Getcha Free Digital Gooner Fanzine dedicated to all things Arsenal Women FC
Issue one of our free digital Gooner Fanzine solely focussing on Arsenal Women FC is out now - pick up your collectible cards with QR code at The Arsenal on Saturday
Hello,
Happy Friday evening!
It’s been a long and ridiculously busy few weeks burning the midnight oil, but we’ve finally managed to get the first issue of our free, digital Gooner Fanzine dedicated solely to Arsenal Women is out now.
It’s been hard work, but we’ve managed to get 64 pages over the line ahead of Arsenal Women vs Chelsea Women at the Emirates on Saturday.
We’re really proud of the quality of this issue, it’s jam-packed with exciting, top quality Arsenal writers, creatives and photographers.
Read it here
Sarah Pollard’s brilliant front cover
First of all, I have to say a massive thank you to two very talented people, our Gooner Fanzine production genius, Serge Braga-Mullin, for his hard work and top-notch professionalism in helping to pull this issue together. Likewise, our brilliant editor of the women’s issue, Freddie Cardy, who has assembled such a superb squad, that we hope you will enjoy.
I would also like to thank those who have backed this project, without whose support we simply couldn’t publish, including Richard Smith and AISA, as well as Raymond James Hitchin, AST, and Jeremy Bradley’s JB Utilities, specialists in saving businesses money on their electricity and gas.
I’d also like to say a big thank you to everyone who has contributed to this issue, including Daisy Goodhand, Claudia Loy, Jamie Spangher, Laura Howard, Lily Young, Emily Herbert, Nancy Gillen, Liberty Simons, Lumi Lehmuskallio, Joseph Rosedon, Sophie Puodzis, Suzy Lycett, Sarah Pollard and Ruth Beck, as well as Freddie of course – all terrific writers, journalists and broadcasters, with such exciting futures, so please do keep an eye out for their work on other platforms too.
I’d also like to point you in the direction of the incredible sports photographer Suzy Lycett, who we’re delighted to say is now covering Arsenal Women matches for the Gooner Fanzine. We’re delighted to showcase a stunning selection of Suzy’s work on this platform, so please look out for her work with the Gooner in this issue, as well as over the course of this season, as well as on her insta page (@boodlepim).
I’d also like to tip our hat to all our wonderful readers, without who there wouldn’t be such a large, and ever-growing audience for our work. My youngest daughter Josie and myself went to the Leicester away WSL game to support the Gunners, and the incredible passion, loyalty, knowledge, good humour and all-round tremendous backing for AWFC was amazing to see. Long may it continue.
Finally, I’d like to say a massive thank you to my wonderful partner Faye, without whose love and support I simply couldn’t continue to keep pushing the Gooner Fanzine forward. Please do watch this space, as we have big plans for our humble publication on Arsenal Women.
Everyone associated with our digital version of the Gooner Fanzine dedicated to Arsenal Women hopes you enjoy this issue as much as we did putting it together.
So, as we make clear on Sarah Pollard’s brilliant front cover, that you can also collect as a picture card, it’s now time for Jonas Eidevall to deliver. Over to you Jonas…
Come on you Gunners. Layth and the team
PS: See you at Arsenal tube where my youngest Josie and I will be flogging the Gooner from around 11am on Saturday morning
…………
Simply Unacceptable
Now to the football. (Unfortunately). Losing 5-2 was a really painful result for anyone who cares about Arsenal Women. Simply not good enough from Jonas Eidevall.
Eidevall's Arsenal suffered humiliation in Munich with serious questions now being asked over the Swede's long-term future, after his side were routed 5-2 in Bavaria, as the underwhelming Eidevall underperformed again.
Given the vast resources the frustrating Eidevall has had at his disposal from England's biggest and most established WSL club, such a thrashing was simply unacceptable for the club's legions of loyal fans.
………
England 1-2 Greece
Now to the football. (Unfortunately)…
I took my youngest daughter to Wembley on Thursday night.
Apart from the game we had a nice evening together, thanks for asking, even it is absolutely shocking that burgers can be priced at £11…
Now to the football. (Unfortunately)…
…….
Dreadful, dismal, dire
Vangelis Pavlidis' double stuns Wembley and dents Lee Carsley's hopes of becoming manager
The 25-year-old Thessaloniki-born, Bonfica striker Pavlidis' second-half double gave Greece a fully deserved 2-1 Nations League win over England at Wembley.
Jude Bellingham's 87th-minute equaliser had appeared to give Carsley's side an undeserved draw, before Pavlidis' late winner, which surely has put paid to any hopes the pitiful Carsley had of being appointed permanent boss.
Worryingly for England, and Arsenal, Bukayo Saka hobbled off shortly after the interval, with what looked to be a hamstring injury.
