Arsenal Thread | 2025/26

[jimharri]

In your honesty opinion do you think Arteta's tactics of using physicality for set piece goals are acceptable within the rules of the game?
Does diving your way to a title make it worth it?
Is it morally acceptable to fake injuries to make mid-game tram talks and tactical tweaks and relieve pressure on your defence?
How many points do you honestly think your team have won without cheating their way over the line?

I suppose that, in a way, you can’t blame them; a team plays to its strength(s). That's Arsenal’s. And I'm guessing that their fans don't give a fuck. To them, the end justifies the means. Hey ho. But say that Arsenal were playing Palace, and Brentford were playing Chelsea at the same time; I know which one I'd choose to watch as a neutral.


And it ain't Arsenal!

 

[dadnlad]

the ironic thing is if they dont get over the line first they'll all want him sacked

 

[jimharri]

the ironic thing is if they dont get over the line first they'll all want him sacked

What; football fans? Fickle?

 

[bridgeno1]

In your honesty opinion do you think Arteta's tactics of using physicality for set piece goals are acceptable within the rules of the game?
Does diving your way to a title make it worth it?
Is it morally acceptable to fake injuries to make mid-game tram talks and tactical tweaks and relieve pressure on your defence?
How many points do you honestly think your team have won without cheating their way over the line?

I've been a fan when we routinely won goal of the season. Trophies zero.

Is this team the best Arsenal team I've ever seen? No. Would it have finished within 10 points of your Centurions? No.

But 1st step is to win a trophy. If given the current standard of opponents this gets us across the line I'll take it. With one exception. The fake head injury for Trossard was reprehensible. I never want to see that again and the irony is he's now out injured and I have little sympathy.

But just like Chelsea fans weren't complaining under Mourinho and the Rags fans didn't complain when we were their main rivals and their tactic was basically to kick the fuck out of us at the Swamp and the refs turn a blind eye.

 

[Why are you Guehi?]

Can't see them messing it up at this point.

 

[Danny Tiatto]

I've been a fan when we routinely won goal of the season. Trophies zero.

Is this team the best Arsenal team I've ever seen? No. Would it have finished within 10 points of your Centurions? No.

But 1st step is to win a trophy. If given the current standard of opponents this gets us across the line I'll take it. With one exception. The fake head injury for Trossard was reprehensible. I never want to see that again and the irony is he's now out injured and I have little sympathy.

But just like Chelsea fans weren't complaining under Mourinho and the Rags fans didn't complain when we were their main rivals and their tactic was basically to kick the fuck out of us at the Swamp and the refs turn a blind eye.

But you do stuff like this all the time. The style of play you have chosen yes it’s effective but it has really set the game back.

 

[Betterdeedthan red]

If you think gamesmanship is a new phenomenon and that the Chelsea and Rags title winning sides didn't do this at least as much as Arsenal do then I've got a bridge to sell you.

I think what supposedly gets the media in a frenzy is the set piece goals and physicality but this is the same media that criticised us for being fragile and that Arsenal 'always try to walk the ball in' so there's no pleasing some people.

Your the worse team to watch in premier league history.
Your fans are pricks
And players are cheats

 

[blue_danube]

Your the worse team to watch in premier league history.
Your fans are pricks
And players are cheats

We aren't much better to watch at the minute

 

[Betterdeedthan red]

We aren't much better to watch at the minute

We're not a bunch of time wasting cheating bastards.
Who's only style of play is crowd the penalty area

 

[madloaf]

We're not a bunch of time wasting cheating bastards.
Who's only style of play is crowd the penalty area

We definitely don't do the last bit.

 

[danielwood5]

I've been a fan when we routinely won goal of the season. Trophies zero.

Is this team the best Arsenal team I've ever seen? No. Would it have finished within 10 points of your Centurions? No.

But 1st step is to win a trophy. If given the current standard of opponents this gets us across the line I'll take it. With one exception. The fake head injury for Trossard was reprehensible. I never want to see that again and the irony is he's now out injured and I have little sympathy.

But just like Chelsea fans weren't complaining under Mourinho and the Rags fans didn't complain when we were their main rivals and their tactic was basically to kick the fuck out of us at the Swamp and the refs turn a blind eye.

