Individual errors prove costly..again!!!

I’m not normally one to hide behind excuses when the lads get beat. To be honest I find them all incredibly boring. Every year we hear the same things such as our injuries hampered us, we’ve got no money, the media are against us and the referees are anti arsenal. After so long I lose interest in debating with these people because that’s what footballs about. You are going to get injuries but you have to build a squad to be able to cope with them. You may have no money but you have to work with the resources you have. The media have always been the same and will say anything to sell a story or attract ratings, only the very feeble minded will listen to washouts like Redknapp, Hansen and co (who themselves were never good enough to make managers) and believe everything they say. Then of corse you’ll always get the odd ref who acts like a total spaz. No matter what it may be, excuses are for losers. It’s a way of hiding behind your deficiencies and pointing the finger at someone else always appears to be the best option, but it doesn’t help. Excuses just lead to that smug attitude and complacency and it doesn’t solve the problems at hand. I find a bit of constructive criticism better. Sod the excuses. Like I said it’s for losers and quitters. Winners tackle the problem head on and evaluate where THEY went wrong and pull all the stops to fix it.

I could adopt the latter attitude to last nights game but i wont. Why?? Because it’s probably one of the biggest acts of football corruption I’ve ever witnessed in recent times. Quite simply we were robbed. This is not an excuse, it’s a fact..

Ok. I’ll admit that some of our players didn’t turn up last night but neither did the ref. We still controlled large parts of the game and we deserved to take at least a draw..

I found the first half very entertaining. Both sides going after each other from the off with Big Sol rolling back the years with some super tackles and a nice little goal..

Fabianski’s mistake to concede an early opener for the home side was very school boy and the second goal we conceded was just a comical farce, can’t really totally put blame on him for that. All I’ll say is next time that happens kick it. Don’t take the risk, if in doubt give it a clout.

What is it about our lads and own goals recently?? Why don’t we have a keeper who has safe hands and not butterfingers?? Maybe it’s a problem for Wenger to address in the summer, but for now we are stuck with what we’ve got. There’s an old saying in football that a good keeper will win you matches. Our keepers gift the opposition goals at ease at the minute and its very concerning. How can we expect to win medals when our top 2 choice keepers look barely capable of tying their own shoelaces?? These individual errors need to be cut out, or at least cut down. Every player makes mistakes but our players are making massive ones in crucial games and they are all leading to goals.It’s got to be said it’s not a sign of a team challenging for silverware..

I know this is a bit different from a match report, but seeing as though the ref thought everyone was there to watch him I’d really like to concentrate on his contribution and give him a rating. Wouldn’t want to steal the limelight from the players now would we???

1..Cesc was getting hammered left right and centre. It was obvious to most neutrals that after a bright start by Porto, they had become tired from matching us blow for blow by the end of the first half, so proceeded to what can only be called assault our star man. Constant foul after foul, the majority from behind and from one man in particular, Fernando. I counted at least 5 times he hacked down Cesc so why did the ref only give him a yellow in the last ten minutes when Diaby got carded for his first clumsy tackle in the first half???

2..How the hell did the ref not see the foul on Rosicky in the box? Every man and his dog saw it was a pen. You didn’t need a replay to make sure it was it was stone wall. Stevie wonder would have seen it but I guess after ‘Eduardogate’ we are never going to get another penalty again..

3..Within 30 seconds of the penalty that was, that wasn’t, but really was and would have been if it was any other team but Arsenal, Porto hit a long ball that brushed of Big Sol’s toenail and Fabianski picked up. Now even on the replay you couldn’t really make out if it had even hit Sol, nevermind him intentionally passing it back, because thats what I thought a pass back was – intentionally passing it back to your keeper. So how the hell the ref could see it touched Sol from 30 yards behind the play and he couldn’t see the Rosicky penalty I’ll never know. Not ending matters there, the ref demanded the ball off Fabianski and gave it to the cheating Porto player and before anyone knew it the ball was in the net. The ref wasn’t even looking at the play, how can he allow it if he aint looking? Not only that but he was interfering with play by blocking Sol and it was supposed to be an indirect freekick. You might as well have given them a fucking penalty into an open net you prick…

Martin Hannson..10..Well done son, wonderful display. Man of the match and as Rico would say- you were the ‘knob of the night’ and you ruined what started off being a decent spectacle of football, you corrupt tosser.

Anyway I think we’ll still win this tie. We’ve got a good record against Porto at home and we’ve got that crucial away goal. With the return of a few walking wounded and with the absence of Porto’s star play (Hannson) we should knock 3 or 4 past them with ease…

Oh and by the way. What did anyone think of Cesc’s comments after the match?? Frustrated or frustrated with how things are going at Arsenal???