Arsenal Mantap

I would like to see Wojciech starts again; Arsenal draw Barca; Transfer rumours

2010-12-18T17:58:00.001+07:00

Hello there, I assume you all have heard about the chance to test Barca. What a shocking draw, eh? But I know we have the chance. However, I have to admit that it won't be easy.

People talk about Inter being able to break Barca heart. However, I think the first leg Inter got lucky with Barca being tired after travelling to Italy by bus. Well, you know the rest of the story. Inter parked the bus and defend desperately for the lead, which was despised by all Barcelona fans as well as Mourinho's haters. And the fact that we can't defend has confirmed me that "Inter-way" is not possible. Well, it's not like we haven't tried it before. We did indeed try to defend Bendtner quick goal at Camp Nou last season. And the result we got was the rage of the "God" in the form of Lionel Messi.

Well, I have prepared for this draw since we failed to finish first. I don't afraid were we fail to progress. But I will be gutted if Defoe's word proved to be true. I guess we laugh at him when he said Spurs will go further than us. Thus, I hope we will beat Barca in this draw solely for this reason, never mind the trophy.

On other news, Nordtveit is likely to be sold after extension deal talk failed to materialize. It is reported he will be sold to a German side, Monchengladbach.

It is also reported that Lech Poznan 22-year-old forward, Artjoms Rudnevs
attracted us. However, I don't think it will happen since we will try offloading forward instead. It was Bendtner who was rumoured to be loan to Everton. Or Vela who is desperate to break through into the senior team.

Moving on to our next match. We will be facing Stoke at Emirates. Not much to talk about. Statistically, we will win comfortably. And I hope the fans won't going to far were they decide to abuse Mr. Leg breaker.

Lastly, it is interesting to see Wojciech start again. I do hope we will see another good game from him. He is going to be our future in my opinion. Arsene even compared him with Peter Schmeichel. He said that the young Polish has comparable presence and personality. Interesting, eh?

Til then, Arsenal Mantap.

Arsenal failed to maintain the first spot

2010-12-14T06:23:00.001+07:00

Arsenal lost the chance to widen the gap. Instead, we lost the top of the table. I think we played well, but lack of the finishing touch which sees us goaless.

We started the first half unconvincingly having ManU possessed more of the ball. However, either sides didn't create much. Some good attempts were done by ManU, but the chances were straight into Szczney. The young Polish did well to replace his senior, Fabianski.

It was until the 40th minute, the score changed. I would call the goal a fluke by Park, but the effort by Nani created it. It was ourselves to blame for the goal, especially Clichy who let Nani cutting in. Don't get me wrong, I think Clichy played well but a few of his decisions seemed costy. The same goes to Wojciech, the deflection, I mean the header was 'luckily' placed near the far post. Wojciech ,who has come forward to cut the cross, had no chance to reach it.

We started the second half better. We dominated the possession although the opposition seemed more dangerous. That was when Szczney stepped up. He blocked Anderson's 1-on-1 chance and Rooney's lob to keep us in the game. He proved himself worthy of our future no.1. Which also means that Almunia has to find a new club.

Well, we started stepping up too late. The lead made ManU easier. They simply defended the lead and tried to hit back on the break. The defense did well to deny their attempts.

It was no long until seeing them parking the bus. The strategy is always effective to stop our game. We were frustated. We couldn't create much. We lost option. Sagna and Clichy were not good enough at crossing. We also lacked outside-box-shooter. The best chance came when Nasri's attempt from outside the box. It was blocked, but the ball was still wild. However, Chamakh was not quick enough to react for it. It made me long for a proper striker.

Later on, Arsene added Cesc and Van Persie into the game, but nothing changed. Cesc even misplaced passes. There was an interesting moment, which you all have been expected. It was the annual Old Trafford penalty. It was due to an 'unintentional' handball from Clichy. In my opinion, Nani kicked it to Clichy's hand. Well, what could you expect from Webb? He awarded the yellow for Nasri's protest and nothing for Fletcher's push on him. It was just brilliant. He also did nothing for Rio Ferdinand's kungfu kick on Sagna which tore Sagna's shirt.

I thought the game has ended when the penalty was given. Suprisingly, Rooney roo-in it. He skied it though Szczney has guessed the wrong path. Well, it didn't make any difference since we were unable to score.

The manager looked very frustated. I do hope he realized the need to bring in a pure striker. We really need a prolific goalscorer.

With this result, we have to work harder for the league title. We were falling behind. We need to win next match and hoping that Chelsea will help us a little. Not so convenient, eh? Well, what choice do we have.

Til then, Arsenal Mantap.

Arsenal qualified disappointingly to the next round

2010-12-09T23:18:00.001+07:00

Yeah, you read the title. We won, but it is not a convincing win. I dare to say it is due to Song and Denilson partnership in the middle. I thought the three middle men with that partnership doesn't work well for us. We become vulnerable at the back. Then, it will end with Koscielny-hunting since he was the one who tend to be exposed.

Well, I guess Arsene didn't have any other option. He must rest the likes of Wilshire and Rosicky for top table clash with ManU. With the remaining resources, the manager managed to get us through. Although we failed to fulfill the expectation to qualify as the group leader.

The players didn't perform like they used to. I thought starters like Andrey have been used too much. The manager seemed to notice it and moved to introduce Theo into the game. He made the right decision since Theo gave us the needed lead. And later on, Nasri once again presented us his moment of brilliance in our third goal which kill the game. Samir has proved himself again that he is an important player for us.

