Opposition to Arsenal

Was just looking at that kenilworth but is that due to Cesc and Theo and Van P being out? That would me my guess! but i am known to be wrong .

Perhaps, but everyone, including the bookmakers, knew
about those missing a while ago. Must be a decent bet
if touching 1/1. Danger is that an away draw would be
acceptable.

Maybe cos Fabianski is in (An even less trustworthy keeper than almunia, which is some achievement). Plus have you seen their euro away form? Surprised they were so short to start with, though I've not seen partizan play so dunno (though I believe they have a few of the national team)

surely a back of Arsenal at evens is the bet here!

I think we also knew Almunia wouldn't be playing before
he became 'injured', but regards Arsenal's European form
following a defeat in domestic footie, it seems they have
come away with a positive result 8 from 8, so perhaps
they will be smarting after Saturday. We will see. I see
the biggest danger is perhaps settling for a draw.

Also Arsenal do have a habit of drawing away in europe, there last win was 2 - 3 and they were 2 - 0 down.

It's a hard one really i would favour a away win. but also fancy Partizan to score in this game.

maybe wenger is resting a couple for chelsea at the weekend! He may think we can get a result without Nasri, Arshavin etc

Well I'd contend it's only the away games, such as this, that count. In the 5 last year they lost to barca, porto and olympiakos, drew with AZ and narrowly beat liege. They probably had cesc for some of those too! Not saying it's unbackable now at over evens but can understand the reticence of backers at odds on.

Who doesn't lose to Barca? And Olympiakos they fielded alot of kids and went toe to toe for a lot of it.

Evens looks too big. Wait for the line ups though, can't be keen if Song and Diaby are both playing.

result v west brom was not a fluke....they have the worst keeper in the league and dont have a defender who can actually defend....another average season beckons for the gunners - they are superb in midfield and with rvp fit as good as any1 from midfield up - but against the big teams you will never win with that back 5

Yup. Watched the match, was far from a fluke. Arsenal deserved to lose without doubt. Bizarre as the matches prior to it they were well on top. You'd have to worry whether the injury to Fabregas is affecting them mentally as well as physically.

*I see olympiakos was a weakened team as already through and they are maybe keener to tally points earlier on. Still wouldn't back 'em though better evens shots out there imo (As a forest fan sooooo tempted, but I hate losing money AND my team losing/drawing)

Not a fluke ? Did you expect it ? Please don't tell me you did.

A big odds winner doesn't consituate a fluke. I watched the match and layed Arsenal as they were very poor and under the kosh. The better team on the day won. Fluke incinuates that they scored against the run of play and held on under pressure which wasn't the case.

I expected it,tbh

Farr from certain Fabiansk would start this game either had Almunia not been injured.

Were you watching too sint? You chaps were very poor, surprising considering the momentum you've had. You seemed to refuse to play with any width.

Angela, I posted on Friday afternoon on chit-chat why we were a shocking price.. several reasons for it,really.imo

sintonian When: 24 Sep 10 09:07 I hope tomorrow is not one of them bananna skin games,all things considered,like!

Players missing:

Cesc,Rvp,Theo,Song,Gibbs,Bendtner.

Players facing late fitness tests .. Eboue,Rosicky,Diaby.

Throw in the fact we played extra-time in midweek.

WBA won thier last two games, including beating Man City.

It mkaes you think what idiot wants to back at 1/4,imvho.

Hats off for the shout bud. I really just don't get Arsenal. One minute a team who can take on anyone, next week, getting outplayed by WBA. Think ken is right though, Evens is too big for Arsenal tonight.

a shock and a fluke are 2 completely different things kenil....every1 was shocked at the scoreline - but if you watched the match the better team won - how arsenal only lost by 1 goal - that was the fluke!!!!

Spot on beepbeep.

I dont know anything about tonights oppo, but depending on liinne-ups, Even money could be OK.

Angela Rebecchi Joined: 15 Sep 02
Replies: 14198 28 Sep 10 15:12 
Hats off for the shout bud. I really just don't get Arsenal. One minute a team who can take on anyone, next week, getting outplayed by WBA. Think ken is right though, Evens is too big for Arsenal tonight.
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that's a strange assessment of Arsenal.  if anything they have been produced a consistent level in the last few seasons; they can't beat better teams but they normally beat weaker teams.  I certainly don't share the optimism about them taking on anyone, as results against Chelsea, ManU and Barca have shown.  oh, and Fabregas is worth about 1 goal a game or something ridiculous like that

You were gash via WBA yet the last 3 matches smashed such opposition.

