It's North London Derby Week!

[YiddoInAkron]

It is time.. ONCE AGAIN, for Arsene Wenger to bring his pedophile mobile ERRRRRRR ice cream truck full of young boys over to White Hart Lane to receive what I hope will be the first league beatdown of Arsenal since 1999.

With Robbie Keane coming back home where he should have never left, I am hoping the partnership with Pavlyuchenko will be what Defoe's partnership with him looked to be blossoming into. Palacios will have another week of working with the team to adjust and might just be able to knock those Gunner poofs over with a simple huff and a puff.

If we play 4-5-1, I will cry at kickoff.

[vasilli07]

------------Cudicini--------
Corluka--Daws--Woodie--BAE
Bentley----Palacios----Lennon
---------Modric--Keane----
--------------Pavy--------

Explanation...

I think it would work like this, Pavy up top supported by Keane and Modric interchanging sides. It's a 451 essentially, but it's the type that sometimes works when you have 2 withdrawn forwards nominally acting as midfielders, both of whom are very creative and good passers. In this case, both also defend from the front as well. It still wouldn't be ideal for the likes of Bentley who would have only 1 target to cross into, so is easily defended, but our play would be a tad similar to the Woolrich Wanderers with Pavy playing the Adebayor role, Keane the Van Persie role, and Modric not having a direct comparison.


Digital, i hope this is how you meant Keane is going to fit in.

[YiddoInAkron]

Ahh the Christmas tree formation. Could work. I like it. As long as Palacios stays as a proper DM, it can work. If he doesn't, we'll get split apart.

[Merck]

Arshavin finally makes his WHL debut. :rolleyes:

[Phillyspur]

Ahh yes the NLD. Another week of raising our hopes, telling ourselves it is a good time to play them, talking up our new purchases, only for the team to not show up on Sunday. We gave them a good beating just over 12 months ago, and we gave them red faces at the Emirates in the league game. I'm a big believer in the law of averages so I'm not expecting anything out of this one.

I could see Keane further forward with Pav in a 4-4-2.

[YiddoInAkron]

I was trolling the Le'Arse board just to see what they were saying and, my God; is it me or are they obsessed with us? Tottenham threads left and right. Hey, Arsenal fans, you may not have noticed, but we have no record of your every day dealings like you do with us. In fact, we don't remember much of what you said all year. We could care less. For a team who is allegedly so much better than us, they sure do have a magnifying glass strapped over Spurs to look at every little detail like some deranged celebrity stalker. Kinda sad, really.

[jumhed]

I was trolling the Le'Arse board just to see what they were saying and, my God; is it me or are they obsessed with us? Tottenham threads left and right. Hey, Arsenal fans, you may not have noticed, but we have no record of your every day dealings like you do with us. In fact, we don't remember much of what you said all year. We could care less. For a team who is allegedly so much better than us, they sure do have a magnifying glass strapped over Spurs to look at every little detail like some deranged celebrity stalker. Kinda sad, really.

It has been noted, but its not like I care. We've got enough problems of our own at the moment. They haven't got a hope of wininng anything, which is why they bitch all the time.

[Hauler]

I think if he is fit Gomes should start. Carlo would be a fine option I just like the athletism of Gomes. Lord knows the scum are going to test us and I feel he would be a better choice.

[thebigman]

prepare to get your ar-shavin

[vasilli07]

prepare to get your ar-shavin

*yawnz*...we are so scared...:eek::rolleyes:

Just in case you forgotten...this is the scoreline when you were here the last time...

http://www.spurspies.tv/240108_Wallpaper.jpg

[Phillyspur]

prepare to get your ar-shavin

Oho! D'you see what he did there? Hilarious!!!! :rolleyes:

[Spur_Forever]

prepare to get your ar-shavin
How about you put a sock in it, and ******** off back to your pathetic little gloryhunting board full of diehard "fans"?

[Spur_Forever]

Right, now that's out of my system (I hate trolls, especially the scum variety)... I'm actually looking forward to this one. Strange as it may seem, the omens are good, my friends.

We're coming off the back of a dispiriting defeat, so the lads will be looking for redemption. The pointy shouty bloke will be well fired up to show the world that he's not a flop -- I just hope he doesn't get red carded. The (slow as my granny) step-over king is suspended, leaving Lennon free to play on the right and also creating an additional spot for Jenas (the penis) to play in midfield, since this is, apparently, the only game that he never fails to show up for. I just hope the experiment of playing both Zokora and Palacios will be shelved without further comment.

