THE TRUE GOONER

The likes of Allerdyce and Pulis just don't get it

2010-10-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

Afternoon gooners!

I just can't believe what I'm hearing from the likes of Allerdyce and Pulis - criticising Danny Murphy for coming out and making some genuinely insightful observations about managers sending their teams out to 'play rough'.

You only have to hear some of the pre-match comments these managers make before they play Arsenal to know that this is indeed the case. As Murphy correctly pointed out, players don't go on the pitch to deliberately break someones legs but they do intend to 'ruffle a few feathers'. The hypocrisy is the hardest thing for me to stomach especially given that these managers deem it perfectly legitimate to crticise referees after a poor performance or indeed a bad challenge from opposing teams players. However, for some reason unbeknown to me one cannot dare say a bad word about a manager - ridiculous.

Danny Murphy is a good player and he plays football the right way. In addition, when a pundit on TV he articulates his thoughts far better than most so called experts. The fact that he pulled out of his pundit role for the England game in mid-week suggests that he may think twice about appearing as a pundit in the future which would be a great shame.

So Birmingham up next and although I would usually call it a home banker, I think we need to be cautious given our woeful appearance against West Brom a few weeks ago. One thing that does annoy me is the constant Hleb bashing that has been going on in the Arsenal blogs today. As I wrote in this article, he was a superb footballer who was crucial to our counter attacking style that propelled us to the top of the table in 2007/08. The fact that the season after he left for Barcelona was one of our poorest in many years tells its own story. I for one will not boo him tomorrow, he did Arsenal a great service and was one of the most gifted players I have seen in an Arsenal shirt.

Enjoy the game tomorrow.

Tenz

Why it’s time for the FA to make a stance although the Dutch have ulterior motives…

2010-10-06T03:14:00.000-07:00

One has to commend the Dutch FA for dropping Nigel De Jong from the squad for their up and coming Euro 2012 qualifiers. It’s very rare for an international manager to come out and openly criticise one of his players for breaking the leg of an opponent but all credit to him for doing that. Many football writers and fans are of the opinion that tackling in modern day football has gone over the top and that it’s now worse than it’s ever been before. I disagree, players could get away with so much more in the 60s, 70s and 80s – I wasn’t born to see the Don Revie Leeds team but from what I’ve heard and seen, they were a team who deliberately went out to harm other players and what’s more they never saw red for doing so. We of course live in different times, every tackle can be seen from a number of different angles and quite rightly scrutinised to a mass audience. That being said, the FA now has to make a stand by retrospectively punishing those who commit dangerous tackles on an opponent regardless of whether the player gets injured or not. Only a few weeks ago, a player was banned for two games by the Spanish FA for a late challenge on Lionel Messi, the incident had been seen by the referee but the authorities decided that it warranted further punishment. The English FA will no doubt trot out the same line that by punishing a player when the referee has seen it will undermine the referees authority - this argument is totally flawed for the simple fact referees have no authority anymore and haven’t done so for a long time. By bringing in retrospective punishments for incidents seen by a referee, I would argue that the authority of the referee and the FA will actually increase with fans and players alike knowing that at least justice will be done after the game. This would therefore hopefully provide a deterrent to those who deliberately go out to harm their opponents (although there is no chance of eradicating this completely). When you have players like Paul Robinson coming out and saying that his tackle on Diaby was fair, then there is clearly a problem which needs addressing at the highest level especially given that we are talking about players livelihoods here. Furthermore, neither Henry or De Jong have come out and apologised to the players they assaulted which is nothing short of disgraceful. Yes players do earn a lot of money but in one silly moment, their career can be over and this is something we don’t want to see – The FA therefore has a responsibility. The old line spouted by Brian Kidd that De Jong is ‘not that type of player’ is insulting to all football fans and just doesn’t wash anymore. We all know that he IS that sort of player and we’ve seen it time and time again from him as we did with Shawcross and Henry.

Moving on, I think the Dutch are being very clever with the whole De Jong incident and I believe it to be mainly an exercise in PR. Following the world cup, Holland were absolutely vilified by the worlds media and by former Dutch greats such as Johan Cruyff for their tactics throughout the whole tournament but especially against Spain in the final. Earning a reputation for being a dirty side is not want the Dutch FA wants, it goes against their footballing legacy and thus I think they realised they needed to act now before it was too late. My guess is that they weren’t too worried about it until now, as if they cared so much why didn’t they drop De Jong for the last round of internationals? His challenge on Xabi Alonso in the World Cup final was infinitely worse than the one on Ben Arfa. To me it’s provided the wake up call to the Dutch who now recognise that they NEED to restore their legacy and reputation with gesture going some way to doing so.

These are just some thoughts… do you agree with me? Let me know what you think…

Tenz

Same old Arsenal

2010-10-04T02:41:00.000-07:00

Another game at Stamford Bridge and another defeat, déjà vu was once again in the air. Beaten 2-0, the game was almost a carbon copy of the game last February where we huffed and puffed, dominated possession for most of the 90 minutes but still came away with nothing. That’s not to say that we haven’t progressed since last season, there is no doubt that we are a better team but we just lack that killer instinct in the final third. Considering the players we had missing it’s hard to be too harsh on the lads and sometimes we just have to accept that we were beaten by a better team. I know it’s said time and time again but if Drogba was in our side yesterday then I have no doubt that we would have run out worthy winners.

The first goal was always going to be vital and after two minutes we really should have had it – quite how Koscielny failed to head in from a few yards is beyond me and it was clear in Wenger’s post match interview that this was a source of major frustration to him. We were doing okay for the first thirty minutes, one Drogba chance aside the centre backs were coping well with the Chelsea threat. We were looking dangerous going forward, Arshavin had a few shots well saved and I thought that if we could get to half time without conceding then we would have a chance. The goal was disappointing, Nasri switched off and allowed Cole to get away from him and then Drogba did the inevitable and scored his 13^th goal in 13 games against us. Once that goal went in, it was fairly obvious that Chelsea would sit back, defend solidly and try and catch us on the break. Although we had plenty of possession in the second half, we never really looked like scoring, against an excellent back line; this was where the absence of Fabregas was all too evident. Whether the game would have turned out differently if the little genius was on the pitch is open to debate but the fact is that when we needed that little bit of extra composure and the ability to pick out a final ball, we just simply didn’t have it.

Having thrown JET on for his debut we had to big strikers up front so I was hopeful that we could nick an equaliser but the second goal came shortly after and the game was over. Nasri played a ball straight to Drogba and Koscielny had no choice but to bring him down, at the time I thought it was a sensible decision and worth taking a yellow for. You have to say it was a wonderful free kick from Alex, even though the wall parted like the red sea; I can’t blame them, as if I saw that ball coming towards me the instinct to avoid it would have been far too strong. Whilst the score flattered Chelsea somewhat, the deficiencies in our squad were there for all to see, Arsenal just simply cannot win when we don’t have Fabregas and one wonders what things will be like when he isn’t there permanently.

In goal, apart from one strange attempt to catch a cross, Fabianski played well and looked solid. Basing my judgement on his last two performances I think he should remain in goal when Almunia is fit to return. The centre backs had a difficult day, Squillaci almost gifting Anelka a goal and Koscielny being easily out muscled by Drogba, but on the whole I thought they did okay and they’ll take comfort in the fact that they don’t have to face Chelsea every week. The real plus for me was the performance of Jack Wilshere, as I have said on countless occasions, I prefer to see Jack as the deepest lying midfielder and that’s exactly where he played yesterday. The young lad was composed on the ball and I thought he was our best player; the 18 year old did himself proud especially considering who he was up against. Once again Arshavin went from the sublime to the ridiculous, he gives the ball away so cheaply mainly because he is lazy and has a rather inflated opinion of himself. It’s time for Wenger to flex his muscles and put the Russian on the bench for the next few games and give Rosicky a chance in his place. Chamakh didn’t have a great game but it’s hard when you’re not getting the service but he put in the effort which is the main thing.

So 7 points behind Chelsea already, whilst it’s still early one can’t help but wonder if we are out of the title race already. With our next away game being at Manchester City, it’s crucial that we beat Birmingham after the international break or things could get very worrying indeed.

It’s not all doom and gloom though…at least we don’t support Liverpool!

Is there hope for Sunday?

2010-09-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

Our away fixture at Stamford Bridge on Sunday represents a pivotal moment in our development as team and will give us a good indication of what this season will hold for us. Arsenal are coming into the game on the back of a solid win in the Champions League, but a woeful showing against West Brom last Saturday means that six games into the new season we are under serious pressure. The main issue over the last few seasons is that when we have come up against one of our main rivals, we tend to fall drastically short. If one was being optimistic, it would be easy to write off our past failings as being exactly that – in the past. I worry that this is being too hopeful and thus I keep on asking myself just how much of an impact will last seasons results against Chelsea have on our performance on Sunday? Do the players really believe that they can go to Stamford Bridge and win? Unfortunately only the players and the manager can answer these questions and we can merely speculate. What we do know is that in order to win the game, the team will need to display something that we don’t tend to see from them which is giving 100% and fighting for each other in all areas of the pitch.

Once again injuries are playing havoc with our season, although I have a suspicion that Fabregas will play on Sunday, should he not be available then a lot of responsibility could fall on Jack Wilshere. I felt it took a couple of games for Jack to feel comfortable in the first eleven and to get used to playing for a top team rather a run of the mill club like Bolton. There is no doubting that at the age of 18, Wilshere is already a pivotal figure for our club and one that has to start at Chelsea. As I’ve remarked previously, I much prefer to see him play a deeper lying role where he can get on the ball and influence the play with his excellent range of passing. Having Fabregas alongside him will enable Jack to do this and could swing the game in Arsenal’s favour depending on how Song (or Denilson) deals with the powerhouse that is Michael Essien. Perhaps a key area for hope is the injury to Lampard which will keep him out of Sunday’s game; always a prominent figure against us, his absence does remove one of their major goal threats which can only be a positive. Whilst the midfield battle will be crucial in determining the outcome of the game, Chelsea will also look to play the ball over the top and into the channels for Drogba to use his pace and power. Drogba is a goal scoring machine and a truly fantastic player, 12 goals in 12 games against Arsenal tells its own story and he could well be the difference on Sunday. So how can we stop the inevitable? Although I’m not one of Djourou’s biggest fans, I think he has to start the game ahead of Koscielny based on the fact that he is far more capable to deal with Drogba’s physical strength and has experience of this fixture which could be absolutely vital - he was on the winning side in this encounter two seasons ago (although he scored an own goal, he actually played very well). Failure to deal with Drogba will lead to defeat and although I don’t advocate violence on the football pitch, we need to stop him by all means necessary!

In this fixture last season we dominated play but just couldn’t find a way through, I expect a similar sort of pattern to develop this time and thus it’s crucial that the likes of Arshavin and Nasri make the most of the chances that come their way. The importance of Sunday cannot be overestimated; a win would give us an enormous confidence boost going into an important part of the season and give the team the belief that they can mix it with the very best. Although I’m feeling pessimistic about our chances, it’s definitely a game that we can win and a draw would be by no means a bad result in the grand scheme of things. Let’s not forget that we went to the Bridge a couple of seasons ago in a game no one gave us much hope in and won thanks to an RVP double albeit the first goal was about 5 yards offside!

I think the team should line up something like this:

Almunia
Sagna
Djourou
Squillaci
Gibbs
Denilson
Fabregas
Wilshere
Arshavin
Nasri
Chamakh

All we can ask is that they fight for each other and put in a performance to make us proud.

Come on you gunners!

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Relief in Belgrade

2010-09-29T01:57:00.000-07:00

Arsenal produced a steady performance in Belgrade last night to gain an important win that keeps us top of our Champions League group…

It wasn’t a surprise to see the gaffer ring the changes for this one and he clearly had one eye on the game at Chelsea on the weekend. I was a little disappointed that Nasri started on the bench as he’s been in fine form recently, but it was the right decision. I didn’t think much of the home team and after the first goal we always looked like running out eventual winners. It was interesting to see Wishere in a more advanced role, when he’s been playing with Fabregas he’s been slightly more withdrawn to allow the Spaniard to get forward. I prefer to see Jack playing a more holding role as it gives him a chance to get on the ball and dictate play which he wasn’t able to do playing behind the front man. That being said, he still had a very good game and his contribution to the first goal was sensational – he is clearly a natural talent, you just can’t coach that sort of awareness.

Arshavin put in a good stint last night but will be disappointed with the penalty especially as he’s taken a few for us in the past few years and not missed any. I was also glad to see Gibbs get the nod over Clichy, I think the Frenchman needs a stint out of the team as he’s clearly been underperforming for a couple of seasons. A sign of my increasing nervousness is that I was actually worried when he came on against Tottenham and again last night, the guy is somewhat of a disaster waiting to happen and much like Cole with Sylvinho it’s time to allow Gibbs to cement his place as our regular left back. The penalty aside, I thought Gibbs looked solid and offered more of a threat going forward and what’s more he is clearly hungry to do well for the team. Djourou also came into the side last night and performed okay but I still have serious concerns about him, he was caught out very easily in the first half and still looks a yard off the pace but in all fairness he has missed a year through injury so it’s a case of let’s wait and see before making a final judgement. Once again Chamakh was superb and ran his socks off – he’s fast becoming one of my favourite players. What does frustrate me is people like Paul Merson saying that Arsenal wouldn’t have scored Chamakh’s goal last season which is utter rubbish. This is doing a disservice to the big Dane, as for all his flaws, one thing he is good at is scoring with his head and he scored some vital goals such as a superb header away at Stoke. Chamakh though gives so much more to the team in and outside the penalty area; his work rate is fantastic and fits into our style of play seamlessly.

