Arsenal Thread | 2025/26

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Did Sky show the lines at all for their second goal?

I briefly saw it, and it looked off to me, but from the few minutes I saw on TV they never showed the lines.

 

[bridgeno1]

Did Sky show the lines at all for their second goal?

I briefly saw it, and it looked off to me, but from the few minutes I saw on TV they never showed the lines.

Was miles onside. Tough game, Raya made a brilliant save at 1-0 - if that goes in totally different match.

Checked the betting odds - we are odds-on to win at Villa on Saturday. No idea how that's possible, surely with their recent form and how good they are at home Villa would be favourites (or at least the draw?)

 

[the blue panther]

Was miles onside. Tough game, Raya made a brilliant save at 1-0 - if that goes in totally different match.

Checked the betting odds - we are odds-on to win at Villa on Saturday. No idea how that's possible, surely with their recent form and how good they are at home Villa would be favourites (or at least the draw?)

It's a bit odd to hear you say that Brentford at home was a tough game. Same with Chelsea away when they only had 10 players from the 38th minute. You've been hyped up massively in the media as possibly the best in Europe, with the best and deepest squad, so forgive me for a touch of disbelief given that you feel you've struggled in the last 2 games. Brentford at home for the "Champions Elect" should be a gimme. We'll hope it's a sign of more struggles to come.

Villa away at the weekend - you can say that's a tough game but I'm not having your last 2 in the same category.

 

[malg]

They're going well. They do appear to have brought the histrionics down a wee bit or have I just not been watching them closely enough? Has someone had a word with them?

 

[dennishasdoneit]

I saw them. Every player bar, possibly, Eddie Gray was a dirty cynical bastard. Revie even did dossiers to inform his team what each referee was lenient on. Never did two consecutive fouls to avoid bookings (no cards then). I think Leeds are the template that Arteta has based his football on alongside Stoke and Wimbledon.........and gone even further.
Before you reply let me tell you that Gabriel would probably be the captain of that side.

As well as Eddie Gray.....I remember reading that Paul Madeley,whilst being a hard tough player wasn't snide...and that set him apart from his fellow defenders,or I may be getting confused with Paul Reaney?
Also I don't think Trevor Cherry was a dirty player.

The rest of em ? Absolute filth.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Think it shocked Arsenal that Chelsea are actually a better footballing side than them. I copped pelters from a lot of city fans earlier in the week (also got support from others) when I was extremely confident that Chelsea would get something from that game.

The Chavs are building something decent and their weakness last year which was defence and gk whilst still not great has definitely improved significantly and that will be enough to get them over the line in most games.

If Cole Palmer returns and hits last seasons form they are going to go real close.

Leeds 3-1 Chelsea: Struggling hosts dent Blues' title ambitions

Struggling Leeds end a four-game losing run to dent Chelsea's Premier League title charge.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[give it to gordon]

He's 100% correct. The hype about that side is ridiculous.

Whilst going unbeaten is great would i swap that for

Biggest pl winning margin
Most pl points in a season
Most wins in a season
Most pl goals in a season
Best pl goal difference in a season
Most pl titles in a row
Most pl away wins in a season
Most wins in a row across all competitions in a season.

Yes it would be great to go unbeaten all season, would i swap it for any of the above ? No.

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

As well as Eddie Gray.....I remember reading that Paul Madeley,whilst being a hard tough player wasn't snide...and that set him apart from his fellow defenders,or I may be getting confused with Paul Reaney?
Also I don't think Trevor Cherry was a dirty player.

The rest of em ? Absolute filth.

Reaney was a dirty twat but, as you said, Madeley not too bad. Cherry could put it about once he joined them. From later years, McQueen and, especially, Joe Jordan were animals.

 

[the-ecstacy-of-eight]

Is it true Donnaruma was ordered to sit down and do the needing treatment routine so Pep could do the old tactical huddle?

Yep. As a club we've realised that when we do things on the pitch the media throw up their arms and foam at the mouth, which is then swiftly followed by the footballing authorities changing rules, outlawing it and removing it from the game.

So far it's all going to plan. No more 13mins of injury time for your lot now! ;)

Next up we're going to block keepers and defenders at corners until that's banned too.

We're knocking off your shitty tactics one by one. Be afraid, because in no time at all you'll only have open play from which to score your goals! ;)

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

Yep. As a club we've realised that when we do things on the pitch the media throw up their arms and foam at the mouth, which is then swiftly followed by the footballing authorities changing rules, outlawing it and removing it from the game.

So far it's all going to plan. No more 13mins of injury time for your lot now! ;)

Next up we're going to block keepers and defenders at corners until that's banned too.

We're knocking off your shitty tactics one by one. Be afraid, because in no time at all you'll only have open play from which to score your goals! ;)

All well and good but I don't want to see Phil falling like he's he's been shot ala Saka.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

Whilst we're on the subject of dirty players ...let's put the spotlight on those old arsenal defenders
Adams bould winterburn and Dixon...later years keown
All part of the boring boring arsenal offside trap,an amazing tactic to base your football around.
Yawn.
Dull and Dirty...got to hand it to those gooners....a stain on the legacy of herbert chapman ; )

 

[Danny Tiatto]

Leeds 3-1 Chelsea: Struggling hosts dent Blues' title ambitions

Struggling Leeds end a four-game losing run to dent Chelsea's Premier League title charge.

www.bbc.co.uk

Weren’t brave enough to comment before the game were you?

Regardless it was a quick turnaround away from home. Always going to be a dangerous game.

 

[bridgeno1]

Whilst going unbeaten is great would i swap that for

Biggest pl winning margin
Most pl points in a season
Most wins in a season
Most pl goals in a season
Best pl goal difference in a season
Most pl titles in a row
Most pl away wins in a season
Most wins in a row across all competitions in a season.

