to be encouraged by their managers. They set about kicking the hell out of less violent teams and, until referees really punish thugs like Savage, they will feel – with all justification – that they can get away with it, so what the hell!
No one has mentioned the stamping on Cesc’s head by Pedersen. From what I could see, it was deliberate. I hope the FA look into it. They will probably say that Cesc put his head there deliberately!!
20 August 2007 at 9:30 am
Yes i hope Pederson gets some kind of suspension, how can any player get away with that? He’s a great player but what’s with all these unnecessary baggage?
20 August 2007 at 9:31 am
I can’t believe what I’m reading. I said about the penalty watch the replay. I’ve seen it on TV not 10 minutes ago and you can clearly see Savages foot being caught by Toure and Toure pulling his foot away and taking Savages with it. Watch it again!!!
I’m disgusted and insulted by what you are saying here. Physical yes, violent no. Robin van Persie’s challenge on Nelsen was blatant and cynical.
Diving and feigning injury? What game were you watching? I saw plenty of Arsenal players doing that yesterday!
You people need a reality check! This is an Arsenal blog and is utterly and completely biased but, even so, you are out of order.
20 August 2007 at 9:38 am
No one has mentioned the stamping on Cesc’s head by Pedersen. From what I could see, it was deliberate. I hope the FA look into it. They will probably say that Cesc put his head there deliberately!!
Arseblog mentioned that this morning.
As for Pete if he really thinks that Blackburn should have had a penalty after what happened to Savage then people should just ignore him because he’s obviously too stupid to live.
20 August 2007 at 9:43 am
Ok Pete. Whatever. I think you deserve that kind of team.
But for the record, look at Flamini’s yellow card, where Robbie Savage goes down holding his head, even though there was no or slight contact.
Similarly, when Bendtner’s foot was high and brushed Emerton’s(I think) chest, again he went down holding his head.
Those are just two clear cut incidents I still remember.
But the most grating was the way the Blackburn players surrounded the ref throughout the game. After every foul we would see Savage or Nelson or someone else having long chats with the ref, while the Arsenal players just got on with the game.
20 August 2007 at 9:44 am
Pederson’s stamping was merely physical? That’s a definite red for me, maybe not for you. Why is nobody outside of arsenal talking about the stamping?
20 August 2007 at 9:46 am
First of all I’m glad that we stood up to the thuggery shown by the Blackburn players and als that we at least got a point out of the game, although it really should have been three.
Secondly, it is no wonder that this Country has failed to win anything at international level for 41 years if the culture of being over physical, and setting out to stop the opposition by any means necessary other than by actually playing football as it should be played, continues to be practised, encouraged by managers who should know better and praised to high heaven by professional pundits (Hansen et al). What a disgrace.
Third, it is quite clear that many within the game are unable to distinguish between a fair but hard legitimate challege and an illegal dangerously aggressive & over physical one.
Perhaps when school boys in this country are encouraged to focus on their skills and technical ability, rather than on grit and getting stuck in, the English game as a whole may benefit.
20 August 2007 at 9:50 am
Look Pete & Bags, we dont mind you outsiders posting comments on our sites but at least try to speak the truth. By trying to justify the assaults Blackburn commited yesterday and non stop for at least 3 years, you are as bad as they and other cheats like them.
First…facts! Savage is a dirty little cheat, always has been. Samba & Nelson are thugs and were aquired for that very reason.
Sadly, because of the instructions from Hughes who lets remember was hated for his own thuggery as a player, good natural players like Pederson, Bentley, Derbyshire are also out to maim rather than play.
Fact..Van Persie had been targeted alongside Fabrigas by Hughes, and it showed from the first minute. Some of the assaults were just ignored by the ref until even he had to stop it. Sadly again to keep the baying crowd happy he booked several Gunners on their first fould after allowing their apponents at least five attempts at crippling first.
Englsh grit…dont make me laugh….I played in the 50’s & 60’s boys with the famouse leather ball & big solid leather boots with killer studs, but never saw cheating like we see now every week.
Finally you two, if you want to see pre programmed cheating like we witnessed yesterday,stay with teams like Blackburn & Bolton, those once great clubs, but in the end the whole game will suffer.