I'm guessing 'Arry plays Modric on the left, Palacios and Jenas in the middle, Lennon on the right, Pavvy and the PSB up top. At the back, I'm with Hauler in that somehow it feels right to have Gomez between the sticks (don't know why - Carlo's been great so far). The recently awesome-again Dawson should play alongside Woodgate in the middle, with BAE on the left (can't risk the Bale hoodoo on this one). Right back is a little iffy. I have a feeling 'Arry will go with Corluka, but I'm hoping he fields Chimbo (who will also be well fired up for this one) as he'll be needed to take care of the speedy little bastards the 'ol Pedster's likely to field...

Basically, if the defence can hold up, if Modric and Lennon continue their run of form, and if Pavvy and Keano can gel (lots of ifs) we can win this game.

COYS!

[Hauler]

prepare to get your ar-shavin

Then they wonder why I go to there board......... Foolish. I bet if Arsenal finished out of the top 4 consistently half of there fans would find another team to support just like that one Chelski fan who started supporting Hull City this year cause Mourinho left and there not winning titles anymore.

They are really fly by night fans over there.

[electrickeeper]

Then they wonder why I go to there board.........

That makes you no better than them in this case.

[pookspur]

prepare to get your ar-shavin

arse shavin' ... arse shovin' ... seek your fun amongst your own.

[thebigman]

i was only joking

im not a glory supporter

just a bit of banter

[pookspur]

i was only joking

im not a glory supporter...

is that what you tell your brummie mates when you scamper home to watch the arsenal?


(and banter's fine by me, mate. but i'll bet you already knew that. :D)

[thebigman]

yeah, pook is down
















like tottenham come may

[DigitalTron]

------------Cudicini--------
Corluka--Daws--Woodie--BAE
Bentley----Palacios----Lennon
---------Modric--Keane----
--------------Pavy--------

Explanation...



Digital, i hope this is how you meant Keane is going to fit in.

Yes, very close to that. Here is kinda how I envisioned the spacing to be. Forgive me, but I hate seeing teams attacking down at my crotch, so I'm going to aim them up, just my personal preference for lineups, lol. I'm also using my preferred personnel, although I recognize that Redknapp would prefer to protect his keeper rather than achieve balance.


-------------------------Pavyluvchenko------------------------
--------------Keane------------------Modric-------------------
Lennon-------------------------------------------------Bentley
----------------------------Palacios---------------------------
Bale-------------------------------------------------Chimbonda
------------------Dawson-----------Woodgate-----------------
----------------------------Gomes-----------------------------


I've replaced BAE with Bale to give us the balance we lack, and Chimbonda for Corluka to add the pace we lack down the right side when Lennon isn't there. This assumes that Gomes will start again when fit.

This places a lot of pressure on Palacios and Pavyluvchenko. Palacios needs to be very disciplined defensively and subvert his attacking game for the benefit of the team so that he can destroy counter-attacks. It also asks a lot of Pavyluvchenko to make runs at goal whenever Bentley or Bale are on the ball, and show for the ball whenever Modric or Keane have the ball.

Modric and Keane can interchange sides and one can drop deep while the other plays withdrawn forward. If done right, these two would be interchanging quite often during the game and keep defenders constantly changing marking assignments. I don't expect all of these parts to gell right away, and to be honest not until next season unfortunately, but I do expect it to have spurts of sparkling play offensively, and that should be enough to avoid relegation.

If we have BAE in there, we'll lack crossing from the left, making us too easy to shut down. If we have Corluka on the right we'll lack the pace to either attack properly or unsettle defenses down the right. Given your players Vasilli, I'd imagine Lennon would be required to play on the right and Bentley would become a square peg in a round hole on the left, but you could play Bale up in midfield and that should work fine.

It's not the classic christmas tree lineup as it would be a single Dmid anchoring the midfield and protecting the back line, but it should create a lot of chances for shots around the edge of the box and neat passing to players where defenders have blown their marking. It will require a lot of interchangability, and the right combo of wing midfielders + fullbacks on each side to gain the needed balance. But, it does have potential for some exciting attacking football.

-Digital