Yes it would be great to go unbeaten all season, would i swap it for any of the above ? No.

I'd swap being unbeaten for just one extra title - let alone all of that

 

[Tracking back]

Can you imagine the flak City would get if we only drew against a rival who was reduced to 10 players for an hour? Imagine the flak if we had 6 players booked! And, do you think VAR would have intervened at all if that had been Caicedo on Gonzales?

Keep kidding yourselves that it was a great point against the Chavs. The rest of us can live in hope that a wobble's coming. There's still a very long way to go, so let's see where we are when you come to the Etihad in early April.

Theose clowns in the media would have a field day slatting MCFC if that happened.

Some of the pundits out there would even encourage the return of crucifixion.

 

[.db.]

Is it true Donnaruma was ordered to sit down and do the needing treatment routine so Pep could do the old tactical huddle?

Yes but we’re open enough to say it’s one of the most embarrassing things we’ve seen us do and that we hated seeing City do that. It’s the first time I ever remember us doing it but I despise it as a thing in football and hope to never see us do it again.

Fans of teams who do it regularly don’t seem to see the problem with it, often saying it’s just part of the modern game.

Arteta and Eddie Howe do it probably around 30 games every season going back at least four years. If not that, it’s a fake head injury from an outfield player.

 

[AFCAndy]

I’m 63 and I can remember events from the second half of the 1969/70 season.

City losing 0-3 to West Brom, then beating them 2-1 in the League Cup final three weeks later.
City winning the ECWC in Vienna, though I never saw anything of the game at the time.
The Cup final and subsequent replay between Chelsea and dirty Leeds, when both teams tried to maim their opponents for life.

May I ask what you thought about 70s-80s Liverpool, 80s Everton, all of English European Cup winners before the ban (ie Villa/Forrest too). It seemed Everton went toe to toe with Liverpool for a few years in the 80s and probably would of won the European Cup in 1986 after picking up the Cup Winners Cup in '85. I know Liverpool fans put a 'Steaua Bucharest' banner up during the derby that year, implying Everton would have won that year to wind them up.

I'm only old enough to remember Daglish's 80s Liverpool. And I can hold my hands up and say that Liverpool side were a much better footballing side than the Arsenal of that time, even if we pipped them in 89 (technically same goal difference).

Same question for @TonyColemansbagofapples and anyone old enough to remember.

From what I can get from watching youtube and reading, Liverpool were big on 1 touch passing and movement, their pressing was intense, they obviously had top players. Daglish gets all the plaudits. Souness seemed to combine high levels of playmaking and technical skill alongside brutality. Every man seemed to technically play their role

When it comes to Forrest, I know the story, but I didn't witness it. With Villa I know pretty much know nothing.

 

[Vienna_70]

Hard to say, really, because we didn’t have wall-to-wall coverage, like we do today.

All we had was MotD and The Big Match, so brief highlights, and only of two or three games each weekend.

I was living in Cornwall then, so I didn’t watch any live football.

 

[malg]

Whilst going unbeaten is great would i swap that for

Biggest pl winning margin
Most pl points in a season
Most wins in a season
Most pl goals in a season
Best pl goal difference in a season
Most pl titles in a row
Most pl away wins in a season
Most wins in a row across all competitions in a season.

Yes it would be great to go unbeaten all season, would i swap it for any of the above ? No.

Fair points.

 

[malg]

May I ask what you thought about 70s-80s Liverpool, 80s Everton, all of English European Cup winners before the ban (ie Villa/Forrest too). It seemed Everton went toe to toe with Liverpool for a few years in the 80s and probably would of won the European Cup in 1986 after picking up the Cup Winners Cup in '85. I know Liverpool fans put a 'Steaua Bucharest' banner up during the derby that year, implying Everton would have won that year to wind them up.

I'm only old enough to remember Daglish's 80s Liverpool. And I can hold my hands up and say that Liverpool side were a much better footballing side than the Arsenal of that time, even if we pipped them in 89 (technically same goal difference).

Same question for @TonyColemansbagofapples and anyone old enough to remember.

From what I can get from watching youtube and reading, Liverpool were big on 1 touch passing and movement, their pressing was intense, they obviously had top players. Daglish gets all the plaudits. Souness seemed to combine high levels of playmaking and technical skill alongside brutality. Every man seemed to technically play their role

When it comes to Forrest, I know the story, but I didn't witness it. With Villa I know pretty much know nothing.

It's a forgotten time as Sky will never talk about it. Any highlights nowadays are the PL years.

I grew up when Liverpool were at their height and they were very, very good. However, what we never had was the live games, so we only got fed motd highlights, what you saw on match days and newspaper coverage.

The unfortunate thing now with the heightened coverage is that journalists have to get clicks and follows and that has led to the outrageous levels of hyperbole. So everything now is the best ever.....don't get me started on that awful Americanism 'GOAT'. Fucking awful.

 

[ninjamonkey]

Whilst going unbeaten is great would i swap that for

Biggest pl winning margin
Most pl points in a season
Most wins in a season
Most pl goals in a season
Best pl goal difference in a season
Most pl titles in a row
Most pl away wins in a season
Most wins in a row across all competitions in a season.

Yes it would be great to go unbeaten all season, would i swap it for any of the above ? No.

I'd swap both "most pl away wins in a season" and/or "best pl goal difference in a season" for the unbeaten accolade, they're nice but both fairly meaningless. None of the others though.

The Invincible tag only begins to be meaningful in any way if its across the entire season, in every competition entered and it's in addition to an unprecedented points haul.