20 August 2007 at 9:55 am
Always talk about other team players dived ,acting..but the best diver and actor all come from ASSenal~!! Violent?? i think Assenal are more violent than blackburn..
Mark Hughes said very well..blackburn TOTALLY OUTCLASSED ASSENAL! 2nd half is a total domination by blackburn,assenal players are just there to be count as numbers..they just kick players and act alot when assenal players couldn’t get the ball
20 August 2007 at 9:56 am
Are all Arsenal fans soft wimps? If teams like Blackburn let you play then you will beat them, so to their advantage they play an in your face style of football. Its funny how all Arsenal fans forget that the worst tackle in the match was made by van persie! Get on with it you soft southern b#####ds. UP THE ROVERS!!!
20 August 2007 at 10:03 am
Blackburn should be prepared to give as good as they’ll get back, if you kick a team off the park for 70 mins, dont expect the other team to just take it, RVP was late yes, it was cynical, but how many times did Samba take out RVPs legs? he was clearly second favourite on all occasions, Blackburns players where late all afternoon.
Savage is a disgusting human being but does the job hes good at, nibbling at players ankles, leaving his foot/leg out, being slightly late in challenges but not too late to warrent anything, hes a smart dirty player who gets away with what he does a lot, and yesterday he should of been sent off.
In my opinion this game was disgusting to watch, Blackburns game plan was to bully Arsenal all game, and it didn’t work, if Jens Lehmanns form was half decent Arsenal would of took the game.
Can’t be arsed to go into the other players, its a shame for Blackburn, they have talent but not enough to beat Arsenal fair and square.
Bolton are intense and physical, but are fair most of the time, Blackburn aren’t.
Don’t listen to what MOTD say ever, run by a bunch of spuds, hosted by a former spud, main pundit is a scouser, they all hate Arsenal.
Arsenal will do a lot better this season judging by this performance, we’ve got the hardest away game out the way, bring on City.
20 August 2007 at 10:05 am
Dermondo
You have the nere to call someone a wimp, after cheering for Robbie Savage for 90 minutes?
Sometimes you just have to laugh.
All you can come up with is empty rhetoric, unsubstantiated by any reason or logic.
The very fact that you think Blackburn cant beat Arsenal if they play within the spirit of the game, tells me all I need to know.
20 August 2007 at 10:06 am
Savage went looking for a penalty and Goodplaya’s description is spot one. He tried to wrap his leg around Toure’s left leg, and would have conned the referree if Toure had not moved his leg back (unnecessarily, I must add since it was Savage looking for the contact and not Toure obstructing Savage) to make it so obvious that a penalty it is not. A player looking to beat his man would have moved away from the defender instead of into the defender. It is so bloody obvious that I’m wondering why I even need to explain what I saw.
20 August 2007 at 10:08 am
dermondo, possibly the worst tackle after a ton of horrible challenges made by blackburn for most of the game, a player is bound to retaliate after all that.
20 August 2007 at 10:15 am
in reply to the likes of pete & bags..you can’t be serious can you-what game was you watching yesterday?because i can assure you it was borderline thuggery by rovers-no doubt! & as long as you get the likes of pundits such as hansen advocating it-it will persist-time & time again it’s get in their faces at all cost-don’t let them play or you’ve had it-am i wrong or is the game not called football!hansen hates us & still has a chip on his shoulder becacause of anfield 89!!!
20 August 2007 at 10:21 am
sorry there missed out on that neanderthal half wit “dermondo”no wonder “england” as an international side are dying with the type of football-sorry-i meant”in your face”that blacburn potrayed yesterday..try it at the emerates & you’ll be slaughterd -that’s something i am looking forward to!!!!!
20 August 2007 at 10:22 am
‘Speak truth’ - Funniest thing I’ve read in ages.
Just watch the entire match again, as I have. Do it without the blinkers on as well.
The truth is in the watching.
20 August 2007 at 10:28 am
Yes Pete, it is in the watching, and the truth is full of thuggery and English ‘grit’ or what everyone seems to think is.
