Burnwinter™ wrote:

Almunia was pretty good for a bit there. That's how it happened.

As I remember it, Jens was a bit under form at the start of 07/08 and made a few clangers- And for that the Turkey dropped the German national goalie for some cunt from Spain who'd never been capped.
That along with the dropping of Gilberto for Gallas as captain and the refusal to offer Flamini an improved contract to stay signalled the start of Wengers mental declne.

Lehmann was 38 and making mistakes, Almunia was 30 and not making as many.

Jens still played at the top level for a further two years meanwhile the clown stumbled from antic to hilarious antic.

Rewriting history. It may be hard for those who weren't paying attention at the time to believe, but Almunia was consistently one of our best in 08-09.

Burnwinter™ wrote:

Rewriting history. It may be hard for those who weren't paying attention at the time to believe, but Almunia was consistently one of our best in 08-09.

I was paying attention I assure you, and I thought we were talking about the period 07/08 when Jens was originally dropped by that fecking eejit for that other fecking eejit.

In 07/08 Almunia was horrible. I believe that was a period Lehmann came back and did well.

Didn't Almunia come third in our player of the season poll once? We must have had some really dire outfield players that season

He did. He wasn't any worse than Lehmann in 07-08 either. The truly dodgy years were later.

He definitely got worse, went from average to unconvincing to outright clownshoes.

I didn't have a problem with Wenger giving Almunia preference over Lehmann. He persisted with him too long though, even after it was clear he was average and had regressed. 

I don't know about that. For me it was clear he was bullshit at the start when he had that horrid match against United at Highbury where we lost 4-2. Then he came on in Paris and the rest is history.

there was a point where every shot at the near post was a goal.

otfgoon wrote:

Didn't Almunia come third in our player of the season poll once? We must have had some really dire outfield players that season

Didn't he win it once? 08/09 maybe.

Shady Shakes wrote:

otfgoon wrote:

Didn't Almunia come third in our player of the season poll once? We must have had some really dire outfield players that season

Didn't he win it once? 08/09 maybe.

Yup. On AM at the very least. 

Shady Shakes wrote:

otfgoon wrote:

Didn't Almunia come third in our player of the season poll once? We must have had some really dire outfield players that season

Didn't he win it once? 08/09 maybe.

That was indeed our nadir as regards player talent, Van Persie and Rosicky and Diaby must have been laid up for most of it as usual, Ade and Nasri were always unpopular can't remember what Fabregrease was doing (probably on the phone to Pique) so his only competitors would have been Ankles Denilson Dribbly McNoscore or Swiss Tony.

08/09 let's see...

Hleb and Flamini had gone.
Fabregas missed 3-4 months through injury.
RvP was RvP, missed even more games.
Eduardo's leg was still in thousands of pieces.
Adebayor was thinking about Milan and Beyonce.
Nasri was in his first season and still a blunt cock.
Toure and Gallas were both on the decline.

The rest of the team was pretty dire, so yeah Almunia was the top dog

Burnwinter™ wrote:

Almunia was pretty good for a bit there. That's how it happened.

Lehmann wasn't a "dickhead" in footballing terms, despite clearly being an eccentric personality. His aggression and obsessive training were vital qualities for us. Without a keeper that neurotic about not conceding and not losing, I doubt the unbeaten season would have happened.

Lehmann didn't really prove his worth until the FA Cup final and then the following 2005/06 season when he was one of the best keepers in the world, albeit costing us the Champions League whilst he was at it. 

It's just rich of him to have been so demanding and wanting perfection when there were 9/10 better players on the pitch than him.

Lehmann didn't cost us the CL final.
It's obvious you've never played in goal in your life and know nothing about it.

With the Monaco game coming up...

One of my favourite ever UCL nights that.  :opti:

Henry's second goal in that game was perhaps my favourite of all the goals he scored for us.

It was a great performance and so good to watch but we'd be extremely lucky if we turn up in France and Monaco play anywhere near as bad as Inter did that night.

Ahh, I do love to reminisce about Arsenal days gone by.

Love reading your stories from the 'old days' back at Highbury.

As another old git, I can remember all the way back to my first Arsenal game, 24th August 1974 vs. Manchester City. I was 5 years old.

My Dad had won some tickets to see any 1st Division game on that weekend and being a massive Liverpool fan he wanted to take me to see them, but it was too far to travel, so next nearest team to us at home that day was Arsenal (plus Dad hates Arsenal, LOL), so off we go on the train to London.

I can still remember walking out of the tube station, seeing all these people milling around those tight narrow streets, with houses seemingly towering above me (I was 5 remember).

I can recall the buzz of excitement just feeling like electricity jumping from person to person, I could hear lots of noise and a crowd singing/chanting, but I couldn't work out where it was coming from, all I could see was houses and people.

I can remember Dad, picking me up and putting me on his shoulders, now I had a view of the surroundings and it was just so busy, I don't think I had ever seen that many people in one place before, funny thing I was that I didn't feel scared, I felt like I was part of something, something that would look after me.

We walked for a short while and rounded a corner and there it was Highbury.

I still have goosebumps when I think about that first match, I so respect my Dad for taking me, he must of hated being at Highbury, even worse I was an Arsenal fan from that day on, which to this day he hasn't forgiven himself for making me into a Gooner. I tell him it wasn't his fault, at some stage I would have found Arsenal with his help or without.

Dad took me regularly to see Arsenal during the 70's and early 80's, I started going on my own from 1986 when I bought my first season ticket.

Oh and my Dad still hates Arsenal, LOL

Brilliant stidds....you paint a pretty picture of your first match and your dad's hardships

THAT 0-0 at Old Trafford.

Funny watching these games back as you forget things after so long. The Invincibles were certainly made to look ordinary in this game, against a United side that wasn't anything special. I think our current lot would put in a decent showing against them. Although would probably struggle with the physicality of the occasion.

Few interesting things from the (obviously biased) commentators.

Cole described as being known for being suspect defensively.
If you asked Henry which defender he least liked playing against it would be Silvestre.
k. Toure was playing cb for Ivory coast before Wenger started playing him there.
Before this game Wenger had won 10 games vs Ferguson, lost only 7.

the old prick co-commentating for MUTV loved his tears throughout.

est wrote:

With the Monaco game coming up...

Love Bobbi for that 3rd goal. Sprints 90 yards in the 85th minute to support Henry. That's desire.

It's been six years already. :doh:

Seems like longer.

^ That's what I thought.

Thierry must have shagged one of the room maids shortly before meeting the queen, how else do you explain that messed up tie

06-07 squad. Very average season.

at Almunias chat.

The majority of them looked like Islington comprehensive high school teenagers on a school trip!

e: 

That was a very well put together little video. Very heart warming.

Thats the way I would have liked to have remembered Wenger.

You will too, once he is gone.

Since that vid of the Queen got re-shown...

Today, 14 years ago, Sol Campbell signed on a free transfer. Best thing Sol has ever uttered: "I always dreamed of winning the league at White Hart Lane. So I left and joined Arsenal."