BlueRayDick:


Nobody can help pepe, he's the one who needs to help himself. He should sit on the bench and watch the Hale End products how they run things in the final third.

A case point is Saka's play in build to the first goal; Saka had his man right in front of him with the option of either trying a body feint and cutting the ball back or making a nonthreatening pass to anybody around him....... Saka in that instant took on his man, when the presure to get the ball off was much he passed right back into the box having spotted an unmarked Smith-Rowe.

The second goal also had Smith-Rowe combining as quickly as possible with Auba on the counter; He didn't hesitate to make the pass available to Auba once he was standing unmarked in a good goal scoring position.

Those are the little things we expect from Pepe in addition to having a good first touch/ball control.

Is that too hard for a 72million rated player to do ? How the best coach in the world wan take help am if he will not help himself do these little things?

At a price tag of 72 million, we all have a right to question his display over a season and running. In truth it's hard to defend him but I just feel like he has something in there to turn it around and make us even more scary .

Yes the Saka moments are valuable lessons for him to learn as per not just the right decision making but the SPEED in decision making . Also noteworthy is how to press . I honestly see your point of view and I hope for his sake and that of the team, he can put his head down and dig deep to start getting it right

BlueRayDick:


I see all these things as agenda!

Yes a good keeper communicates with defence.....My question to you is; Is Leno a dumb that doesn't talk to his defenders? The answer is NO!

I've watched Leno play since the moment Cech made way for him and I can say it categorically he is far from an average goalkeeper, in fact he's a very good goalkeeper who has saved our asses countless times even when we had clowns manning our defence. The fact that the team is playing well overall in his absence doesn't make him a bad keeper. Na agenda dey make una single out Ramsadale as if he's the Bruno man utd signed that year.

If our defence and midfield goes back to what dem Chambers, Holding, Xhaka et al were serving us late last season and early this season, you will see that this "vocalization" you keep singing to high heaven will mean absolutely nothing.

I am a fan who gives credit to performing players and I rightly commended Ramsdale for his shwoing yesterday; same with Partey,Tomiyasu, my ever dependable Gabriel and even the Xhaka I am a lifetime critic of.

Same way the team played well when martinez was here, think about it this way what went wrong
Why the coincidence not once but twice
Those you called clowns were the one playing with martinez before he left, stop using defenders as yardstick for leno cos we all know afc keepers have been paired with all of them

Barryseal:


thanks TT for not shaming me. My complete faith in him when he first signed is being justified. Shout out to Gabriel who was the man of the match for me. He cleared, tackled and out fought every player he came against. Played like a throwback Sol Campbell, absolute monster of a defender.
Ramsdale was on another level entirely. I critisized his signing but had to stop when I heard he took his grandfather's ash to his Arsenal unvealing. That was a clear signal he was for business. He has shown why he has been player of the year for his 3 previous clubs. You all owe him an apology

Spot on. I remember vividly that your quoted post and I thank God he's changed most guys mind about him. Most people weren't even excited about his signing cos he was largely unknown here and also the doom and gloom around arsenal atmosphere with all those losses we had, so we seeing another defender again, no one was motivated to even look out deeply to know the kind of player he is. Glad we got him and Ramsdale, esp Ramsdale. I criticised his signing earlier on thinking he's a back up keeper but wen spy(I think) told me he's to rival Leno for the no 1 spot I toned down a bit. Glad he's also becoming a fan's favorite.

All in all, those two are shrewd business so far considering their impact and how much we bought them. Excellent deals if you ask me

iamoyindamola:

Same way the team played well when martinez was here, think about it this way what went wrong
Why the coincidence not once but twice
Those you called clowns were the one playing with martinez before he left, stop using defenders as yardstick for leno cos we all know afc keepers have been paired with all of them

Lol...

iamoyindamola:

Same way the team played well when martinez was here, think about it this way what went wrong
Why the coincidence not once but twice
Those you called clowns were the one playing with martinez before he left, stop using defenders as yardstick for leno cos we all know afc keepers have been paired with all of them

Nothing u’ve said here counters my point in the post above. My point was very clear; Leno is not some Kepa Arrizabalaga or Vincente Guaita that drinks goal gives away goals like y’all trying to paint him.I understand u are still pained that he was retained while Martinez was cashed-in on ( It’s normal for one to feel that way especially knowing they are both good players )

However, this does not in any way make him a bad keeper at all. You may choose to argue otherwise but I Will say things the way I see them. I’ve acknowledged his weakness to be lack of aerial dominance and ball distribution from the back .....However I’m not one to throw the baby away with bath water.

