Okay, so Arsenal fans have managed to hound Shkodran Mustafi out of the Gunners first team, and now we have made Granit Xhaka into the next scapegoat for anything that goes wrong in any game whatsoever. So Arsenal let Palace came back from a 2-0 lead, but, seriously, was that all Xhaka’s fault? He was taken off in today’s game against Crystal Palace, but the way the fans treated him was nothing less than despicable and wasn’t this abuse a bit too much? Cheering when it was announced and then booing as he got closer to the dugout.
Can you imagine getting treated like that when you are doing your very best, and what else can you do. It looks to me that he gets blamed for every single game that we don’t win, but only since Mustafi was forced out of the squad by our abusive fans.
Seriously, is this treatment fair? Look at the video and decide yourself….
Sam P
Xhaka offering on the whole Emirates, cupping his ear, telling the fans to fuck off, taking his shirt off and walking down the tunnel.
The Arsenal captain…. 😂
— N™ (@FergieEsque) October 27, 2019
Was that abuse a bit too much?
We don’t have players who a willing to run and fight for every ball for 90mins. Its very obvious and its the reason why we are struggling. Each time we start a game, we start with a slow paced manner. No team will give us the room to play nice and easy football any more. We have to match these teams and fight for every ball before using our superior quality to win. But from what I have seen of this Arsenal team, we don’t the required quality to dominate and win matches easily. Why the Liverpool and Man city teams are so good is because they first of all match their opponents energy for energy, strength for strength, before using their superior quality, stamina and pace to win games. Arsenal players am afraid do not have that.
Wrong.
They give play their hearts out. But, the system matters. Emery has no clue to play at this level.
City and LFC have great players and young players in a mix with the proper system for the team.
Arsenal has the wrong system with no great players.
We could be playing more like City with the talent now available, but it won’t happen with an unimaginative dud for a coach.
They work hard and fight for every ball mind you. The problem is he wants his players to be industrious but he sacrifices creativity in the process. We should strive for balance. People criticize Ozil because he didn’t produce assist, killer pass, blahblah. They overlook the fact that he topped the list in the number of passes to opposition’s third. We missed Ramsey’ late runs that often produced goals, everyone is fixed on their area, no fluidity. Torreira, what has he done wrong to be benched? He is quicker than Xhaka, gritty, determined to win back possesion,and quick to release pass. Guenduozi and Ceballos are good, but Xhaka is not. We need one player to make it right, Ozil/Torreira for me.
I think you miss the point. I was an Arsenal fan for 30 years. And the only ones who should be ashamed now is Arsenal fans. I am so sad Arsenal fans have gotten so rotten. To buu your own player. Do you really think that is to stand together? Some Even talk of getting rid of Emery. What? For gods sake. If you are that stupid, shut up and go home. No. Arsenal fans used to be the proudest fans in England. Now they are weak, wining kids who cry like babys whenever a result goes the wrong way. Its embarassing. And its actually that attitude that will tear the club apart. Terrible. Lets be f strong, stand together. Lets support Emery, the club and players. Lets be a great club. Not a wining stupid lot of idiots.
Are u emery in disguise?
The abuse is having to watch this footballing joker week in week out knowing that our hopeless manager has his back and that he pockets tens of thousands of quid for each hapless performance … The sooner the pair of them leave the sooner we can turn the page on this unfortunate chapter in the club’s history
Absolutely agree admin.
It’s absolutely f***ing disgusting that fans think they can treat another human being. How in any way is this helping anyone??
I don’t think Xhaka is deserving a place in the first team, but if you advocate this kind of abuse for simply not having enough ability at a sport, you are an awful person and I really hope you have the chance to experience this for yourselves.
the problem Arsenal fans is having now is coursed by the old Arsenal board. The disrespected Arsenal fans when the needed them must. Now we are finding it difficult to unit
👍 Arsenal’s supposed “class” is fast diminishing.
The Arsenal players hold on to the ball for too long allowing the opposition to recover and re-group. I will suggest we start playing one touch football. Its a solution that will make the team more fluent and help in our transition in attack.
👍
Agree but we need correct personnel to play one touch football. Xhaka cannot, he doesn’t have that silky first touch like Cazorla, Ceballos, Ozil. Most likely Xhaka will make another blunder if we choose to play that way
I agree booing players is dubious. But if a player doesn’t give 110% it is tempting. What was he doing walking off the pitch with that score? If he cared about the club he would set an example as captain and run or at least jog of the pitch.
