Kicking the bucket .E.F.L Cup 3rd round. Away to Arsenal Wed, 25th Sep. 7-45.

[The_Gun]

Hmm, some predictably harsh assessments of last night on here.

I was actually drinking with some mates in the Arsenal supporters club before the match, and when the teams came out I honestly thought we’d lose 10-0. To come away with a 5-1 defeat, with a rotated side, coming up against probably the best team in the country is objectively fine. Yeah we shot ourselves in the foot on a couple of occasions, but I didn’t walk out the stadium with any major concerns.

Perhaps an obvious takeaway, but Aaron Collins is really good. I feel like if we’re to give ourselves any chance of succeeding this season then we need him to be starting regularly.

[Worthy4England]

Arfield, at the minute, looks like he's turning up to pick up a cheque rather than to run himself into the ground for a season.

If a 35 year old comes off without really breaking a sweat then it's fair to ask questions.

One thing about Jerome is that he absolutely put himself about. Shrews is the only game where I've felt Arfield put a full shift in.

Maybe I'm being unfair, but that's how it feels.

I don't think you're imagining it.

[boltonboris]

Perhaps an obvious takeaway, but Aaron Collins is really good. I feel like if we’re to give ourselves any chance of succeeding this season then we need him to be starting regularly.

Absolutely. We found a gem, so to then change to a system that completely alienates his creative freedom was bonkers. Hopefully he can play with the same kind of roaming style he had at the end of last season, where he looked our best player by some distance.

He and Charles are our top 2 for me and they can play together

[GhostoftheBok]

Perhaps an obvious takeaway, but Aaron Collins is really good. I feel like if we’re to give ourselves any chance of succeeding this season then we need him to be starting regularly.

We have four very, very good forwards who all offer something different.

Those options are enough to take a side up. If we are switching back to the old system then there are big question marks elsewhere.

[Gooner Girl]

Hmm, some predictably harsh assessments of last night on here.

I was actually drinking with some mates in the Arsenal supporters club before the match, and when the teams came out I honestly thought we’d lose 10-0. To come away with a 5-1 defeat, with a rotated side, coming up against probably the best team in the country is objectively fine. Yeah we shot ourselves in the foot on a couple of occasions, but I didn’t walk out the stadium with any major concerns.

Perhaps an obvious takeaway, but Aaron Collins is really good. I feel like if we’re to give ourselves any chance of succeeding this season then we need him to be starting regularly.

Think Arteta took this game and the opposition pretty seriously last night. Don’t often see the likes of Saka and Rice in the first few rounds of the league cup.

[TonyDomingos]

Hmm, some predictably harsh assessments of last night on here.

I was actually drinking with some mates in the Arsenal supporters club before the match, and when the teams came out I honestly thought we’d lose 10-0. To come away with a 5-1 defeat, with a rotated side, coming up against probably the best team in the country is objectively fine. Yeah we shot ourselves in the foot on a couple of occasions, but I didn’t walk out the stadium with any major concerns.

Perhaps an obvious takeaway, but Aaron Collins is really good. I feel like if we’re to give ourselves any chance of succeeding this season then we need him to be starting regularly.

Pretty much where I'm at. Yes, we could have had a stronger starting XI; yes, would have got "stuck in"; yes, we could have run ourselves into the ground. But to what end? To lose by fewer than four while putting ourselves at a disadvantage for Saturday lunchtime?

[Mar]

Hmm, some predictably harsh assessments of last night on here.

I was actually drinking with some mates in the Arsenal supporters club before the match, and when the teams came out I honestly thought we’d lose 10-0. To come away with a 5-1 defeat, with a rotated side, coming up against probably the best team in the country is objectively fine. Yeah we shot ourselves in the foot on a couple of occasions, but I didn’t walk out the stadium with any major concerns.

Perhaps an obvious takeaway, but Aaron Collins is really good. I feel like if we’re to give ourselves any chance of succeeding this season then we need him to be starting regularly.

Pretty much where I'm at. Yes, we could have had a stronger starting XI; yes, would have got "stuck in"; yes, we could have run ourselves into the ground. But to what end? To lose by fewer than four while putting ourselves at a disadvantage for Saturday lunchtime?

I said before the match that we'd lose, and I said it was a free hit for Evatt. The only difference that could've made a difference would've been a positive one, but the result and the performance ensured we just had the same old, same old.

Don't mind that, we were going to go out of the cup at some point, we got a nice amount of money from it (presumably), so the next thing would be hoping it didn't have a big impact on our fitness for the game that matters, Crawley.

[Worthy4England]

Hmm, some predictably harsh assessments of last night on here.

I was actually drinking with some mates in the Arsenal supporters club before the match, and when the teams came out I honestly thought we’d lose 10-0. To come away with a 5-1 defeat, with a rotated side, coming up against probably the best team in the country is objectively fine. Yeah we shot ourselves in the foot on a couple of occasions, but I didn’t walk out the stadium with any major concerns.

Perhaps an obvious takeaway, but Aaron Collins is really good. I feel like if we’re to give ourselves any chance of succeeding this season then we need him to be starting regularly.

Pretty much where I'm at. Yes, we could have had a stronger starting XI; yes, would have got "stuck in"; yes, we could have run ourselves into the ground. But to what end? To lose by fewer than four while putting ourselves at a disadvantage for Saturday lunchtime?

On a different day, Arfield or McAtee doesn't hit row Z from 6 yards out. Sheehan gets a call on the penalty...All pretty early in the game. There is no point turning up anywhere expecting to lose, even when the chances are, that's a knocking bet. I think as Ghost said, not everyone on the pitch looked like they were 100% (albeit I thought we generally acquitted ourselves like a L1 team playing the book club.) I felt genuinely sorry for the guys sat on the bench, these are the games you want to play in, for me - not a dig at Evatt - felt we had to do it.

But what you're saying there TD was pretty much the takeaway for me by HT. What was the fcuking point of that game in the way it was played? It was 45 minutes I'll never get back. It was a bit like watching us in reverse. Pointless, boring shite.

[TonyDomingos]

Hmm, some predictably harsh assessments of last night on here.

I was actually drinking with some mates in the Arsenal supporters club before the match, and when the teams came out I honestly thought we’d lose 10-0. To come away with a 5-1 defeat, with a rotated side, coming up against probably the best team in the country is objectively fine. Yeah we shot ourselves in the foot on a couple of occasions, but I didn’t walk out the stadium with any major concerns.

Perhaps an obvious takeaway, but Aaron Collins is really good. I feel like if we’re to give ourselves any chance of succeeding this season then we need him to be starting regularly.

Pretty much where I'm at. Yes, we could have had a stronger starting XI; yes, would have got "stuck in"; yes, we could have run ourselves into the ground. But to what end? To lose by fewer than four while putting ourselves at a disadvantage for Saturday lunchtime?

On a different day, Arfield or McAtee doesn't hit row Z from 6 yards out. Sheehan gets a call on the penalty...All pretty early in the game.

I once saw us go 2 up at Arsenal early on only to lose 4-2!

[Worthy4England]

Aye but at least we got to 60+ minutes before we went behind, so there was some entertainment. They had to work for it.

[TonyDomingos]

Aye but at least we got to 60+ minutes before we went behind, so there was some entertainment. They had to work for it.

True. But we didn't have Crawley away a few days later!

[Worthy4England]

Aye but at least we got to 60+ minutes before we went behind, so there was some entertainment. They had to work for it.

True. But we didn't have Crawley away a few days later!

It's a fair point, well made.