You can spout all your “watch it, see it through a blackburns supporters eyes!” but the truth is you’re far more biased then any of the Arsenal supporters here are. You’re blind not to see how your team played.
20 August 2007 at 10:36 am
Before the game I read the programme and wondered aloud “how can they not sell out this tiny ground when you can get a season ticket for £250″. 90 minutes later I had my answer. I guess it takes a special type of person to be entertained by that style of “football” although the half time interview with the new stand sponsor was surely worth the admission money itself.
20 August 2007 at 10:51 am
Let me see now… Before Nelsen got his second yellow there were 8 yellow cards. Not 8 to Rovers but 4 each. That would mean that Arsenal were equally as ‘violent’ as us. Nelsen’s second was deserved as was his first but neither were violent in the least.
thug
noun
1. A violent or brutal person.
Thesaurus: hoodlum (US), hooligan, ruffian, gangster, robber, bandit, mugger, murderer, assassin, goon (slang), bruiser (slang), tough (slang), heavy (slang).
2. historical
A member of a religious organization of robbers and murderers in India.
Show me the brutality…
20 August 2007 at 11:00 am
Was it really that dirty a game? I think that this has been overblown. Also RVP’s ‘tackle’ was probably about the worst in the game. Nothing wrong with a bit of a battle.
20 August 2007 at 11:09 am
Nice pete, you can count cards.
What is wrong with that definition of Thug?
20 August 2007 at 11:14 am
I Agree with the comments about pre-meditated thuggery. I watched the BBC’s ‘highlights’, but Hansen’s affected mild bemusement that people shouldn’t be surprised that kicking Arsenal is a legitimate tactic really got on my wick.
It’s far too early in the season for the persecution complex to begin to form, but the eagerness of media pundits to cite the physical cum thuggery tactic as a legitimate way to spike Arsenal completely p1sses me off.
Look at the Sparta game; yes, Fabregas dished out some rough justice to Repka, but Repka, went in to the tackle first with his studs showing. The ratio of fouls to cards against Sparta was something like 3:1.
Why no comment on Dunn running in to gurn at Lehmann after fluking his equaliser? All those pontificating hypocrites were quick to voice their disgust when Henry mock-presented Kirkland with the ball after the equaliser against Wigan at the Emirates last season.
Let’s see if Blackburn ‘compete’ against other teams the way they ‘competed’ against us.
20 August 2007 at 11:15 am
Morning.
I have to agree with Red Eyes. I didn’t think it was a dirty game. Didn’t Arse say we were thugs last year too. Oh, and the year before that. Yes I know I have copied Alan Hansen’s comments, but it is true.
Anywhoo, it was to nice to see that Arsenal had to play with 10 men behind the ball, not Blackburn. If we had played like that, I’m guessing you lot would be complaining that we didn’t allow you to play football. Well I’m going to complain that YOU didn’t allow US to play football. Killing the game off after 20 minutes. Arsenal were once a pleasure to watch, and I admit that fully, but it is ashame we are back to boring boring Arsenal…
20 August 2007 at 11:17 am
Pete, where did Blackburn finish in the ‘fair play’ table last season? Go on, tell us.
20 August 2007 at 11:20 am
I guess it must just be hard to play football when everytime you have the ball you are kicked up in the air. It wasn’t a shock to anyone but it’s still tiresome.
20 August 2007 at 11:21 am
Enough of this, Pete, you need to get a new TV set or have your eyes checked.
20 August 2007 at 11:23 am
Yes Blackburn attempted to bully us but we dealt with Blackburn accordingly. We should won the game.
Its ok we’ll be in the top 4 again, you lot should stick to ‘getting a result at all costs” tactics for uefa cup football. Boring boring Arsenal. cya @ THOF2
20 August 2007 at 11:25 am
It’s interesting that when someone disagrees with you that you resort to insults. It’s also interesting that when a team closes you down and stops you playing the way you like then they are insulted by calling them thugs and accusing them of being violent. I see a pattern…
How many players were injured in that match? Bentley had a bloody nose delivered by van Persie, your right back had his hand trodden on accidently, Samba had his hand damaged again accidently, van Persie tried to break Nelsens leg, Galas went off with a groin injury in a fair challenge in the middle of the park. Violence results in injury. There might be a few players (on BOTH sides) with bruises but to accuse Rovers of thuggery is insulting.
