Derby Time!

It feels like international week again, a lack of news... But it isn't, its just a monday game. They just feel Henry deserves fromt page.
Rumors continue to fly around whether we will or wont keep Flamini or Hleb, but the longer it drags out, the less chance we have. Just a few days remain until Flamini signs or doesnt sign, and Hleb is also going to have talks with Wenger about his future.
With AC Milan poised to sell Kaka, they have also outbidded Juventus for Flamini, as a replacement for Gattuso. Funny to think that Flamini was nicknamed "Flattuso", ater the man he is set to replace.
Well, other than that, there isnt much else, other than the game we have against DERBY!
I think the scoreline will be about 4-0 plus, but it depends on the team Wenger plays... till then!

We are not goin' any higher!

Chelsea pulled off a win against Man U last night, meaning that we will be moving no higher than third. It is possible that we can slip to fourth, believe it or not, but I feel that is about as likely to happen as Derby winning the Premier league. In other words, 0% chance.
Flamini is still keeping us in the dark, but Arsene has made an improved offer. I don't know whether he'll stay, Wenger keeps saying he wants to stay, Juve keep saying they have nearly signed him and I read in one site that they had already signed him, and the Italian media were going to release it later that day. I'm still waiting to hear it. Either way, its 50/50 at the moment.
Hleb on the other hand I feel is going to stay. I don't knw why, just an impulse, although his incident the other week inicates he is bored with the Prem, so he probably wont stay.
Nice to see people are starting to leave comments, and feel free to keep doing so, or to start if you havent already. Any discussion is welcome, your opinion does count here!
Until next time!!

Do we need to sign from other countries?

I was wondering today whether we need to sign some players from other countries of origin, after realising how every season, we are linked to a Frenchman, or an African. Countries seem to have a certain style, German is attacking, Brazilian is free flowing, ect. When it comes to Arsenal, we all seen to have players from one counrty. Almost 90% of our club is either French or African, and I wonder if that makes our style a bit, well, pradictable. When you look at Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool, they all have bought players from diferent places, and they are more successfull in carrying out game plans. We seem to be restricted in that manner. Its almost like the law that states if you want total controll over a team, you bring them in from all over the place, that way they have no way of relating to one another, and it is easier to teach. If we buy from all over, then would it become easier to maintain game plans, easier to get good team chemistry, easier to fool other teams, easier to win titles. Do I have a fair point? I would be interested to hear on this, so if you havent posted a comment yet, maybe now is the time to get your opinion out there! I'll look forward to your thoughts!

Amauri to Arsenal

Just a quick update, but having been confirmed on several news sites, then I thought it was worth mentioning. Palermo have apparently been impressed by Arsenals bid for their Brazilian Striker, Amauri. Whilst i would normally be a bit sceptical of new signings that no-one has heard of, remember what happened last time we signed a part Brazilian. Eduardo I had not heard of, yet he shines at Arsenal. Need I remind you of Gilberto as well? We could be in on quite a deal here. Shame we didn't get Villa. There is still a small chance, but After Arsene crushed the rumor, then it looks like he could be linking up with Liverpool, after stating that he would love to link up with Torres.
Till next time!

Cheat Cheat Cheat Cheat!!!! Oh Chelsea oh Chelsea how poor are your players...

