FA Cup

 So last weekend was FA Cup weekend and to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t particularly bothered whether Arsenal won or lost. However when they did lose by an own goal to Southampton, I was fuming!

 I finally thought the team had turned a corner and put behind them  these silly losses. So it was a bit of shock see to us giving away silly goals. 

Chelsea had a good solid win against Luton then promptly sacked Frank Lampard which seemed a little insane to me. Arsenal have had a poor start to the season yet Arteta doesn’t seem like he is anywhere close to being sacked.

Man U beat Liverpool and as per usual Marcus Rashford was front and centre of everything.. The wheels seems to coming of a bit for  Liverpool considering how dominant they where last season. They might be struggling the weight of expectation to do well. 

Now Arsenal are out of  the FA Cup I will do my best to still blog about the FA Cup.

Boxing Day 2015

Wow it been awhile since I blogged but I thought it was quite important to at least start blogging again in the New Year! The Boxing Day was a pretty horrendous start for some teams. 

Arsenal lost four goals to nil to Southampton and it was there worst loss in about eighteen months. I can only speculate that the teams mind was elsewhere which caused them to loose badly. 

Manchester United also had a bad day they lost two nil to Stoke City and for Manchester United they have been experiencing quite a few losses recently and their fans are getting nervous 

now. 

Chelsea drew two all with Watford which was really awful draw for them

As they desparately needs to win games to climb up the table. 

Manchester City did very well and they beat Sunderland by four goals to one. This means are they still in the top four. 

Liverpool also got a good win the best Leicester City by a goal to nil and Liverpool have been struggling and even their new manager I can imagine it will take at least a season before they start getting real results. 

So the Boxing Day match result where somewhat of a shock and I was surprised that both Manchester United and Arsenal got so badly beaten. 

Premiership - 1st January 2015

I haven't blogged in a while mainly because I wanted to get some well earned rest from blogging as well holding down a job. 

My lack of blogging was not particularly helped by watching Arsenal mess things up time and time again. 

New year but same old Arsenal as soon as I saw the team line up I knew it was going to be a tough match to win against a Southampton team that have had an amazing start. 

So I was not too surprised when Southampton beat Arsenal by two goals to nil. Arsenal defence is probably the worst I have ever seen. 

They are not comfortable in the air and when the other team is running at them the defence backs off. 

So it was another terrible loss for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger has no plans to strengthen the defence in the transfer window so it could be a really tough next five months for the team. 

Elsewhere Manchester United drew one  all with Stoke City this was a surprising result as Man United have being doing well and if they had won this match it would have helped to consolidate their third position and even challenge for the top two positions. 

Manchester City just about beat Sunderland by three goals two to help them retain the title they won last year. 

I don't think Manchester City are playing well but they are doing enough to win their games and get those valuable points. 

The shock of the day was Tottenham beating Chelsa by five goals to three. This loss would have really have hurt Chelsea because many including myself had gifted them title and I did not see them losing a match. 

So this loss to Tottenham has definitely made the race to the title a little more interesting as Manchester City and Chelsea are now only separated by goal difference.  

Premiership review - 5th/6th April 2014

In the weekend premiership fixtures, Chelsea beat Stoke City by three goals to  nil and this was a good win for Jose Mourinho and it keeps Chelsea in second place. 

Man City beat Southampton by four goals to one, Southampton started off really well. However Man City where soon in the ascendency and won the game and the match.

This was a good win for a Man City and with two games in hand it does gives Man City an advantage of winning the league. 

Manchester United beat Newcastle by four goals to nil. This was a good win Manchester United and it should keep the fans off David Moyes's back. 

The shock of the weekend was Everton beating Arsenal by three goals to nil. By all accounts Arsenal played a shocking game and in the some parts of the game they had very little possession. 

Arsenal made few tackles and had few shots either on or off target. What was most surprising was that Arsene Wenger waited for Arsenal to be three nil down before making any substitutions. 

So this was a bad loss for Arsenal and they now have it all to do to hold on to the fourth spot. 

However Arsenal can still win some silverware in the FA Cup and the semi- final game takes place next weekend. Hopefully if Arsenal make the final it might help their season end on a positive note. 

The league leaders Liverpool beat West Ham by two goals to one. It was quite a controversial game with the referee given West Ham a strange equaliser. 

However Liverpool where able to put the controversy behind them and score that all important second goal. 

This was a good win for Liverpool and it takes them a little closer to securing their first league title in over twenty years. 