20 August 2007 at 11:26 am
Decimus, you must have fallen down one of them 10,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire, to have watched the game and then pronounce that we’d stopped you from playing football. You have to admit that we gifted you the equaliser; you’d also have to admit that savage’s penalty shout was utter cobblers - he hooked his leg around TOure’s leg who then tried to move his leg away, not a case of TOure tripping Savage up. If you think any different, then maybe you should ask yourself why the ref didn’t beleive Savage had been fouled. Could it be that his reputation precedes him, that friend to all referees, Robbie ‘I can’t control my bowells in the Ref’s dressing room’ Savage?
20 August 2007 at 11:27 am
Pete, can you do us all a favour, piss off and fcuk yourself. You must have watched a different game entirely because I could you not see “Brutality” in the tackles made by Blackburn players, and you expect Arsenal players to just stand there and take without any reply.. you must be a dump arse and by the way I suggest you visit Specsavers for eyes test because all you saw in the game was RVP’s tackle. Bloody fool and I’m sure you will call Blackburn approach a good football. I can’t wait for the return match at the Emirate.
20 August 2007 at 11:33 am
Oooh, the Blackburn fans whining on an Arsenal blog. Some truths for you.
1) If Blackburn tried to play proper football with Arsenal they’d get their asses whooped. They know it and their manager knows it so that’s why they resort to the hard fouls, the pushing, the shoving, and the “physical” tactics. Add a couple of dirty plays, one on Hleb and one on Clichy, both when they were out of the sidelines, and that will tell you how Blackburn play. Dirty, dirty.
2) Arsenal did commit fouls too. But if you argue that the Arsenal players had to be sent off, we’d still have an edge because more Blackburn players would’ve been sent off. Maybe 9 players left for Arsenal and maybe 6 or 7 left for Blackburn.
3) Robbie Savage’s penalty was a clear case of going away from the ball, moving into Toure and hooking his leg so it would appear that there was contact. Plain ol’ cheating otherwise known as simulation. Only someone with eyesight problems would call it a penalty. As Arseblogger puts it so well: “As for Robbie Savage (labelled a histrionic disgrace by The Times), if he could translate 1% of his cuntiness into footballing ability he’d be better than Maradona.”
4) Blind as a bat: “That attitude doesn’t surprise me,” said Rovers’ manager. “It was a cheap shot. He was hiding behind those comments because his team were dominated over 90 minutes. — Ha, ha. Dominated for 90 minutes? Which game was he watching and what was he drinking?
Oh, the travails of being a Blackburn fan.
20 August 2007 at 11:34 am
I didn’t insult you Pete, counting cards is just a bit stupid, it doesn’t give you the real picture, the ref can do anything he likes a the right time as we saw in the Liverpool Chelsea game. It doesn’t change the fact that Blackburns approach to the game was with ill-intent.
20 August 2007 at 11:41 am
alright, then, Pete, where do you think Blackburn will finish in the fair play table this season?
20 August 2007 at 12:17 pm
Fair play league Dan? We’ll see…
Paul, it wasn’t you who has insulted me and I don’t take offence at the comments that have been made about my intelligence or my eyesight. Resorting to insults is the domain of the ill informed and uninventive.
20 August 2007 at 12:17 pm
Let’s not turn this personal…
I’d add that my point was exactly that the likes of Hansen etc strangely seem to encourage this behaviour.
As I said, I thought Blackburn were at times over the top. If you look at the various incidents, very few were actually anything to do with tackles.
And what was interesting was some of the diving from players who one second would deliberately kick their opponent and the next throw themselves to the ground.
20 August 2007 at 12:21 pm
Arsenal failed to put Blackburn away because they didnt commit enough players forward.
The only result of the ‘thugsy football’ was to take Blackburn’s football culture back to the stone age, and drive away another hundred potential fans.
Mark Hughes post match comments were funny though. Talk about delusions of grandeur.
If his side had actually played football, they might have got a win. But instead they talk with pride about how they sneaked a draw of a goalkeeper blunder. Hilarious and sad, at the same time.