My major concern from observing Arsenal in the past few weeks is the form of Alex Song, who once again put in a poor performance last night. It seems to me that he’s playing without any discipline whatsoever and his passing has been absolutely woeful. As one of his biggest fans, I am hoping that this is just a temporary blip but I do feel (I can’t believe I’m saying this) that Denilson should start in his place at the Bridge.

And onto the goalkeeper… like most gooners I don’t rate Fabianski and I almost thought it inevitable that he would make a major mistake last night but it’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised! I was genuinely chuffed for him when he saved that penalty and you could see the relief flowing out during his post penalty celebration. Another good save towards the end and hopefully this could be a turning point in his Arsenal career even though I personally think it’s unlikely. If he does have to play at Chelsea then its better that he should go into the game feeling confident and that can only be a good thing for him and the team.

Looking ahead to the weekend and the boss confirmed that Vermaelen will miss the game and that Cesc has a small chance of playing. I have a sneaky suspicion that Fabregas will play, hopefully I’m right!

Tenz

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Ritual humiliation

2010-09-27T03:55:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that much like Wenger, I was fairly certain that it wasn’t going to be our day after the first five minutes. Straight from the kick off we were sloppy and looked well of the pace, needlessly conceding possession. It was also clear that West Brom were up for it, one has to say that it makes a refreshing change to see a lower league team come to the Emirates and try and play football. Let’s be honest here, they played us off the park for most of the match and fully deserved their victory.

Frustratingly most of the Arsenal blogs are already predicting doom for our season but I think it’s a tad premature to suggest that Arsenal will just be playing for fourth place this season. It’s a typical knee jerk reaction and one without perspective, however I have to admit that there were a few worrying signs that do need to be addressed if we are going to push on this season.

What I find absolutely infuriating is the reaction to Almunia’s mistake from the home fans, cheering sarcastically every time he touched the ball towards the end was shameful and embarrassing. Yes the Spaniard is useless and a number two at best but he was picked by Wenger and we’re stuck with him at least until January and thus denting his confidence even further is not going to do him or Arsenal football club any good. This is just another example of what our fan base has become since we moved to the Emirates; an expectation of perfection 100% of the time is just not realistic. Sometimes you have to go through the bad to appreciate the good, I don’t recall Arsenal fans ever booing the likes of Hillier, Morrow and Selly even though they were three of the worst footballers ever to play for the club and made up our midfield on many occasions in the early 90s. The reason we didn’t boo was because they played for the Arsenal and as true fans we didn’t boo those who wear the red and white.

Back to the game itself, the back four had an absolute shocker and when Gibbs is fit he has to replace Clichy as the left back has become a liability. What I find frustrating is that I’d thought Wenger had got over his playing Eboue in midfield, an excellent right back; he looks lost when he plays in right midfield. Though not Denilson’s biggest fan, I was surprised that he didn’t start with him instead of Diaby as he just didn’t look fit to me and inevitably had an absolute shocker. I understand Wenger’s decision not to start with Wilshere as he is still young and we don’t want to burn him out but the writing was the on the wall early and I felt that he should have been brought on at half time – we looked much better when he finally did make it on to the pitch.

The only player to come out with any real credit was Nasri who I thought was the only player that looked like he really cared, I suppose that’s the most worrying thing really – how can only one player out of 11 care if they lose or not? I still don’t think we should panic – unfortunately it was a VERY off day at the office and these things happen. West Brom played superbly and we happen to put in possibly our worst performance at the Emirates. Such a result is not without precedent for a title winning Arsenal team – I can remember us losing 4-2 at home to Charlton early on in the double winning season of 2001/02 and at one point we were 4-1 down!

So moving onto the Champions League game on Tuesday, the news is that Almunia has an injury and will not play which is alarming as however bad he is, Fabianksi is much worse. Therefore we will need to score a minimum of two tomorrow night to win the game as we all know that Flapianski WILL make a mistake which will lead to a goal. Having lost on the weekend, I think having a game a few days later is a positive as I’m sure the players will want to put in a decent performance and regain some of the credibility they are currently lacking. That being said, I don’t think anyone would be too upset with a draw tomorrow night…

Keep the faith.

Tenz

The new season

2010-09-24T07:07:00.001-07:00

Hi gooners!

Firstly I must apologise for not having written anything this season, I have no excuse other than laziness. Sometimes it’s just better to take a step back and let others do the talking. I am going to try and update on a regular basis but I cannot promise that lethargy won’t sink in again and there will be another similar gap before my next post!

The start to the season

Given that we already have as many injuries as we did towards the final weeks of the season, I think we have had a great start to the campaign. The Liverpool game was probably the poorest we’ve played as the boys just couldn’t get going. I was really concerned about our trip to Blackburn but we passed that with flying colours and it was at that point that I started to realise that things just might be different this season. Whilst I’m disappointed that we gave away a last minute goal at Sunderland, there was clearly a new resilience within the side.

I’ve no doubt that we now have the strongest squad we have had since the days of the invincibles. Pivotal to this strength is the three players that Wenger has signed over the summer.

Chamakh:

Having watched Chamakh in every game he has played since arriving at the club, I am convinced he will go on to become an Arsenal great. Whilst I don’t think he will bang in 20 goals a season, what he brings to the team is far greater. What I really like about him is his effort; he gives 100% in every match he plays regardless of the opponent. His hold up play is first rate; he creates space for others, is a real threat in the air and above all he is an intelligent player. When I think back to players like Adebayor who was a good player but clearly didn’t have the intelligence that gives you that little extra in and around the penalty area. I’m of the opinion that Chamakh is the perfect lone front man and thus RVP is going to have to fight to earn back his place in the team or he might have to play as an attacking left midfielder, either way this competition is perfect for the squad.

Koscielny:

Like everyone, I had my doubts about the signing and whether he would be able to cut it at the highest level. Those doubts are beginning to evaporate, especially after his performance at Sunderland and Spurs. His start hasn’t been perfect, the goal we conceded at Blackburn was his mistake but I would put that down to experience as I’m sure the next time he’s faced with that situation he will slide in and put the ball out for a throw. The Bolton goal was also a poorly placed header but these things do happen, even Tony Adams and Sol Campbell had dodgy starts to their Arsenal careers. Having said that, his positional play is excellent and he takes the ball of opposing players with ease. His performance at Spurs in the week was outstanding and I really do think he has a great future with the club.

Squillaci:

Its early days but the guy looks like a great signing and his first two performances have been very assured. When I was watching the Sunderland game I found myself thinking ‘is he on the pitch?’ which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned as he goes about his role quietly and efficiently and can withstand anything that’s thrown at him.

For the first time in a long time, we have three centre backs fighting for two places which can only be a good thing. You may ask why I don’t include Djourou but in my opinion he is a fourth choice type of player, he can do a job 7 or 8 games a season but I would be concerned if he were needed on a consistent basis.

The emergence of Jack Wilshere

To be honest, I was a little surprised that Wenger threw him into the first team at the beginning of the season because on the occasions he has played for us in the past, I didn’t think he’d ever put in a performance to live up to his hype. This season he has been employed in a slightly withdrawn role and he looks the real deal. Jack was poor at Liverpool but has grown in stature, superb against Bolton and Braga and simply sensational at the Lane. I can’t remember Fabregas giving a performance like that when he was 18 (correct me if I’m wrong) but we know that Jack has a long way to go before he can be compared to the great man but there’s no doubt that the signs are promising. We all know that Cesc will probably be heading to Barca next summer but I wouldn’t be too downbeat about it as the prospect of a midfield three of Song, Wilshere and Ramsey doesn’t sound too bad!

There is no doubt that we have a future Arsenal and England great on our hands and clearly Wenger is the best man to nurture his considerable talent.

Prospects for the season

We always start the season well so I’m not reading too much into it, I’d much rather reserve judgement until after we go to Stamford Bridge next week but so far so good.

West Brom at home tomorrow and I fully expect three points, even though we have our fare share of injuries we should still have more than enough to beat them.

That’s all folks, enjoy the game and I’ll post some thoughts on the game either on Sunday or Monday.

Until then…

Summer thoughts

2010-06-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I know it’s been a very long time since I’ve written and I can only apologise for that. There are a few reasons why I became so lazy in the last few months of the season, namely having issues with my old job and then starting a new one meant that I had very little time to indulge in blog writing. Secondly, I became VERY disillusioned with Arsenal in the last few weeks of the season – we were in with a real shout for the title and then just capitulated in a manner I am not accustomed to seeing. I can take being beaten as long as every player on the pitch puts in 100% effort; this sadly was not the case.

Here are a few thoughts:

The last few months of the season

Whilst I always thought that we would fall short in the title race, I found the manner of our defeats to Wigan and Blackburn absolutely disgusting. You know things are bad when you’re watching Arsenal leading 2-0 at Wigan and you’re still expecting Arsenal to mess it up. These two games summed up everything about the current Arsenal squad – lack of depth, lack of effort and total immaturity. I do not deny that we were decimated by injury; in fact, we were missing 5 or 6 of our first team players which would be a problem for any team. Looking at the positives, not many teams could cope with our injuries and still finish third but something does need to be addressed as it’s gone beyond coincidence now – there must be something inherently wrong with the set-up at our club. The only player who came out with any credit from the last few months of the season was the oldest player in our squad – Sol Campbell. His drive, passion and commitment put the other players to shame. I thought his performance at Spurs was outstanding and I still maintain that he was the best player on the pitch that night. An honourable mention must also go to Gael Clichy who I thought began to show glimpses of his best form when he returned from injury and let’s hope he carries that into next season.

Players who just aren’t up to the job

There are a few players that clearly are not good enough and don’t even deserve to wear the shirt – as I said, if you don’t want to give 100% the go to a club where you will. I’ve identified a few players I feel we should sell on this summer:

Denilson – An absolute waste of space

Silvestre – No comment necessary

Arshavin – A mercenary, I don’t mind as long as he gives it his all but he clearly doesn’t. The great players are those that combine their immense talent and skill with a work ethic that very few can match, the simple fact is he’s lazy and therefore will NEVER be a great player. Let’s sell him now whilst we can still command a big fee and try and recoup some of the money we spent.

Walcott – I have to agree with Chris Waddle, the guy has absolutely no football brain whatsoever. Walcott is a victim of his own hype, he’s 21 and thinks he’s a top class player, sadly he isn’t. I genuinely think that he’s a championship player at best and I for one fully back Capello’s decision not to take him to South Africa.

Eduardo – Tragically, that broken leg at Birmingham ended his career as a top class player – it’s just a case of what might have been but what we know is that he is no longer good enough for Arsenal - time for him to move on.

Players who need to raise their game

There are also some players who have one last season to prove their worth to the club:

Nasri – Whilst the guy has lots of talent, he just doesn’t perform on a consistent basis. I want to see him play like he did against Porto, we know he has it in him but he just doesn’t do it often enough. Samir rarely has what you would call a ‘shocker’ but he still needs to move up to the next level or I don’t see him having much of a future at the club.

Rosicky – Last chance saloon comes to mind… I don’t blame Rosicky, we can’t expect a player to come back from two years out and be at the same level. He showed glimpses last season but needs to show more, I do like him as a player and I think he could be valuable for the squad.

Diaby – One of the most infuriating players I have ever seen in an Arsenal shirt with the unique ability to look a world beater and a conference player all in one move! What concerns me is his minimal work ethic, if he can improve that then I think he still has a future at the club but he will have to prove it next season.

Cesc Fabregas saga

We knew it was inevitable and I think the way Barcelona outplayed us at the Emirates was a key factor in him deciding that he wants to go back to his boyhood club. The way Barcelona has behaved in all of this is an absolute disgrace however I don’t think any of us are all that surprised. Once again Arsenal has behaved in a dignified manner and I thought the statement they made yesterday was classy and was exactly what I wanted to hear. That being said, I still think the move will go through, we are playing hard ball. I for one would not accept a penny less than £60 million for him and whilst I would be sad to see him go, no player is bigger than the club. That sort of money could enable us to buy the type of players we badly need such as a new goalkeeper, a couple of centre halfs and a midfielder. We might not have our star player but it’s about the team and I’ve no doubt if invested wisely we could be a genuine force next season. If he does stay, then I think it’s based on assurances from Wenger that he will be reinforcing the squad heavily this summer and I do hope that’s the case. I’m sure this will drag on over the whole of pre-season so we’re in it for the long haul although I hope we don’t make the mistake of selling him on the last day of the transfer window without having a suitable replacement already in place.

Player of the season

Fabregas – He had an awesome season carrying the team for much of it. The fact is if he stays, he needs some help as he can’t always do it alone. Had he stayed fit we might have taken the title race down to the last day.

Most improved player of the season

Song – Just superb, I think he is one of the best midfielders in the Premiership. What impresses me so much is his close control and magnificent technique, he has that great ability to get himself out of tight situations with ease – the bar has been raised so expectation will be high next season.

Young player of the season

Ramsey – Was just beginning to establish himself as a first team player when that animal broke his ankle. Ramsey is the heir to Fabregas and if Ramsey was not out until November (or longer) I think Wenger would have been more comfortable in selling the Spaniard. Whilst he still has areas to improve, he is clearly an exciting player. There is some concern that he might not be the same player when he returns from injury, I disagree, as I don’t think his injury was anywhere near as bad as Eduardo’s so I think he’ll be alright.