Premiership review - 1st / 2nd March 2014

The Premiership games took place over the weekend and Stoke City beat Arsenal by one goal to nil. 

 

This was a bad loss for Arsenal and has put them four points behind the league leaders Chelsea and they are two point in front of Manchester City who have two game advantage. 

Arsenal can still win the league but it is going to take a monumental effort and sadly I don't believe Arsenal have the players who can win the league.

Chelsea beat Fulham by three goals to one and this win helped to cement their lead at the top of the league. 

Liverpool beat Southampton by three goals to nil and this win has put them second in the league.

Chelsea are top of the league but it remains very close with just a couple of points between the teams. 

Premiership review 28/01/2014

Premiership returned last night and Arsenal drew two all with Southampton. This was a bad draw from Arsenal's perspective as Arsenal need to beat teams like Southampton if they are to win the league. 

Arsenal next game is Crystal Palace at home and it is a must win game. After this game Arsenal have some very tough matches ahead.

Hopefully Arsene Wenger has learnt his lessons from last night and will put out a stronger team against a resurgent Crystal Palace.  

By contrast Liverpool beat Everton by four goals to nil and it goes show what a strong team Liverpool has and they could still win the league. 

Manchester United also beat Cardiff City by two goals nil and they played their new signing Juan Mata. This was a good win for Man United and will help them to get at least a Champions League place. 

So Arsenal are still top of the league but Manchester City and Chelsea play tonight so it could all change. 

Premiership weekend of 7/8th December 2013

Over the weekend Man United lost by one goal to nil to Newcastle. It was a shock result because Newcastle had not beaten Man United at Old Trafford for over thirty years. 

David Moyes is now under serious pressure and if Man United lose any more  matches, it will be difficult for him to hold on to his job.

In another shock result Stoke a City beat Chelsea by three goals to two. It has been over thirty years since Stoke beat  Chelsea. 

However Chelsea are still third in the premiership so at the moment Jose Mourinho is not feeling the pressure. 

Man City drew one all with Southampton in match that most people expected them to win.

 However they are still top four and they play Arsenal next and this match will be a big match for both clubs. 

Arsenal drew one all with Everton at home and it was probably a fair reflection of the match. 

I suspect that Arsene Wenger had one eye the final Champions League match so he did not play all our best eleven at once. 

Arsenal played reasonably well but Everton where really up for the challenge and did not leave empty handed.

Arsenal are still top league and are five points ahead of second place Liverpool. Who beat West Ham by four goals to one. 

So Arsenal have a little cushion but is there is still all to play for. 

Premiership review 1st December 2013

In yesterday's premiership matches Hull beat Liverpool by three goals to one. It was the first time that Hull had beaten Liverpool.

I was surprised by the result,  I thought that Liverpool where serious contenders for the title this year. So to lose like that makes me think that they are not ready to win the title. 

Chelsea beat Southampton by three goals to one and that has helped them consolidate their second place. Any slip ups from Arsenal and Chelsea will be ready to pounce. 

Manchester City beat Swansea City by three goals to nil and that was a good win against a very good Swansea City team. 

Tottenham and Man United drew two all and to be fair both teams need a win. So I would have thought they would view this draw as a loss. 

Tottenham's manager Andres Villas Boas has been really feeling heat. He his now demanding he get more respect. But I understand how the fans feel.

 

He has spent over a hundred million pounds, so ninth in the league must feel like a real kick in the teeth for some fans. 

Sometimes managers don't really get the pain that fans go through and to see your team languishing in ninth place must be a little painful. 

So Arsenal are still top of the league by four points but there is still plenty of football to play. 

Premiership review 23rd November 2013

The Premiership returned yesterday after the international break and Arsenal beat Southampton by two goals to nil.

This was a good win as Southampton where third in the league. I am mightly relieved that Arsene Wenger took this game seriously. 

This win was also needed after the disappointing loss to Manchester United. 

This winning this game would has helped us to stay top of the league and continue in the winning mentality.

Which is so desparately needed after eight seasons of no trophies. I was pleased that Olivier Giroud got the goals.

As I think he has not had a good start to the season. So hopefully this will encourage him to be more confident in front of goal. 

Lastly this win has helped us to break our  poor November record where we have not had many wins in this month. 

 

Elsewhere Chelsea beat West Ham by three goals to nil and this win has put them in a top four position and and just four points behind Arsenal. 

I was surprised at the ease in which Chelsea beat West Ham as the rivalry between both clubs would make this kind of scoreline difficult to get. 