20 August 2007 at 12:24 pm
“Goodplaya Says:
20 August 2007 at 12:17 pm
And what was interesting was some of the diving from players who one second would deliberately kick their opponent and the next throw themselves to the ground.”
Van Persie? ;¬)
“all_stirred_up Says:
20 August 2007 at 12:21 pm
If his side had actually played football, they might have got a win. But instead they talk with pride about how they sneaked a draw of a goalkeeper blunder. Hilarious and sad, at the same time.”
Hold on! Wasn’t you’re goal the direct result of a goal keeping mistake OUR keeper too…
20 August 2007 at 12:30 pm
Hold on! Wasn’t you’re goal the direct result of a goal keeping mistake OUR keeper too…
—————————
Even more sad, really.
Arsenal were playing a very poor formation, and had no cutting edge whatsoever. Walcott and Hleb were virtually second fullbacks.
Instead of bombarding them with setpieces, and winning the game.
You gift us a goal, then keep getting into pointless fights, waste time whinging and whining to the ref, and then have to rely on Lehman’s error to get a draw, where you should have won.
20 August 2007 at 12:36 pm
It’s very interresting that B’burn fans are proud of their physical approach - which is basically what it was, and I think we coped well with that though some more composed possession would have been welcomed. And granted, it worked especally in the 2nd half even though they didn’t crate much. But then to get hysterical when we get physical too, I find it hypocritical to be honest. But I also think Wenger would be wise to stop saying too much about the physial teams on TV, even if I agree that it is not the kind of football you’d wanna see let alone have your own team playing. The team dealt with it, so should Wenger I think. Plus, Van P’s challenge could and probably shoul have been a red.
Oh, and stupid punditry aside, only B’burn fans still claim that Savage didn’t dive. The commentators on Canal+ certainly saw it, as did several journos I’ve read this morning. Savage tilted to his left when he lost the ball and stuck his foot out when Kolo jumped out of the way. It was no more a pen than the one Pires won at Portsmouth a few years back, the very one he is still castigated for by Hansen.
20 August 2007 at 12:39 pm
True, Gibbon. Both goals came as a result of mistakes by the teams respective goalies.
20 August 2007 at 12:55 pm
I was at the game yesterday and these are my views:
1)Robbie Savage went looking for the penalty by sticking his leg out.
2)Blackburn got ’stuck in’ throughout the game; however it was noticable that the Arsenal players only seemed to be injured in the time between the two goals. Once the equaliser went in, the Arsenal players stopped time wasting and got on with the game.
3)Lehman consistently wasted time between the two goals by refusing to kick the ball until a Blackburn player approached
4)Arsenal teams of old used to go for the kill once they were in the lead. I was suprised to see Wenger pull off a striker and replace him with a midfielder, very negative.
20 August 2007 at 1:47 pm
What are the chances of Wenger complaining about violence against our players if we still had Patrick Vieira in there to boss it?? If we still had Edu there to stand up for himself?? You could ask the same question regarding other former Arsenal players.
We used to be such a strong team and now we’ve got the craft and the guile but none of the punch we used to. It’s a sad reflection of how desperate we are getting that we are accusing a team of violence and getting upset about it. It wont get us any more protection from refs - if anything it will encourage othert teams to do the same.
Arsene stop whingeing - get your wallet out - and buy us another quality midfielder who wont shirk at getting stuck into those players who supposedly assaulted us yesterday
20 August 2007 at 4:02 pm
Enough of the violence talk- we should have had the points. Nevermind Jens (who really and sadly looks a mental mess), if Theo hit a wide open RvP with an easy cross we win. I thought Robin was going to have a stroke he was so mad. I know he’s still 18, but I really question if Theo has the basic footballing skills to make it. He has amazing pace, but seems to lack dribbling, crossing, and basic decision-making ability. We need a proper wide player, and now.
20 August 2007 at 4:25 pm
If I were Almunia or Fabianski, I would have trouble sleeping at night wondering how Wenger could prefer Lehmann in goal, given that Lehmann has been such a liability.