Speaking of Nasri, there is a report informing that a 5-years-deal will be offered and accepted by the French. On the other hand, Arshavin is yet to hear anything from the club.

Back to the Champions League. We finished second which sees us facing one of the group leaders in the next round. Since the rule forbid the teams from the same country to face each other, it leaves Real Mardrid, Barca, Bayern or Schalke for us to beat. Pretty tough, eh? It will be Spain or Germany for us.

But now we need to focus on Manchester United. Although our track record doesn't impress me, I still think we will maintain the top spot. ManU will probably face us without Rio and Scholes. Without Scholes, they tend to lack in creativity. It will be a plus for us. In addition, we will probably have Cesc coming back though the skipper said he won't rush and risk his hamstring.

Well, with or without Cesc, I still believe we have adequate squad to win this. How bout you? :)

Til then, Arsenal Mantap.

PS : It is reported that a 2millions offer for Zagreb youngster, Vrsaljko, has been accepted. The transfer has been claimed a done deal with the feature to loan him back until the end of the season.

Updates round-up : Transfers and Thomas V injury update

2010-12-06T16:52:00.001+07:00

I will give short updates on Arsenal.

Thomas Vermaelen is reported to be back in our home match against Chelsea. With Koscielny being injured, I think this is good news. We miss the Verminator badly since the other centre backs haven't performed well. Especially Squillaci who have a problem in facing pacey striker.

On transfer, Ajax has given the green light to Jan Vertonghen to leave the club. It will be good news since Arsenal is reported interested to pair him again with his fellow Belgian mate, Vermaelen. However, January move is unlikely since the defender is reported wanting to win something with Ajax first before leaving the club.

Another rumour is also about Belgian sensation. It was Eden Hazard, the wonderkid who has stolen the attention in the past few years. It is reported that Chelsea has made official approach. The talented youngster has been dubbed as the next big thing. We have to move fast if we want to get him.

From the internal, Vela is reported wanting to leave the club. He hasn't got enough minutes with us this season and seems to drop in the pecking order. Zaragoza is reported as the potential suitor.

Another youngsters were Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey is loaned to Nottingham Forest. He will play there to gain matchfit. If he managed to perform well, the manager will consider the option to bring him back in January. On the other story, JET will be loaned to get top flight experience. The youngster will be following Wilshere's path to be loaned first before making into the senior squad. The loan will occur if Arsenal finds the suitor.

I guess that's it. Sorry, it isn't short afterall. Hehe.

See you on the next piece. Till then, Arsenal Mantap !

We will qualify and go to Old Trafford confidently

2010-12-06T16:29:00.001+07:00

Another important match is on the way for Arsenal. I guess we wouldn't even bothered by the last fixture of our european group phase after seeing our group-mates. However, the recent away defeats from Braga and Shakhtar has raised the importance of this match. We dropped from the top and finish as the group leader is unlikely. I still fancy our chance to qualify, but I have prepared to face the likes of Barca and co were we indeed finish second.

Well, the odd of Arsenal topping the table is relatively small. I predict Shakhtar will get at least a point at their own home, which means we have to ensure the home win over Partizan to qualify. It is not that hard seeing our home form in the european league. We have already scored eleven in only two home games ! I believe we will win this.

This win will also play an important part in determining our morale before visiting Old Trafford. Thus, I hope Arsene doesn't make significant change in the last winning team. Arshavin and Nasri has proved to be very dangerous recently. I think they will play a vital role in this match. I also hope the likes of Theo and Bendtner will up his game if the chance was given.

I found an interesting piece in Ashburton Grove blog. It was suggested there that Arshavin's and Nasri's form have a relation with their expiring contract. Come to think of it, AG got the point. Andrey and Samir were probably do the contract negotiation on the pitch, which I think will see them having a big raise from the current deal. I hope the extension deal will be sorted shortly since they are two of our most important players right now.

This week is going to be an important part in our glory path. If we win these matches, we will be topping the table and qualify to the knock-out phase. A win at OT will be important. For this weekend league match, we will be having Cesc back. I will be a boost to our morale. Were we win the match, we will be more convinient sitting at the top. And I believe we can do this. Even some of the red devils fans don't fancy their chance although playing at home. So, let's crush them and let's get ready to rumble !

Arsenal sure is Mantap !

Arsenal topping the table !!

2010-12-05T10:17:00.001+07:00

Hello there. It has been a little slow on updates in here. Got busy with work. Hope I will still have time to spare on here though. Enough of me, let's talk about Arsenal !

Last evening we have stopped our so called not champion's form at home. Although we did work hard to get the predicted easy win. Well, it was a worthy win since it sees us topping the table due to the former champion draw at their own turf. It makes me think that being play at home doesn't guarantee three points anymore.

It's another terrific display from Samir which takes us to number one. He scored all of the goals in this match. He became one of our best this season. When things grow tough, he is the one to call upon. Last night, he even scored the goals beautifully. Some has even picked the second one as potential goal of the season.

Except Samir, Arshavin also seems to recover his top form. He has been influential in our last two league matches. The same goes to Clichy who seems to up his game on recent matches. And also Djourou who looks very solid yesterday. I thought Arsene's faith on him isn't baseless afterall. Djourou has made himself higher than Koscielny in the eye of some fans.