…..
Lee ‘Hopefully’ Carsley
Football is a simple game complicated by idiots.
I’m all for creative thinking. But you can’t re-invent the wheel. There’s a reason why football has had strikers for the last 150 years.
So, when pitiful England interim boss Lee Carsley decided to pick six forwards but no striker, in the most disorganised England performance I’ve seen in 40 years of watching them in the flesh, it was no surprise he was destined to fail. Dismally.
Kudos to Greece. (Fittingly, as the word derives from the Greek kydos, which means honor, glory, or fame).
The Greeks under Ivan Jovanović have performed well in the Nations League, posting an excellent 2-0 victory over Ireland in Dublin last month, as well as easing past Finland 3-0, not to mention being a tad unlucky when losing to a last minute winner by Germany in Dortmund in a warm-up to Euro 2024 back in June.
So, when people focus on how bad England were on Thursday night - and believe me, they were bad - it’s also appropriate to note that Greece were excellent, and on a different night could well have won 5-1.
As for the sorry Carsley, who, astoundingly, said he was ‘hopefully’ returning to the U21s - rather than lead the England national team - well, on last night’s utterly dismal showing I don’t think the former Derby clodhopper should be let anywhere near a representative side, until he understands that allocating ‘25 minutes’ to training his players for a new system - no matter who they are is - is simply unacceptable.
While that may seem harsh, if it was just a question of not being able to deal with the media, then that’s one thing, but Carsley has singularly failed to grasp football tactics.
What can a talented 17-year-old promoted to the U21s - perhaps Ethan Nwaneri one day soon for example - learn from such a tactically incoherent boss? I wouldn’t want Nwaneri anywhere near Carsley.
(And yes, I am fully aware that Carsley led the England U21s to Euro glory by beating Spain U21s to win the final in Batumi, Georgia in the summer of 2023.)
As I posed on Twitter from the stands at Wembley on the final whistle last night (old habits die hard even on a night off) “Three Lions interim boss Lee Carsley has failed his third interview abjectly. The powers-that-be have to stop kidding themselves they have an English Luis de la Fuente in the making. Because they don’t. And the sooner they realise that the better.”
England Player Ratings:
Find out who impressed - or failed to - with my Player Ratings
GK: Jordan Pickford - 4/10 - Surely his worst opening half of football in an England shirt. Looked unrecognisable from the reliable keeper everyone knows the Everton man to be.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 5/10 - Lack of attacking options failed to help his cause
CB: John Stones (c) - 4/10 - To paraphrase Obi Wan Kenobi: He is not the captain we are looking for. Wore leader's armband for the first time but won't look back with any pride on his performance after allowing Pavlidis to take the lead as Greece had three disallowed goals
CB: Levi Colwill - 5/10 - Cleared off the line but failed to impress. Mind you no-one did
LB: Rico Lewis - 4/10 - An inexperienced player which contributed to his poor display
RM: Bukayo Saka - 5/10 - Gooners everywhere will be fretting over the fitness of such an influential player albeit one playing in the red zone. Looked to be a hamstring injury which doesn't bode well for Arsenal's forthcoming tough set of matches against Liverpool, Newcastle, Inter Milan and Chelsea...
CM: Cole Palmer - 6/10 - Where did the player go who has lit up the Premier League over the last 12 months
CM: Declan Rice - 6/10 - Had his work cut in the heart of battle when playing in such a disorganised side
LM: Anthony Gordon - 5/10 - Headed chance missed, failed to trouble the Greece backline
ST: Phil Foden - 4/10 - Didn't click against Greece, just like his 42 cap England career in general for Phil the international flop
ST: Jude Bellingham - 5.5/10 - Late equaliser but looked off the pace, and wasn't his usual influential self
Substitutes
SUB: Noni Madueke (52' for Saka) - 7/10 - Looked lively after replacing the stricken Saka
SUB: Ollie Watkins (60' for Gordon) - 6.5/10 - Should have scored after coming on but fired over the bar
SUB: Dominic Solanke (72' for Foden) - 5/10 -
Subs not used:
Dean Henderson (GK),
Nick Pope (GK),
Kyle Walker,
Tino Livramento,
Marc Guehi,
Curtis Jones,
Conor Gallagher,
Angel Gomes.
………
PS:
William Saliba to Real Madrid. Nah, you’re alright thanks
It happens every time an Arsenal player breaks into the top echelons of football talent through the powerful consistency of their performances, so I suppose we should take it as a backhanded complement, but, seriously, Real Madrid can go whistle. They’re not getting William Saliba.
