Fozzy 
Let me start with an apology in advance to my fellow Gooners who will be sitting close to me in block 103 for the return leg of the Milan tie. My vocal chords are in full training for three weeks’ time, when I promise that I will be blunt and to the point. Having watched Wednesday night’s complete and utter shambles, I think that I am entitled to air my humble opinion, especially having paid a king’s ransom for two tickets. At least that nice Mr Hill-Wood can buy now himself another new puffa jacket, thanks to my generosity.
We had over two months to prepare for this match, so what went so terribly wrong? What happened to any semblance of tactics? Where was the slightest inkling of any meaningful management? Why did Weng just sit there doing nothing? Put yourself in the players’ place. Everything on the pitch was going wrong. Whatever tactics that were agreed beforehand just were not working. Surely, what was needed was for the manager to be off his feet urging the players on and just sorting out the same basic mistakes that were so obviously happening all over the pitch. But whenever the TV cameras focused on OGL, we saw a broken old man just slumped back in his seat offering no support whatsoever. Pat “Sun Lounger” Rice was nowhere to be seen. If Messrs Bould and/or Keown were on the bench, would they just sit there like Weng and do nothing? I don’t think so.
There were awful performances right across the pitch. Rambo is now clearly shot to pieces from being overplayed. Everybody apart from Weng knew that we were not going to see Happy Jack this season, because the poor lad was totally overplayed last season. History repeating itself, or what? Our only other half-decent ray of hope, Pingpong, was recently and criminally shipped off to Wolves with disastrous results. Total nonsense.
Rosicky is clearly not the answer as he is no longer up to the required standard. He looked good a few years ago when compared to the likes of Hleb, but, then again, even I would look good when compared to Hleb. His shot on goal in the second half which went off for a throw just about sums up this miserable performer.
We now come to Walnutt. Why does Weng have such a blind spot in wanting to keep playing him? It’s not Walnutt’s fault that he keeps being picked and then failing to produce goods, because we all now know that he is just not up to the task. But how on earth are we going to let Weng know that his decision-making in continuing to pick him in the starting line-up is flawed if we just sit there and keep quiet when yet another Walnutt cross sails out of play or he commits yet another unforced error, or just loses his bottle when up against a good honest pro? The obvious selection for the Milan game was The Ox, who created more in his short cameo appearance than Walnutt did all night.
I suppose, deep down, I saw Wednesday night’s dreadful performance coming. But all the same, it was another chapter in this season’s book of catastrophes. Yet again, a performance from The Arse has left me hurt and angry. And that’s because I care.
(Ed’s note – The Gooner Gambling Scheme will return next week, due to the odds on the Sunderland FA Cup game not being suited to a guaranteed profit, and as regular followers know, we don’t gamble, we play the odds using the bookies’ promos to ensure a return whatever the outcome)