Unfortunately, there's one player who performed not so good last night. It's Song. As i stated before, he's not meant to be played in offensive play. Well, he did score a few important goals. I thought he tried so hard to become the hero nowadays. It is better for him to mind the defense first in my opinion.

We are on top of the table now. This week has surely changed our team morale. We also secured a place in league cup quarter final which leave Ipswich, West Ham, and Birmingham. With due respect, it is a surprising yet comforting situation. WBA, ManU and Villa which I thought to be favourite to win, has lost to their respective opponent. I think the luck is ours to be converted into glory. We even drew Ipswich which is the only remaining non-top-flight team. The chance is wide open. The tie will be played away first and then at emirates two weeks later. I thought it is the manager to blame were we not taking the cup home.

Now, it's time to focus on the European League. We have to secured the three points to walk through the group phase. Well, we still can qualify with a draw were Braga failed to defeat Shakhtar. However, we can't afford to depend on others' result, right? Plus that we have been put into 'easy' group. Partizan at home is not that hard. We will win this.

Til then, Arsenal Mantap !

Post-match : Arsenal is back ! Arsene got it right

2010-11-28T10:44:00.001+07:00

At last, we can have our joyful weekend back. We came back to London as a winner, leaving November behind. The lads have done well though we still have to wait until the end of the game to be relieved. However, they have shown us that the team was ready not only to play, but also to win the match. I could see the spirit and passion of the players on the pitch.

Arshavin was undoubtly the best performer tonight having collected a goal and an assist for the second goal, which nasri scored with a fantastic shoot. However, I thought Arshavin was too eager to run his show alone. He was spotted a few times trying to do a solo play ignoring others who were in better position. He also faded and looked tired entering the last quarter of the match. Wenger did the right subs by substituting him and nasri with a fresher and more defensive players.

I really thought that Wenger played the right composition tonight. He excluded the unreliable Denilson from the starting line-up. Then, he slotted in Rosicky. It proved to be effective since Rozza created the third goal. In addition, Song got to play more defensively because of Rozza offensive characteristic. As the result, we could keep the ball pretty well.

The manager also played the subs effectively. We became better in controlling the game. We managed to hold the lead and ended killing the game in the last minutes.

Overall, the players did well responding to the last defeats. Except Andrey, Chamakh was the other one who was having a big impact in our win. He also scored one and created an assist for our last goal. However, he was still afraid to take a shoot although managed to get into good position. I really don't understand his reluctance in taking shoots.

I guess that's all from me on tonight match. We have gone through November. December will be tougher with tighter fixtures. I hope we are able to cope well until January.

Oh, I got some youth news. Evina and Afobe have scored for their respective team. I guess they are doing well. Vito also started for Hull. Hope they get back upgraded and worth playing for the senior team.

Ok, that's all. Til then, Arsenal Mantap.

Fresh updates !! Cheer up !!

2010-11-23T19:33:00.001+07:00

After serial of negative articles, I would like to bring up some fresh news from the youths to cheer some of you up. I know I know, some of you have had enough of talks about the youth development introduced by our current manager. But still, it's a refreshing news for me and I would like to share it with others who might be interested.

I will start with our high rated brazilian, Wellington Silva. Having been excluded from his former team, Arsenal decided to pick him up to London in order to train with the senior squad. The young wide man has trained with the senior squad since then. He managed to amaze some of the spectators including the manager himself in the training session. Silva probably has given one of our best senior members, Clichy, the hardest training session the Frech has ever had. I know Clichy hasn't reached his best level for decades, but it is still nice to have a wide player that played well against one of our senior squad. We have been missing a proper wide player badly. I personally hope he can fill the void.

Another update came from Japan. It was reported that we have secured the 17-year-old Japanese, Ryo Miyaichi. This is another wide player signing. However, there is a little hype touting the boy as the new Cristiano Ronaldo. For me, he did move and dribble like the real CR. However, like you all already know, video could be deceiving. Ryo's transfer will go through on this December if the work permit was granted. If it wasn't granted, he will be loaned to Salamanca.

Speaking of Salamanca, we have a loanee who is currently playing for the club. The name is Samuel Galindo. The Bolivian is reported settling well. He managed to break into the first team in a short period. He is even rewarded a new Audy A1 car for the fine form he produced. He quickly becomes the fans favourite during his time there. In the interview, the young midfielder revealed his conversation with Arsene. He said that the manager promised him an important role for him in our future squad. I reckon that the manager will kick someone out in order to make place for him. Denilson, Song and Diaby will be the likely candidates since the Bolivian is known as a box to box midfielder.

Not a bad update, eh? Since we still know the youths are progressing well. It's time for the senior squad to emulate the same form. Braga test is coming ! See you after the matchday.

Till then, Arsenal Mantap.

Arsene was furious, but did he have the right?

2010-11-23T19:31:00.001+07:00

Post-match thoughts : We are our own arsenal

2010-11-21T00:25:00.001+07:00

We were weak mentally, arrogant, stupid, sloppy, sh*t and f*ck I really hate this immature Arsenal. We were really our own arsenal tonight. Stupid stupid performance. We were arrogant and got complacent having lead 2-0 at half time. In this situation, we looked like losing the edge and played soulless.

Forget first half, the player ruined it. It became no worth mentioning. We really became our own arsenal. We lost because of our own players. They became arrogant and got complacent.