But much of his situation falls on the tone-deaf manager IMO. He shouldn’t be an automatic starter and that’s on Emery.
First of all, Mustafi forced himself out of the squad with his consistently poor performances. And what do you expect fans to say anyway? I guess they could stay quiet, but when you consider how much fans have to pay to watch Arsenal, then they have a right to express their feelings.
Arsenal fans are arguably the most patient fan base around, so I think it’s unfair to have a go at them.
In regards to the Xhaka incident, I have a little sympathy for him. We see this at most clubs, where one or two individuals are constantly made the scapegoat when things are going wrong. Even if they’re playing okay, they’ll still get the blame.
I didn’t see the game today, only the highlights, and what I’ve read in the match reports/comments, but it seems Xhaka was okay today. Even if he has been made a scapegoat today, the booing isn’t without reason though. The underlying problem is that he’s been terrible overall during Arsenal career, and the fans are starting to let him know. Fans also wouldn’t have forgotten some of things he has said in the media recently.
I also feel the fans needed to vent at Emery, and I would argue some of the booing was more for him than Xhaka, in regards to his decision to make him captain, and constantly start him.
Even if one was to agree that the booing was not acceptable, no one can defend Xhaka’s response to it. Are those the mature actions of a captain?
I meant to say, some of the booing was for Emery, not more for him than Xhaka.
patient! we have the worst fan base ever. we hounded Song into going to Charlton, we hounded out AW, hounded out Mustafi, now Xhaka. The problem is UE, boo him, chant against him, his style, his selections.
He is the scapegoat for a certian group of fans. It has been a constant onslaught against Xhaka for this lot. It was Iwobi last season for the same group.
We all accept that xhaka is not good enough. He is not the most talented player but he is giving the best of his ability. That softens my heart.
Reminds me of the EBOUE situation a few years ago when he was booed off the field by our fans at the emirates, the poor guy was inconsolable and in tears walking off the pitch in this avalanche of boos.
I am for booing the whole team as a whole but not singling out individual players.
Well said bro. Totally agreed with you on this.
This reaction from the fans is the manifestation of frustrating performances from xhaka, not just today’s game. I blame emery for making him captain. Anyone who knows arsenal knows xhaka isn’t liked by the fans he doesn’t even split opinions like ozil. Everyone agrees he is crap and his numbers say so. But emery in his infinite wisdom decides that xhaka is the man to make captain. What reaction was he expecting?. Emery is losing his dressing room by making ill fated decisions. I’m not of the opinion that ozil should come back into the team cos I believe he’s a liability but if they were going to freeze him out, they should have been straight with the fans from the get go and not say one minute he’s training well and then the next he’s not on the squad. Emery’s management so far has been poor. Strip xhaka of the captaincy (cos frankly he shouldn’t have had it in the first place) give it to auba. Bench xhaka for a period of time until he apologizes to the fans for his reaction and his poor performances. Come out straight about the ozil situation (if he’s out totally let’s know, if there’s hope of him coming back let’s know). Emery should be working on removing the cloud of uncertainty in the club right now cos we have an amazing squad and there’s no excuse for us not meeting our targets this season
Best coment ever .
That is a point.
I am totally disgusted with EMERY ! He is under pressure from the fans as is Granit Xhaka . Emery could have substituted Xhaka discretely at half time had he wanted to but doing it in the way he did was absolute public humiliation ! ! Emery , you chose Xhaka to be the captain . He gives 100% – yes he makes mistakes but so do others . It was a shameful thing to do to your captain . Emery YOU are the one to blame – also for choosing the wrong combination of players at Sheffield .
So Emery makes changes in half time in UEL, some fans complain he should have maybe given them 10-15 mins longer rather than damage their confidence. Now he takes Xhaka off 15 mins into 2nd half, more to change formation shape than any wrong doing and still he’s wrong? Seriously what can he do without being moaned at? smh
He can leave our club….. no one would moan at him for that!
Win matches !!!!
With your comment, I agree.