Leno played in front of our weak midfield and a defence that exposed him almost every week yet he kept us in a lot of matches with his astonishing saves. I will be unfair as a far to overlook those things and start binding him to the Philistines claiming he was never good enough for us. No I won’t.

Ramsdale is here , playing well for now and I’m happy to see that play out..... If u will not agree that our improved defence has contributed to Ramsdale good showing thus far, I don’t think there’s need for further debate on this Leno-Ramsdale matter.

Make the team sha do well irrespective of which player is getting playing time and we will all be happy as fans

BlueRayDick:


Nothing u’ve said here counters my point in the post above. My point was very clear; Leno is not some Kepa Arrizabalaga or Vincente Guaita that drinks goal gives away goals like y’all trying to paint him.I understand u are still pained that he was retained while Martinez was cashed-in on ( It’s normal for one to feel that way especially knowing they are both good players )

However, this does not in any way make him a bad keeper at all. You may choose to argue otherwise but I Will say things the way I see them. I’ve acknowledged his weakness to be lack of aerial dominance and ball distribution from the back .....However I’m not one to throw the baby away with bath water.

Leno played in front of our weak midfield and a defence that exposed him almost every week yet he kept us in a lot of matches with his astonishing saves. I will be unfair as a far to overlook those things and start binding him to the Philistines claiming he was never good enough for us. No I won’t.

Ramsdale is here , playing well for now and I’m happy to see that play out..... If u will not agree that our improved defence has contributed to Ramsdale good showing thus far, I don’t think there’s need for further debate on this Leno-Ramsdale matter.

Make the team sha do well irrespective of which player is getting playing time and we will all be happy as fans

No one said he's a bad keeper, you claimed he was paired with clowns as defenders.
Did Martinez not play with those clowns yes or no

Jodera:
While you have a great point concerning Leno especially the personnel in front of Leno then is valid but I feel where Spy360 is coming from is that Ramsdale is good at passing out from the back. Not just good at it, but he knows when to pass and when not to do so. When Leno was keeping, we all thought it was a must our Gk must pass from the back cos of the robotic way he was going about it thus increasing the pressure in our defenders and the mistakes our defenders will now make due to his passes. This season Ramsdale proved it's not so, cos on numerous times he's budeyed the ball, went long and even sometimes taken the ball out of play. This one difference between him and Leno will definitely increase the confidence and trust from the defenders in him knowing that they have a Gk who knows what to do and when to do it at a particular time.

Secondly, the issue of aerial dominance. Ramsdale is far better than Leno in commanding his area and knowing wen to come out for aerial ball or not. This also reduces the pressure on the defenders knowing fully well that once a Gk catches a cross, that's the end of attack from the opposition. Brentford's second goal was Leno's fault cos of lack of aerial dominance. Burnley did exact same thing to Ramsdale(during a corner) and the way he went about it made me realize that Leno wasn't all that innocent the way I first thought he was. I believe Ramsdale wouldn't have conceded that 2nd goal against Brentford

Now while Leno is a good shot stopper than Ramsdale and have good reflexes than him also, but if all these other attributes Ramsdale had over Leno, then it's no coincidence why people think Ramsdale is the better Gk for us. After all, he's not too bad in shot stopping even tho he's probably not as good as Leno in that area.

As regards your first point, no keeper or player is infallible...I've seen at least instances Ramsadale almost gave the ball away in two different matches but was lucky enough to wriggle his way out. In fact, our second goal yesterday he almost gave the ball to the onrushing Hojberg before Xhaka bailed him out with what looks like a foul on Hojberg. The fact that Ramsadale's mistakes haven't led to goals does not mean he doesn't make them. I choose to dwell on the players' strength hence why you don't see me talking about these things......