That’s all folks, if anything interesting happens over the summer then I’ll blog about it – much the same as Arsenal, I do not comment on transfer speculation. I’m not going to blog about the World Cup either as I’d rather be watching it than writing about it!

Enjoy the sun!

Post Porto thoughts

2010-03-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

Evening all.

I must first apologise for my lack of posting in the last few weeks, my new job has got the better of me but I do promise to post a bit more regularly from now to the end of the season.

What a win against Porto, had we not conceded such silly goals in Portugal I'm sure that we would have been home and dry before the second leg. I thought we were excellent against Porto, our passing was superb and more importantly, the players who needed to stand up and be counted did so. Campbell started a little nervously but settled into the game and had Hulk in his back pocket for the majority of the game. Hulk may be big and strong but he is no match for Campbell and that was clearly evident on Tuesday night. Nasri had a superb game, he is clearly suited to the Fabregas role and makes me feel confident when our captain is unable to play. The truth is that Nasri will only play that position when Fabregas is injured but should the Spaniard decide to head back to Barcelona in the summer we can at least feel comfortable in the knowledge that we have a ready made replacement willing to take his place. I had been disappointed with Nasri this season, however maybe I have been a little harsh as he clearly isn't a winger.

A word must go out to Bendtner, I have always maintained that he can be a top player for us. The fact is that he gives us a presence up front that has been severely lacking since Van Persie was injured. Yes he may miss easy chances but he is full of confidence and doesn't let bad performances put him down, he will have a big role to play for us for the rest of the season. The fact is that he was the only player in our entire squad that could have scored the equaliser at Stoke and he is a vital player. I also have to hand full credit to Eboue, last season I was sitting in the Emirates absolutely disgusted at the booing my fellow fans gave him - I will never boo an Arsenal player and never will. Eboue has done himself immense credit and makes me proud as an Arsenal fan, he is someone who has knuckled down and proved his worth to the club and clearly has a special relationship with the fans. His cameo against Porto was magnificent and for me his goal was the best of the night. In a football world full of ego's, I think it's refreshing to have Eboue has a part of our wonderful football club.

Next up is away at Hull, a difficult game but one I expect us to win and if we want to win the title then we have no choice - 3 points is a must.

I'm also delighted to announce that I've been selected to attend an audience with Ray Parlour at the Emirates on Monday, which I'll be attending with my father. Hopefully I'll be asking a question so make sure you have a look at the recording when it's available on Arsenal Online. What's so funny is the countless hours I listened to my dad complaining about Parlour throughout the Graham and Rioch years only to hear nothing but praise when Wenger turned him into a true Arsenal legend. Every team needs a Ray Parlour and thankfully for us we had him and for that I'm eternally grateful.

Winning comes at a price

2010-02-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

Poor Aaron Ramsey, I have to say I was sickened by the injury on so many levels. To see a player lying on the floor with his ankle hanging off is a terrible sight and something I wish on no footballer. The fact that it's happened to us again almost two years to the day that Eduardo suffered a similar injury is very hard to take. In some respects I think the Eduardo tackle was different, Martin Taylor's tackle was absolutely disgusting whereas although a very late challenge by Shawcross in this instance I don't think there was any intent to break his leg. That being said, it was a late tackle that most of the time a player will get up from but unfortunately for Aaron his foot was in an awkward position before the tackle went in and because of the that the leg was broken. Make no mistake, it was a red card and I just hope and prey that the Welshman will play football again. Ramsey was superb up until he got injured today and was clearly becoming a first team regular, the fact that Denilson didn't even make the bench today said it all. I wish Aaron a speedy recovery and let's hope he will come back stronger and have a magnificent career with Arsenal football club. It also puts into perspective the whole John Terry, Wayne Bridge handshake which is really beginning to bore me.

On to the game... the first 20 minutes we were awful, when Stoke went one nil up it was a case of 'here we go again'. Once we got back into the game we were simply magnificent, the hunger, the passion and the fight was all there in one of our best displays of the season. We all want this Arsenal team to stand up and be counted, when the pressure was on we delivered. Our equaliser was a fantastic header, the jury's still out on Bendtner but the fact is that he's the only player in our squad that can score a goal like that. Second half we came out of the blocks like Usain Bolt, we were full of energy and I was sure that we would go onto win the game. When I was watching the Arsenal players reactions after the Ramsey incident I was certain that we would have the Birmingham scenario all over again. It must be so awful to see a team mate in so much pain and for 5 or 6 minutes we were shaken and we couldn't get our rhythm at all. When these things happen, you really see what a team is made of and that's why I'm so proud of the Arsenal. Seeing the celebrations for the third goal showed me the solidarity in the team, the will and desire to win is there and we have given ourselves a fighting chance to win the league.

The positives - for me Campbell was imperious, a lot of eyebrows were raised when Wenger resigned him but the old timer has proved what a magnificent defender he is. Yes his pace has gone but great defenders don't need pace. A word too for Clichy who I thought gave his best performance in an Arsenal shirt for at least two seasons. This was the Clichy of old, first into the tackle, great going forward and full of energy - I hope he can continue in this vain as there still may be a place for him at the club come next season.

The negatives - The booking for Song was an outrage, if anything it was a foul on him but now he misses the next two games. Luckily we don't have what we would call difficult games coming up but with the injury to Ramsey we will have to play Denilson which is a worry. I hear Diaby might be back for next weekend, I hope so because we need him. My solution is simple, providing Gallas returns, play him with Campbell at the back and push Vermaelan into the holding role.

So a vital 3 points marred by Ramsey's injury BUT tonight showed me that we have it in us to go and win the title and what a tribute that would be to our little Welsh wizard.

Come on you gunners!

Post Sunderland thoughts

2010-02-22T13:09:00.000-08:00

A vital 3 points gained against Sunderland on Saturday, I suppose it didn't really matter how we performed as already knowing that Utd had lost at Everton it was crucial we picked up maximum points. We outplayed Sunderland without being overly convincing, the killer instinct was missing but that wasn't a surprise without Arshavin and Diaby. Although I'm not convinced by Samir Nasri, I thought he had his best game of the season and hopefully will push us on in the title run in. I've always been a fan of Eboue and thought he was excellent on Saturday, whilst he isn't as solid defensively as Sagna, the fact is that going forward he offers us so much. It's an enigma for Wenger as Sagna is a superb defender but that is only half the job of a full back, let us not forget that Eboue was our right back in the year we got to the Champions League final when we only conceded two goals and that was in a game we were playing Barcelona and down to ten men for 80 minutes. The simple truth is that Eboue is simply superb going forward and he can actually cross a ball which Sagna is literally unable to do. I would stick with Eboue at right back for now and see what happens, should he weaken our defence significantly then Wenger can bring Sagna back in with little fuss.

Although we gifted a few clear cut chances to Sunderland it was down to one man and that was Sylvester. An absolutely dreadful defender who should not be playing for a club like Arsenal, I understand that Sol was tired after Porto but the guy is a solid defender and has proved that he is still the unbeatable force he once was, albeit a slower one! Not every great defender needs pace, first and foremost they need to be able to defend and Sol can do that whereas Sylvester can't.

An interesting piece on Walcott by ArsenalVision, citing Sven Goran Eriksson as the main reason why he hasn't fulfilled his potential. I agree 100% and funnily enough I said the same thing to my father last week. As I've said many times here, I'm not a fan of Walcott and do not believe he will make it at Arsenal. Much to my amusement, after the game I saw links on Newsnow; 'Walcott inspires Arsenal" etc. Why read those articles, clearly written by someone who wasn't at the match. Walcott was dreadful, I don't think I've seen a footballer with so little intelligence and awareness of what's around him.

So it's Stoke next Saturday, have we learnt from the cup defeat a month ago? I would hope so but something tells me it might be the same old story. I see the game as one of the trickiest in our run in, should we win then I might just start to believe that we might finish second (There's no way we will win the title, we simply aren't good enough) which would be an excellent achievement in my eyes.

Until then...

Why Wenger hasn't bought a new goalkeeper

2010-02-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

Evening all.

I firstly must apologise for not having written for a while, the reason is simple - there hasn't been anything worth writing about! It's painful when Arsenal are on a break, we just have to make do with the Arsenal blogs that write for the sake of writing even when there is nothing to say.

Wednesday night is a big night, Porto will be a tough game and one I would be happy if we came away with a score draw. We have lost at Porto before but these were games when we were already through in our group so I wouldn't read too much into it. It looks like Arshavin and Song will miss out, quite how much we will miss them remains to be seen but unfortunately no Song means the return of the ultimate water carrier Denilson. It seems that Wenger has realised that Denilson should not be part of a full strength midfield but needs must and as long as the Brazilian at least puts in the effort then he might be alright.

The main reason for this post is regarding the number one jersey at the club. As regular readers will know, I think Manuel Almunia is the worst goalkeeper I have ever seen at Arsenal and I would pick every other Premier League goalkeeper ahead of him. I believe there is a reason why Wenger has not made a big money signing in goal and his name is Wojciech Szczesny. The young Polish goalkeeper is at Brentford where he is earning rave reviews. I've seen him play a couple of times and he really is the real thing. Brentford fans say that he's the best goalkeeper they've seen at the club in over 30 years and even Wenger said that he has been identified as someone going to the very top. Why would Wenger sign a long term goalkeeper when he has someone ready to take the number one spot next season? Even if the Sorenson reports were true, that was only going to be a very short term solution.

Just watch this video and you'll see what I mean.

I'm convinced he is going to have a great future at our club, we just have to see out the rest of the season with that clown in goal...

Same old Arsenal

2010-02-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

Once again we were undone by the brilliant Drogba, in the end he was the difference between the two teams. I actually thought we played fairly well today and after losing two early goals we responded well with a bit of fight that was lacking last week. Our defending was poor for both goals, the sad thing is that we learnt nothing from the Utd defeat. The second goal was a carbon copy of the Rooney strike last week, the way he cut inside to shoot was just too easy and we left ourselves a mountain to climb for the remaining 70 minutes.

The fact is that we dominated the match, the midfield played well but were let down by a lack of killer instinct up front. Even when we did break through the Chelsea defence, Nasri wasted a golden opportunity. The football was nice but there was no end product, if Drogba was in our side, we would have won the game. We have now gone three games without scoring which is a bit of concern, if only Wenger had reinforced in the transfer window then we would have had a real shot at winning the title. Sadly, our premiership season is now more about retaining our place in the top 4, we need to be looking over our shoulder as should we lose against Liverpool on Wednesday then things are wide open in a bad way. The game is a crucial one, Liverpool are not Utd or Chelsea so I would expect us to beat them. It's hard to criticise the boys as they did play well, we are close to having a great team with just a few players short of something special. After Wednesday we go into a period of games where we shouldn't drop points so anything is possible.

One thing that did get on my nerves today was Sky's coverage of John Terry, it was disgusting the way they talked about him as a victim rather than someone who cheated on his wife with his best mates girlfriend. Sky really need to take a good look at themselves as I thought they were a disgrace.

Player Ratings:

Almunia 5 - Didn't do much wrong but once again he concedes with the first attempt against his goal, kicking was his usual poor standard.

Sagna 7 - solid but can't cross, let's give him a rest and play Eboue who is much better going forward.

Vermaelen 6 - Never gave up and made some decent challenges, has to take some of the blame for the two goals.

Gallas 6 - Did okay, tried to drive the team forward.

Clichy 5 - Poor for both goals, did better going forward today.

Song 7 - Good performance, used the ball well.

Diaby 7 - Thought he had a good game, was commanding in the middle even though not fully fit.

Fabregas 7 - Tried but lacks quality ahead of him.

Nasri 7 - Did play well today but should have scored.

Walcott 4 - I've never seen a player with so little awareness of what's around him, Theo your time is up - a career in the championship beckons.

Arshavin 5 - Should have scored in the first half, too easily muscled off the ball - not a central striker.

Subs:

Bendtner 5 - Gave us something different, still doesn't look fit.

Eboue 7- Did well when he came on, was good going forward - should start on Wednesday.

Rosicky - 6 - Did okay, should have had a free kick when he was bundled over by Cole.

The player that got away

2010-02-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

Evening all.

I've been doing a lot of thinking in the last few days, name me an Arsenal fan who hasn't. Having read some pathetic over reactions by many of the blogs since our humiliation to Utd, I think we need to put things into perspective. Chelsea's draw at Hull last night has made things wide open again at the top, if and it's a big 'if' we beat Chelsea on Sunday then we're right back in the race. We're a wounded animal at the moment and I fully expect us to put in a better performance at the weekend. Will that be enough? It's impossible to say, if Denilson is on the team sheet then we might as well go home. I'll be really disappointed with Wenger if the Brazilian starts, Ramsey is a much better option or if Diaby is fit he must play.

