RSSDerby 2 Arsenal 6: 24 in 30 now for Adebayor. Match report and playa ratings.
Perhaps he could have come for the first. Blameless for the second and looked ok for a debut.
7
At right-back square peg and round hole come to mind for Kolo, but seemed to enjoy himself.
7
Can’t remember too much wrong - except one late challenge he almost injured himself in because he pulled out meekly.
7
Has talent, but is not what we need at the back. Hardly impressed for either Derby goal.
6
Usual shizza.
7.5
Enjoyed the wide open spaces of Pride Park. Has had a stunted second season but does look decent back-up for Cesc.
7
Classy touches at times and some real strength on the ball, without ever having to exert himself.
7
Did alright actually, though frankly so would I given the space Derby were affording us. NEWS ALERT: Played whole game.
7
The clinical (a goal and an assist) and the not very clinical at all (very good chances for a goal and an assist).
7
Nice to see him finally put his foot through a ball and thump it home. Subbed at half-time as a precaution.
7
Is he the finished article? No. Has it been a decent debut season? Yes.
7
Did the business pretty well. Amazing season let down by a five game lull really.
8.5
We lost cohesion when he replaced Denilson.
6.5
NA
Derby County 2 Arsenal 6
By Goodplaya, who missed the first 25 minutes.
I SPENT the first 25 minutes of this game hardly excelling on a five-a-side pitch.
A fairly apt warm-up for watching Derby, frankly.
They truly are woeful. Pub sides can at least hold some form of defensive line.
So all in all, it’s hard to draw too many conclusions from last night.
Before I got to the pub, Bendtner got the first after intercepting a stray ball, exchanging passes with RVP and finishing low across Carroll.
He was immediately congratulated by RVP and Cesc, in a moment that probably left dozens of amateur online psychologists and mind-readers reaching for the noose.
As I entered the pub, Derby equalised. Song conceded a crappy free-kick on the right and then demonstrated that for whatever talents he may have, he is not that missing beanpole central defender who will attack the ball. Rabbit in headlights would pretty much sum up his reaction to that cross.
Then RVP, who had already missed a sitter, chested down and slammed home from Kolo’s deft chip. Again, not a great Derby defensive line.
After the break we faffed around until Theo did well and fed Comrade Eboue. Talking of Comrade, you should read this interview with him. I think he may be serious. That or his whole act is ironic, in which case I for one was certainly fooled.
Anyway, back to the chance and you hardly need me to say that faced with an open goal, our free scoring right winger, fluffed his lines. Fortunately Adebayor, on for RVP, turned it in.
Then we really cocked about. Theo missed a sitter, other people screwed about and you just knew that amateur as Derby were, we’d still give them another.
And so it happened with Song caught up field thinking he was Franz Beckenbauer and Earnshaw left to slide neatly past Fabianski, who, from what I saw, had a decent Premiership debut.
For two minutes I wasn’t so much furious as completely apoplectic and was on the verge of embarrassing myself in an Eastish London pub containing no other Arsenal fans.
Fortunately, an Henryesque run and curler from Theo prevented the onset of convulsions and complete mental meltdown. Thanks Theo.
Clichy then went on one of his runs, squared it and Ade had actually timed his run perfectly to slide home. Another followed from what was basically a straight through ball.
Carroll’s judgment in coming out was embarrassingly bad and Ade had his second hat-trick against Derby.
Before any of the Adebayor bashing cretins point out how six of his Premiership goals have come against Derby, take them off and he’d still have more than Anelka got in his £24 million season with us. And from six fewer games. So there.
And that was that. We were sloppy at times, we were very fluent at others. Of the players who came in Denilson did fairly well and Bendtner was the usual mix of the good and the needs improving. You can only beat what is in front of you and sometimes when the opposition are that rubbish, they can drag you down a little too.
The win guarantees third place ahead of Liverpool, which is a massive relief because to finish below that shower would have been embarrassing.
It also keeps alive the distant prospect of the title. The permutations are amazingly and refreshingly simple really. Two games left and four points in it: if United or Chelsea win either of their’s or we fail to win one of ours, we can not do it.
If the above does go our way, United need to lose once too.
Realistically, United will likely make the above irrelevant when they entertain West Ham on Saturday.
But the fact we still have a mathematical hope with two games to go is a reminder of how small football’s margins are. Had our bad streak started a game later or ended a game earlier or had one or two decisions gone our way, we would be right up there now.
29 April 2008 at 9:13 am
He was immediately congratulated by RVP and Cesc, in a moment that probably left dozens of amateur online psychologists and mind-readers reaching for the noose.