For now, my position still remains seeing how much of a shot-stopper Ramsdale is and I will pass my judmenet. Presently he's having the time of his life, I hope to see him play this well against superior opponents like Loserpool and dem City.

iamoyindamola:

No one said he's a bad keeper, you claimed he was paired with clowns as defenders.
Did Martinez not play with those clowns yes or no

I didn't claim He was paired with clown defenders, I stated it clearly that Leno played in front of defenders we collectively agreed were terrible and a midfield that was a perfect market(free entry and free exit things ). I can dig our posts in matches against dem Crystal palace, Chelsea , etc and show you where we individually and collectively acknowledged our midfield and defence were really not up to their tasks.

Martinez best days were in the cup matches in the run-up to our FA cup victory and few league matches. Martinez showed he was equally as good as Leno. We've had this argument over and over again. I hate revisionism!

BlueRayDick:


I didn't claim He was paired with clown defenders, I stated it clearly that Leno played in front of defenders we collectively agreed were terrible and a midfield that was a perfect market(free entry and free exit things ). I can dig our posts in matches against dem Crystal palace, Chelsea , etc and show you where we individually and collectively acknowledged our midfield and defence were really not up to their tasks.

Martinez best days were in the cup matches in the run-up to our FA cup victory and few league matches. Martinez showed he was equally as good as Leno. We've had this argument over and over again. I hate revisionism!

Same defender martinez had a good run with yes or no

BlueRayDick:


As regards your first point, no keeper or player is infallible...I've seen at least instances Ramsadale almost gave the ball away in two different matches but was lucky enough to wriggle his way out. In fact, our second goal yesterday he almost gave the ball to the onrushing Hojberg before Xhaka bailed him out with what looks like a foul on Hojberg. The fact that Ramsadale's mistakes haven't led to goals does not mean he doesn't make them. I choose to dwell on the players' strength hence why you don't see me talking about these things......

For now, my position still remains seeing how much of a shot-stopper Ramsdale is and I will pass my judmenet. Presently he's having the time of his life, I hope to see him play this well against superior opponents like Loserpool and dem City.

You keep making this up over and over again
I have seen where leno willingly gave the ball away even after seeing his players were closed down
Go and check error leading to goals btw leno, martinez and ramsdale

iamoyindamola:

You keep making this up over and over again
I have seen where leno willingly gave the ball away even after seeing his players were closed down
Go and check error leading to goals btw leno, martinez and ramsdale

I am not making anything up, I watch almost all Arsenal matches every season even when we were piss-poor.....I don't watch those matches with sentiments too and I say it the way I see it.

Someone talked about Leno's errors and how it affected us in the past, it is only necessary for me to point it out that Ramsdale himself is not immune to errors because I've seen him on the brink of it in the little matches he has played thus far.

You keep missing the point. I can't just jump into conclusion and start calling Ramsdale the return of Manuel Neuer with just few games under his belt. I hope to see him become an excellent goalkeeper in an Arsenal shirt.

That's.y position for now

Jodera:
Spot on. I remember vividly that your quoted post and I thank God he's changed most guys mind about him. Most people weren't even excited about his signing cos he was largely unknown here and also the doom and gloom around arsenal atmosphere with all those losses we had, so we seeing another defender again, no one was motivated to even look out deeply to know the kind of player he is. Glad we got him and Ramsdale, esp Ramsdale. I criticised his signing earlier on thinking he's a back up keeper but wen spy(I think) told me he's to rival Leno for the no 1 spot I toned down a bit. Glad he's also becoming a fan's favorite.

All in all, those two are shrewd business so far considering their impact and how much we bought them. Excellent deals if you ask me

Absolutely. Ramsdale could become a legend. Scary to think he is just #23.Having come from the school of hard knocks, being relegated twice in his early 20s, has helped his desperation to succeed which has been infectious to the defenders. His high fives, and bigging up good defensive plays makes the defenders want to protect him, you can see a bromance building between him and all the 4 defenders. I shudder to think how good this team could have been if Pepe played like a 72M player.

BlueRayDick:


As regards your first point, no keeper or player is infallible...I've seen at least instances Ramsadale almost gave the ball away in two different matches but was lucky enough to wriggle his way out. In fact, our second goal yesterday he almost gave the ball to the onrushing Hojberg before Xhaka bailed him out with what looks like a foul on Hojberg. The fact that Ramsadale's mistakes haven't led to goals does not mean he doesn't make them. I choose to dwell on the players' strength hence why you don't see me talking about these things......