For the first Spurs goal, I saw Denilson and Koscielny (i think) not doing much effort to chase Bale. What a shitty organized from our defensive player. For the second, it was Cesc to blame. For the third, it was the referee not giving foul when the scorer used his filthy hands to stop Cesc from jumping. I think the referee did favor Spurs a bit too much tonight.

There were a lot players to blame in my opinion. I will start with Song. I am getting sick of him trying to be an attacking midfilder which he isn't meant to be. He is good at being a defensive midfielder and he should stick with it. I think he should keep in mind that his main task is to defend, especially when he was accompanied by Denilson. I think he has become a bit cocky having scored a few important goals. He often left Denilson to be exposed tonight. And as for Denilson, he isn't good enough to play a defensive midfielder role and Arsene should now better than us !!

Fabianski was no better. I know he couldn't do much for the goal. However, I like to point out his mental condition after Bale's goal. He became shakky and made a few mistakes which we fortunately were not punished by them.

Chamakh made it worse. He can't dribble. All he could do were being in a good spot and holding ball. I was shocked by his fear to shoot the ball. How come a striker doesn't take the chance when given the chance to shoot like he got tonight. Even Bendtner could do better. Yes, he did score a few important goals for us but I think he isn't good enough for us. We need a more perfect striker. Thus, Arsene please spend the money !!

Move on to Cesc. I guess his heart and soul have left us since the start of the season. As hard as I tried to find, I still couldn't find his passion on his facial expression. His head was there, that's how he chose to block the free kick with his hand. What a stupid decision for a captain. As I said, his head was there to make the passes but that was it. That's not the Cesc we know anymore.

And the last culprit was Wenger. He was frustated. He threw the bottle. However, it was his fault not noticing our holes. Song and Clichy going forward were the holes waiting to be exposed. Yet Arsene didn't make any changes.

I found an interesting article on Arsenalaction. He brought up Arsene' stubborness of using 4-5-1 which pushing our full backs to go forward. He proposed that a change to 4-4-2 would be a better change. I thought he made his point and I agree with him. Wenger has been inferior in term of tactical change compared with other top managers. Well, I am no expert so I will leave it for Wenger. As long as we win something, I wouldn't complain.

Btw, Chelsea has just lost. It made our defeat worse. It will be the second time we failed to take advantge of their lost. On the other hand, ManU made advantage over the two of us. I am gutted. We should recover fast, especially Cesc. He was underperformed for a while now. C'mon Cesc !! Show us that you're Gunner like you said..

Bobby and other legend; also other transfer news

2010-11-17T15:43:00.001+07:00

I will keep it short since updating via phone is tiring. Hehe

I will start with Bothroyd. He regetted leaving us. The same feeling came from our manger. He thought that it was a mistake selling him due to indisciplinary. I don't think so. Anyway, it's good for him earning international call-up. Good luck !

Next is our still active legend Bobby Pires. In his 37, he was reported set to join Villa. That means he is still considered capable of playing for top sides. That's our legend for you!

The other legend is Overmars. Another legend who felt Arsenal is still his home. That's nice to hear. Hope the current squad can feel the same.

On transfer, Afellay is almost going to Barca. The clubs have come to an agreement. It has come down to Afellay-Barca agreement in order to go through.

Next news came from City. Johnson tried to force himself out since Mancini didn't favor him on recent matches. He could be useful for us, but I don't think there's a place for him in our current squad.

On defensive department, we were being linked with Mexes again. Roma is my Italian team, so I will give some thought on this. From what I saw, Mexes hasn't performed well since came back from injury last season. Burdisso has also pushed him to the bench last season. He played recently. I guess Juan is currently injured. I did still rate him. It is his exploding emotional behaviour which becomes my concern. If we decide to go for him, it would be cheap since his contract ends next year.

That's it for now.

Til then, Arsenal Mantap.

Arsene's new approach in tough game proved to be good

2010-11-17T15:06:00.001+07:00

Hello there. It's been a while since my last. I am busy with my job training right now since I got the job. However, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about Arsenal !

Last weekend was really our week, eh? After failures on taking advantage from other's slips, we finally secured the 3 points while others lost points. Such a relief, eh? We won in a tough encounter and saw us 2 points off the top. What made it sweeter was the fact that Chelsea could also lost at home let alone three goals conceded. I guess the confidence of our team and manager on the champion dropping points soon proved to be right.

A little late and brief review on the match yet I would like to share it with you. A lot of positivities to be taken from last match. Starting from Wenger's approach in this match. The manager changed into a little more defensive style when we were two goals up. We didn't go all forward regardless the score anymore. Instead, we defended the lead and tried to hit back through counter. As the result, we won although we didn't score and conceded one.

As for players, Fabianski once again became our hero. He made several important saves. I think he has changed some of his haters' view on him. Song also defended like a monster. He even took on the ball with his face. I guess Arsene's change has shown us the Song we have been missing. Arshavin also did lot of backtrackings to help the defense. Even clichy did ok. It was such a joy seeing the team defending quite well.

Two goals, which were initiated by beautiful teamplay, have said enough for our attackers. They attacked and defensed very well. Chamakh was strong at keeping the ball on feet. Nasri ran endlessly. The rotation of our three up front players has confused Everton marking. That was brilliant.