They do all they can and still cheat to win games...
All the above, title and opening line was sung by all of Anfield's supporters (minus the Chavs, of course) led by the Kop, the loyal diehard Liverpool fans. I have NEVER seen more cheating in my life. Here are some quotes from the comentator:
"Oh Dear, is the umpire blind?"
"You never quite know when Drogba is truly injured, do you?"
"Was that the ref's whistle? No, just my imagination."
"Whoo hoo! Finally a yellow card"
"How was that not a red. What? The ref has completely ignored it and waved play on!!"
"That is the first time that I have seen Grant smile, in, well, 12 months, and even then it lasted 5 seconds!"
"Yep, Grant has definitely ordered his men to take down Torres"
"Never, NEVER kick a Spaniard when he's down"
I could go on and on.. and most of those related to Chelsea's captain, John "Terminator" Terry, who took it apon himself to tell the defence to kill Torres, whatever the consequence. Filthy play left the Liverpool supporters chanting "Cheat Cheat Cheat Cheat" for over five minutes.
To be honest, I'm glad we lost to Liverpool. If Torres was RvP, he wouldnt have made it through the first five minutes the way that the Chavs were playing. No tactics, just take the opposition down when you can. The Scoreline at full time, 1-1, without a chelsea player scoring. Kuyt scored just before half time, and in Injury time, Riise was unlucky to divert a ball past his own keeper, although one has to ask why he was using a diving header in the first place, especially since there was no blue shirt remotely near the 6 yard box.
There were some more penalty oppertunties, Drogba was brought down, although he was diving worse that Eboue, and that's saying something! Ballack clearly handballed in the area, but the ref called play on. By far the worst tackle came from none other than ex-arsenal player Ashley Cole. Damn idiot slid tackled, no make that FLY-KICKED Kuyt just below the knees, righ infront of the touchline referee, and there was no advantage given, nor card shown.
So now we travel to SB, where Chelsea will no doubt try and hold on. Either way, anything more than a 1-1 draw will see liverpool advance. 2-2 sees them go through on away goals. Can they do it? Yes. Without being killed in the process. NO.
To Nou Camp tonight, I'll be watching. Bojan is in unbelievable form for a 17 year old, but Ronaldo is going to prove a tough task for them.
Till next time gunners, I proclaim today national hit a Chav day.

Goodness knows they deserve it...

All English Final?

Well, Semi Finals Tonight and Tomorrow Night, Chelsea Squaring off against Liverpool, and the two giants in Europe - Manchester United (Who have been labeled the best in the world) and Barcelona (Who were tipped to become champions of Europe this season). There is a 50% chance that it will be an all English final, but one team can prevent that. Barca. But to be honest, I doubt they can hold ManU off.
So, lets focus on the other big game.
Liverpool have a thing for the CL. Last years runner ups aren't going down without a fight! Chelsea are facing a revolt. I had my cousin over on the weekend, and he was really annoyed because Chelsea are in a loss-loss situation. If they win the Champions League or the Prem, Abramovic will be happy and will keep Grant, but then Chelsea would have a major player loss and would suffer majorly. On the other hand, if they lose, then Grant will leave, but it will be a severe dent in Chelsea's Armour, seeing as it is the first season that they have gone through without winning anything. So, here is a lesson to Arsenal fans. STOP COMPLAINING! WE ARE ALREADY HATED BY THE MEDIA, WHY MAKE IT WORSE? AND WHILE OUR SITUATION IS BAD, THINK ABOUT THE CHAVS!!! Ok, enough ranting, Im fine now.
Looking at it realistically, Chelsea just aren't in a good position to win the CL. Liverpool have nothing to lose this season, except this. So they will be trying their damn hardest out there tonight to win this thing. I'm going 2-2 at the Bridge, and a repeat of out game, 4-2 at Anfield.
Old Trafford will be a stronger home than Nou Camp. But that wouldnt matter anyway. Man U are so dominant home and away that they simply will be too strong for the Spanish Giants. Im going 2-0 at both leg's. That leaves ManU vs Liverpool in the final at Moscow.

Arsenal v Reading - a preview

This game is efectively a dead rubber game - there is nothing more to play for this season. So, why not use this game and the game after against Derby as a step ladder for the reserves? A lot of players will be coming through next season, so the ones not on loan could be playing tomorrow.
Lucasz Fabianski will be a great keeper. He is already showing real tallent, and should Almunia fail the fitness test later today, I feel he should be played ahead of Lehmann, who can't stop a thing! The incedibly talented Carlos Vela and Fran Mereda are off on loan, but Barazite could find himself handed a game, what with Fabregas needing a rest desparately. Havart Nordveit could be lining up at the back, due to Senderos and Toure strugling. A 4-4-3 could work and the lineup on the weekend could look like this:
Fabianski
Eboue, Gallas, Nordveit, Clichy
Hleb-Barazite-Gilberto
Bentner-RvP-Walcott
Look alright? then, if that team failed, we should have Sagna and Flamini back from injury, and Fabregas rested, we could play this team for Derby
Almunia
Sagna-Toure-Gallas-Clichy
Hleb-Flamini-Fabregas-Walcott
RvP-Adebayor

But, this is all speculation. Speaking of speculation, David Villa has said he would like to come to Arsenal, andI think his contract is nearly over there, so he would be able to move here.
Till next time Gunners, Have a good one!