Less than evens for a team playing in Belgrade who have just lost to West Brom at home, have a lot of their best players out and a complete dud in goal.
No thanks.

Partizans last 3 seasons in european football (all europa league) P14,W1(dead rubber) D1 L12. May look a tough place to go but Ars are a class above. Think anything close to evens is a cracking price.

On Cleo to score anytime. A decent striker with a knack of getting goals

Seems like everyone knew Arsenal would play badly against WBA and
fail to win. You couldn't make it up. lol.

lol stupid me was on arsenal -1.5 against west brom! should have spoke to these guys first

Under the cosh my ar*e!
Arsenal were poor, West Brom deserved their win, but there was nothing to suggest in the first 45 minutes that West Brom were going to score 3 goals. Just a couple of ridiculous goal keeping errors.
The goal was hardly being beseiged with Almunia the keeper making hunderds of saves.

Attempts on target
Arsenal 12 West Brom 5
Attempts off target
Arsenal 12 West Brom 2
Corners
Arsenal 16 West Brom 4

Passes Arsenal 451 West Brom 221

Sint posted his thoughts before the game, and the match thread were littered with comments which resonated his pre match thoughts.

Arsenals team is set up perfectly, very nice price tonight.

Sint was worried that we might slip up, Arsenal fans often are.

But we were never 'Under the Kosh'. West Brom never mounted sustained pressure in our half of the pitch. So to say you were wathing it and thought that West Brom were going to get a hatfuld is pure aftertiming.
Or did you make any post on the day suggesting such?

dodgy looking team... squillaci and djourou in defence

kenilworth Joined: 04 Nov 05
Replies: 3407 28 Sep 10 18:43 
Seems like everyone knew Arsenal would play badly against WBA and
fail to win. You couldn't make it up. lol.

stop being a muppet imo. all that is being said that WBA didn't "fluke" the game against arsenal. just like Northampton didn't "fluke" the win against liverpool. nobody is denying they were unexpected, however.

stop being a muppet imo. all that is being said that WBA didn't "fluke" the game against arsenal. just like Northampton didn't "fluke" the win against liverpool. nobody is denying they were unexpected, however.

Didcot, read the posts again before calling anyone a muppet.

My bet wins, I am happy

You can't reason with kenilworth didcot.

Arsenals team is set up perfectly, very nice price tonight.

Well done me.

Just can't stand pathetic aftertimers. They are like a cancer
on here.

well done on your bet napster. you probably won some of my money infact!

you may want to research the meaning of "fluke" tho.

Sure are. Up there with liars, and false price posters.

Cough, cough.

From what I saw (and read) of the match last Saturday, that result
couldn't possibly happen again, so in my view, a fluke.
Regards winning your money, I don't claim that I backed Arsenal,
that, I keep to myself. I leave the riddle-me-re tipping to
others.

even though they won

odds on for a team that has won 2 from 10 in europe (now 3-11) and has only won 50% of their games domestically with only one away win..

no ta but well done to all you winners :)

Morrissey, it depends on what stats you look at.....Partizans last 3 seasons in european football (all europa league) P14,W1(dead rubber) D1 L12. May look a tough place to go but Ars are a class above. Think anything close to evens is a cracking price.

I also read that in the last 8 occasions Arsenal lost prior to a European match, they won 6 times, drawing the other two. Now 7 from 9.
By the way, odds on ? 2.04 on the off.

i was on abotu when they were 1.8ish when i laid em.

no one said partizan were a good side.. justthat arsenal are 50% this season in england with 1 away win and are now 3-11 in europe and this isnt a vintage arsenal side. not in the slightest bit especially if their top players are missing.