Overall, we really played well and deserved the win. The admission also came from the defeated side. Everton skipper, Phil Neville, said we couldn't be bullied and roughed up anymore nowadays. He also added that we are genuine title contender for the title. Like we were not! :)

There was a funny fact from Andrey. He said that a Pool fan asked him to beat their hated rival. I guess the fan was pleased when the russian made the assist for our first goal.

I will leave you with a little update on the internationals. Wenger permitted the Dutch to use Van Persie in order to get match-fit. Also there was Ashley who swore not to give up his place for our young left back, Gibbs. Then, Wilshere didn't get the call up due to injury. I hope it is a minor one. Get well soon, Jack !

Til then, Arsenal Mantap.

Youngsters linked and Benik Afobe extending loan request

2010-11-13T04:30:00.000+07:00

I will keep it brief since I am going to shut myself down. :)

We were linked with Enei Jelenic. A 17-year-old forward who currently play for his homeland club, Luka Koper. The Slovenian will cost around 600.000 euros. There isn't any confirmation for our interest. However, this news interests me since the youngster has been likened to Fernando Torres. I guess we don't mind having the next Torres at our club, no ?

Other youngster who was linked with us was Sime Vrsaljko. The 18-year-old Croatian played for Dinamo Zagreb. Unlike the former link, the club vice president, Zdravko Mamic, has confirmed our interest along with other big clubs from Europe. The youngster is likened to Luca Modric.

On Cahill transfer link, Arsene reported not denying the link. The transfer seems more likely after Bolton announced his debt recently. Bolton's president also admitted that the club will sell some of key players to reduce the debt. In addition, Arsenal would probably need to reinforce their defensive department since Thomas Vermaelen prolong his spell due to achilles problem. That will leave Djourou, Koscielny, and Squillaci as remaining first choice defenders. Thus, Arsene is expected to aware and make us of the circumstances to sign Cahill.

Move on to Benik Afobe who was recently loaned to Huddersfield Town. The youngster has netted twice in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie at Rotherham. Seeing a positive contribution to the team, Huddersfield decides to extend the loan deal. The current deal will end on January. Huddersfield are currently said to be feeding Arsenal with the videos and reports of Afobe's progress to smooth the deal.

On another story, Arsenal's legend, Ian Wright, advised his son Shaun Wright-Phillips to leave Manchester City. He was told to look for first team opportunity in other club to maintain his chance of playing for England.

Guess that's for today.

Till then, Arsenal Mantap.

Goalkeeper Updates : Almunia won't be sold

2010-11-13T03:52:00.001+07:00

Almunia is reported to be back in full training next week. Almunia long spell has given Fabianski the chance to prove himself. Looking at Fabianski's recent form, we would expect the Pole to keep the number one spot and place Almunia second in the pecking order. Been asked about the issue, Arsene told the media that no one is guaranteed to start. The manager stated that choice of starting stopper will be based on the performance in training. Regarding Almunia's chance, Wenger told the media that the Spanish must come back and prove his quality in training. Base on that statement, I conclude that Fabianski will be starting again with Almunia warming the bench.

There was also issue floating around claiming that Almunia will be sold next season. I reckon the issue came up in respond on Szczesny recent new deal. Arsene quickly played down the issue by saying Almunia has future with us. The manager also added that no one will be sold by illustrating the condition of a moving train which no one is allowed to get down. Well, I think the sale of Almunia will eventually happen since Wojciech has already demanded more playing time. In addition, Arsene also regarded Wojciech as a very important part of the club future. Arsene also said that the Pole stopper has the quality and challenging Szczesny to show it. Who do you think is better, then? As for me, it is Sczcesny. However, I think Almunia will be the second choice since he has more experience. As long as Wenger doesn't start Almunia ahead of Fabianski, I will be satisfied.

Move on to internationals, Arsene is reported trying to talk to Netherlands regarding Van Persie call-up. I guess having lost the striker often enough from the international matches has made Arsene took the hard way to hold the Dutch striker. Apart from senior call-up, our youngster, Lansbury, has been called-up to play for U-21. I guess his recent fine form has been paid off.

Next, we will move on to Daily Mail. The Daily Mail has claimed us as a dirty team having been at the bottom of the fair play table. I guess it makes sense of being the bottom since we got a fair share of red cards this season. However, claiming us dirty is a bit too far. There are lot of other teams that played dirtier. De Jong , anyone? Or Barton who has displayed his magnificent short-range-quick-draw fist of fury, which might be learnt during his holiday in China. The difference between ours and theirs is we got punished by the foul while they got away with it.

I will leave you with refreshing comments from Eboue. Our joker of the team promised us something special if Arsenal wins trophy this season. Eboue promised that it will be very special for the fans, since he believed it will be something the fans have never seen in life. Interesting, eh?

Till then, Arsenal Mantap.

Arsenal Pre-Match Team Updates : Injury Updates and Bendtner leaving us (?)

2010-11-13T02:57:00.002+07:00

Arsenal next match will be a tricky one. We will be visiting Goodison Park. Looking at their last two matches, they can be considered doing well considering their bad start this season. However, I don't think the results were inspiring enough for them to beat us. They drew on their last two matches against Blackpool (Away) and Bolton (Home). Considering these two results, I think we are still favourite for securing 3 points. Adding the fact that they will be facing us without Fellaini due to injury, it won't be too difficult to take control of the possession. In addition, recollecting our last encounter at their home has boosted my confidence. I still remember our last opening season match which we battered them 6-1 at their home. It was a great opening match for us. However, we shouldn't get complacent as they held us 2-2 at Emirates a few months later. Therefore, we should proceed cautiously since Everton tends to upset top table teams.