I've been thinking about the player that left Arsenal in the last few years who I genuinely feel we miss the most of any that has moved on in recent times - his name is Alex Hleb. After an indifferent first few seasons at the club, Hleb was instrumental in our title challenge back in 2007/8. Something I'll always maintain is that Hleb was one of the most skillful players I have ever seen in an Arsenal shirt, his ability was unlike any other. Absolutely vital to our attacking play, he was able to beat players at will and often hold on to the ball when it looked impossible to do so. One of the criticisms of Hleb was that he didn't score enough goals, it's true to say that he wasn't a goal scoring midfielder but then he didn't need to be. Hleb made so many goals for other players and was crucial to our counter attacking play and I don't think we've ever been the same as counter attacking unit since he left the club. Samir Nasri was bought as his replacement but has always flattered to deceive, I for one am worried that he just isn't what we need, I hope he proves me wrong but he's done little to suggest that he's going to be a world beater. Hleb in our current team would be absolutely fantastic, Arsenal was the right club for him and it's a shame he had to leave to realise it. Who can forget that wonderful goal Fabregas scored at Anfield in 2007? Hleb waited and waited to release the ball to his best mate and we got our equaliser.

I'm sad that he never made it at Barcelona but then again the odds were stacked against him when in order to play he had to get into the team instead of Lionel Messi - Hleb was good but he's wasn 't the best player in the world.

I hope this article makes you think, Hleb WAS a great player and one we miss more than you think.

Where do we go from here?

2010-02-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

Apologies for not having written for a while, a new job means I've had little time.

Yesterday I was at the Emirates to see us comfortably torn apart by Manchester United, we lost 3-1 but to be fair, had we been beaten by 6 it wouldn't have flattered the visitors. Going into the game I genuinely felt we had a decent chance of winning, Utd had a more or less second string defence and if I'm honest I don't really fear Utd like I did when they had Christiano Ronaldo. The game was quite even up until the first goal went in but there was always that nagging doubt that we would collapse and that's exactly what happened. Even when the scores were level there appeared to be no sense of emergency amongst the players, the lack of desire was evident and I suppose that's what really hurts. I can forgive the boys if they gave 100% but there were clearly some players who didn't.

So why can't this current Arsenal side beat their nearest rivals? There are many reasons, mainly to do with personnel within the team.

We seem to give away goals far to easily and this is because we have an absolute liability at left back. I for one felt that a couple of seasons ago Gael Clichy was the best left back in the league, now he is a shadow of his former self and at the age he is that is very worrying. His form has been very poor for two seasons now, his defending for the first goal was bad enough but the second was of the standard I would expect to see in the playground. Yes there were men over and if he had gone to Park, he probably would have squared it to Rooney but to let him have a clear run on goal was nothing short of disgraceful. The other main problem is Denilson, a player I have constantly said that is not good enough to don the red and white of Arsenal. The Brazilian is the sort of player that wouldn't have looked out of place in a midfield with Hillier, Selly and Morrow - he's a drawback to the abysmally poor midfield we had back in the early 90s. As a result there is no protection for the back four because Song has to do the work of two midfielders, Denilson can't pass, can't shoot, can't tackle and NEVER EVER tracks back - his lack of attempt to run after Rooney for Utd's second was shambolic and we've seen that time and time again this season.

Probably the biggest problem is that we have the worst top flight goalkeeper I have ever seen, I don't blame Wenger for much but in this instance he has got it wrong - Fabianski has to start at Chelsea, he definitely won't be worse that Almunia and he can kick a ball which is already an advantage.

The fact is that we do need a striker, I still think Bendtner can do a job but we can't rely on a guy that's been out for three months. I'm really sick of all these doom and gloom fans, yesterday we got beaten by a rival, it was a poor performance but was not a reflection of our side this season. Yes we are a little short of our challengers but let's not forget we sit third in the table and in my opinion we are in a unique band of one - not quite as good as the top two but better than the top 4 wannabees. This suggests that a few tweaks to the squad in the summer could see us return as a better team next season. The transfer window is now closed so there's no point going on about we should have signed him etc. We now have to do with what we've got and going to Chelsea next week could be exactly what we need at this moment in time but one has to suggest that a defeat and a heavy one is looking all too likely.

To people who say we haven't improved as a team since last season is wrong, we were out of the title race in October!

Player ratings:

Almunia 1 - That's being kind.

Sagna 5 - Solid, everything came down Clichy's side.

Gallas 6 - Was okay, at least he tries.

Vermaelen 7 - One of the few that came out with any credit.

Clichy 3 - He has no future at the club, Gibbs will be the first choice next season.

Denilson 2 - Like Clichy his Arsenal career should be over.

Song 7 - Has to do the work of 2 midfielders, great to see him back and he tried his heart out.

Fabregas 7 - Can't do it all on his own.

Rosicky 5 - Was poor, one must conclude that 2 years out of the game is too much for any player.

Nasri 4 - Thought he would kick on this season but has been poor.

Arshavin 7 - At least he put in effort, could and should have scored a couple.

Walcott 4 - Another who has no future at the club.

Bendtner 5 - Little impact.

Eboue 6 - Better going forward than Sagna.

Wenger throws the FA Cup

2010-01-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

So we're out of the FA Cup, probably our only realistic chance of winning a trophy this season.

A few thoughts about today's game, I was surprised to see Fabregas start as I expected Wenger to give him a rest before our up coming league fixtures. It appeared to be a stronger line up than I had previously expected. What was more intriguing was the fact that Ramsey was on the bench, I was under the impression that he was out for another few weeks so for once it's nice to see someone return earlier than expected from injury. To lose a goal so early on set the tone for the rest of the game, once again our inability to defend high balls into the area was exposed and Fabianski failed to cut out the ball and we faced an uphill battle from there. It seemed that the players just weren't up for the battle and our lack of inexperience was telling, especially in the first half. Fabregas was isolated and the young players just couldn't impose their authority on the game, we were very lucky to go in level at the break. Francis Coquelin was awful in the first 20 minutes and from what I understand he definitely is not a right back by trade and that was fully evident.

Ironically enough I felt that as the second half went on I actually thought we would win it but the three substitutions actually had a negative effect on the team - the fact is that we created barely anything in the whole match and that just isn't good enough regardless of the team we put out. In all honesty it's not surprising that we lost, Stoke clearly wanted it more than us and they deserved their victory. I just fail to see the point of Denilson, he is such a weak link in our team and we will not win anything with him in midfield. Traore is a complete liability, his defending for the third goal was just a disgrace - he just stopped and let the player get away, it's a real shame that Gibbs is out for the season and we have to rely on him as a back up to Clichy.

On a positive note I thought Sol Campbell had a very good game, for someone that hadn't played a competitive game for 7 months he was one of the bright spots of a poor performance. Jay Emmanuel Thomas put in a good shift especially considering the lack of support given to him, he's tall but has good technique. We also need to remember that we had a reserve defence out there and ultimately this defeat might be a blessing in disguise. If we do not win anything this season then we might just look back at this day as where it all went wrong.

Next up is Villa and the run of matches that will define our season, let's hope the defeat today will spur us on to take crucial points off our opponents and take those all important steps towards the title.

Arsenal do it the hard way

2010-01-21T02:35:00.000-08:00

Things are never easy with Arsenal!

You would have thought that last night would have been a routine victory to put us top of the table but Bolton definitely had other ideas. We started the game quite poorly, we didn't get into our rhythm in the first ten minutes and found ourselves a goal down thanks to some awful defending from Clichy. Bolton's game plan was clear, restrict the ball getting to Fabregas and I can't even remember him having a touch of the ball in the opening twenty minutes of the game. Denilson then gave away a cheap penalty and we were two down, once again Denilson had an ineffective game. I do not rate the Brazilian, he constantly gave the ball away and always looked lightweight in the tackle. Even when were two nil down I always felt that we would go on to win the game, there's something about this Arsenal team that makes me believe. Much in the same way with the great Arsenal team in the late 90s and early part of the decade you get the feeling that it doesn't matter how much the opposition team scores we are always likely to outscore them. The crucial goal in the match was the Rosicky goal just before half time, it was the perfect time to score and had the first half gone on an extra five minutes I'm fairly confident that we would have gone in all square at the break.

At half time I told those around me at the Emirates that we would go on to win 5-2, it was almost the perfect prediction! A lot has already been said about the Gallas tackle, I have to admit that in Wenger fashion I didn't see it at the time but upon looking at the replays it was a bad challenge and could have resulted in a red card even though I don't think the intent was there. Once again the little genius popped up at a vital time to score the equaliser. To all those Arsenal fans who cheered when the Bolton player was carried off on a stretcher - Shame on you, the guy clearly had a bad injury and I feel ashamed that you represent our great club.

It had been a while since Vermaelen scored for us and I was delighted that he scored the all important third, it was also nice to see Arshavin score the goal that took us to the top of the table. The Russian hasn't scored for a while so it will do his confidence the world of good, we should have also had a fifth goal after a sensational turn by Arshavin that took him through but instead of squaring the ball to an unmarked Walcott he took the shot on himself and it was well saved.

So all in all a great comeback that showed a lot of spirit and desire, not at our best we still managed to take all three points and showed that we have the necessary elements within this team to have a successful season. I still feel we need a striker, having the big Dane back will be vital and will give us that different option in attack but we are still looking short in options. It's also a concern that Diaby went off with an injury as we are running out of midfielders and we can't afford to lose him at this crucial stage of the season. It's fair to say that the next 4 games will define our season, if we are still there or thereabouts by the end of them then we are definitely in with a shout of winning the title. Next up is the FA Cup, I wouldn't be surprised if Wenger fields a carling cup team at Stoke, he might have little choice.

Player ratings:

Almunia 6 - Should have saved the penalty, an accident waiting to happen.

Sagna 7 - Solid as ever.

Vermalaen 8 - Drove us forward from the back and scored a vital goal.

Gallas 7 - Good performance but a little lucky not to see red.

Clichy 5 - Looked very rusty and was at fault for the first goal, needs match sharpness.

Denilson 5 - Gave away a silly penalty and offered nothing throughout the game.

Diaby 7 - Was subdued tonight but still put in a good shift.

Fabregas 8 - Not his best game but still crucial to everything we did.

Arshavin 8 - Played well and scored a good goal.

Rosicky 7 - Started the game poorly but played better as the game went on, scored a vital goal.

Eduardo 7 - Could and should have scored in the first half and worked tirelessly for the team.

Subs:

Vela & Walcott - Weren't on long enough to make an impact.

A few observations from the Manchester derby last night

2010-01-20T01:51:00.000-08:00

It was actually a very good game, great excitement and as always a very good atmosphere. I thought United were unlucky to lose, they were the better team and City rode their luck for most of the match. Whenever I watch City I automatically support the other team (with the exception of Tottenham), they are a club I despise – whatever one thinks of Utd, they are a club with history unlike their neighbours. I liken it to trying to build a new democracy, you can’t build a fully functioning one over night.

Wayne Rooney is such a magnificent footballer, last night he was sensational – if he was to get injured for any sustained period of time then Utd would crumble. With a fit Rooney leading the line at the World Cup, England actually has a chance. Ryan Giggs just oozes class, I love watching him play and at 36 he still remains one of Utd’s most consistent performers.

I’m getting very frustrated by the media’s drooling over Tevez, he’s had a good season but I have never rated him. Ferguson was right not to sign him, he hasn’t scored enough goals in previous years and although he’s having a good spell now I don’t think it will last. Once a better striker becomes available, City will have no problem selling him on.

One final point: Bellamy’s a little piece of shit.

Anyway, more important things going on tonight like Arsenal hopefully going top of the table.

Come on you gunners.

So what has changed this season?

2010-01-19T03:33:00.001-08:00

It’s fair to say that this Arsenal team is a different ‘beast’ this year, last season was probably one of the poorest I have seen under Wenger and I did fear for the club over the summer. These fears were unfounded as we are now within touching distance of the top of the Premiership and interestingly we have virtually the same squad of players as last season. I have been asking myself in the last few days, what has changed? Why are we so much stronger this time around? I think there are a number of factors:

Replacing Kolo Toure with Thomas Vermaelen

The simple truth is that Kolo Toure was never the same player once Sol Campbell left Arsenal, Kolo was a great defender in his day and always gave 100%. I believe that Sol made Toure look a much better player than he actually was, both part of the invincibles it is easy to forget that they both had the buffer of Gilberto and Vieira to protect them. Whilst no one can doubt the defensive qualities of Campbell who performed at the very highest international level, Toure really struggled in the past few season and often caused panic in the Arsenal defence. One also has to consider that Toure did not get on with Gallas, this was evident and did affect their on-field relationship. Wenger was right to sell Kolo and his replacement has been nothing short of magnificent in his first season with the club. Vermaelen is a powerhouse, a fighter and more importantly he is an excellent defender with superb technique. Both him and Gallas have been ever present this season and they have forged an excellent partnership which has improved the backbone of the team.

The emergence of Alex Song

We have been craving a good defensive midfielder since Flamini up and left for Milan and now we finally have one. As some of my friends will testify, I have always believed that Song was the long-term solution in midfield. For most of last season I was crying out for Wenger to play him over Denilson and eventually he managed to get in the team and has been one of the stars of the season so far. Song works tirelessly, has good technique and more importantly gives Fabregas the freedom he needs to attack. Even in the games we have lost this season, most notably Sunderland away Song was the man driving the team forward in search of an equaliser – he is our midfield engine and has been crucial to our play this season. With Song away at the ACN, we have already seen how important he is to the team and once again Wenger has found a gem and it’s nice to see the fans and media have begun to take notice.

Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas was injured for a large part of last season after damaging his leg in a tackle with Xabi Alonso and in the time he was out we went 5 games on the trot without scoring a single goal. Had Fabregas been on the field we may have turned some of those draws into victory and finished much closer to the top of the table than we actually did. This time round Fabregas has become a man, always an influential player, this season has seen him go to the next level. Every great team has a talisman – Bergkamp in 98, Henry in 2002 & 2004 and we can now add Fabregas to that list. We are very fortunate to have one of the top 3 midfield players in World football as captain of our football club (Iniesta and Xabi the other 2 incidentally). Fabregas has contributed 13 goals and 15 assists – a quite astonishing figure and there is still half a season left. The little genius has relished the captaincy and it’s frightening to consider that he’s still only 22 years of age! Easily the best midfielder in the league and one of the main reasons for our improvement this year.

Changing the formation

Part of the reason that Fabregas has been so effective this season is because of the change to a 5-4-1 formation as opposed to the 4-4-2 Wenger had deployed since he joined the club in 1996. As I said a few days earlier Wenger made the bold decision to build his team around the Spaniard and it has worked, admittedly we are a bit lightweight upfront because of the injuries to RVP and Bendtner but it hasn’t hampered our ability to score goals. Few thought RVP could play the lone front man but he proved everyone wrong up until his injury, I may sound like a broken record but I genuinely believe that had he stayed fit we would almost certainly be champions come May.

Experience

This current crop of young players have been around a long time and it is quite right that this season they need to deliver. The fact is that these players are hungry for success, they are some of the best young players in the game and they want to win trophies. Whilst last season’s defeat against Manchester United was tough to take at the time, I am sure that it has helped the players, from adversity to triumph so to speak. Having tasted a defeat like that, why would anybody want to have that feeling again? I believe it has spurred on the squad. The players are one year older, they are experienced in the Champions League and most now play for their international teams – they know there are no longer any excuses.

Team Spirit

The atmosphere in the dressing room has been much better this season, there is a solidarity that has not existed in the last few years. You can see the players fighting for the cause which is nice to see. Getting rid of negative forces within the dressing room has been key to this spirit, selling Adebayor has had a big impact within the team. It is clear that he was not very popular and his behaviour at Manchester City has proved what a nasty stupid person he is and I for one am glad that he is no longer representing our great club.

So there you have it, things are on the up, we have plenty to look forward to in the coming months as the season reaches its climax. Let’s just go top of the League on Wednesday and worry about the rest later!

The wonder of Wenger

2010-01-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

I have never doubted the genius of Arsene Wenger, even when things haven’t gone for us in the past few seasons I have always felt that his managerial skills were second to none. The article I wrote about Wenger a few months ago stated that Wenger was a man coming to terms with the fact his youth policy (i.e. his reliance on youth over experience) was not working. I said at the time that Wenger was not as stubborn as many would consider him to be. The defeat at home to Chelsea represented a crossroads for Wenger, does he continue to rely on youth or does he go for some experience? I’d stated that the great Wenger experiment was coming to an end and that he knew it but would he be big enough to admit it? The answer is an emphatic ‘YES’, re-signing Sol Campbell is a big statement. The Frenchman has never re-signed a single player for the club, so many ex-players have been rumoured to be returning in the last few years and had he gone for someone like Flamini or Hleb it would be understandable – they are still young. Instead, Wenger has gone for a 35 year old whose last competitive game was 7 months ago! I happen to think it’s an excellent signing, someone with the experience and fight needed to take us over the finishing line. Sol Campbell proves that Wenger has accepted the flaws in his plan and that is an encouraging sign for all of us.

The title of this article relates to the fact that we are currently sitting in third place with the possibility of being top of the Premiership on Wednesday night. That in itself is an achievement but let’s consider the many injury problems Wenger has faced this season, the fact we are still fighting for the title in January speaks volumes for the great man. I can only think of one game where we have had a more or less full strength team and that was when we beat Blackburn 6-2 in a thrilling game at the Emirates in which our attacking display was simply sensational. Unfortunately the injury situation is like a conveyor belt – one gets injured another returns. Obviously RVP is the biggest miss for us, we are essentially playing without a proper striker and yet we still have no problem scoring. Let’s consider for a minute that Wayne Rooney injured himself on the weekend and was out for the rest of season. I’ve watched United many times this season and he is their talisman, without him I think United would be vying for 4^th place. That’s one player, now consider injuries to Carrick, Giggs, Scholes at the same time and they would be in serious trouble.

Wenger has built a team that plays for each other, a team spirit I have not seen since the days of the invincibles – this team has a long way to go before we can match them but we are heading in the right direction. Considering all the constraints Wenger has to work to, I would argue that he is a better manager now than he has ever been. We might not win the league but I feel only injuries will be our undoing – I genuinely believe that if RVP was fit we would be champions come May. We should celebrate the fact that on the small resources Wenger has at his disposal he continues to create a team and a club that we should be genuinely proud of. When I read about all the debt in football and the trouble the likes of Liverpool and Utd are in, it really does bring home the belief that Wenger is a visionary – the best thing to happen to Arsenal Football Club. A well run club will bring us success on and off the pitch and I’m backing Wenger to deliver.

Fabregas provides the spark

2010-01-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

Worlds fail me when I watch Cesc Fabregas play football, it's very difficult to sum up exactly how good a football player he is. Out for the last few games with a hamstring injury, he came back today and showed exactly why he is the best midfielder playing in the Premiership. Wenger has been very clever this season, for the first time he has decided to build his team around the Spaniard and allow him the freedom that a player of his quality deserves. Every great player manages to find that extra few seconds on the ball and Fabregas is no exception. What has impressed me most is the amount of goals he has scored this season, he is our match winner and improves our teams performance by 20% in every game he plays. Many would compare him to the likes of Gerrard because of the goals he is scoring but I think he is a much better player than Gerrard was in his prime and Fabregas is years off reaching his peak. The little genius was magnificent today, he scored a great goal and should have had two penalties - his awareness of all around him is just sensational.

Today was an important victory, firstly it puts us seven points clear of fourth place and secondly it keeps us right on the heels of Chelsea and Manchester United. I was surprised that Eastmond was given a start but needs must, he is young and looked composed on the ball. He looked like a player that needs to adjust to the pace of top flight football however the early signs are promising. Bolton were physical as expected but we dealt well with most of what they threw at us. These are precisely the sort of games that we need to win if we are to win the title this season, there is definitely an added maturity about this team and we managed to close the game out comfortably.

I am a little concerned to hear that Nasri and Ramsey have been ruled out for 3 weeks - that leaves us very short in midfield and injuries could once again be are undoing. Thankfully one player that returned today was Clichy who came on midway through the second half. Traore is fast becoming a liability, he was run ragged for the second game running, he gave the ball away too many times and his positioning at times was woeful. We can sometimes forget how good a defender Sagna is, everything of threat came down Traore's side whereas Sagna was solid and defended well. I can't see Traore having a career at Arsenal beyond this season, the fact is that he is our third choice left back and it showed - the sooner we get Gibbs back the better.

Wednesday night sees us come up against Bolton again, the game will not be easy but we should have enough to come away with all three points - it's very possible that come the end of the game we might be sitting top of the Premiership and let's hope we can stay there.

Ratings:

Almunia 5 - No major mistakes today but kicking was woeful and is an accident waiting to happen.

Sagna 7 - Solid as ever.

Vermaelen 8 - Coped with the long ball bombardment superbly.

Gallas 8 - Strong game today.

Traore 4 - Awful today, caught out time and time again it almost makes me long for Silvestre.

Eastmond 6 - Not a bad performance but was caught in possession a few times in dangerous areas - will get better.

Diaby 7 - Disciplined game, strong in the tackle and used the ball well.

Fabregas 9 - Pure class.

Rosicky 7 - A good performance but we need him injury free in the next few matches and Wenger was right to take him off and give him a breather.

Arshavin 6 - Not in the game enough and some of his passing was suspect today although he is always a threat.

Eduardo 7 - Kept the Bolton defence busy all afternoon, great pass for both goals.

Merida 8 - Great goal and did well when he came on.

Clichy 7 - Provided the support Traore badly needed, nullified the threat down our left hand side.

Vela 6 - Not on long enough to make an impact.

A legend returns

2010-01-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

So it's finally happened (well almost), it looks like Sol Campbell is rejoining the Arsenal. I'm not going to deny that I was very sceptical when the news broke last week that Wenger might bring him back to the club but I've been thinking and maybe it's another masterstroke. There are a few reasons why the move makes sense, firstly he's a better alternative than Silvestre - in fact he's in another league. Secondly he brings some much needed experience to the club, he's played 73 times for England and won countless trophy's for Arsenal and therefore knows how to get over the finishing line. Thirdly, although a radical idea, could Wenger be considering slotting Campbell alongside Gallas and moving Thomas Vermaelen into the holding role in midfield just whilst Song is at the ACN? I don't think it's such a silly idea, the Belgium whilst an excellent centre half definitely has a bit of the Emmanuel Petit style going on. Vermaelen has excellent technique and is a real fighter, I believe playing him in the holding role could be an option. This of course all depends on whether Sol is up to the standard of the premier league and Arsenal - only time will tell.

One thing I can say is that it's always nice to see a legend of the club return, in his day he was the best centre half in England and one of the best in the world. Spurs fans must feel like they're in the twilight zone, they are likely to see Campbell their ex hero signing for Arsenal twice!

For now, I'm prepared to stick with the mantra - 'Wenger knows...'

A point gained rather than 2 points lost

2010-01-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was quite literally the coldest I have ever felt at a football match, it's very rare you go to a game in London and it snows more or less from the first minute to the last.

As the title suggests, I see this as very much a point gained rather than a point lost and the match brutally exposed our lack of midfield and attacking options. As suspected, the loss of Alex Song is a huge one - the fact is that Denilson is lightweight and as I have always maintained I do not think he has the class or ability to play for a team like Arsenal. I'm not sure what Denilson offers to the team, he can't tackle, gets brushed off the ball too easily and his passing is woeful at times. Diaby didn't really get into the game mainly because he had to defend a lot more to cover up the inadequacies of Denilson. Credit must go to Everton, I thought they played superbly albeit it was helped by Arsenal who probably gave their worst performance of the season. What I find frustrating is that had we played like we did when we went 2-1 down for the previous 88 minutes then we probably would have won the game. I felt we lacked fight yesterday, I know the conditions were terrible but it was the same for both sides and the fact is that the only way to keep warm yesterday was to run about as much as possible!

Although we missed Song, the lack of creativity was was worrying and hopefully we'll have Fabregas back for the Bolton game as we clearly need our talisman as I feel he riases our performance level as a team by 10 or 15%. I don't think anyone played particularly well yesterday, Arshavin is completely wasted as a lone front man and the quicker we get the big Dane back up front the better.

Should Wenger buy in the transfer window?

The answer is a resounding YES! We do need someone big up front even though Bendtner should be back in a few weeks the jury is still out on him and he has been out for a good few months which will mean he will take time to get match fit. If we didn't have so many problems in midfield I would definitely consider playing Diaby up top as he is big, strong and did start out as a striker. The problem is that there just might not be anybody in the mould available, I agree with Wenger when he says that there's no point in buying a player for the sake of it - they have to improve the side. I think we also need another defensive midfielder, we don't know how bad Denilson's injury is and I don't think he's good enough anyway. We also need cover at centre half, if either Gallas or the Verminator get injured then we're in serious trouble. I still think Senderos should be given a chance as he is a much better defender than Silvestre but he is clearly out of favour. I'm really not convinced about re-signing Sol, I just don't think he'll be able to cut it at the top level any longer. I think Wenger's comments about the possibility of signing Sol works 2 ways, firstly it's a favour to Sol to help generate some interest from other clubs and also as a smokescreen for who he really wants to sign - I could be wrong but time will tell. We also need a goalkeeper as a matter of urgency, Almunia's performance yesterday summed up what the guy is, an absolute liability - the worst keeper I have ever seen in an Arsenal shirt and what makes me even more angry is that he's given the arm band when Cesc isn't playing.

So all in all the point gained might be very important come the end of the season, a word to Arsene, the league is a real possibility this season and amazingly we have a chance so please don't be stubborn, sign the players we need that could make this a very special league campaign. The fact is that with the emergence of Manchester City we might never get a chance like this for a very long time.

Player ratings:

Almunia 3 - Can't kick, can't claim crosses and causes panic in the defence - what a terrible goalkeeper.

Sagna 7 - Solid.

Gallas 5 - Thought he had a poor game yesterday.

Vermaelen 7 - Usual solid self and almost scored.

Traore 5 - Just as he was looking comfortable in the team he puts in an awful performance, was run ragged by Landon Donavan all game.

Denilson 4 - lightweight, can't tackle, can't pass.

Diaby 7 - Best of the midfielders but had to compensate for Denilson's poor showing, did well for the equaliser.

Nasri 5 - Forgot he was still on the field in the second half.

Ramsey 5 - There is no doubting his ability but he still lacks consistency, not the finished article yet.

Eduardo 5 - Ineffective

Arshavin 5 - Not a lone frontman and struggled to get in the game.

Subs:

Rosicky 7 - A few miss placed passes but scored the vital equaliser - needs games.

Merida - Wasn't on the field long enough.

Vela 5 - Didn't do much when he came on.

Mixed emotions as Vieira doesn't come home

2010-01-08T05:37:00.000-08:00

Afternoon all.