Haha, excellent stuff, goodplaya!
29 April 2008 at 9:33 am
Eboue was terrible! Terrible Terrible Terrible. How can Wenger keep playing him. He farts around on the wing, not knowing what to do, takes to many touches and constantly chooses the wrong pass!. I am so annoyed with him. Song did well and Denilson showed that if Flamini he wants to stake a claim. granted it was derby etc but he nicked the ball several times and played some intelligent balls. Cesc just dominated MF..as he does
29 April 2008 at 9:34 am
Great article….but we have not won the title thanks to 6 very bad decisions inside 5 weeks of the season. In fact I would like to thank the FA and their bent officials on behalf of Manure & Chelski for making sure AFC could not win.
29 April 2008 at 9:43 am
I think its about time everyone gave Eboue some credit, he is by far the best dancer at the club but…….when it comes to football, he is SHOCKING
29 April 2008 at 9:52 am
Amateur psychologist here, guilty as charged. They did seem to enjoy Young Nicklas’ goal. But you have to admit there have been several occassions this season when Nick has been detached from and ignored by his team-mates. It’s a worry that doesn’t go away for me, but if he proves me wrong and becomes a contributing team player I certainly won’t complain.
So yes, perhaps I got that one wrong. I dare say my defence of Ade got a bit of validation last night. Boy can play, ’nuff said.
And is it just me but was Theo’s goal reminiscent of a certain former club captain and all time leading goal scorer? I refuse to engage in the doom-mongering when we have a young talent like that in an Arsenal shirt, he is getting better every game.
29 April 2008 at 10:01 am
The point is that players, like the rest of us, have spats. It happens. And it’s better than everyone being everyone’s friend and nobody ever taking responsibility for anything.
29 April 2008 at 10:10 am
WHEN IT MATTERED, he missed THAT YO-YO fool. SO WHAT HE SCORED 30 GOALS.
NO1 WILL REMEMBER THIS IN 2 YEARS.
LEAVE eboue alone, he is a talented player, playing out of position.
29 April 2008 at 10:56 am
ASIAN BEAST, what an appropriate name. What if he’s scored 30 goals this season? Some Arsenal fans make me want to go support Barnet or something. The fans are more realistic and you don’t see all this kind of nonsense.
God help Arsenal! Which player would want to sign for Arsenal if scoring 30 goals, getting into the team of the season, scoring important away goals and working your socks off gets you derision.
Who would want that?
29 April 2008 at 11:05 am
Cap’n Invisible was at fault for both goals in my view. For the first, Willie inexplicably (and not for the first time this season) turned his back on the play as the ball came into the box and for the second he allowed the undistinguihed striker Earnshaw to ghost straight past him. It always seems however that Gallas’ c/b partner is to blame somehow. Watch the goals again. I’m not saying he’s a bad player, but blams should be apportioned more fairly.
29 April 2008 at 11:28 am
Yo-yo? Great, racial slurs and against our own players, too. Marvelous!
29 April 2008 at 11:29 am
Ole Gunner, he’s got to be trolling - some may criticise Ade, but no-one can justify defending Eboue….
29 April 2008 at 11:33 am
HOW IS YO-YOU A RACIAL SLUR YOU OVER SENSITIVE BAFFOON ck.????????????????
SO ITS OK TO CALL CHAVS??? WHAT A FOOL
GET RID OF THE BOARD, THEY MORPHED INTO THE VILLA BOARD.
STAGNATED TURDS IN SUITS.
29 April 2008 at 11:34 am
Eboue is a shower of shit.
29 April 2008 at 11:45 am
Wise1, yo-yo is a racial slur. If you think that’s ok then that’s up to you. I didn’t mention “chavs”. Can you hold a conversation without insulting people?
29 April 2008 at 11:49 am
CK, better to ask if he can hold a conversation.
Eboue is an excellent back up for Sagna. He’s not a midfielder.
29 April 2008 at 11:52 am
Haha. You have a point there, Will.
29 April 2008 at 11:56 am
finally nice to see a decent arsenal blog after having to listen to the crap from “le grove” for the past couple weeks. if any of you have been on there you’ll know what i mean-they constantly slag wenger, ade and especially anyone who dares defend wenger, despite the fact he’s revolutionised the club in the last ten years and is our most successful manager ever.
on to last night, think you’ve been a bit harsh on song, i personally thought the goals were more gallas fault. but other than that spot on assessment.
29 April 2008 at 11:56 am
Indeed I can certainly hold a conversation, no doubt.
I do think you are quite over sensitive, its NOT a racial slur. Get a grip, in reality.
