Can a loss be a win !?

Jopub

Well after the lumping yesterday my head is clearer after some 'drowning of the sorrows' last night and I can say I'm actually relieved

Nobody likes losing and getting a pasting from one of your fiercest rivals but now we know the road ahead - two major competitions to focus on, with little hindrance from anything else other than injuries

At the moment we are not actually playing that well and are probably on a fine line of form and just doing enough to win and get our points - title winning stuff.

Hopefully now that Toure can get his African holiday out of his head and our full backs can resume we should be solid at the back. I pray that Addy keeps his form and hope that we have had the worst of our unjuries .

After all is said and done we are in pole position in the title race and have one cup to worry about

After watching Lampard and Terry yesterday I still feel CHelsea are not out of the game and of course Utd will push us but you'r stil fighting hard on three fronts will be a good thing for us nomatter how good your squad strength is

I feel better already

green demon

That's good. You're right, you need to ignore those grapes, they are so sour.

I got a text from a Dipper immediately after their result and his comment was that "In one way I'm pleased. It means they'll sack Rafa."

It's nice you all can be so positive in defeat. It was awful on here last week - we probably had half a dozen suicides.

The Hairdryer

On the other hand you've handed us a huge psychological advantage and you're reminded other teams that when it comes down to it you're a bunch of bottlers.

If I were an Arsenal supporter I'd be livid with that performance.

Pronewbie

Just like how were were after the City performance. But we didn't blame it on anything else now did we?

Jopub

Yes you did - the loss of Rooney, the Munich memorials...dont talk rubbish

The Hairdryer

We didn't count it as a win though.

Jopub

Thats right a bunch of bottlers who've 'bottled' their way to 5 pionts clear of you

The Hairdryer

You'll bottle that lead too.

Jopub

But in the context of the season and being stretched in too many competitions it could work out in our favour.......even you can see that

Jopub

remains to be seen

The Hairdryer

Nah, we'll be fine as long as we keep most of our squad fit. We played a second string midfield against you lot and throttled you.

I'd be very worried about the current injury situation at Arsenal if I were a supporter though. And about the bottling in cup games.

The Hairdryer

Once a bottler.....

Jopub

Naa some teams do every now and then - you've been guilty of it especially in the CL over the last 7/8 years and sometimes in the league

We've won titles and cups in that time so we clearly 'bottled' those wins did'nt we

You like to think we're systematic bottlers but we've shown /proved that even though sometimes we are guilty of it we're often the opposite

... so you're wrong

francobaresi

Priceless.

I'm guessing when you get knocked out of the Champions League that will be a good thing too, cuz then you can concentrate on the league

The Hairdryer

We've been out footballed before, but we've never shyed away from a hard game. You lot on the other hand are bottlers from way back. When the tough get going, Arsenal cry and then take their ball and go home.

M160RA

Arsenal should just lose five league games in a row so that they can concentrate on doing well in the pre-season.

Wittmann45

Cupid Stunt

In no shape or form was that a win for Arsenal yesterday.

Arsenal can take absolutly nothing but negatives from the game, not only did they get out classed but they reacted like little children as far as discipline go's. That game is a huge pychological blow them and could have a huge bearing on the title race.

w'or bobby

I would imagine that losing Eboue for 3 games is a plus for them.

Losing Gallas for his kick at Nani might not be so good - he may get 3 games also.

But they can play Ponderous.

Pronewbie

But ultimately, we blamed it on ourselves, and gave fair credit to the opposition. We also didn't count it as a victory of sorts.

noodlehair

Jopub's right

We should have lost 4-0, that would have shown Arsenal, and given us the edge for the rest of the season



There's clutching at straws, and then there's being an Arsenal fan after you've lost a game

RedNome

Couldn't agree more, what the hell were we thinking going out and actually winning a game? Fergie really needs to wise up.

Danish Voice

Priceless

Jopub

Nothing priceless at all

I can see Wenger, with our injury list and squad depth not being that dissapointed right now

FlawlessThaw

If the game ended 1-0 to United in a tight scrappy affair then I could see reason to Jopub's point of view. However to be thrashed to the point of humiliation where not even a first teamer was taking the mickey out of them I have to say that does take some getting over.