I also read that in the last 8 occasions Arsenal lost prior to a European match, they won 6 times, drawing the other two. Now 7 from 9.
By the way, odds on ? 2.04 on the off.

how far back does this go and they must have been mostly at home given arsenals stats away in the last two years in europe

Morrissey, from the Racing Post yesterday, and I quote...
''Eight times in the past three seasons Arsenal have entered a Champions League
on the back of a Premier League defeat- and eight times they have come away with
a positive result, six wins and two draws''. It doesn't say whether home or away
but the fact is that the defeats didn't affect them as you suggest was was possible.
It didn't sway me, just the big move against them for no new reason IMO.
BTW I commend you on coming on after the event and saying you backed a loser, the
norm being the opposite. GL.

i didnt back a loser as such though maTE.. like i said yesterday i will put my lays in of them, madrid and bayern and will put backs in to trade out if the games go my way and they did for the most part..

i just thought the 1.8ish was too shrot bud. their away record in europe is pish poor the last few years mate.. like i say they have won 3 from 11 now and thats not good enough to make them 4/5 especially on the back of a draw and defeat in england.. good luck to all those who won mind you but ill stick by what i think in those situations i think.

morrissey Joined: 09 Jan 02
Replies: 10131 28 Sep 10 23:51 
even though they won

odds on for a team that has won 2 from 10 in europe (now 3-11) and has only won 50% of their games domestically with only one away win..

no ta but well done to all you winners :)

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in all honesty using a stat like that with no context is not the smartest idea.  how many of those games were of equivalent difficulty?  (I'm thinking ManU and Barca away may have been a bit harder)  what relevance do two dead rubber games have?  is it right to include ko games (where a win may not be required) in an analysis for group games?

if you are looking at genuine like for likes in the last five years:
09/10 Liege W 3-2
09/10 AZ D 1-1 (led in injury time)
(lost third game in Olympiakos with reserve team)

08/09 Dynamo A 1-1
08/09 Fenerbahce W 5-2 
(lost third game in Porto with weak side)

07/08 Steaua W 1-0
07/08 Sparta Praha D 0-0
(lost third game to Seville...you get the idea)

06/07 Hamburg W 2-1
06/07 CSKA L 0-1
(third game in Porto an *ahem* cooperative 0-0 draw)

05/06  Ajax W 2-1
05/06 Sparta W 2-0
05/06 Thun W 1-0

its not that awful a record in similar level away fixtures

its not great though is it..

and arsenal HAVENT been in great form in england especially away from home either.. no doubt the arsenal fans and apologists on here will seethe but they havent.. int he last two weeks alone (current form is as good as any i suppose) they have drawn away at sunderland and lost at home to west brom and it could have been much worse than the scoreline suggests imo.

they were most certainly not a 1.8 shot.. odds against was much more like it

in the same vein i think you wuold have to be certifiable to back madrid at 1.6ish away at auxerre.

its a record that would give you a lsp around zero; in the games where Arsenal are around 1.5-2.5 away from home in Europe they win the expected amount.

the key to opposing them is in the tougher away games, where their record is truly awful.  the only wins at bigger prices have been at Madrid (06) and Milan (08) in the last 15 such games, and, more narrowly, since Milan, seven of eight have been home wins

they dotn have to lose to oppose them though do they thats the mistake most on here make.. that its all about the end result.. it doesnt work like that especially if you are trading

and you can see those that really know what they are on about and what they are doing because they do or dont overreact.. same as madrid last night, no way should they have been that short and the obvious bet was under goals. but to most pp0l on here the late winner (same as with bayern) justifies backing at stupid odds (again same as with bayern and to a point with the odds on arsenal)

to me it doesnt and i explained why- it was the same as liverpool at 1/2 at home to sunderland last weekend.. a ridiculous price given the form of both teams by anyones standards. but ppl still backed it because its liverpool

when in reality them that laid them both (and to a point arsenal) had already made money before the end result was known.

To be honest, I don't take any notice of 'this teams home record over
5 years' or 'that teams away record over 7 years' the most important
is how they bet on it. In Arsenal's case, 10 bookmakers had them
between 1.60 and 1.72, and for no apparent reason, the market was
opposing them to the point o fmaking them a backable price at better
than 2.0. It happened last Sunday with Newcastle (2.0 with books,
down to 1.85 on here), it happens a lot on here, over reaction, fear,
greed, call it what you will and there is money to be made opposing
the moves. Of course it doesn't cop every time, but you won't lose
keeping your nerve. GL.