Benzema Scores, Arsene Not Afraid To Spend BIG! Henry Back, and Does Technique Matter?

Benzema Is continuing to make a name for himself. What a legend, Surely Arsene cannot pass up on this one. People have said that we bring players out of France, and they flop. While that may be the case, can anyone name a better defence pair than Barcary Sagna and Gael Clichy? We bought Theirry to Arsenal and he made himself permanently part of our history, didn't he? Look, People say that we nee to sign a midfielder more than we do a striker, but do we really need Ben Arfa when we have Vela and Meredia, along with Theo? Benzema has registered his interest at moving to a big club, so PLEASE ARSENE, Sign him before Chelsea, Liverpool or Man United do! We already know that they are going to strengthen, and the rumours are that it is a French player? Benzema? Possibly, but I think that it will be a person that will send a shudder down the spines of every single Arsenal Fan, Should the headline read something like this:
Liverpool Shocks Fellow Clubs With Signing Of Arsenal Star Henry
Oh Damn, we say. Why didn't We sign him back?
I know the answer.
Theirry has looked like a shadow of his former self at Barcelona, Proving the Arsenal Curse True: The Grass Is NOT Greener On The Money Tree Side. The only stars to avoid this curse are the ones that don't move away for profit. Theirry forgot that. To bring him back wouldn't revive him. I have said it abroad, and I will say it here. Henry was a great player or us, and will always be remembered. But he will be, and will remain part of our History, and not our Future. Plus, how stingy would it look if we sold him, finished 3rd the next season, then bought him back for a reduced price? Very, and it would completely crush Wengers career as a manager, with the critics hammering him for bad management skills.
So, even if Theirry did move to Liverpool, would he rip us apart? No. Once an Arsenal Player, always an Arsenal Player. We know him too well, He knows us too well, We would capitalise, he would fail to score against us, he will hinder their efforts, and we would win.
I have heard people hammering Theo recently, saying that he isn't the quality of an Arsenal Great. They further say that the 70 Yard Run V Liverpool was luck that the ball came to him, and it being with 15 minutes to go, the other team were tired, and he did it with ease. He then had to pass to Adebyaor because he simply doesn't have the shooting quality to beat Reina, and Adebayor would tap it home and make him look good. For Goodness Sake! Need I remind you Idiots that he is a TEENAGER? How many teenagers could produce that level of quality? "He doesn't have the proper technique". Of Course he doesn't! He is an 18 year old! Anyway, when you bring it down to the wire, does it matter if he has the proper technique if he can produce magic? As long as he delivers, does it matter that he uses incorrect footwork? I think not. Verdict? The Material of one of the best, and "Technique" will come with time. In the meantime, sit back, and enjoy the pacy magic.
That is enough for today. Until next time, why don't you leave a comment and say how you feel about Benzema's quality, Henry - Past of Future and Theo, does technique matter? Until next post Gunners!

Stating the Obvious and Not So Obvious

Arsenal's Title Hopes Are Over. As Simple As That.

Of Course, I wrote that in a post at the start of the month, and it has taken Arsene Wenger a long time to realise. Mathematically when I wrote that, It was still possible, but as if Man Utd and Chelsea were going to lose and draw more than one game. So, while Arsene is depressed, I got over it a long time ago now. So, when I woke up this morning and saw we had lost, and the papers saying "Arsenals Hopes over", we fans knew that it was over a long time ago. Am I saying I don't care we slumped so badly? No. Am I hurt? Yes. But because of some fore site, This loss doesn't leave that bad a taste in the mouth. Watching the goal highlights, we actually deserved to go goalless. Adebayor's goal was actually a hand ball. A hand ball by our CAPTAIN, Mr. Gallas, saw united equalise TWICE, after the penalty had to be pulled back and shot again. Lehmann was in goals tonight, and someone forgot to tell him that in a free kick, you are supposed to cover the whole goals, and not the furthest post away. Consequently, the ball was chipped over the 4 man wall, and into the back of the net. Credit to Man United, they played hard for the result. But, our season derailed at Birmingham, so don't you take the credit, ok? Oh, and I still hate you guys, and I will until you do us a favour and thrash Tottenham. Until then, I don't like you. End of.
One HUGE Positive came out of the game, and it is...... EBOUE GOT INJURED!!!!!! That means we are down 6 players, but Theo gets a run! Hurray! And on that note, it's goodbye from me. Till Next Time!