Hope everyone is coping well with the arctic conditions, I for one am completely fed up with the ice. I'm hoping the game will go ahead tomorrow otherwise our squad is really going to be up against it in the coming months and may eventually become our undoing. I work in Islington and the ice on the streets is not as bad as it was yesterday so I'm hoping that the area around Highbury is much the same. That being said it's not only the pavements that need to be taken into account, train services working will be vital to the game going ahead.

So... Patrick Vieira has signed for Manchester City. When I heard the news that he might sign I did have mixed emotions as the romantic side of me would love to have seen him back in Arsenal shirt plying his trade at the Emirates. I know there was talk of him coming to us in the summer but I never really believed it would happen as I'm a firm believer of the mantra that a player should 'never go back'. The most upsetting thing for me will be seeing him in a Manchester City shirt, I could take seeing him wearing the colours of Inter and Juventus but not City!

I don't blame Vieira, he had no choice - he needs games if he's going to play at the world cup and with this probably being his final contract he has done well to earn such a vast amount of money. Although I do not watch Italian football (just not the same since it left channel 4!), it's widely believed that Vieira is a shadow of his former self. I am not surprised by this, firstly he is older and secondly a player like him who would sometimes play opposing teams on his own was bound to burn himself out eventually. Therefore I do not think the signing will strengthen City, in fact it could possibly weaken them if he starts as he clearly is not up to the level required for the Premier League.

So what does Vieira bring? Vieira brings experience, he has won everything there is to win in the game (except for the Champions League) and knows how to take a team over the finishing line - something severely lacking in the current City side. Being a winner is a valuable commodity and one which we could do with!

Had Paddy signed for Chelsea, Man Utd or Tottenham then my opinion of him may well have changed for the worse but City are not our fiercest rivals. Vieira is a true Arsenal legend, one of the greatest players I have ever had the fortune to see. His debut will live long in the memory, a warm night at Highbury against Sheffield Wednesday, coming off the bench and inspiring us to a 4-1 win was a sign of things to come. Sometimes you see a player play for the first time and you just get the gut feeling that they are special, I just knew Vieira was different to the rest.

I for one can't wait to see Vieira at the Emirates and let's hope that we give him the reception a true legend of the club deserves.

Arsenal leave it late

2010-01-03T12:52:00.001-08:00

Evening fellow true gooners.

Arsenal left it late to come back and stun the hammers 2-1 in the third round of the FA Cup today, a well deserved victory on our second half showing. The first half was a poor one and never really got going, the team looked a bit disjointed and we didn't really create anything of note. I thought we were comfortable as we were heading towards half time and then Diamanti broke the offside trap and put West Ham a goal to the good. Once again Silvestre was at fault, trying to play for an offside that was completely unnecessary. In all fairness I thought Silvestre actually had a good game today and is effective going forward but his defensive side of the game leaves a lot to be desired. That being said, I always felt we would get back into the game and it needed Nasri and Diaby to come off the bench to give us the spark we needed. Merida was ineffective today, he has a lot of talent but I'm not totally convinced by him but he is only young and will get more chances in the first team. Wilshere was also very quiet and almost gave away a goal with a period of poor passing at the edge of the area, an undoubted talent I feel he must go on loan and play regularly so he can return to Arsenal with games under his belt.

We are really going to miss Song this month, he didn't have his best game today but he imposed himself on the game the longer it went on. Ramsey was quite rightly named man of the match, he is a superb talent and once again proved that he has every right to play in the Arsenal first team. With Fabregas injured I'm sure he will keep his place against Bolton on Wednesday - he is going to have a big future at the club. A word on Eduardo, I have been critical of the croatian this season but I think he is slowly returning to form and his performance today was superb - a fantastic header for the winning goal. Stoke away in the next round will be a tricky game but I have no doubt that we will progress further in the FA Cup. With Man Utd now out of the competition we have a real chance of winning it this year and I must say that I thought Leeds were absolutely magnificent today.

Next up is Bolton, a must win fixture against a club currently in a bit of turmoil and one that should we win we only be 1 point behind Chelsea - no extra incentive needed!

Until Wednesday...

Fabregas the master

2009-12-27T09:54:00.000-08:00

Hi fellow true gooners.

Cesc Fabregas came off the bench to clinch 3 vital points for Arsenal, a result that puts us back into the title race. I was nervous before today's game, Villa have been in excellent form and I thought we would really struggle to break them down. The first half was a good one, not much in the way of chances but we were playing well enough. Eduardo should definitely have scored in the opening 5 minutes and perhaps it can be true to say that he has never been the same player since the injury at Birmingham 2 seasons ago.

The second half was completely different, we pressured Villa high up the pitch and I felt a goal was on its way even before Cesc came on. What can I say about Cesc? The little genius stepped of the bench and had an almost instant impact, he really was a class above any player on that football pitch today. Fabregas is not know for his set piece ability but his first was an absolute beauty and his second goal a piece of stunning break away football. I am not Walcott's biggest fan but to be fair he played well when he came on, the Villa defenders couldn't live with his pace and for once he did have the end product which he usually lacks when in the final third. I thought Diaby was magnificent today, if he can find consistency then he can be a fantastic asset to Arsenal. The defence also looked very solid, they defended as a unit and managed to keep a very pacey Villa front line at bay, in truth they never really looked like scoring. I just love Vermaelen, he has such fantastic technique and is a real fighter - the incident where he was on the floor and still managed to shield the ball from Agbonlahor was magnificent.

Victory did come at a cost and I hope that Fabregas's injury is not too bad as with Song going to the ACN we will be dreadfully short of midfielders - I also hear that Denilson picked up a knock too. I feel the momentum is with us but it will all count for nothing if we don't get 3 point at Portsmouth on Wednesday. I maintain that if Wenger can make one or two quality signings in the next month then we have a real chance of lifting the Premiership trophy come May.

Player Ratings:

Almunia 6 - Did make a good save today but I have no confidence in the guy at all, erratic is an understatement.

Sagna 8 - Solid as ever, if only he had the attacking ability of Eboue he would be the best right back in Europe.

Vermaelen 9 - Brilliant today, one of the main reasons we kept a clean sheet today.

Gallas 9 - Strong in the tackle and always a threat at set pieces.

Traore 8 - Growing into the side the more he plays, a very able debuty at left back and a great pass to Walcott for the second goal.

Denilson 6 - Ineffective but battled hard.

Song 8 - Great game today, harried the opposition and shielded the back four well.

Diaby 8 - Excellent in the first half but faded in the second, great goal at the end.

Nasri 6 - Not a great performance, needs to be more direct with his final ball.

Eduardo 6 - Missed a great chance, did his bit but he isn't a left sided midfielder and there are question marks as to whether he has lost something that made him such a special player before his horrific injury.

Arshavin 6 - very poor today, the sooner we get Bendtner back the better as he is not a lone front man.

Subs:

Fabregas 10 - A genius.

Walcott 7 - Did well when he came on, great pass for the second goal.

Ramsey 6 - Not on the field long enough to make an impact.

Team of the decade

2009-12-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hi fellow true gooners.

We're now nearing the end of the decade and I've decided to compile my Arsenal team of the decade. It's been a tough decision, there have been so many great players who have worn the red and white since 2000 and some not so great ones!

Here goes...

Goalkeeper - David Seaman

I know it was the 90s that we saw the best of David Seaman but the simple fact was that even when he reached the twilight years of his Arsenal career he was still the best. The greatest goalkeeper in Arsenal's history, the big man was an agile and commanding stopper. Defenders knew that with David Seaman in goal even if they were breached he would be there to save the day. Every great team needs a great goalkeeper and he was the bedrock that the Arsenal team was built on, a member of the famous back five he was so solid and dependable. In my opinion Seaman was up there with Schmeichel as the best goalkeeper of the past 30 years. One highlight is the save he made against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final, probably his finest in an Arsenal shirt. A testament to Seaman's legacy is that he was England's last great keeper and they have never found anyone to fill his shoes, the same could be said of Arsenal although an honourable mention must go to Jens Lehman.

Right back - Lauren

As much as I loved Lee Dixon, he only played for one year right at the beginning of the decade and was reaching the twilight of his career. For 2 or 3 years, Lauren was the finest right back in the country. An elegent player who started his Arsenal career on the right of midfield before Wenger saw something in him that we didn't and converted him to a defender. A hard working, technically gifted attack minded full back who when called upon defended superbly. A member of the invincibles, he will forever be remembered as a legend at the club.

Centre Half - Sol Campbell

Arguably one of Wenger's greatest signings and one of the great England centre halfs of the past decade. I'll never forget the day Campbell signed for the club, there I was watching Sky Sports News when the breaking news appeared across the bottom of the screen 'Sky Sports understand that Sol Campbell has signed for Arsenal' - a moment I will always cherish! Although his Arsenal career started slowly, I was there at White Hart Lane when faced with a barrage of abuse from Spurs fans put in that crunching challange on Gus Poyet in the first 15 minutes of the game, from that moment he never looked back. A truely wonderful defender who was so cruely denied England winners in not one but two crucial tournament games, he had strength and pace to burn. His last act for Arsenal was to score in the Champions League final in Paris but it just wasn't written in the the stars - now that would have been the perfect farewell.

Centre Half - Tony Adams (Captain)

He may have only played a few years in the early part of the decade but for me he was the greatest centre half this country had seen for 30 years. A truely inspirational captain, Arsenal through and through - you knew he would die for the cause. Quite simply the best, there are no words needed.

Left Back - Ashley Cole

The gooners may hate him but I'd take him back in a flash, what a brilliant full back he was. A great defender, excellent going forward and popped up with some vital goals. I'll stop now for fear of retribution...!

Left Wing - Robert Pires

One of my favourite players of all time, such a graceful, elegent and beautiful footballer. Pires was simply brilliant, a midfielder who would score 20 goals a season and each one would be a beauty. Immensly skillful and the handy knack of always being in the right place at the right time, he forged an unstoppable partnership with Thierry Henry. Bobby was a one off, amazingly gifted, technically superb and a player that defenders would fear. I was gutted to see him go, the reception he received at the Emirates last season said it all - a true Arsenal legend.

Central Midfiled - Patrick Vieira

What can one say about Patrick that hasn't been said already?! For me the best midfielder in the world when he was in his prime, a fighter who had everything. Strong in the tackle, he could play teams on his own and beat them! The fact we are still talking about never really replacing him 5 years after he left the club speaks volumes for him as a player and a leader. It was fitting that his last kick in Arsenal shirt won us the FA Cup against his greatest of enemies - Roy Keane and Manchester United. In the top 5 players the club has ever had.

Central Midfield - Cesc Fabregas

The only member of the current Arsenal team to make my team of the decade. Febregas is a beautiful footballer to watch, the guy just oozes class. First team debut at 16, captain of Arsenal at the age of 21 - it's still hard to believe that he's still so young. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see Fabregas lift the Premier League trophy, he deserves a medal but the fear is that he may decide to move on to pick up silverware - who could blame him as he's already given the club 8 years service, he's nearing his testimonial year! It's such a shame that although he did play alongside Vieira for a short time, they never played in the same team when they were both in their prime.

Right Midfield - Freddy Ljungberg

Another legend, a free scoring midfielder who contributed nearly 20 goals every season. So pacy and exciting to watch, what impressed me so much was his never say die attitude. The 2001 season he virtually won us the double single handedly, scoring vital goals in the title run in. Also a member of the invincibles (there's a theme here), his link up play with Bergkamp was magnificent - they almost had a telepathic understanding. It was nice to see Freddy back at the Emirates a couple of weeks ago, you can still see that he has a great passion for the club.

Striker - Dennis Bergkamp

Quite simply the greatest player I have ever had the fortune to see in Arsenal shirt - words cannot do this man justice. In the top 20 footballers of all time, he had everything and a bit more. Dennis Bergkamp scored over 100 goals for Arsenal and each one was beautiful in it's own way. There are so many superlatives that could be used, I could write about him all night! I rate Dennis as the greatest Arsenal player in our history - that says it all.

Striker - Thierry Henry

Electrifying! 226 goals for Arsenal and one of the true legends of the modern game regardless of what the gutter press have been printing recently. Henry was unstoppable, a goal scoring machine, the likes of which we will probably never see again. Seeing Henry in full flight was just a sight to behold, my overiding memory was the goal he scored against Liverpool in 2004 when he waltzed past their entire defence to give us a moral boosting victory in a season defining game, let nobody try and fool you that he wasn't a big game player - he was the biggest of them all. TH14 - I salute you!

Subs: Jens Lehman, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown, Ray Parlour, Gilberto, Wiltord, Kanu

And that's it folks - do you agree with my selection? Let me know!

Post Hull thoughts

2009-12-20T05:49:00.000-08:00

Hi fellow true gooners.

A great result yesterday, 3 more points, a good scuffle and some fine finishing. This has set things up nicely for a real 6 pointer against Aston Villa next Sunday - a game we simply must win. I must admit that I was a little concerned before the game, I didn't know how we would fare without Fabregas and whether we would have the creativity to open up Hull. The first 40 minutes of the game was absolutely dire and wasn't what we all wanted in such freezing conditions. The game changed when we got a free kick and Nasri decided to stamp on one of their players, the melee that happened after it was handbags. Nevertheless, Nasri was stupid and should have been sent off and upon watching a replay of the incident I felt Barmby should have gone to for rasing his hands towards Nasri. When we won another free kick a minute later, I turned round to my dad and muttered "Why the hell is Denilson taking it?!" - that showed me! A fabulous free kick from a player who has perhaps the worst shot at the entire club. I think the incident before half time did us a favour, players suddenly began to play with a bit of passion and from that point on I was sure we would get the 3 points.