Emery should be the one getting the boos, not Xhaka. And actually, I wouldn’t have thought we’d do that to one of our own. Yes, Xhaka hasn’t been performing well, but it’s not like the coach has been blind to it, instead he even made him captain (maybe just so he can take some of the flak for him, and if that was the cas, that substitution was a stroke of genius, well played unai). But really, our other players wouldn’t see the Emirates as a conducive working environment, and footballers thrive on confidence, we shouldn’t have done that to one of our own. It’s bad enough for emotionally frail players if the opposition’s fans are booing them, now imagine how hurtful it would be coming from your “supporters”. It takes a lot of mental strength to look past people’s current assessment of your situation, and just forge ahead, to be that person you know you can be….. but he should get over it if he’s actual captain material, work on improving his game, and those same fans will sing his name. I feel bad for him though, but he should be dropped till he earns his starting place. Mark you, Emery (the real culprit) won’t do that, that is why Emery out placards is what we should start seeing at games. Hire a blimp already even! Just #kicktheemeryout!….. COYG!!
It’s not his fault or anybody on the field.. The coach who doesn’t know that a team with attacking ambition must play to suit must be blamed.. We shouldn’t overlook all this..
In a word……..YES. I haven’t been a fan of xhaka but there is no need to try and humiliate the lad for trying his best which for Arsenal it is below power. It’s not his fault that the manager cannot pick the best team available. There is no excuse to humiliate players.
Bur Was at the game today, Emery is a joke
Time for a song for Emery so there’s no more confusion. Player’s only following Emery’s daft tactics so go at Emery, rip him.
Ozil isn’t the solution a new coach is. Horrible mistake by management to hire a coach that doesn’t have attacking philosophy.
Next manager needs to understand and cherish our culture of attacking, beautiful football, rather than trying to reshape a decades old philosophy into an unrecognizable, lifeless, cowardly setup based on opponents rather than playing to our strengths.
Wenger’s problem was not benching his favourites, selling on underperformers, and not mixing physical players with technical ones in his team.
I don’t know what to say but coach is the problem
I’ll take Wenger over Emery 1000 times,all arsenal needs now is a new coach
Xhaka has been awful at times, but also brilliant. The reason why he was made Arsenal captain is his experience gained through the years and his willingness to bring the team forward. That doesn’t make him a better player though. I think he has deteriorated a bit since arriving a couple of years ago and has been singularly at fault some times at the past. That doesn’t mean that he is the only one responsible for the way we ‘ve been playing recently… The one who should take the blame for our poor performances is Emery alone. We should direct our frustration towards him. Can’t understand our game plan at all nowadays. I would love to see some flowing football from this team again, there is so much potential and Emery is ruining it all with his strange tactics and line-ups…
No matter what de reason players should not be booed or shouted at with abuse….be it be mustafi, Xhaka or anyone else. It has happened in past n is happening again n again. It’s like a company if you get bad reputation for treating ur employee badly then no one would like to work for u or show any sort of loyalty. We always emphasis on players behaving with dignity n morality that should go for fans as well. We as fan have to behave in certain manner that reflect the culture n value of clubs.
My take on what accurately constitutes “abuse” differs from most younger people. For generations it has been generally accepted that if players get booed, even by our own fans, it is not without good reason. And goodness knows that in hopeless Xhaka’s sad case, there is ample reason. The view that he is hopeless and not of our expected quality is not only mainstream , it is almost unanimous. Of course there are soft folk who mean well but who mistakenly and infuriatingly, choose to put the mental welfare of our non performing millionaires – multi millionaires in fact, above their devotion to the success of the club which they profess to love above all else. Years ago we were not so soft. You could equally say we were not so sensitive and I would agree with both those statements. But the fact remains we used to put the club, not the individual player first when there was that necessary choice to make. Only older people can have personally experienced BOTH these very different times; that is an obvious fact purely down to our age. I blame no one for being the age they are- that would be foolish and unfair – but the facts are that older people have more life experience and usually better judgement than young people who tend to be more emotional , see fewer shades of grey, and possess not the life experience to make sounder judgements.