People of your ILK, carry the victim, CRY THE RACE CARD.
EBOUE IS A QUALITY RIGHT BACK BACK UP.
HE ONLY DOES WHAT THE COACHES ASK OF HIM.
29 April 2008 at 12:00 pm
Good report - you did missing some worrying flapping and punching from Fabianski in the first 20 minutes - and i agree with comments on Gallas’s part in the two goals conceded. Song looks more suited to central midfield to me - and Eboue as cover for right back (he isnt shit - but he isnt first XI either). Theo went from awful to sublime in about 5 minutes……
29 April 2008 at 12:31 pm
“Before any of the Adebayor bashing cretins point out how six of his Premiership goals have come against Derby”…
Why do people still continue to slag Ade off??
Henry left us, and we thought where were the goals going to come from. Ade’s stepped in as if hes been a Premiership striker scoring for years and bagged 30 in 38 starts.
Whats more impressive??
Virtually as a lone striker.
Ade’s mustard, and he’s continuously improving. He’ll bag 30 next season again, because he’s class.
Without Ade in the side, we wouldn’t look like scoring.
29 April 2008 at 12:40 pm
I love this Eboue full back bollox, its hysterical.
He’s the sole reason why we conceded as many as we did last season. Virtually all our goals were conceded down our right - as they are now without Sagna in the side.
Eboue can’t tackle, or intecept. He jumps every challenge, doesn’t jump for headers, and clearly hasn’t the knowledge to play as a full back like he doesn’t a winger. He’s shockingly hopeless.
please, anyone, what credentials does he have that suggest’s he’s more a full back thena winger??
Because personally, he isnt either. As a winger this season he has a return of 0 goals and 1 assist from nearly 30 Premiership games. But last season as a full back? He made 3 assists, thats it. His tackling is dyer…
29 April 2008 at 12:51 pm
jus something i picked on…you were harsh on Song he failed foe Derby’s equaliser but we had a lot more taller pple in there to do a better job and as for the second goal i cant see how you singled him out…Earnshaw slipped thru Gallas and the right back i dont get how you would expect Song to cover that esp after trying to close down the pass….the second one falls to Gallas and who ever was the right back at that time so SORRY u got that one wrong.
29 April 2008 at 1:01 pm
JACK….i actually like le-grove as a blog actually becoz i jus feel theres always too much optimism esp when you can actually see the ship is sinking and le-grove points that out and i commend him for that.
its no use going on bout wenger knows esp when you could see us slip off the top of the league
29 April 2008 at 1:26 pm
Goodplaya
Why compare Ade and Anelka. Anelka scored 19 EPL goals in his first season. Why compare? Its incomparable, Anelka was amazing for us even though he left badly but give credit when its due.
Man, this Ade’s third season. In his first short season(he came in January) he scored only 3 goals. Second season 12 in all; even RvP who was injured half of the season scored 13 goals. Its only this season that he’s proved something.
You seem to talk down Bendtner too but Nik has scored 8 goals mainly from the bench. In actual fact Nik has done better than Ade, considering his starts and Ade’s in season 1 and 2. He’s scored vital goals against Pool, Spurs and Villa in his first season; games we were against the wall and he provided the rescue.
So please, let the fans know the fact rather than skewing the facts.
29 April 2008 at 1:53 pm
Fair points re Gallas’ role in the goals. Did not see the first one properly, but yes, he hardly starred on the second one.
Howard (point 24): I have not skewed a single fact. There are countless people who ridiculously slam Adebayor.
Their argument goes that he is rubbish and we should have singed Anelka in the transfer window.
You know what Anelka’s record is since arriving at Chelsea? 13 starts, 8 sub appearances and two goals.
Anelka did well in his first season, but memories have been tainted by the absurd £24 million fee we managed to get for him NINE years ago.
And just for the record, in his first season with us after arriving as a January window signing, Adebayor’s record read 12 starts, 1 sub and four goals. So better on that too.
I have nothing against Anelka. I just reckon some people live in a parallel universe where they scrutinise every screw up one of our players makes and spunk themselves every time they see someone from another club do something decent on Match of the Day.
29 April 2008 at 2:01 pm
casicky-i understand what you’re saying, but the problem with le grove is they go mad if you even attempt to defend wenger. it’s about opinions and if thewy cant accept other people’s i think it makes a mockery of the whole idea of a blog. know what i mean?
29 April 2008 at 2:03 pm
as for the ship sinking i wouldn;t say that to be honest. you can only compare season to season adn whatever has happened no one cany deny the HUGE imporvement we’ve made this year. if we’d started how we’ve finished and finished how we started (if you know what i mean!) everyone would be raving about us right now and saying we’ll be huge challengers next season.