Man Utd V Arsenal

We desperately need a win tonight, and if we do so, it could have several effects. 1) If we beat them, and Chelsea win against them at home, then Chelsea wins the league, but more importantly, 2) If we win, and Chelsea draw, then they both draw or lose more than one game each, then we win the league, such as things stand. A win tonight heaps the pressure on the other teams.

Injuries - Man U are missing Nani, Fletcher, Saha and Vidic, We are missing Flamini, Sagna, and obviously Rosicky and Eddy. We are also missing Diaby through suspension. All the above mentioned players keys to their respective teams, minus Diaby.

Danger Men - Manchester will undoubtedly rely a lot tonight on the two 'R's, Rooney and Ronaldo. Tevez will be a danger, and we will need to keep tabs on Anderson. Arsenal will have Theo fired up for tonight, and will hopefully be able to create some more magic. Fabregas is on fire at the moment, while Clichy has been one of the best left backs all season, and will undoubtedly be handed the Ronaldo assignment. Robin van Persie should be back up front.

How will Arsenal line up? I think it will be something like this:
.............Almunia..............
...Eboue..Gallas..Toure..Clichy...
Hleb..Gilberto..Fabregas..Walcott.
...........RvP...Adebayor.........

Although, Hleb being a play maker and Theo good in the middle, an effective line up would be a change from the 4-4-2 above, to this 4-2-2-2:

.............Almunia..............
...Eboue..Gallas..Toure..Clichy...
........Gilberto..Fabregas........
.......Hleb...........Walcott.....
...........RvP..Adebayor..........

Walcott and Hleb making runs through the middle feeding balls through to the two up front. I put Eboue at the back because even though he is terrible in the middle, he originated from that position, and is alright there. Senderos is dropped to the bench, and Toure takes his spot back in the center. The bench will probably look like this: Lehmann, Senderos, Song, Hoyte, Bentner.

I feel that we wont be able to compress a complete clean sheet tonight, and Ronaldo is in great form. Worlds best player? I don't know, I still think he has a very long way to go until he passes the likes of Maradona and Pele. He will score tonight, but Arsenal will come out victorious. 2-1 I feel.

That's all for now, I'll put up a review after the game sometime. Until then Gunners!!

A New Signing

Drum Roll Please!
The new player is.........
Giles Sunu, a 17 year old who will take 4-5 years to settle in to top flight football!! Congratulations Wenger!
Ok, so it is rather anti-climatic, but some interesting news did pop up to me recently!
I read online, and it is now on numerable news sites, that Dennis Bergkamp has been offered an assistant position, and training and everything, by Marco Van Basten. Considering Arsenes long career, and that his contract runs out in 2011, that is about the same time that it would take to fully train Dennis, and make sure he is ready. Will Wenger stand down for Bergkamp? We'll have to wait and see!
Flamini is out for three weeks with an ankle injury and will be replaced by Gilberto. But who didn't see that coming? Next?
What, there's no more? There's a surprise, just the one injury, totalling up to about 5 of our key players now? I've lost count....
That's all from me, until next time Gunners!!

Arsenal Praises Walcott

The 70 yard run from wonder boy Theo has been welcomed by open praise by all that saw it, especially the ones in the box seat, the players on the pitch. Praise coming from Ade and Toure, as well as many others.
Kolo Toure had this to say
"Theo's run was fantastic, with a great pass at the end. He is a good player and is improving every time. I think he is going to be one of the best players in England."
While Adabayor added: "He is on fire. He is a joy to play alongside"
I read today an interesting statistic, on the Official Website, of all places. It states "Every Time Theo Produces A Piece Of Magic, It Is Overshadowed By A Big Disappointment" The two obvious ones are that fateful day against Birmingham, where Theo scored a double, in the absence of Eddy, and, of course, the run, only to be cancelled out by a horrible decision (The Penalty).
Finally, if you are reading this, I ask you this: Who would you most want to see brought to the team in the summer. We have a budget of about $80,000,000 so let you imaginations roam, and buy away in the comments!
Till next time Gunners!

Frustration Build Up.