20 August 2007 at 5:04 pm
Pete - Bags. Apart from the purists, none of us have problems with the way Rovers play: break-up play by committing as many fouls as possible without giving away dangerous free-kicks or getting booked. It is a good tactic that works against us. It’s not pretty but that’s not Mark Hughes’ job.
20 August 2007 at 5:29 pm
wenger wont drop jens, maybe he doesnt trust the other keepers, jens since his time at arsenal always was a liability. when jens makes that mistake you should see that players face its clear the defence dont trust him, and am afraid this cant carry on. wenger drop jens
20 August 2007 at 5:35 pm
Andy - I disagree on your definition of those who disapprove of Blackburn’s tactics as ‘purists’. We wouldn’t call those who are against diving ‘purists’ so why should we do it with people who think deliberate fouling not a legitimate tactic.
And I think the suggestion it works against us is flawed. It didn’t really work yesterday and if you look at our record in the north-west last season, you will see we won in various competitions at Liverpool (twice), Everton, Man United, Bolton, Wigan and Blackburn.
20 August 2007 at 6:04 pm
I agree with LA gooner (funny, but I am in San Diego) that the main concern is that we should have had 3 points. It was an ugly game, but in the long run that won’t matter.
As for the Blackburn fans, why don’t you guys just ignore them. I like this board for its reasoned discussions and generally positive (but not naive) tone. So, I think it would be better to avoid a shouting match with those guys and continue to focus on our team.
One worry– injuries. Arsene may say that he isn’t bringing anyone in, but I really hope he does. Traore looked fantastic in pre-season as did Gibbs in his one game, but he isn’t seriously thinking of using them, should the squad get thin. Or is he?
20 August 2007 at 6:06 pm
BTW, Jens error was atrocious, but I noticed that Sanga came up to give him a pat afterwards. I really like that. It would have been so easy for him to show frustration, but I think the team is much stronger when players create a positive atmosphere and support each other. Maybe Jens can learn from that too (if he is around long enough).
20 August 2007 at 8:28 pm
Well last season we entertained everyone with comedian strikers. This season we now entertain everyone with a comedian keeper.
But apart from that….
There was no game at Ewood Park on Sunday. Blackburn do not play football. You can’t even say they play crap football because they don’t play football at all. The fact that they can be proud of creating a game with 8 yellow cards and 1 red says it all. It is entirely their fault that there were so many stops to the game, so many cards. The fact that lowlife scum like Robbie Savage can have an idiotic zombie grin on his face while being interviewed by skysports and say with so much pleasure and pride that “we kicked them all over the park” says it all.
Blackburn players and their manager are pure thugs. Wenger is absolutely correct, they “desire” violence. Their idea of football is thuggery. They play football for maybe 2 minutes, that’s it. This is a thug team of glorified mediocrity who go out on the pitch not to play football but to plant their studs firmly on players’ heads (the way Pedersen did with Cesc), draw blood with their elbows, AND THEN WHINE LIKE THE COWARDS THEY ARE WHEN THE SAME IS DONE TO THEM.
And don’t forget the disgusting dives by Savage and Dunn–while Blackburn scumbag fans called Gallas a “cheat” for going down with a REAL injury.
This is all that Blackburn are about–thuggery, hypocrisy, cheating, diving. Oh, and supposed “hard man” Mark Hughes is the same guy who got so sensitive and offended when a 19 year old kid (Cesc) make a mild sarcastic remark about the crap style of football his team plays.
They’re a crap team who couldn’t even score except with the helpful idiocy of our keeper.
Blackburn are a team who WHINE ABOUT THE SAME TREATMENT THEY DISH OUT. They can’t take the crap they dish out because you’re cowards and hypocrites and they can’t play football.
20 August 2007 at 8:47 pm
I often think how well Arsenal might do if they played in Spain, where referees just dont let people kick you out of a game like they do in the Premiership. But they dont play there and I just dont see the EPL suddenly deciding to give more protection to flair players. Like it or not, hard tackling is just part of the EPL.
It was good to see Arsenal stand up to Blackburn challenges and dish out almost as much we received. Arsenal didnt lose the game because of the tackling, they lost because they just couldnt hold onto the ball in the start of the 2nd half when Blackburn clearly were on top. I thought Blackburn played pretty well, and they were particularly effective when they played long diagonal balls to their wings, because it stretched our defense and allowed them to play high balls into the box where we are always vulnerable.