Let's move on to a few updates on our current squad for the upcoming match. Arsene said that we didn't suffer any injury from the Wolves match, so it was good news since we will be having our strongest squad available. However, the manager did add that one or two players will be rested. I guees it is understandable since we had a tight fixtures and tough fixtures are coming on the way.

There will be another addition to our current squad. It is Gibbs who was expected to come back into the squad. He has trained with the others. However, his inclusion isn't obvious yet. Wenger said that he will be having a late fitness test check to assess his level. The test itself will be done at the end of the week. Thus, the inclusion is expected to be late announce. Wenger also added that Robin Van Persie and Bendtner are still not match-fit enough, so I think it's a small chance that they will be starting. Thus, don't put them into your fantasy league team yet. Diaby is also out and currently in the process of recovering which Wenger concluded to be going well.

When I was searching for article materials, I found an interesting article which featuring Bendtner's interview with sporten.dk. He announced himself that he is currently not match-fit and accepts of being benched. However, he will not accept it when he is fit enough since he felt that he has done well when he was used as the substitute on previous matches. The striker believes that he is good enough to start for Arsenal and admitted that he has done the bench-warmer part enough in the past. Thus, I draw a conclusion that were him not giving the chance to start, he will soon seek a move. I personally won't stop him because we have bunch of talented strikers coming up. In addition, some even rate Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is already better than him. I guess it is time for Bendtner to prove his worth of getting a starting spot in our current system. If he couldn't get the nod to start, I guess most of us will gladly open the door for him. What do you think?

Till then, Arsenal Mantap

Sczcesny contract talk and Brazilian New Signing

2010-11-11T21:06:00.002+07:00

In the past days, there were speculations circulating around claiming that the Polish has signed a new deal with us. Today, it has been confirmed that the rumour proved to be true. After holding a long talk with the young Polish stopper, we succeed to seal a new deal. It will be a smashing news for us since most of Gooners rate him to become our future number one should he fulfilled his potential.

The 20-year-old stopper has kept impressing the fans and manager when he got the chance to play. After having a succesful loan at Bendtford, the 6ft 4in stopper came back to us as Arsenal third choice keeper behind Almunia and Fabianski. There was fear on him not signing the extension deal due to his lack of minutes played. However, the wait is over now having him extended the deal for another 5 years. I guess the issue of more playing time demand has been handled and agreed by both sides. I think we will see him more now in the Carling Cup campaign. Regardless, congratulation , Wojciech !

Another good news came is the arriving of the highly rated Brazilian, Wellington Silva. It is reported that the 17-year-old Brazilian has arrived from Fluminese and has been training at London. The young midfielder has been left out from the Fluminese squad since the transfer was announced. Arsenal was quick in responding on the situation by getting the kid came to London to train with us. However, he can't be included into the senior squad yet. The club has to wait until the 6th of January for the transfer to officially go through. Afer that, he will be eligible to play for us. A 'special talent' work visa has also been granted for him. Currently he is training with the reserves and probably will be included in reserve games if Steve Bould sees him fit. The brazilian himself has played for us a few times already in the reserve games and performed very well. Hopefully, he will keep it up. Welcome, Silva !!

Injuries Updates : Vermaelen longer spell and Aaron update

2010-11-11T20:29:00.002+07:00

When we are celebrating our news, we were hit by bad news. Thomas Vermaelen come back has been postponed. His come back was set to occur shortly. However, the hope was lost and gone since the pain came back during training. The belgian has to be pulled three times during training. Arsenal medical staffs were clueless of what happened since the scan has shown a good development on Thomas condition. It is reported that Vermaelen will probably be out for the rest of the season due to achilles problems.

Moving on to Aaron, Arsene said in his interview that the welsh recovery is progressing well. The manager also played down the rumour of Aaron being loaned out. He said that the young midfielder will not be set on loan, and hope that Aaron will return to the group shortly. Ramsey will be included in reserve games in order to gain match fitness and ready for the first team. He was targeted to play in the reserves at the end of the month.

Hopefully, their recovery will be going smooth. Get well soon for the both !! We miss you on the pitch.

Till then, Arsenal Mantap

Arsenal Post Match Thoughts : Fabianski has proved himself enough

2010-11-11T19:29:00.003+07:00

Arsenal got another away win this midweek. That's a relief. However, let's start with others results first. Newcastle United was defeated at their on turf, which made me felt a little disappointed at our home defeat. May be it was really not our day having conceded first and hitting the bar twice. Moving on to our current top four rivals, the Manchesters displayed a quite boring match which ended 0-0. The two teams played carefully and seemed to satisfied with a draw, which is a fantastic result for us. Last but not least, our rival wannabe, Spurs, drew with Sunderland at their own home. There's no Bale to bail them out from the draw. Unfortunately,or rather I could say shamefully, there was Rafael who saved them (again) with his hand. It was such a disappointment seeing player like Rafael handled the ball first before scoring. I expected a media outrage, but hey ! Where are you guys?