For now, my position still remains seeing how much of a shot-stopper Ramsdale is and I will pass my judmenet. Presently he's having the time of his life, I hope to see him play this well against superior opponents like Loserpool and dem City.

Yeah, he made mistakes that nearly led to goals but I get your point, esp your 2nd paragraph. Fair enough.
I also hope that have the kind of impact for us same way Allison had for Liverpool and Mendy had for Chelsea.

Barryseal:

Absolutely. Ramsdale could become a legend. Scary to think he is just #23.Having come from the school of hard knocks, being relegated twice in his early 20s, has helped his desperation to succeed which has been infectious to the defenders. His high fives, and bigging up good defensive plays makes the defenders want to protect him, you can see a bromance building between him and all the 4 defenders. I shudder to think how good this team could have been if Pepe played like a 72M player.

I tell you. He gives that confidence and doggedness in that defence. Good aerially all, that coupled with how our ALL our defenders are good in air and good at passing out from the back, I think our defence issues is over for now with those back 5, I just pray and hope they keep up the good work.

It's up to the midfield and attack to step up. I'm glad other people have started scoring asides Auba cos that was really my fear entering this season. I've not given up hope on Pepe totally sha, I'm just waiting to see him have a run of games on the left wing then see if there's hope. If he can just nick it there, then our attack bromance will be interesting.

I just pray and hope ystdy game is the beginning of something new and not an impressive show for Henry and Ek

Jodera:
Yeah, he made mistakes that nearly led to goals but I get your point, esp your 2nd paragraph. Fair enough.
I also hope that have the kind of impact for us same way Allison had for Liverpool and Mendy had for Chelsea.

This will give me nothing but joy especially if the rest of the team consolidates on it and we finish strong at the end of the season.

BlueRayDick:


I see all these things as agenda!

Yes a good keeper communicates with defence.....My question to you is; Is Leno a dumb that doesn't talk to his defenders? The answer is NO!

I've watched Leno play since the moment Cech made way for him and I can say it categorically he is far from an average goalkeeper, in fact he's a very good goalkeeper who has saved our asses countless times even when we had clowns manning our defence. The fact that the team is playing well overall in his absence doesn't make him a bad keeper. Na agenda dey make una single out Ramsadale as if he's the Bruno man utd signed that year.

If our defence and midfield goes back to what dem Chambers, Holding, Xhaka et al were serving us late last season and early this season, you will see that this "vocalization" you keep singing to high heaven will mean absolutely nothing.

I am a fan who gives credit to performing players and I rightly commended Ramsdale for his shwoing yesterday; same with Partey,Tomiyasu, my ever dependable Gabriel and even the Xhaka I am a lifetime critic of.

Leno is not a bad keeper but there is a reason why Ramsdale came in and benched him. That reason is communication. If Leno can learn to be as vocal as Ramsdale (perhaps his English) he will be the better keeper. Please note this properly.

Barryseal:


thanks TT for not shaming me. My complete faith in him when he first signed is being justified. Shout out to Gabriel who was the man of the match for me. He cleared, tackled and out fought every player he came against. Played like a throwback Sol Campbell, absolute monster of a defender.
Ramsdale was on another level entirely. I critisized his signing but had to stop when I heard he took his grandfather's ash to his Arsenal unvealing. That was a clear signal he was for business. He has shown why he has been player of the year for his 3 previous clubs. You all owe him an apology

It's just you and Kokane who owe him an apology. Lol.

BlueRayDick:


This will give me nothing but joy especially if the rest of the team consolidates on it and we finish strong at the end of the season.

I tell you, if we finish this season strongly, no greater joy especially wen rival fans have written us off completely

Pepe can be very dangerous but that's only when he is in the box. I have said this several times. He needs to be in the box. The only way for that to happen is if he plays as a support striker. So whether he is playing LW or RW if he can't get himself inside the box, he is of little use.

