Big match at home

Shalke 04 are a seriously good football team - we'll have to be at our best to beat them no doubt.
I'm warming to Lukas Podolski - there's something about the way he is, I've a feeling he's gonna prove to be a very important player to us during the coming weeks and months.
Come on Arsenal, get that CL qualification in place and let's get back to playing how we should - i.e. winning!

ABSOLOOOTELY!!!!!

Season 8 without a meaningful trophy beckons..

So the mighty English Premiership manages a 25pct (pretty close to a 0pct) win rate in the Champions league... Seems the mighty all conquering teams are seriously misfiring against opposition that would have been swept aside a few years ago... what has happened ???

To be fair three out of the four should still get thru and a couple should make quarters..

Obv some of the defeats this week against teams with less financial clout has been interesting viewing..

Plus the Bundesliga is very underestimated.. they have big crowds.. clubs are managed with strict guidelines thus ruling out big debts.. and the way Schalke and Dortmund have played shows there is plenty of talent in Germany too..

We were seriously limp again, weren't we? I see this as a set-up with two possible outcomes:

1) We're gonna get beaten by QPR this weekend to make it three losses in a row - everyone's saying how QPR are playing well and perhaps deserve to have won a Premier League match this season - well, here comes The Arsenal!

OR

2) The Return of Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna will herald a turn-around in our form, starting this weekend when we crush QPR!

I do hope it's scenario "2"!

They were saying at work that Wenger said at the AGM today that Arsenal had won a trophy for many years, cos they had qualified for the Champions League. Bet the fans were pleased with that comment

villanfromluton wrote:They were saying at work that Wenger said at the AGM today that Arsenal had won a trophy for many years, cos they had qualified for the Champions League. Bet the fans were pleased with that comment

I suspect that's something of a mischevious misquote - what Wenger has said is that he considers qualifying for the CL more important than winning the FA or League Cup, in that top players want to be playing in the CL.
I can see the logic there, both from the financial gains to be had by playing CL football year-after-year and the fact that if you want to sign a player being in the CL helps.
IMO the Premier League is the most important followed by the CL - if you don't qualify for the CL you're missing out on 50% of the top football on offer.

JP, it was an Arsenal season ticket holder who told me, he werent too happy after last night, but you should still qualify anyway. While I understand your comments, think it is pretty sad a big club like Arsenal thinking like that

jpr60 wrote:We were seriously limp again, weren't we? I see this as a set-up with two possible outcomes:

1) We're gonna get beaten by QPR this weekend to make it three losses in a row - everyone's saying how QPR are playing well and perhaps deserve to have won a Premier League match this season - well, here comes The Arsenal!

OR

2) The Return of Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna will herald a turn-around in our form, starting this weekend when we crush QPR!

I do hope it's scenario "2"!

I think if Bacary Sagna returns at the expense of Jenkinson it will be a travesty.
Jenkinson has performed admirably in Sagna's absence and deserves to maintain the place he has now earned.

jak wrote:

jpr60 wrote:We were seriously limp again, weren't we? I see this as a set-up with two possible outcomes:

1) We're gonna get beaten by QPR this weekend to make it three losses in a row - everyone's saying how QPR are playing well and perhaps deserve to have won a Premier League match this season - well, here comes The Arsenal!

OR

2) The Return of Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna will herald a turn-around in our form, starting this weekend when we crush QPR!

I do hope it's scenario "2"!

I think if Bacary Sagna returns at the expense of Jenkinson it will be a travesty.
Jenkinson has performed admirably in Sagna's absence and deserves to maintain the place he has now earned.

I agree, Jenkinson has come on a pace and you can see, he really cares about the team. Sagna is also a top player though - he adds something to the team when he's in (remember that goal against The Spuds last season - it set the bench-mark) - how about we bring in Sagna at left-back?

jpr60 wrote:

jak wrote:

jpr60 wrote:We were seriously limp again, weren't we? I see this as a set-up with two possible outcomes:

1) We're gonna get beaten by QPR this weekend to make it three losses in a row - everyone's saying how QPR are playing well and perhaps deserve to have won a Premier League match this season - well, here comes The Arsenal!

OR

2) The Return of Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna will herald a turn-around in our form, starting this weekend when we crush QPR!

I do hope it's scenario "2"!

I think if Bacary Sagna returns at the expense of Jenkinson it will be a travesty.
Jenkinson has performed admirably in Sagna's absence and deserves to maintain the place he has now earned.

I agree, Jenkinson has come on a pace and you can see, he really cares about the team. Sagna is also a top player though - he adds something to the team when he's in (remember that goal against The Spuds last season - it set the bench-mark) - how about we bring in Sagna at left-back?

That was what I was thinking. I really liked Santos last season but this year he looks miles off the pace, unless he's in a car of course.