Getting back to Arsenal, we have stopped our defeats chain last night at Wolves turf. It was not a win we used to achieved with a stylish possession game. On the contrary, we got dominated and tried to hit back on the break ala Ancelloti's Chelsea. I guess Arsene tried to change his approach in tough fixture. Rather than bombing forward all the time, we tried to maintain our fast lead and hit the counter. It was admitted by the manager on the post-match interview saying that the team played more on defending and keeping the result that night. Having Cesc and Wilshere not playing at their best, I guess it was an understandable choice. Cesc has mistimed a few passes and Wilshere was having an anynomous performance.

Although not able to play usual game. there were a lot of positivities in our game last night. Gael and Rosicky have improved their performance. The former one was getting better as playing more although he hasn't reached his past top level. Our heroes of this match were undeniable Fabianski and Chamakh. Chamakh with his brace has seen us cutting the gap with the second spot. It was a freshing moment seeing him back to scoring form after not being sharp lately. Wenger blamed the striker's condition of being sick lately for his decreasing productivity. Last night, he took us leading the game early on the match when the watch has only been counting for 37 seconds. He headed the ball in after receiving a great ball from Song. However, as much as I want to salute Chamakh, it was Fabianski who has stolen all of our attention that night. The Polish stopper, which was critized harshly after the Newcastle match by some Gooners. has proved his worth with several crucial saves which kept us one goal up. He kept us leading all the game before Chamakh came up to kill the game before the game ended. I guess Fabianski has proved himself that he is capable of giving us points like others wish he is. Everton is awaiting to test him next. Prove what you are capable of, Fabs ! Prove us wrong for doubting you.

There's an event which we rarely encountered by us. Having displayed a rather defensive tactic, Cesc caught doing a reckless challenge on Wolves player, Stephen Wardy. It was a reckless tackle which will be awarded a red card. However, Cesc has admitted he was at fault and said it was accidental. He has also apologized to Wardy in the changing room after the break. Wolves manager, Mick McCarthy, has also stated that he has no problem with Cesc anymore after the apology.

Having seen his team won again on an away game, Arsene has a little concern on his current home form. In the interview, he said that he is willing to change the approach in his tactic when playing at home since the opponent tends to sit deeper. The manager used the Newcastle match at home as the example ,in which he decided to use a more direct approach. It proved to be a fail experiment on that match. Will it works in the future? Well, let's just wait for the revolutionary changes by Arsene Wenger.

Till then, Arsenal Mantap.

PS : If you like to know what Andrey thought on our last match, you can read it here

Arsenal Reserve beats Everton 4-1 : staring JET who scored twice

2010-11-09T18:37:00.000+07:00

Arsenal Reserve team has beaten everton 4-1 at London Colney. The young Gunners finished the first half 1-1 having been one goal down first. Entering second half, the team played better and won 4-1. In this match, Arsenal's uprising forward, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, bagged a brace. Judging from his performance lately, it is said that he will be breaking into the first team soon. I bet Carlos Vela is concerned of the development of young Jay since he will be the first to be kicked out if he keep underperforming for us.

Another two goals were scored by Chuks Aneke and Havard Nordtveit. The complete report can be viewed on Young Gun blog or Jeorge's Bird Arsenal Youth. These two blogs have constantly fed us Gooners with latest updates on youth development.It is worth a peep guys.

Till then, Arsenal Mantap

Premacth Update and Thoughts on Arsenal's Wolves Encounter

2010-11-09T18:22:00.000+07:00

Arsenal will be facing the next test to prove their worth as one of the title contenders. Arsenal is considered having a crisis after suffered their second defeat at home. Arsenal latest signing, Sebastien Squillaci told the media that Arsenal is not in crisis yet. However, he did stated that a good team didn't lose three games in a row. With two defeats in the last two games, the Gunners have the right to be concerned on their performance. They have to recover fast after Newcastle defeat at home. Been asked about the reason behind the defeat, the French defender refused to use fatigue as the excuse to be made for being lost at home. He also added that some of the key players have had the rest needed during the exclusion of their involvement in Shakhtar Donetsk encounter. Thus, the excuse of being tired is not acceptable.

On the verge of third consecutive defeat, Arsene called for the team to response soon. The manager challenged the team to prove the doubters with a win in the upcoming mid-week fixture. However, the task won't be easy. Their next opponent, the Wolves, have proved their capability of causing trouble to the top sides, such as Manchester United and Chelsea. Therefore, Arsenal needs their best players to perform on the pitch. However, Arsene claimed that one of his best striker, Robin Van Persie, isn't ready to start yet. In addition, Cesc also has an issue on muscle. The skipper believes that he has to take care of himself, since he is being used quite often, from getting injuries. I think the skipper will not contribute much. I reckon it would be like what he showed in our last match.

I guess we will still beat Wolves although Cesc is currently not at his best. Having seen Wolves displaying an open play against Chelsea and Manchester United, it is expected that they will try to implement the same play. Well, if they indeed maintain the same play when playing us, Theo's pace will be an important factor of determining the outcome of this game. Chamakh is also to be expected of becoming our scorer when things get tough. Hopefully he will add another goal into his account in this match.

On another story, there is rumour flying around claiming that Liverpool goalkeeper, Pepe Reina, told his agent that he is attracted in joining us rather than joining Liverpool's bitter rival, Manchester United. He also talked about his desire to play for a title winning team. Well, not that I think Wenger will move for him but it is worth the attention.

I will leave you with breaking news claiming that Sonia Tatar has spoken up regarding our manager issues. However, I don't want to talk much about it. Let our manager resolves the problem internally like he wishes. As long as it doesn't affect our team performance, why bother, right ?

