Arsenal Banter 2

20 Apr 2026 19:09:23
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Everton v Liverpool - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

20 Apr 2026 16:42:32
We still have to win three (or win 2 and draw 1) in the Champions League but if we win the CL and not the PL, will you be happy as a gunner?
I have mixed feelings because CL will be a tick in the missing trophies section but after two decades, we will still be the ‘nearly’ team of the PL and that feeling will be worse if City does the treble.


If we don’t win anything, I may not be as passionate about footy ever again.

20 Apr 2026 19:46:00
If we win the Champions League - I would be over the moon and so, so happy. It would be awesome. I would have been happy with the League Cup!

However, I'd still want to change managers.

Reason - I don't think he's a winner or good enough to win the league, which is the ultimate prize.



I am not anti-Arteta. I just don't think he's good enough & I encourage you to listen to Kenyon or Yaya about what a winner, or winning mentality, looks like before you give me a super hard time.

20 Apr 2026 20:52:29
I am with you SY, we need a bigger personality manager. I was for Arteta, but I agree that he would have taken us as far as he could, even if we win one or both trophies. My only concern is who do we get, and who may be available? If we win a trophy, maybe we give him some time to see if we improve, because a couple of years ago we were brushing teams aside, even Klopp's Liverpool, so we are capable.


We also need some big players in midfield, wingers, and a striker. I would also give Vic another season with changed tactics.

20 Apr 2026 23:08:46
SY, I think nerves are getting to them. Once we get one over the line, that will transform the team IMHO to the next lvl. I think, with Liverpool and £ity both probably having new managers next season, we have to stick with Arteta for another year, but if we still have nothing to show for it after that, then it will be time for change.
Hopefully we get one or 2 over the line this season, and the team can kick on even more next season.

Until then, all we can do is back them 100%. At least we looked better on Sunday, and probably had the better chances, so we can take that away. If £ity would have run over us, I wouldn't have given us much hope, but as it is, we are still in with a shout and are certainly due some form. 🤞

20 Apr 2026 23:11:52
Also, remember Premier League clubs spent approximately £370 million in this past transfer window, with £ity making up £180m of that. We have never been a club that would drop £200 mil in Jan to catch up, but we still never should have allowed them to.

21 Apr 2026 20:01:11
Well, maybe we should if we want to win things, especially if you don't get it done in the summer.

20 Apr 2026 10:37:57
After yesterday's disappointment, I woke up this morning thinking we will do this!

{Ed025's Note - City will drop points Sally, you are still bang in with a shout but you have to show the tenacity and flair like you did yesterday from here in, yes the result was not great mate but i thought the performance was good and that has to be the standard for the remainder of the season..

20 Apr 2026 11:25:49
Totally agree ed, what a run in!

{Ed025's Note - this is not over by a long chalk Sally, both teams have a couple of difficult games coming up and its all to play for, City have to come to the Hill Dickinson yet and my blue boys might just do you a favour mate..

20 Apr 2026 12:15:00
I disagree that City will drop points Ed, I mean I hope they do because I'd rather Arsenal win than City. But let's be real, they've been here before, and they know how to turn it around.

People forget that Liverpool on multiple occasions, were 10–12 points clear of City and City still won the league. It's what Pep is best at.

I think Arsenal have blown it, unfortunately.

{Ed025's Note - Ciy have the harder run in for me HSF and i think it will be really close mate Everton could do Arsenal a big favour by taking points off them in a couple of weeks and then relegating Spurs on the last day, im sure the gooners will be very grateful and give us a couple of players for mates rates.. :)

20 Apr 2026 16:08:51
Absolutely Ed mate, I thought we did good and for that performance deserved something. If we keep that level, we should get over the line. Emery will win the title for Arsenal! 😄

{Ed025's Note - this is going to the wire Highbury mate..

20 Apr 2026 16:37:01
Burnley at home also can't be dismissed, clutching straws like our Bill. 😄

20 Apr 2026 19:52:21
The City game wasn't the clincher. It's games like Bournemouth etc that cost us the league & how the team have played since December. I want to believe City will drop points & they might. However, we will drop points. We just don't have the quality or mentality, on or off the pitch.

Pray I'm wrong and really hope so.



We did a little better, but low expectations made the game feel better. We could have got a point, but lacked quality & City looked like they had another gear. We hardly put a glove on them, apart from that 10 minute burst and Kai's header. It was a decent attempt but didn't look like champions playing their biggest game of the season.

20 Apr 2026 20:35:55
I reckon teams like City (and us) find teams who chase every ball really difficult to deal with. It totally disrupts the flow of the game.

21 Apr 2026 01:52:57
Anything is possible Ed, for sure. But at this moment in time I disagree, and think City have the momentum now. If they win their game in hand against Burnley (which they are almost certain to do) , they go top.

Cities squad is full of serial winners, some are from the Klopp/Pep era. Arsenals squad highly talented yes, but, and I mean this respectfully to the Arsenal fans, they've got a history of falling at the last hurdle.

I hope I'm wrong, truly I do because I really dislike City and know the pain of waiting decades for a title.

{Ed025's Note - too close to call for me HSF..

20 Apr 2026 09:23:50
I know we keep saying it but Saturday's game against Newcastle is absolutely massive. Please let's not throw this away without a fight.

20 Apr 2026 08:55:02
Just looking at all the fixtures, we only have one more game where we have to travel and that's to Spain, all the rest are in London, so that's one positive I have found this morning.