MUFCgal

Here's me thinking the scousers were the most delusional bunch in the land

Denis' cuff

well that's more than he can fuckin do

sincher

It's the third most important competition. Either manager wouldn't be massively disappointed in defeat when there's all to play for in the other two competitions.

Reckon Wenger would not be too impressed with the manner of the defeat though.

kelvinhole

Your claims about a 4-0 drubbing having a positive effect on your season seem to ring a little hollow, Jopub.

Nutter.

Ramshock

he pulled it again yesterday with the eboue sending off!

Jopub

Not at all some games have a more pivotal effect than others and personally with the effort or lack of tat we expended yeatsreday I can see the players brushing that off and thinking right now the real business begins with less matches to play they can really get their teeth into the most important quarter of the season, whilst you and Chelsea will be concerned with FA cup games replays extra time etc etc.

How many sides involved in an FA cup run go on to win either the title or the CL or the whole lot? - once in a lifetime - usual scenario is that you fall flat between two or three stools

If you cant see the positives for us then your deluded.

Id rather have not lost and had a good cup run but its easy to see how it can work well for us.

Danish Voice

Of course you're dissapointed losing 4-0 to your greatest rivals. I don't care about the Carling Cup, but it hardly felt like a win to see our reserves lose to Coventry.

afrocentricity

This thread is verging on insanity, I can see it ending up in the classics.

Utd heap

Delusional.
Scouse like almost.

JazzG

Not really delusional if you actually try to understand where he is coming from. Not saying we are happy about the result or not bothered about it because it does bother me

In the short term this defeat is a huge blow, you never like losing to your main title rivals and especially in this manner and no Arsenal fan in their right mind will be pleased. In the long term we simply do not have what it takes to compete on three or four fronts. Our first team is good but there isn't much in reserve and if we did get through our players would have a tough time coping with all the games. We have got some good young players coming through but you can't expect them to win FA cups for you.

I think we can possibly cope on two fronts but three is pushing it, as your lot found out last season when your squad was down to it bare bones towards the end. We won't win all the competitions we are in now but for me the league takes priority over everything and if we have to take risks in other competitions by playing weaker teams than that is what I want us to do. For example if yesterday had been a league match I think Wenger would of risked Adebayor, Clichy and Flamini despite the injuries they had. Though with every risk it can come back to haunt you and hopefully the risk taken yesterday won't.

Reddish

It's a maximum of three more games, if the first two don't go to replays.

Hopefully it won't be that much of a problem.

sammsky1

The thing you massively under estimate is how hard it is to 'win' the league.

You are a very talented side at Arsenal, no doubt, but one that has won nothing. And trust me, the weight of expectation, the responsibility of being leaders, the crush of games... it will weigh you down.

You'd have been better knocked out of the CL if this argument had any weight. 11 vs 11, you can hold your own against anyone. But yesterday showed that your squad is threadbare. Don’t forget, we never had Ronaldo, Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Hargreaves, Tevez ... That's 6 players who would walk into our 1st xi.

United had the best side in 1990/91. But we collapsed in the run in. You could just feel it around the club and the faces of every team member. Even SAF collapsed under the pressure. We broke our duck the following year because of the experience (& the arrival of the messiah Cantona )

I think 2 things are certain.

1) You will lose one of your star players for a period through injury or suspension. It cannot happen any other way.

2) You will start to fall away and start to lose points.

Question is how well you can hold it together. Its shocking to realise that Gallas is the most "arsenal' of players in your squad. There is no heritage, no experience. That’s why we all take the piss out of Arse being a League of Nations and this is here that fact will bite you in the bum.

Yesterday, when the going got tough, so many of your guys went missing, lost discipline and self respect. That would never happen at United. EVER.

United & SAF have been in this position countless times before. And normally, we win. And we are just behind, patiently waiting.

Sure you can handle the pressure?

DiaboliQue

Strangely, I agree with most of what Jopub and JazzG have said thus far in this thread.

It's actually some of us who sound more delluded, believing that Arsenal have taken a psychological blow after that raping yesterday and that they'll blow their five point lead anytime soon.

Moyespopper

no... thats why ones called "a win" and ones called a "loss"...

thread smacks of desperation......

sammsky1

But then yopu chose the wrong competition to sacrifice. If you dont have depth for an FA cup run, how the fuck are you going to last all the way to the CL final, assuming you're good enough in the 1st place!