Lastly Liverpool drew three all to Everton and I was not suprised by this result has merseyside rivalries would make this a tough encounter. 

However I was suprised that Brendan Rogers named Kolo Toure as a sub and then didn't play him. 

I would have thought the Rogers would know how important Kolo his to the defence. 

Liverpool have not been conceding too many goals. That is I fully expect Kolo to be back in the back four in the next match.

So with Liverpool drawing and Arsenal winning it has extended Arsenal lead at the top to four points. Definitely exciting times if you are an Arsenal fan!

Premiership round up

The premiership was back this weekend after the international games and for some teams like Arsenal they picked up where they left off. 

Arsenal beat Norwich City by four goals to one, at home and what made this victory even sweeter was the fact that Mesut Ozil scored his first home premiership goals. 

It was also nice to see Carzola back and Ramsey on the score sheet. In my opinion Arsenal don't have eleven world beaters. But what they do have is great team spirit and a never give up attitude. 

The test will really come for a Arsenal in November and that is historically for Arsenal a lean period. 

So if we can get a couple of wins and some draws then we will definitely be challenging for the title this season.

That win Against Norwich City put Arsenal top of the league and three points ahead of the chasing pack. 

Liverpool who where joint top with Arsenal drew two all against Newcastle and it was a good point for Liverpool. As they are going to mount a strong challenge for the title this season.

Man City beat a West Ham by three goals to one to keep them in the top four places. 

Tottenham beat Aston Villa by two goals to nil to keep them in fifth position. Chelsea beat Cardiff City by four goals to one and they are now second in the league behind Arsenal.

However the most unexpected result of the weekend was Man United drawing one all with Southampton. 

As I was listening to the match on the radio I didn't really see how Southampton where going to get back into the match. 

But low and behold a minute before the ninetieth minute Lallana scored the equaliser. It's the kind of result that would  have heaped more pressure on David Moyes's shoulders. 

But to be fair to Southampton they are currently top five for a reason. So there hard work in securing the draw should not be ignored. 

If I was a Man United fan I would be a little worried purely because I cannot remember the last time Man United where eighth in league. 

But at the same time the league does not get decided in October. So there is still lots to play for!

 

Premiership round up

There were some truly gripping games in the premiership at the weekend. 

On Saturday Southampton beat Liverpool one nil and I was not too surprised as in the past Liverpool have found it difficult to beat Southampton.

But Liverpool have had a good start to the season and some people were just starting to seem as title contenders. So this result would have dampened the contending for title talk.

Chelsea also beat their West London rivals two nil. This result was not too surprising Fulham have been struggling to get wins. 

The Super Sunday matches lived up to there billing. Arsenal beat Stoke City three one and this was a good win.

My only real concern is in the back four and  especially central defence pairing of Koscielny and Mertesacker. Neither has pace and against better teams their lack of pace will become more apparent. 

However it was a very good win and to win with the set play goals was also nice.   As much as I love watching Arsenal score intricate goals, uits nice that we can score simple goals and bag the three points.

Tottenham scored a last minute goal to to beat the newly promoted Cardiff City one nil. I had expected Tottenham to win but I am really glad that Cardiff City made them fight for it.

Man City hammered Man United four goals to one. It was a score line that I was not expecting.

As I was watching the match I kept expecting that Man United would come back and at least draw the match. 

The only Man United player who never gave up was Wayne Rooney. He came across as angry and embarrassed by the score line and was desparate to make amends. 

Rooney did get the consolation goal for his hard work but that was about it. What I found strange was how passive David Moyes was throughout match. 

Sir Alex Ferguson would have been chewing his gum and pacing up and down the touch line.

After the final whistle Sir Alex would have been down the tunnel in a flash. David Moyes is no Sir Alex and I am sure United fans are praying that he does not turn their team into Everton mark two. 

I think Moyes test will come when they play Arsenal because one thing for Sir Alex would never have allowed Arsenal to beat them like that.

 So if Arsenal were to get a victory like that then  David Moyes 's days as United's manager would be numbered.

    

Premiership games preview 21/09/13

There are some interesting games in the premiership taking place today.

Liverpool take on Southampton and on paper it would look like a win for Liverpool. However, Liverpool tend struggle with games against Southampton so it could either way.

Chelsea take on their West London rivals Fulham at home. Fulham have been struggling to win games, so I think Chelsea will win but Fulham could still cause an upset.