City have some fixture congestion for sure and it looks like their last 2 games of the season are a Friday and then the Sunday.

Really clutching at straws here. :)

{Ed025's Note - i thought you played well yesterday Banbury and were unlucky not to get a draw mate, that for me was a lot better than what we have seen recently but it does beggar the question...why have you not been like this for a couple of months?..

20 Apr 2026 19:52:51
Let's hope so.

20 Apr 2026 07:39:17
{Ed's Note - Greenaway has posted a new article entitled, Chelsea's Bigger Problem Behind the Scenes

19 Apr 2026 22:34:31
The reality is that in the two boxes today was the difference - and that's what decided the game, Arteta said.

Well you should have signed a decent striker 3 seasons ago - not his, not Jesus and not Vik.

Why did you leave your big striker signing on the bench then or take off Eze but leave Ode on?

You signed or didn’t sign the quality required and didn’t sign anyone in Jan.

Did City? Did their summer signing impact their big game today?

Why do you let the players mess around at the back? Why aren’t we more positive? Why don’t we address our weaknesses thru recruitment and tactics?

19 Apr 2026 20:34:57
Well, no surprise really, why was Ode playing, his form has been diabolical yet he starts him.

For me the writing was on the wall after the Wolves game, that was a dreadful result given the way we were in total control.

After the Southampton game for me that was it and City were destined for the treble, I can see City winning the rest of their games this season, they are in full force at the moment.

Can we do the unthinkable and win the CL? I still refuse to rule that out and have maintained that is our best option.

After the way we have been up to Feb we really do deserve something.

So as for Arteta what now? Listening to Ray Parlour I tend to agree (reluctantly) that Arteta will be given another season, if only for the fact: who can replace him? Let's not go down the Man U route.



As for players and Coaching staff, this needs scrutiny, Arteta has to ask has he the right coaches? The set piece coach was getting all the plaudits when it was right, it's gone horribly wrong and we haven't fixed it.

As for players. Many of us said at the start of the season we haven't got the right man up front, we just aren't potent enough, we only scored today because City keeper faffed about, we have to be able to open teams up and stop relying on set piece again la la la.

I am as desperate as any of you on here for us to win something but the options are hanging by the thinnest of threads

Come on Arsenal. One last effing push.

19 Apr 2026 20:58:39
Not quite sure how the Kroenkes will look st it Banbury, mate, but as you say, who is to replace him.
Absolutely in agreement about the CL, they were play we are so much suited for it.
Take care, mate.

20 Apr 2026 07:33:38
"You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore."

20 Apr 2026 10:17:03
For a while now, I've felt that this should be Arteta's last season here, regardless of what happens in the rest of the games.

There are different coaches for different jobs. Iraola can improve teams, working with limited resources. Pep can engineer a trophy-winning team when given enough funds.



Arteta got us back to a position from which we can challenge. To me, that's his forte. He awoke a sleeping giant. We don't need that kind of a manager anymore. We need a Pep.

Arteta at Man U would be interesting.

20 Apr 2026 11:44:36
We only have so much money - we've invested a fortune & doubt we recoup anything meaningful. Eg - who will pay anything for Kai or Jesus when their wages are crazy. If we don't start winning - do you think Gabs, Saliba, Rice hang around?

We still haven't got a LW or Striker that we needed last year our signings need to be better quality.

Do we really throw another 250m at Arteta? What's left for the next manager.

You can see the complete lack of winners, leaders and experience at the club on / off the pitch.

Is it a bigger risk sticking & investing in Mikel rather than looking to change. Is he a winner?

19 Apr 2026 19:56:49
I am scratching at straws here. Do you think now the City game is out of the way, in a funny way, the pressure will be off and we can get 5 wins from 5?

19 Apr 2026 20:17:39
I was also thinking on those lines, Bill, mate. I know City will drop points, but the big question is whether we will get 5 wins out of 5. The way we played today, and the pressure now off, maybe we can do it.

19 Apr 2026 20:35:28
Let's hope so, Highbury, mate. 👍👍👍👍👍

19 Apr 2026 19:37:55
We played better than what everybody was hoping we’ll do. Hit the post twice, had a great chance to equalise with Havertz’s header. Fine margins which didn’t turn in our favour.
Can we keep this intensity and win our 5 games? Time will tell but if we don’t win the title this year, I am afraid it will be another long wait for us. COYG!

19 Apr 2026 18:51:27
That was a bugger.

Thought we did better than our recent form and created enough chances to get some points.

Ultimately we scored via an error and lacked quality at that level. Fullbacks aren't good enough, Ode poor, Kai and Vik just aren't top epl strikers.

We also lack tactics and mentality from the coach - less so today but for last dozen or so games. Too afraid to lose doesn't work anymore.

Substitutions were poor.

Poor recruitment. We needed a fullback, LW, creative spark and a proper striker. Spent a fortune and still need the same. That's really poor from a recruitment perspective. Big successful clubs aren't run that way.

Also really lack leadership on and off the pitch. What team wins without ambition and leadership

At least we landed a few blows

We can't even sell Jesus, Kai etc for decent money as in stupid wages. That's poor management also

Let's at least put it in and win our last 5 epl games and make a game of it

Just to be clear - I'm not happy the boss has bottled it again or that we have collapsed. I want to WIN.

19 Apr 2026 19:04:47
I don't think Mosquera was bought as a full back, and once he got booked he seemed to shy away from a challenge. Ben White looks so far off the player he was a few years ago. Just a shame Timber can't keep fit.