20 August 2007 at 8:48 pm
Mark Hughes was the same as a player - never liked him then and his team are built in his image. I look forward to the day that Karma gets him and his team.
20 August 2007 at 9:02 pm
I also think Wenger should stop whining about violence. The fact is that only encourages more teams to come out and play like that against us. I thought Arsenal stood up well to the physical side of the game and when we start winning these types of games, then the opposition will stop using the kick’m out the game tactics.
I agree with Magneto… “Perhaps when school boys in this country are encouraged to focus on their skills and technical ability, rather than on grit and getting stuck in, the English game as a whole may benefit.” … but I dont see it happening anytime soon, so it would be better for Arsenal for Wenger to stop complaining, have the Arsenal players continue to toughen up and just move on with it.
20 August 2007 at 9:19 pm
physical side of the game that is what makes the english football different from the others, what that game at blackburn showed me was that, we can deal with it unlike last year were we didnt want to get our shorts dirty, if we won that game all those bullshit fucking bbc pundits at motd, would still critize us as well as that andy gay of sky sports, now having said that 2 games in a row jens cost us if this was during that hectic chrismas period who would of been totally fucked, so if we do not want to risk this please drop that fucking dodgy keeper who is always accident prone.
oh yeah did you see alan hansen’s lips on motd2 apparently he had an accident involving a candle and his lips, (all i have to say is YEAH RIGHT)
20 August 2007 at 10:51 pm
Hughes was a good player in the past. even as a manager he hasn’t got any great ideas part than his rough play. The important thing now is that arsenal’s players are no more intimidated like before. If that’s the way they play, then its right to to stand up and be counted and not be afraid. Don’t expect that Huge-idiot to change because he wont. NO point complaining too much actually, because that low class sicko will feel happy if we fall into his bait. They only managed a draw against arsenal and he called it “brilliant”; so you can imagine how low class he is.
20 August 2007 at 10:52 pm
correction: Meant to say that “Hughes was NOT a good player in the past..”
21 August 2007 at 4:25 am
I think the northerners need to step back and reflect on the days when the likes of Viera, Keown, Petit, Lauren, Parlour manhandled the goons from the north. Those days we were called a violent, cheating team because we played like for like - but with panache. Wenger “whined” then too but unlike today we were severly punished for it - count the red cards we received compared to rivals. Hence the ignorant soles will never understand that whilst we won the title playing the type of football they insist we should accept, they will always be resigned to year after year of mid table mediocrity. Punctuated by the odd cup run, the highlight of their decade.
Good luck to you!
21 August 2007 at 9:16 am
Goodplaya - I guess I am just a realist in the sense I know how Rovers are going to play us so I don’t jump up and down when they kick us around. Last season we had good results in the NW it is true (that is actually a pretty impressive set of scalps), but I get the feeling that year-on-year Rovers get more out of us than they ought to given the quality of players.
22 August 2007 at 5:23 pm
whos gonna watch ENGLAND v’s GERMANY ?? against germany …
im ready and waiting !
Also as far as jens is conserned it could be good for us .
anyone wishing to discuss in detail TRANSFERS
all comment welcome
http://ethangoonerworld.wordpress.com
22 August 2007 at 10:59 pm
Well anyone who did watch now knows Lemon was lousy he needs to be rested
22 August 2007 at 11:40 pm
lehmann is a walking hazzard he made 3 or more errors which wont punished. if that was the EPL he could cost us. but i will gurantee u he will play against man city, because wenger doesnt see what we see.
23 August 2007 at 5:03 am
Im a Stauch gooner, but have 2 say it was worrying the way blackburn dictated the 2nd half.
Dont feel that the team has the strengh or presence required 2 win the league, Wenger hasnt really addressed this fact in the last 2 seasons, Why?
23 August 2007 at 7:18 pm
final word on the topic of blackburn rovers thuggery -they will be found out when they next play at the emerates-the 6-2 thrashing they got last time will seem tame believe me-i can’t wait….
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