I'm not talkng about playing 'good' football or 'ugly' football, I'm talking about cheating football.
Have you really 'won' that 1st trophy if you had to cheat your way to it? As I asked earlier, how many points do you honestly think Arsenal would have without cheating their way over the line?
Does that fact that United cheated in the past make it OK? Now that you're about to cheat your way to a title do you look back at United's cheating against Arsenal in the 90s and say fair play to them?
Is that 1st trophy worth the irreparable damage Arsenal and Liverpool have done to the league in this country?
Is it the referee's fault for giving Arsenal a helping hand to an unearned trophy or is it a case of your management and players taking advantage of weak-willed and VAR crippled referees too scared to upset a complaint press?
I'm genuinely fascinated by the mindset of winning a trophy is OK no matter how it's done. It's not the mindset we used to have in this country where we'd look down on cheats, liars and thieves so the whole outlook is mystifying to me.
Sport should be a sporting competition between athletes first and foremost and how Arsenal approach the game is the antithesis of that. Games should be won by the players efforts and managers tactics, not by whoever can get away with the most cheating.

 

[danielwood5]

I suppose that, in a way, you can’t blame them; a team plays to its strength(s). That's Arsenal’s. And I'm guessing that their fans don't give a fuck. To them, the end justifies the means. Hey ho. But say that Arsenal were playing Palace, and Brentford were playing Chelsea at the same time; I know which one I'd choose to watch as a neutral.


And it ain't Arsenal!

I don't think they're playing to their strengths though, they're playing to the referees weaknesses.
It's like saying if I won a boxing championship by twatting my opponents with a baseball bat I was just playing to my strengths, i.e. good at cheating as long as the referee turned a blind eye but not a very good boxer.
Ugly set piece football is fine but what Arsenal do is dive and cheat their ways to set pieces then foul with impunity at the resulting set piece. That isn't ugly set piece football, it's plain flat out cheating.

 

[super_city_si]

Chelsea and the rags did it, but this current version of gamesmanship is another level. It’s blatant cheating and theatrics in my opinion. And you can keep your fucking bridge thank you.

Refs aren’t doing anything about it so of course they do it. I saw one yesterday either saliba or Gabriel wrestled the everton player to the ground on the edge of the area by the neck…..nothing.

 

[Vienna_70]

I suppose that, in a way, you can’t blame them; a team plays to its strength(s). That's Arsenal’s. And I'm guessing that their fans don't give a fuck. To them, the end justifies the means. Hey ho. But say that Arsenal were playing Palace, and Brentford were playing Chelsea at the same time; I know which one I'd choose to watch as a neutral.


And it ain't Arsenal!

That’s why I put the Chelsea-Newcastle game on yesterday evening.

 

[jimharri]

That’s why I put the Chelsea-Newcastle game on yesterday evening.

Same.

 

[jimharri]

Opportunity missed by Forest. They really could have done with the three points. Unless Spurs lose by eight, they'll stay in 16th place.

 

[Vienna_70]

Opportunity missed by Forest. They really could have done with the three points. Unless Spurs lose by eight, they'll stay in 16th place.

Considering how FOYS collapse, if they concede an early goal, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility.

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

If you think gamesmanship is a new phenomenon and that the Chelsea and Rags title winning sides didn't do this at least as much as Arsenal do then I've got a bridge to sell you.

I think what supposedly gets the media in a frenzy is the set piece goals and physicality but this is the same media that criticised us for being fragile and that Arsenal 'always try to walk the ball in' so there's no pleasing some people.

The old chestnut about Arsenal being fragile. That is a pathetic excuse for the cheating you are now serving up. You may win the league but remember, dirty Leeds are still remembered and despised for their style of play over half a century later..

 

[bridgeno1]

The old chestnut about Arsenal being fragile. That is a pathetic excuse for the cheating you are now serving up. You may win the league but remember, dirty Leeds are still remembered and despised for their style of play over half a century later..

I think some of the criticism is fair, some is media bias.

BTW we have the best disciplinary record in the PL currently so any association with 'dirty Leeds' is wide of the mark.

English Premier League Discipline Stats, 2025-26 Season - ESPN (UK)

Get the full English Premier League discipline stats for the 2025-26 season on ESPN (UK). Includes players with most yellow and red cards in the league

www.espn.co.uk

 

[Shirley]

I think some of the criticism is fair, some is media bias.

BTW we have the best disciplinary record in the PL currently so any association with 'dirty Leeds' is wide of the mark.

English Premier League Discipline Stats, 2025-26 Season - ESPN (UK)

Get the full English Premier League discipline stats for the 2025-26 season on ESPN (UK). Includes players with most yellow and red cards in the league

www.espn.co.uk

Coincidence that the 3 red shirt clubs have the least cards, very strange indeed.

Wonder why?