……………
Milton Keynes 2–2 Arsenal U21
I went to Milton Keynes on Tuesday evening during a downpour so relentlessly torrential it felt biblical. Here’s my quick report and player ratings…
Arsenal U21s Player Ratings
Milton Keynes 2–2 Arsenal U21
Arsenal U21s lost 3-1 in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw in 90 minutes on a rain-lashed Tuesday evening at Milton Keynes.
MK No9 Ellis Harrison put the home side ahead on 26 minutes, prior to Andre-Harrison Annous levelling to make it 1-1 four minutes later.
The lively Harrison then put Milton Keynes 2-1 ahead 120 later, prior to Nathan Butler-Oyedeji smashing home to make it 2-2 four minutes later.
Mehmet Ali’s talented young guns came into Tuesday evening’s match on the back of two successive defeats, even if they had won their opening match in this tournament, when beating Leyton Orient 2-1 at Brisbane Road in early September.
Six weeks on, the appalling weather was decidedly different from a balmy evening in East London at the end of the summer, with torrential rain offering challenging conditions for the gilded teenagers.
For their part, the home side made 11 changes from their 1-1 draw against Tranmere Rovers in League Two at the weekend, even if Ali’s side still faced a difficult task against the club from the fourth tier.
On 15 minutes as MK dominated the opening stages, right-back Joe Pritchard failed to convert when well-placed.
As the torrential rain continued to lash down, MK No9 Ellis Harrison headed home in a crowded box to put the home side 1-0 ahead on 26 minutes.
In a lively opening, the young Arsenal side equalised on the half hour mark, when Andre-Harrison Annous fired home to make the score 1-1, after Nathan Butler-Oyedeji’s shot was parried by MK keeper Craig MacGillivray.
A mere 120 seconds later, the dangerous Harrison grabbed his second goal on a rainy evening, with an excellent curling effort that flew past visitor’s keeper Lucas Martin, to make it 2-1.
Only four minutes had elapsed before Ali’s young charges were level once again, when Butler Oyedeji smashed the ball into the net to make it 2-2 - much to the delight of the 596 travelling Arsenal supporters at the other end, in a total attendance of 2,427.
As the clock ticked down there was still time for Butler-Oyedeji to be denied by MacGillivray, while Rian Silver thudded the crossbar.
Find out who impressed with our Arsenal U21 Player Ratings
Player Ratings:
54 - Lucas Martin: 6/10 - Fortunate MK right-back Joe Pritchard failed to convert when well-placed. Showed good handling on a wet evening but could the young keeper have done more to keep out MK’s opening goal as Ellis Harrison headed home. With further questions arising over his positioning for Harrison’s excellent curler six minutes later. However, will have learned so much from the occasion and deserved some luck when substitute Rian Silver hit the bar late on
61 - Josh Robinson: 7/10 - Scored against League One Orient at Brisbane Road in the Young Guns opening match in Group E. Has an excellent engine which powered the talented teenager up and down the flank in support of more advanced colleagues, while also being aware of his defensive duties
47 - Maldini Kacurri: 7/10 - The big defender who made his first team debut when he came on during the 5-1 League Cup victory against Bolton relished the occasion against the League Two sides in wet conditions
50 - Zane Monlouis (c): 7/10 - Brave when blocking MK attacks
49 - Myles Lewis-Skelly: 7.5/10 - The newly-turned 18-year-old has had a start to the 2024-25 he’ll never forget, making his Premier League debut during that titanic clash at the Etihad last month, before appearing at the Emirates to help the first team to that 5-1 victory over a sorry Bolton side. Has such an excellent temperament and work ethic
46 - Ismeal Kabia: 7/10 - Another who made his League Cup bow against the Trotters, after scoring in the victory over the O’s in East London at the start of September. Posed a threat down the right flank in challenging conditions. First half shot gathered by MK keeper Craig MacGillivray as the rain lashed down
63 - Michal Rosiak: 7/10 - Calm and composed and did the dirty things well
44 - Jimi Gower: 7.5/10 - Neat and tidy. Battled hard, never stopped worked
56 - Salah M’Hand: 7/10 - Ploughed a lone furrow up top despite showing neat touches and displaying an excellent technique
37 - Nathan Butler-Oyedeji: 8/10 - Worked hard out of possession in sodden conditions. Not afraid to drop deep to receive the ball. Showed clinical finishing when smashing the ball high into the net to make the score 2-2 during a hectic first half. Denied from close range by MK keeper MacGillivray midway through the second half
82 - Andre-Harriman-Annous: 7.5/10 - Grabbed Arsenal’s opener when four goals were scored during 10 first half minutes
Substitutes:
Josh Nichols: 7.5/10 - The impressive young defender who made his first team debut in the starting XI during the rout of Bolton replaced Josh Robinson at half time