I do not believe that we can start a season so well, and win nothing. Last night was a total and pure embarrassment. We did nothing right last night, bar two things, score the first goal (credit to Diaby, it was a cracker) and manage to get the ball to Theo Walcott ONCE. Words will not, and cannot describe the world wide frustration by Arsenal Fans, and I think the blame can go only one way - The Managers. I know, it is a bit harsh, and Arsene Wenger has lead us to some memorable seasons, and is the longest serving Arsenal Manager, but you would think that a guy who knows English football like the back of his hand should know that you cannot win a trophy with a team of young, under developed kids. RvP, Eduardo, Fabregas, all young, but they have to lead the team. Why on earth did Wenger only sell in the January transfer period. Its not logical, and when you have players injured, shouldn't you find a potential replacement, not rely on an already stretched team. Last night, we snapped, we were too thin. If Arsene does not spend big this transfer season, like the other front runners, then how do we expect to win. If he doesn't spend, I feel that fans will unleash all hell, given the right plan. Heck, we have a good first team, and we have hinted world beating form, but we haven't showed that consistently! World Class teams have players to replace or be subbed on. We have inexperienced school boys. Flamini got injured last night. Honestly, had he not been injured, and been involved in one or two passes, I wouldn't have noticed he was there. Many people say he is a pivotal person in our team, but the way he played last night, he can clearly be replaced. Adebayor, what can I say. He showed a hint of class, that's all. Time to perform, or go. End of story. So, OK, you want to get really technical, we have one something, the Amsterdam/Emirates cup. And a few pre-season games. So what? did we use the profits we are making from that cup, and from ticket sales, and from shirt sales and other merchandise on buying quality? No, it went into a bank, for "the future". Well guys, the future is now. We have $80 mil in the bank, probably $85+ when some players leave at the end of the season (Hleb, Gilberto, Lehmann) so why not use it then?
Hell, I'm gutted. I'm off to collect my thoughts, but let out the frustrations guys, leave a comment. I'll be back later, when I have collected my thoughts more. Till then...

(Update 5:15 PM - Wenger Still Deluded, thinks we can win title if we beat Man Utd. Wenger, you aren't fooling anyone. Be quiet, and save your breath to talking to other players about signing.)

Arsenal Set To Win Nothing

Another disappointing season drew to a close tonight, with a controversial penalty awarded, and an unmarked run gave Liverpool a 4-2 victory, with minutes remaining, when Arsenal were set for victory. A great goal by Diaby inside the first 20 minutes had given Arsenal the lead, until Sammy Hyypia scored off a corner, when he lost Senderos, who should have been marking him. It seemed Liverpool were going through after another defensive mistake by Senderos gave Torres the space to convert a wonder strike. With 8 minutes left, and all Arsenal subs used (Flamini came off injured in the first half, Diaby and Eboue were taken off in the 2nd half. Gilberto, Walcott and v.Persie being the respective subs) and Arsenal needed a miracle. It was given to them by none other than the under-rated English wonder kid Theo Walcott, who's 70+M run from Arsenal's Penalty area to Liverpool's, then a pass to Adebayor who scored the easiest goal of his life. Adebayor had been un-impressive all game, missing some easy shots, and straying unnecessarily offside more than once. So, 5 minutes to go, and Toure was yellow carded for bumping over a Liverpool player. If that was a penalty, then we should have had one last week when Hleb was clearly dragged roughly to the ground. 3-2 Liverpool with Gerrard converting. The final goal came from a liverpool clearance, falling into the path of Ryan Babbel (a player who could have been playing in an arsenal shirt tonight, had Arsene been willing to buy him, when Babbel made himself available and interested playing for his childhood favourite) who scored, Almunia in no position to stop it.
I have no idea what went wrong, where to lay the blame. If Toure really had fouled that Liverpool-player-whose-name-I-can't-be-bothered-remembering, then it was selfish, or not well thought out to just cancel out Theo's wonder run. But I do not think that it was Toure's fault. I honestly don't know what to think, but if you have any idea where to lay the blame, drop me a comment. Till next time......

Rosicky out for season, Euros, ect.

But who couldn't see that coming anyway? Something that didn't get picked was the fact that RvP is back in the squad! He overcame his injury to be in tonight's squad. Not much more for me to say, I will put up a much more detailed match report tomorrow. Till then!