29 April 2008 at 2:38 pm
Goodplaya — seriously, eboue was joke last night. He really should have turned in Theo’s cross, but could only trip over & injure himself!! It was lucky that Ade was arriving at the back post to knock it in.
Eboue’s jump-kick volley in the first half was also just ridiculous. Clearly a header would have been more appropriate.
The guy is an embarrasment, and hopefully he never plays again.
Where does that Mexican kid, Carlos Vela, play? He’s been at Osasuana (or whatever), right? Does he play up front or on a wing?
29 April 2008 at 3:05 pm
Whilst I would, of course, love us to win the league, just for its own sake, I am rather sick and tired of the media assuming that either manure or Chelski will win it and we have no chance. It would not be the first time that a team at the top fails to win even though all they need to do is win one of their last games. Did it not almost happen to us in 1989, when we were saved by Thomas’s goal?
It would give me extra special pleasure for all those media antis to have to eat their words.
29 April 2008 at 3:16 pm
As you said people forget that its Bendtners “Debut” season. I think he can give us the same return that Crouch gives to Liverpool. It was nice to see the way Van Persie celebrated his goal with him. Young players need that kind of support(Take note Ade!)
I was impressed with Kolo, he has improved going forward I think he’s the only player who has the same drive and energy of Flamini. I hope we see him in midfield if the Flamster leaves.
Walcott should be doing better against Derby but he’s becoming more and more involved. More a starting 11 player
29 April 2008 at 3:38 pm
ScottyDavisGooner…I think you’ll find that Eboue was an integral part of the CL record breaking defence that got us to the CL final. You can’t achieve that against the quality of opposition we faced that year and be shit.
Eboue is definitely a weak link in this team, but I have no problem with him being a squad player. He’s been utter crap at times, but like it or not, he’s also played an important role in some of our best performances this season.
29 April 2008 at 4:05 pm
Arsenal for the PL title…
Common Wigan and Newcastle; Westham and Bolton. Or am I mixing them up?
29 April 2008 at 4:18 pm
Can somebody tell me when Eboue scored for Arsenal? Eboue is really an embarassement thinking that we boast of having the most skilled team in the EPl. Still, Goodplaya gave him 7 rating.
This season Eboue hasn’t scored a single goal and not for want of chances. All the Arsenal XI have scored except Eboue and yet Arsene continues to persist with him.
Arsene, a great manager with a touch of class and knows a good player when he sees one still persisting with craps like Eboue and Senderos season after season. Its mind boggling.
29 April 2008 at 4:53 pm
Howard who?
You probably thought Flamini was shit and should be let go. Arsene’s mind boggling faith in shit players is repaid time and time again.
29 April 2008 at 4:55 pm
Adebayor? He’s crap. He’ll never make it at this level.
29 April 2008 at 4:59 pm
What is really annoying about Eboue is that he has the potential to be outstanding. As pointed out above he was brilliant in the run to the CL Final, and even last year he made Ronaldo seem anonymous in both the league games against the Mancs.
Still I did enjoy the way that he went face first into the defender’s knee and required treatment when setting up (!?!) Ade’s first goal.
29 April 2008 at 4:59 pm
Great game againist Derby..Ade, was fantastic.
http://www.latest-arsenal.blogspot.com
29 April 2008 at 5:02 pm
Will 2000, i think you need a reality check, get real bro. i think yu shud learn to appreciate talent. Adebayor has been execellent this season, despite his deeps in form (which every player goz thru)
http://www.latest-arsenal.blogspot.com
29 April 2008 at 7:01 pm
I think Will 2000 was quite rightly taking the piss out of Howard, there G-4L.
Eboue is doing a technical job for the team that few of us, including me, often don’t understand.
He actually has tremendous skill & his partnership with Sagna has created space for others. If he can develop more composure & use his pace better he can still be quite some player.
29 April 2008 at 8:17 pm
casicky, PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW THE SHIP IS SINKING. I’d really like to know.
BTW, while a lot of gooners are trashing our performance last night, there’s the little matter of our “crap” team with a woeful defense having had the best results at Pride Park than the other 3 invincible teams in the top 4. Check out these Derby results:
Derby-Chelsea in November at Pride Park: 0-2
Derby-Chelsea in March at the Bridge: 1-6
Derby-Man United in December at OT: 1-4
Derby-Man United in March at Pride Park: 0-1
Derby-Pool in September at Anfield: 0-6
Derby-Pool in December at Pride Park: 1-2