My take is this: I ALWAYS, no matter what the situation, put the health and future likelihood of success of the club itself way, way, WAY, above the mental welfare of any club individual. This applies to everyone and explains why I have been, in the eyes of certain younger Gooners, a most forceful advocate of proven playing failures, such as Xhaka and a number of others in the present squad too, being shown the door and as soon as practicable. I am not a cruel man but I understand that all todays millionaire players, whether great players, journeymen or poor quality players, are ALL the actually privileged ones. I believe that with privilege comes responsibility; responsibility to give 100% of ones ability and commitment to the club every day they employ you. Millions of devoted Gooners from around the planet would give their eye teeth to wear our famous shirt and gladly do so for free, except that we do not possess the required ability. The huge and privileged wage that all modern Prem players earn allows them to live in comfort with their families from when they retire , usually around 35-38. We who pay constant homage to them , chant/ sing for them and also have to suffer the weaknesses of character of SOME of our players are actually the ones who suffer. We go without material things to travel the world supporting our clubs. Even if we only pay for TV sports subscriptions, it is still hugely expensive. I, being older,try to keep a sense of perspective of what is and what is NOT fair in life. I try to live my own life with solid personal principles. One of those principles is to feel sorrow for and try to help, those who are put upon, NOT those whose bloated bank accounts- at our expense, do not forget- make them immune from many of life’s hardships and certainly the financial hardships that poorer folk are more prone to suffer.
This explains my irritation when a rash, hotheaded and extremely average, yet rich and privileged player like Xhaka, who in reality should be nowhere near Arsenal FC, treats our shirt with such contempt. The shirt represents the club which is also ALL if us. That is widely understood, so in fact Xhaka has insulted us all, for having the “temerity” to freely express a collective opinion of his continued uselessness. We have no other effective way to do so and are thus fully entitled. A player with real character would say to himself “I will show them they are wrong. I will give more than 100% on the field to make them rate me”. The sad fact is that so many modern privileged player millionaires do not possess this character. At Arsenal, despite a few wonderful exceptions, we have far more than our fair share and have had for many years going back a long while. By contrast I see not one characterless player in the squads of Liverpool and Man City. Man United are in the same bad way as us; Spurs are fast catching us up in lack of character right now. It is certain that only whole teams of committed , brave , will to never lose, mentally and physically tough men can ever win titles.Our 1971, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2002, and 2004 title teams had not one wimp between the lot of them. Not one! We older fans all know that truth. In football, as in life itself , unless you have backbone , self respect and total commitment to your career, whatever it be, you will never be a success. Oh, you may make money but you will never amount to being much of a person. That is my take and that explains what I stand for and what I stand resolutely against.
@Jon fox, very well said sir.
jon, you are totally correct with respect to the physical and mental strength of the winning Arsenal teams you cite.
You only have to compare the midfield players of those teams to the overpaid, overhyped wimps in the current midfield squad, let alone the defenders against those teams.
JON FOX, i have always read your comments, most of them i totally agree with , because you are a very honest commentator on here. some people may not see that in you, but thats their problem.i salute you for the above comment, i am one of those older chaps that you refer to , and i totally d where you are coming from.no doubt some of the people on here will have a go at you for your passionate comment, maybe one or two of the older gents will probably have a go at you , we will see.age does not always guarantee wisdom, which is true of some individuals on here who think they know it all. but, in your case , sir, you are a wise one , ive always admired your style of writing , straight from the heart, without exception. thank you for a wonderful read jon.
Fully agreed, very well said 👍
for the last 5-6 years, arsenal have had and still have one good play maker. that player and the emery’s chemistry mismatch is hurting us. it is only özil that can do the job, the passes.
It is wrong, Pepe beside corner kicking did not do anything special as no one.
Did you guys seen Auba, laca or anyone do something special ?
Nope, it is not Xhaka nor Mustafi nor the all team but a coach who can fill Arsenal shoe. Wenger made it so big and took so much on him to serve fans, please and make them happy, proud to be a gunner.
Can’t rate players, laca and Auba would have a 5 or less as everyone. No, only Emery should be rated with a double zero.
Xhaka is played as a DM, he is not, just as everyone pissed at Niles played as RB.
Ridiculous stuff!
I feel that this manager playing style is that of a smaller team,ie, his tactics are to win or draw through opponents mistakes not our team,s strength. There is no style nor attacking verve. Neither is there any confidence – holding on to the lead maybe his style. That’s why they invite attack after attack. A total disaster. Wenger players play and stubbornly sticks to it. Of course in his latter years he tried to emulate Barca but failed in the EPL.
I want Wenger back, at least the football is entertaining. And, with the long sabbatical he has taken, he may come back even stronger.