We played very well in the second half, Diaby and Denilson were excellent. Diaby is such an enigma, sometimes he can look unstoppable and other times absolutely awful - if he was to become a bit more consistent he could be a really big player for us. The penalty was an absolute farce and justice was done when the worst goalkeeper in the premier league got lucky and saved Geovanni's spot kick. I was also very pleased to see Eduardo get on the score sheet, hopefully that will boost his confidence. It was such a shame that he put another chance past the post, had that gone in it would have been a fantastic solo goal.

Villa next week is massive, we have a depleted squad and they are at full strength so we will need to be at our very best. I really do fear Villa, they have excellent players and are a very pacy side and we all know that pace scares defenders. In James Milner I feel Villa have one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and I really hope that he goes and starts for England at the world cup. If we do beat Villa then we are really in the title race and as I've been saying all along, if Wenger reinforces the squad in January then we do have a realistic chance.

At half time yesterday news was filtering through the stadium that Mark Hughes had been sacked by Manchester City. Listening to the radio phone in on my way home it was really frustrating hearing the opinions of Alan Green, he kept on saying he feels really sorry for Mark Hughes. How can anyone feel sorry for a millionaire who loses their job? I'm sure he'll get a nice big pay off. What about all the people out there who lose their job and get nothing? All this epsiode has shown me is that City as expected have no class, you can't build a top four side over the course of a few short months. I would blame the owners who gave Hughes £40 million to spend on two awful centre halfs in Lescott and Toure.

Next time you feel like slagging Wenger off just count yourself lucky that you support a club built on tradition and class. I'll leave you with a famous saying George Graham used to tell all his new players when they signed for the club:

"Remember who you are, where you are and what you represent".

This applies to players and fans alike.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks.

Enough is enough Arsene

2009-12-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

Hi fellow true gooners.

I was on the verge of being excited about last nights game but a part of me knew we would probably undo all our good work from Anfield and unfortunately I was right. Things do need to be put in perspective somewhat as Turf Moor is not an easy place to go and Man Utd were beaten there earlier in the season, so maybe a draw wasn't such a bad result. What disappointed me the most was the performance, although we could have been three up in the first 15 minutes, the truth is that after that we were unable to create much and could and should have been beaten. It just goes to show how much Fabregas makes us tick, all our play was going through him and once he went off injured I knew we would be up against it. The only players to do themselves any justice was Song and Vermaelen, both trying to push us forward and create chances even though they had little in front of them in terms of quality and application.

The reason for my title is in relation to two players I do not feel are fit to wear the shirt - Almunia and Walcott. Almunia's performance last night was one of the worst I've seen from a goalkeeper, his attempt to cut out a simple ball accross his six yard box for Burnley's dissalowed goal (which was clearly onside) was embarrasing. Manual Almunia is the WORST Arsenal goalkeeper I have ever seen and is easily the worst in the Premier League. It's no wonder that our defence looks so suspect, how can anyone have confidence in Almunia to do the basics? The answer is they can't and it shows. I'm not saying that Fabianski is the answer but he cannot be as bad as Almunia - it's a sad state of affairs when you have to pick a goalkeeper on the basis that they aren't as bad as the competition, unfortunately that's where we are. Fabianski MUST start against Hull and Wenger MUST buy a goalkeeper in January - this should be his number one priority.

Theo Walcott's performance was painful, there's no other way to describe it. Lets analyse walcott as a player and what he can do:

Running at full pace with the ball under control - No
Running at slower pace with the ball under control - No
Crossing a ball - No
Shooting accurately - Maybe
Beating a full back - No
Upper body strength - None
Injury prone - Yes

The guy clearly isn't good enough, his performance last night was beyond shocking and when he wasn't losing the ball he was anonymous just like he was at Liverpool. I think it's time for Wenger to sell him to the highest bidder and earn some money out of him, I echo the sentiments of some Arsenal blogs who have said that Walcott will end up in lower league obscurity when he leaves Arsenal. Can he prove me wrong? I doubt it but I will be the first to hold my hands up if he does. Eduardo? I don't know what's happened with him but I'll save that for another day!

That being said, we are still in third, we have a Hull on Saturday and I think we will beat them even without Fabregas and it's snowing!

Come on Arsenal!

Double standards

2009-12-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

Evening folks.

What is it with the crap that pundits spout on Match of the day? For the last 4 years all I keep on hearing from the likes of Hansen, Shearer and Lawrenson is that if Arsenal play badly then we don't win and that that we can't grind out results. Last night on MOTD2 Hansen was an embarrassment to football punditry, acting like a little child who had just seen his football team get beaten. It was impossible for him to give a neutral view of the game that saw his beloved Liverpool team unable to create a single chance in the second half. Instead Hansen declared that had Liverpool have been given the penalty then they would have won comfortable whilst refusing to acknowlegde that Arsenal had become the only away team since 2003 to come from a goal behind at Anfield and win the game - the last team to do that? Arsenal. I can't stand Hansen, he's full of himself and acts as if he's the star of the show but his job is to provide punditry which he is unfortunately unable to do. Lee Dixon talks a lot of sense, he's Arsenal through and through and when talking about the game last night he gave a balanced view because that's what he's paid to do. Sometimes it's hard to accept that our tax money goes towards paying idiots like Hansen and Shearer who throw their toys out the pram when their team loses.

Classy Arshavin does it again

2009-12-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

Arshavin really loves playing at Anfield doesn't he...?!

It was a massive win for us today and one that puts us right back in the title race, we're now 6 points behind Chelsea with a game in hand. It's been a really strange season so far with all the top teams dropping points in the title race. The gap is really closing and I can't see the top four being the same as last season and I think Liverpool will really struggle to finish in a champions league place. The first half today we were absolutely awful, our passing was all over the place and there was also a real lack of fight. The goal we conceded was all too predictable and as I said on this very blog, Almunia is not good enough and will cost us points this season. I really can't see what Wenger see's in him, he can't catch a ball, always concedes goals from free kicks and his distribution is extremely poor. I can only hope that Wenger replaces him in the transfer window as Fabianski isn't good enough either.

We did get a bit lucky with the equaliser but we needed it as we didn't really look like scoring and I couldn't see us getting back into the game. Arshavin's finish was magnificent and although I wrote a piece about his attitude, I can't deny that he has really stepped up to the plate when weve needed him most. Liverpool were poor in the second half and we looked solid at the back and never even looked like conceding. So what does this mean for our season? We still lack a front man and the result does paper over the cracks a little bit but as I've said - if we can stay in the race until we get to January then a few new signings could turn us into potential champions.

What a result, let's just enjoy that for now.

Player ratings:

Almunia 4 - just terrible, a third rate goalkeeper.

Sagna 8 - Solid as usual, defender well and got forward to good effect.

Gallas 7 - Lucky not to give away a silly penalty but otherwise was sound today.

Vermaelan 8 - Had Torres in his pocket.

Traore 8 - I wasn't sure about him but his performances have been good and today he was excellent.

Denilson 6 - Gave the ball away too many times.

Song 7 - Not his usual standard of passing today but he protected the back four well.

Fabregas 7 - Poor first half but played better after the break.

Nasri 8 - Thought he played well today and ran his heart out.

Walcott 5 - Anonymous and still can't beat a player, yet to realise his potential.

Arshavin 8 - He hardly touched the ball but has class and the ability to do something very special.

Have a good evening folks!

Number 1 - The greatest Arsenal game of the decade

2009-12-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

So here it is, my greatest Arsenal game of the past decade...

Manchester United 0 Arsenal 1 8th May 2002

Simply one of the greatest nights in the history of Arsenal football club and one I'll never forget. Had Jens Lehman not had that moment of madness at White Hart Lane when we won the title in 2004 then I would be writing about that game as being the greatest, but that last minute penalty took the gloss of for me and is something that still causes considerable annoyance 6 years on!

It doesn't get better than winning the title at the home of your fiercest rival and that's exactly what we did that magical evening in Manchester. Having travelled to the majority of away games that season I was abslutely gutted to have applied for a ticket and not get one, I was convinced that I had enough away credits and had to make do watching it on the television instead. We only needed a draw to win the title and we always had the safety net of a home game against Everton on the Sunday if we had lost to Utd. We had already won the FA Cup the Saturday before and we were riding high. Henry was injured, Bergkamp was on the bench and the players were clearly on their last legs. For the first half an hour we were the better side and United resorted to making some disgusting challenges, most notably Scholes and Neville whilst Roy Keane put his size 10 boots through Vieira's chest. United were rattled and relinquished their crown in graceless fashion. Sol Campbell was magnificent, Freddie never stopped running. When Wiltord finally stroked the ball home it was an immense feeling of relief, I knew there was no way were going to let it slip - we simply wanted it more.

When the final whistle blew, jubilation! There had been a lot of speculation that Vieira was going to leave in the summer but as he was celebrating the title triumph the TV cameras focused on the french master just as he kissed the badge, a great moment that bonds a fan with a player - the love of one's club. Too many times you see players kiss the badge, I can remember a certain Mr Adebayor doing it when the whole world knew it was a pathetic attempt to win over the fans he had so disrespected only a few months previously. Vieira kissed the badge because he loved the club, it was just as evident now as it was back then. The night had everything and seeing Wenger walk into Fergies back yard and wave his arms aloft as the manager of the Champions was just about as good as it has ever got as an Arsenal fan.

Let's hope we win at Liverpool on Sunday!

The top 5 Arsenal games of the decade continued

2009-12-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

Afternoon all,

I continue to count down my top 5 Arsenal games of the past decade:

3. Arsenal 3 Aston Villa 1 16th October 2004

The game before our 49 game unbeaten run finally came to an end but nevertheless one of the most frightening displays of football I have ever seen. During the unbeaten run there was always that feeling that today would be the day we finally got beaten, however the invincibles always found that little extra from somewhere. Many won't remember this game or only look upon it as the game before the run ended. Time has seemed to have forgotten that this game saw one of the finest displays from an Arsenal side we have probably ever witnessed. The performance had everything, we went a goal down through Lee Hendry but we ran out more than worthy winners in the end. It was sublime, the passing, the speed at which we broke and the quality of football surpasses anything I have seen by the current Arsenal.

Perhaps it was fitting that it was the last unbeaten game in the run as I don't think I saw Arsenal play better in the previous 48 games.

Teams:

Arsenal: Lehmann, Lauren, Campbell, Toure, Cole, Pires (Van Persie 84), Vieira (Flamini 66), Fabregas, Reyes (Pennant 76), Bergkamp, Henry. Subs Not Used: Taylor, Cygan.

Aston Villa: Postma, Delaney, Mellberg, De la Cruz, Samuel, McCann, Hendrie, Hitzlsperger (Davis 45), Barry (Whittingham 8), Cole (Angel 58), Vassell. Subs Not Used: Solano, Henderson.

2. AC Milan 0 Arsenal 2 4th March 2008

An absolutely virtuoso performance by Arsenal in the Champions league away to Milan. Most gooners would no doubt pick our victory against Inter in the same stadium as the stand out champions league win of the decade but I feel the AC Milan game was more impressive. We outclassed Milan at the Emirates but were unable to break them down so coming up to the second leg I was feeling that our best chance to beat them had now gone. We dominated the game in Milan and put in a magnificent performance, although we had to wait until the 84th minute to open the scoring it was never really in any doubt. What made this game particularly special for me was that when I was growing up AC Milan were the greatest team in Europe and I’ll never forget that night they crushed Barcelona 4-0 in the European Cup final, it was a breathtaking performance. I also remember when we played them in the Super Cup in 1994 at Highbury, seeing the likes of Maldini, Beresi and Desailly in their prime was a wonderful experience and at that time I would never have thought that one day we would outplay and outclass Milan in the San Siro. I know this Milan team was very different and not in the same class as their former greats but it didn’t matter, we beat the MIGHTY AC Milan and seeing AC Milan 0 Arsenal 2 really was a dream come true!

Teams:

AC Milan: Kalac, Maldini, Kaladze, Nesta, Oddo, Ambrosini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Alexandre Pato, Kaka, Inzaghi (Gilardino 69). Subs Not Used: Fiori, Emerson, Simic, Favalli, Gourcuff, Bonera.
.
Arsenal: Almunia, Clichy, Senderos, Gallas, Sagna, Diaby, Fabregas, Flamini, Eboue (Walcott 71), Hleb (Silva 89), Adebayor. Subs Not Used: Lehmann, Van Persie, Denilson, Bendtner, Justin Hoyte.

The top five arsenal games of the decade

2009-12-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

Hi folks!

I hope you're all having a good week. I haven't posted for a few days mainly because there's been very little of interest going on with Arsenal, I'm not one of those people who bothers to speculate about who we might sign as I see it as a fruitless exercise - Wenger rarely signs players the fans want so I think it's always best to comment after the event (if there is one).

Seeing as we are entering the last few week of the naughties I've suddenly started to feel all nostalgic about the past decade - only really on a footballing level. Let's face it, this past decade has seen countless wars, terrorist attacks, the rise of the minor celebrity and a fairly abysmal music scene. On a lighter note, the first part of the decade did see one of the greatest domestic football teams of all time - Arsenal and this is what I'm going to celebrate today. I've decided to trawl through what's left of my long term memory and pick my top 5 Arsenal games of the last 10 years - I must stress that these are MY top 5 games and probably in no way represents the views of the majority of Arsenal fans!