Two Strikers Down, 1 Midfielder Permanantly Injured...

And One Defender Missing...
4 Class players gone. Though it is seemingly looking like Rosicky is going to change his name to just Thomas Sicky... He has Officially missed more games with injury than he has played. RvP has had a re-occurrence of his thigh strain, and Sagna was on the receiving end of a tackle that put his ankle out of place. Add to that Eboue is regularly ineffective, and Diaby is suspended, and Cesc is one card away from suspension, it doesn't look all that good... especially when your squad is small, and you still have 4-5 pivotal games still to be played.

Tonight (for me, Today if your in England and co.) is the 2nd game of the Liverpool Trio. Theo looked dangerous in the last game, making several effective runs, so please pass to him more often! A line up could look like this:

Almunia
Toure-Senderos-Gallas-Clichy
Eboue*-Fabregas-Flamini-Hleb
Bentner-Adebayor

*I know.. But this is a likely line up, and Wenger always plays him over Theo, even though Theo is a better player.. I have heard it said that Eboue just grins at Wenger to intimidate him to pick him.

Finally, Fabregas has admitted that he has been urging Flamini to sign. Though, if it is taking this long over a money dispute, he should leave. We don't really want greedy people here do we? That's all it is... More more more, isn't it? I have also heard that he hasn't been treating fans the best either. Not a helpful thing for fan support.
That's it from me,
Till Next Time Gunners!

Chelsea Slip as Arsenal Draw

In a non Chelsea scoring game, Fenerbache managed to breeze past Chelsea. 2-1 was the final score, and Chelsea didn't have a single say in it! After 18 minutes, a defensive error by Devied (Sp?) allowed an own goal to be scored, but he made up for it later as Fenerbache defeated our London Rivals.
I was blessed enough to watch the game live, although it meant me having to get up at some unearthly hour!! But, it was well worth it! 2 goals in a period of 3 minutes were the only goals scored, but the domination of Arsenals play was more than enough confidence for me to believe that Arsenal will go through, even with Liverpool having the away goal. Arsenal opened the scoring in the 23 minute, with a van Persie pass off a corner to Fabregas, then Fabs cross into the area finding........ ADEBAYOR!!!!! I went absolutely ballistic... Three minutes later, and after a Gerrard piece of magic, Liverpool were level. Kuyt sliding the ball home. Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty on the hour mark when Hleb, who was playing magnificent football, was dragged to the floor somewhat roughly. But in a game where no cards were given, it wasn't to be. Theo replaced RvP at half time, and Bentner at around the hour replaced Eboue. All in all, an Arsenal domination. Terrific passing did the job. All we need now is to score once, or play out a scoring draw to go to ET/Penalties. Regardless, it is going to be a nail biter!
Till next time Gunners, when we play the same team, in the same place, but different time!

Best in the world? I don't think so! CL Preview

The amount of times I have heard the label "Best Team In The World" applied to Manchester United is sickening. Honestly, it is a load of bull. Ask people to name the Mancs best player, and pretty much all of the time it will be Cristiano Ronaldo. Ask A bunch of Chavs or Gooners about their respective teams, and the opinion will vary. Does that mean that the Mancs have only one good player? Also, so far this season, The Mancs have been beaten by Man City, COVENTRY, West Ham and Portsmouth (FA Cup), and have drew with us, Reading, Portsmouth (earlier on) and Lyon, just to name a few. So, running on the logic that the Mancs are the best in the world, that makes Man city, West Ham, Coventry and Portsmouth world beaters and Arsenal, Reading and Lyon equally as good as them. Of course, if we go back a season, Arsenal are also world beaters. And, correct me if I am wrong, but didn't LIVERPOOL make it to the CL final last year, not the Mancs. So next time you hear that said, remember this!
So, looking at the CL fixtures, I did a review of the Arsenal-Liverpool game yesterday. The games being played tonight are Roma-Mancs, and Schalke-Barca. Barca should beat their German adversaries, but can Roma withstand Man Utd Again? I think they can. They have certainly inproved at any rate. Chelsea should be too strong for Fenerbache (spelling?).
Well, thats pretty much it. The final thing is that RvP has come out and said that the game on the weekend was the best he had played in, and has called it a miracle.
Till next time Gunners!