Spy360:

Leno is not a bad keeper but there is a reason why Ramsdale came in and benched him. That reason is communication. If Leno can learn to be as vocal as Ramsdale (perhaps his English) he will be the better keeper. Please note this properly.

I have tried not to get stuck in the Ramsdale/leno comparison. Leno is a great shot stopper no doubt but an average goalkeeper. Forget communication, Lenos biggest problem is aerial dominance and secondly Leno is not a catcher , he is a puncher. I have seen him always parry the ball straight into an attackers path, Mane have scored many times against him with this trick alone. His parrying and lack of vertical dominance have cause us points.
Catching instead of punching out the ball calms the defense and gives evryone a breather. Martinez and recently Ramsdale have shown this.

Steve bould useless sha, after he was sacked last season
Per took over and everything changed, when he was with baba wengay he did nothing

Roland17 Your boy can't just stop getting better and doing big things.

BlueRayDick:
Roland17 Your boy can't just stop getting better and doing big things.

Most times we forget how young this guy is and how much he has achieved at his age.. At his age, he not only played in the Euros but started the finals. We also forget, how many games he has played over the last year for club and national team and stayed healthy for the most part. Saka pretty much saved Arteta's job.. I agree with people who say he is tired but I am against the way many people were expressing it. He will continue to improve and I have said this before, I am scared he may get poached if we don't get serious about the direction of the club.

Jodera:
Oasis how far??
K. Tierney still dey your FPL team?

Una still dey concede nau. I didn't even bin am only, I cremate am join.

Bants aside, Its so sweet seeing you Guys happy. It has been so long Bro. The Thread is filled with Grin Emojis since Saturday..... excitement and positive vibes on every page.

Tomiyasu loves Emirates. He knows what he's come to.

I love how he's thinking of the box 18 that just that side of his.

Arteta celebration eh. Be like asif na UCL final

Auba on 50 goals at the Emirates. Epic.

Arsenal’s next six fixtures:

Brighton A
Crystal Palace H
Aston Villa H
Leeds H
Leicester A
Watford H



Can take 14points minimum.

Palace may be tough. The rest..... Dem go hearam.

Roland17:


Watching Partey recover from that dirty tackle from Skipp to finish the game was important. You will notice opponents are now targeting Partey with some of the nastiest tackles. His conditioning is getting better with each game and this will only make his ability to recover/ withstand bad challenges improve.

Yeah my heart skipped a beat when he went down. I think missing out in Europe will be beneficial in getting him up to speed.
Let's just pray nothing bad happens in AFCON.

Oasis007:




Una still dey concede nau. I didn't even bin am only, I cremate am join.

Bants aside, Its so sweet seeing you Guys happy. It has been so long Bro. The Thread is filled with Grin Emojis since Saturday..... excitement and positive vibes on every page.

Lol... But I tell you say arsenal season starts after Intl break na, say by then all our players go don come back. Chai. So you no profit from Tierney CS wey arsenal keep

Omo, it's good to be happy again o, even tho it's for the time being. At least make we cherish am small and get hope for next matches. The good thing is that no one is getting carried away yet.

daveP:
Arsenal’s next six fixtures:

Brighton A
Crystal Palace H
Aston Villa H
Leeds H
Leicester A
Watford H



Can take 14points minimum.

Palace may be tough. The rest..... Dem go hearam.

You mean from all the clubs that's up there, na crystal palace you think say go tough pass??

My opinion : Brighton, Aston Villa and Leicester will give us tough work than crystal palace

daveP:
Tomiyasu loves Emirates. He knows what he's come to.

I love how he's thinking of the box 18 that just that side of his.

Mehn, this Tomi double leg play dey sweet me. I remember vividly that his pass to smith Rowe, I was already confused who is he going to pass to without making mistake since I felt he was already pressed(esp his right leg) and Tottenham seemed to have covered everywhere only to be surprised seeing him switch to his left foot and make that pass thereby beating the press.

Las las, we don sign better right back.
Long may his great performances continue

iamoyindamola:
Steve bould useless sha, after he was sacked last season
Per took over and everything changed, when he was with baba wengay he did nothing

Wenger no even allow anybody do anything sef. All him assistants na mannequin.

Na so Pat Rice then go just dey watch match free of charge too, no discussion with Wenger, no nothing