5. Middlesbrough 0 Arsenal 4 - 18th August 2001

Most people probably won't even remember this game but for some reason it sticks in the memory. In the summer we had signed Sol Campbell and there was a real air of excitement about the new season, especially as Thierry Henry had been on fire the season before. Having finished runners up in 2000-1, most gooners thought we could go one better and we did! It was the first game of the season so me and a few friends decided to drive up there the night before and stay in a really dingy B&B rather than do the drive the morning of the match. The talk before hand was of Campbell's debut but one guy turned round to me and said that Robert Pires was the man to watch this season and sunsequently put a bet on him there and then to finish the season as player of the year (which he did). It was a lovely sunny day and we went in at the break a goal to the good thanks to Henry but then Parlour was dismissed early in the second half and it was a backs against the wall job. We were magnificent, a new steel in the side, Pires was classy and when we won a penalty late on he stepped up to convert it with precision. Bergkamp then added 2 goals in injury time and the away support went wild.

Henry opened scoring

People may ask, what was so wonderful about this game? What made it so special? It was of those rare moments when you see the light, I knew Arsenal would win the league and I knew it after the first 90 minutes of the season! It's a special feeling and one which I have rarely experienced since and that's why I'll always treasure this game over so many others.

Teams:

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Fleming, Cooper, Southgate, Ehiogu, Ince, Mustoe, Greening, Windass, Boksic, Job. Subs: Crossley, Vickers, Okon, Wilson, Ricard.

Arsenal: Seaman, Cole, Adams, Campbell, Vieira, Pires, Ljungberg, Lauren, Parlour, Wiltord, Henry. Subs: Jeffers, Bergkamp, van Bronckhorst, Grimandi, Wright.

4. Arsenal 2 Chelsea 0 - 4th May 2002

Up until 2005 I always felt like Cardiff was Arsenal's second home as we were there so regularly. Having lost to Liverpool the year before in the FA Cup final in a game I still to this day don't know how and why - we played Chelsea to secure the first half of our historic double. Once again it was a beautifully sunny day and the atmosphere inside and outside the ground was electric. The game itself was fairly uneventful, those were the days when we expected to beat Chelsea. Although much has been said of Ray Parlour's goal, for me the stand out memory was just after Ljunberg scored the all important second goal. Seeing Henry slide to his knees right in front of us (not caught on camera unfortunately) rather than celebrating with Freddy showed me that there was a bond between the player and the fans and just how much he loved Arsenal Football Club. For some reason this was a special moment, one of those I can still see in slow motion.

Henry just before he slid to his knees

I was due to head back to Birmingham after the game (where I was studying at the time) and I was actually walking with the guy that was giving me a lift but upon hearing all the Arsenal fans celebrating and singing in the distance I decided to turn back, suffice to say I headed back to university the next day!

Teams:

Arsenal: Seaman, Lauren, Campbell, Adams, Cole, Wiltord (Keown 90), Parlour, Vieira, Ljungberg, Bergkamp (Edu 72), Henry (Kanu 81).
Subs Not Used: Dixon, Wright.

Chelsea: Cudicini, Melchiot (Zenden 76), Gallas, Desailly, Babayaro (Terry 45), Gronkjaer, Lampard, Petit, Le Saux, Gudjohnsen, Hasselbaink (Zola 68).
Subs Not Used: de Goey, Jokanovic.

That's all for now folks, my top 3 will revealed in the next few days!

Have a good one.

Post match thoughts - Arsenal 2 Stoke 0

2009-12-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

Arsenal bounced back from two defeats to comfortably dispose of Stoke City today.

I was a bit surprised that Wenger had opted to play Arshavin as the lone striker but it turned out to be the correct decision as the little Russian was much more influential through the middle as he usually is on the wing. I was a bit concerned that we would stuggle against a physical Stoke but these concerns were unfounded as they didn't really offer much going forward even with Delap's long throws.

I think the scoreline flattered Stoke a little bit as we could easily have been two up in the first 15 minutes but for poor control by Arshavin when he was through on goal. Our movement in the first half was good and when Arshavin was brought down in the area it looked like we would break the deadlock, however Fabregas's penalty was well saved by Thomas Sorenson. Thankfully Arshavin didn't miss when presented with his next chance which he tucked away superbly. Febregas was very unlucky to have a goal bound shot cleared of the line by our very own Eboue! The spaniard didn't have a great game today but this was a result of not having a target man to aim for which meant he had to be especially intricate in his passing which was a little off.

Second half was a bit of a stroll and Arshavin had a shot defelcted onto the bar when it seemed almost certain that he would score. Arsenal finally put the game to bed when Aaron Ramsey who was on for the injured Eboue strolled through the Stoke defence and hit a good shot from the edge of the area. The remainder of the match was a non-event and I was personally pleased that we managed to keep a much needed morale boosting clean sheet.

Next up is Liverpool next Sunday which I'm sure will be a much tougher game all round.

Player Ratings

Almunia 5 - looked uncomfortable every time Delap launched one of his long throws, clearly not good enough and Wenger needs to buy a top quality goal keeper in January.

Sagna 8 - Mr reliable, another solid game and did well going forward.

Gallas 8 - Coped well today and didn't put a foot wrong.

Vermaelen 8 - Was solid today.

Traore 8 - Best performance I've seen from the frenchman in Arsenal shirt, looked good going forward.

Denilson 6 - Just doesn't do enough for me and gave the ball away too many times.

Fabregas 6 - Not one of his better games but still laid on some lovely passes.

Rosicky 7 - Thought he played well and was a shame we didn't see him in the second half.

Nasir 8 - One of our better performers today, ran at the Stoke defence with purpose and was very difficult to shake off the ball.

Eboue 8 - Excellent today, so good on the ball and always gives 100%.

Arshavin 9 - Star man, his best performance of the season - he's much more influential in the middle, scored a lovely goal and could have scored more.

Have a great Saturday evening folks.

Follow us on Twitter!

2009-12-04T12:29:00.001-08:00

You can now follow thetruegoonerblog on Twitter.

Big game tomorrow, a bit worrying where the goals are going to come from (funny saying that considering the amount of goals we've scored this season). I'll have analysis of the match and player ratings as soon as I return from the Emirates.

If you're going enjoy the game...

The great Wenger experiment is coming to an end

2009-12-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

Has Arsene's eyes finally opened?

Recently I have noticed a change in Arsene Wenger, a look of sadness and at times a look of desperation.

Since we won the title in 2004, Wenger seemingly decided that he would take a different approach to achieving success. Arsene wanted to build a team of young technically gifted players who would stay together for years and sweep all before them. Our great manager knew that a transition period would take place, a period where we wouldn't be challanging for the title but would still have enough to qualify for the champions league. In the past few seasons Wenger has been telling everybody to keep the faith, inisting that this team would come of age and even asked Arsenal fans to judge him at the end of this season.

The resigned look on the face of the manager after our defeat at Sunderland was unusual, I'm not used to seeing him like that. I feel it was the look of a man slowly coming to terms with the realisation that his youth experiment has finally failed and for a stubborn perfectionist such a moment of clarity will be especially hard to take. Wenger's post match rant about the disallowed goal against Chelsea stank of desperation, trying to defend the indefensible especially when the goal was rightly ruled out. The game against Chelsea was men against boys and Wenger knows it and his reaction by not shaking Mark Hughes hand after the City game was a strange one.

I always liked the fact that Wenger was a bad loser, it shows his desire and passion but sometimes you have to put your hands up and say we were well beaten. What's to get annoyed about with the City game? Wenger played a youth team against one of the most expensively assembled team in the world and we lost - not really unexpected (and we were well beaten). If he cared that much then why didn't he pick a team that could win the game?

The media is much to blame, putting Wenger on a pedestal and lauding his youth policy whenever they can but then criticising it when it doesn't work.

The experiment has lasted for 5 years and is now coming to an end, Wenger knows this but is he big enough to say so and rescue our season by signing some top quality players in January? I hope so.

Oh dear Stan Collymore

2009-12-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

I'm not going to dwell on the result of the Man City game tonight, we fielded a weakened team against a strong City line up and as such the result was inevitable. It will be a good experience for the younger players even though at this stage of the competition I think we should have sent out a stronger team and when it comes to Wenger, you knew he would be stubborn and stick with the kids.

I want to focus on the absolute nonsense I heard from Stan Collymore earlier this week when I decided to tune in to Talk Sport. Collymore was actually comparing this current Chelsea team to the invincibles! What really annoys me is when I hear pundits and fans saying that going a whole sason or 49 games unbeaten is not that great an achievement - if it was that easy then surely every team could do it! The fact is that it's unlikely we'll see a team do that in the near future or if at all.

Collymore mused that this Chelsea team and the invincibles were like for like in players... if you'll indulge me.

Goalkeeper:

Collymore was right in this respect, there is very little to choose between Lehman and Cech - both world class on their day but prone to the odd mistake. However, Lehman definitely wins on the madness scale!

Full backs:

Ashley Cole - fair enough! The guy was quality for Arsenal and quality for Chelsea, not much more that can be said.

Lauren and Botswinga - Lauren in his day was a fantastic player, calm, reassured on the ball and proven at the top level. Botswinga? Is he really that good? I'm not so sure...

Centre Halfs:

Campbell and Terry - this is a no brainer for me, in 2004 Campbell was one of the best if not the best centre half in the world. Terry is a dirty player with a slow turn of pace. A good defender and no more, he gets shown up on the international stage.

Toure and Carvalho - little to choose between them, I'd still rather have had the 2004 Toure - great pace and excellent skill on the ball.

The midfield:

Vieira and Essien - Essien is a fantastic player but not in Vieira's league, Vieira in 2004 was the best central midfielder in the world. Vieira could take on teams on his own, he was a fighter with the skill to match.

Gilberto and Mikel - Do I really need to explain myself here?!

Pires and Joe Cole - Can you believe Collymore compared Joe Cole to Pires??! Pires is one of the greatest players to grace the Premier League - elegent, classy and scored a hatful of goals. Can you say the same about Cole? I don't think so.

Ljunberg and Lampard - different players so hard to compare, Lampard scores goals but adds little else whereas the Swede scored goals and added a pace and threat that Lampard could only dream of.

Henry and Drogba - Droba is a magnificent player but how can you compare him to a player that scored 226 goals for Arsenal? Henry had flair, every goal he scored was special and he would win games on his own. Henry 2004 or Drogba 2009, it's quite a simple choice really.

Bergkamp and Henry - How dare Collymore compare these 2 players! Bergkamp is the GREATEST footballer I have EVER had the pleasure of seeing. Not only the best foreign player to play in the premiership but in my opinion he is in the top 20 footballers of all time and I'm sure there aren't many gooners who would disagree with me.

So there you have it Collymore, you are an idiot (I've been wanting to say that for so long).

Does anyone disagree with my analysis? If so, then please leave a comment.

Stoke on Saturday - turning into a really big game now, 3 defeats in a row and no goals scored. I'll write a preview of the game on Friday.

Enjoy the rest of your week gooners!

In the meantime here's some classic action to tide you over:

It's been a bad few days...

2009-11-30T13:52:00.001-08:00

Evening all.

I've been an Arsenal season ticket holder since 1992 and having read a lot of rubbish written about my great club over the past few years I've decided to put down in words my thoughts about everything Arsenal (for what it's worth).

I was at the Emirates on Sunday to see us being outplayed and outclassed by Chelsea. It certainly was not an easy game to watch, although it was made slightly easier by the inevitability of what was likely to unfold. Both my dad and I had already come to the conclusion that we would find it very difficult to get anything out of the game and from the first few minutes it was plain to see that with no height or physical presence up front we were not likely to trouble the Chelsea defence.

Moving away slightly from the match there are a few things that have become increasingly frustrating for me this season:

The attitude of Arshavin

Last season I was so excited when we signed the little Russian and his performances were superb. This season has been a different story, too often he has looked disinterested and frankly lazy. All this talk of comparing Arshavin to Bergkamp is wrong, the fact is that whilst Arshavin may have the skill and the guile to match the Iceman, he just doesn't have the fight. What makes great players is not just their ability but their willingness to fight for the cause and fight for the right to play their football. Bergkamp gave 100% and genuinely loved the club whereas the same can't be said about Arshavin and I can see him leaving the club in the summer. I hope he proves me wrong but I just can't see that happening.

The Goalkeeper

Manual Almunia is just not good enough, I realise that most Arsenal fans feel the same but I feel I have to get it off my chest! I just can't understand how Wenger persists with him, I am hoping the Wenger goes out and buys a top class goalkeeper in January. Talk of winning the title in the last few months have been futile as far as I'm concerned as you CANNOT win a title without a great goalkeeper.

In my opinion we have learned little from last season and it looks like we'll face a struggle to maintain a champions league spot this season.

What really annoyed me about Sunday was all the booing aimed at Ashley Cole, the best thing we as Arsenal fans could do is act like we don't care - all the fans are doing is paying him a back handed compliment. I dislike him as much as anybody else but the fact is that he was and is still a fantastic player and I think it's a real shame that he no longer wears the red and white of Arsenal.

So what now...? My approach to the transfer window has always been more in hope than expectation that we would sign players but I feel this January may be different. We face stiffer competition for a champions league spot than we ever have before and therefore I think Wenger will buy if the right player(s) are available - let's hope they are!

That's all for now, I've hope you've enjoyed reading my thoughts.