Till then, Arsenal Mantap

Stop Blaming, Start Backing

2010-11-08T15:04:00.002+07:00

Another defeat at home, eh ? Not a very good week for us. I thought it would become our week having seen Spurs defeat. However, the lads has disappointed us by conceding another defeat at our own turf. I thought we should be unbreakable at the Emirates Stadium. Koscielny would agree with me on this. The following hours felt like feeding salt into an open wound. I spectated Chelsea defeat at Anfield which will be a good result "IF" we managed to win at home. Well, there is no use talking about the "IF" words like others said, isn't it?

I moved on. I have finally accepted the result. It was not that bad. We're still "only" five points behind. I opened my browser trying to read what my fellow Gooners thought of the defeat. As the result, my monitor display has let me down. I didn't understand why most of the pieces were "Fabianski scapegoating"-ish. I understand that our goalkeeping situation isn't the thing we would proud to brag about. In fact, they have costed us six points lost at home which would probably has taken us to the top of the table. However, blaming Fabianski for this defeat is a little harsh. I admit he had a fair share of blame and Arsene did clarify my point on his post-match interview saying that the stopper has taken the wrong decision to catch the ball. However, blaming the entire defeat on him was a little unfair. It was a collective fault that caused us the inability to defend the set-piece. Koscielny gave up his mark on Caroll and also Chamakh stopped tracking Caroll. When you leave a tall target man lurking around for free in the area without applying any pressure, It is likely for you to suffer a goal. Thus, I thin we can't blame Fabianski alone for the goal.

I recommend us to stop blaming the Polish and start backing him. It's not like he has done bad for us. In fact, he managed to keep us leading in our previous wins. Therefore, claiming Fabianski as "a disaster meant to be happened" after a single match display was a bit harsh. Reina has done worse and still be considered as a reliable goalkeeper. So lets us judge him after he got a longer run. I think it is a fair call since he has done well replacing Almunia absence. Moreover, the next test isn't too far from now and yes ! It is a test from Wolves which has given MU and Chelsea a fair share of frustation. I think you better show us your talent soon, Fabs! Cause Sczcesny is ready to drag you down.

Till then, Arsenal Mantap.

Loanee Reports

2010-11-08T02:05:00.001+07:00

Welcome to this weekends Loanees Watch – Young Guns’ analysis, reports and updates on the progress of the young starlets currently plying their trade away from the Emirates Stadium. You can read all the latest reports below.

Kyle Bartley played the full 90 minutes at centre back as Sheffield United lost 2-1 to Ipswich Town. Bartley and United struggled to deal with Town’s long throws, two of which resulted in goals. In a frustrating afternoon, Kyle was booked late on.

Benik Afobe made his first professional start and played the full 90 minutes for Huddersfield Town against Cambridge United. Afobe endured a torrid first half as the hosts looked likely to cause a notable upset, however, after manager Lee Clark changed things in the second half, Afobe impressed. The young striker could have scored the winner late on, but the game finished 0-0 and went to a replay.

Thomas Cruise started and played the full 90 minutes at left back as Carlisle United cruised into the second round of the FA Cup. Cruise, on his debut, turned in s decent shift at left back, but was rarely troubled.

Cedric Evina wrapped up another 90 minutes for Oldham Athletic at left back but he couldn’t prevent his side from a surprise 3-2 defeat to Accrington Stanley.

Gavin Hoyte played the full 90 minutes for Lincoln City as they claimed a 1-0 win over Nuneaton. Hoyte played the full game at right back.

Sanchez Watt missed Leeds United’s 3-2 win over Coventry City due to injury.

Mark Randall missed Rotherham’s 0-0 draw with York City due to a broken cheek bone.

Vito Mannone was an unused substitute for Hull City as they lost 1-0 to Scunthorpe United in the Humberside derby.

Luke Freeman was an unused substitute for Yeovil as they beat Rushden and Diamonds 1-0.

Francis Coquelin played the full 90 minutes for Lorient as they beat Saint Etienne 2-1. Coquelin was fantastic in a holding midfield role but did get involved in the attacking side, assisting for one of Kevin Gameiro’s two goals.

Armand Traore missed Juventus’ 2-1 win over Cesena due to injury

Nacer Barazite played the final 8 minutes of Vitesse Arnhem’s 1-1 draw against AZ Alkmaar. Barazite replaced Julian Jenner late on and his influence tolled as Vitesse grabbed a 90th minute equaliser.

Pedro Botelho played the full 90 minutes at left back for FC Cartagena as they beat Granada 2-1. Botelho turned in another fantastic shift, playing his part for Cartagena’s first goal.

Samuel Galindo replaced Marcos Márquez with 8 minutes left of Salamanca’s 1-0 win over Albacete.

Source : http://younggunsblog.co.uk/2010/11/loanees-coquelin-botelho-continue-to-shine/

Cruise and Afobe got started | Ramsey going on loan ?

2010-11-08T01:58:00.000+07:00

Arsenal defender Thomas Cruise made his debut for Carlisle United, who he joined this week on an initial one-month loan, in their emphatic 6-0 victory over Tipton Town in the FA Cup First Round this afternoon.

Benik Afobe started and played the whole game in Huddersfield’s frustrating draw with Cambridge United.

He was one of several young Gunners to participate in the prestigious competition, with Cedric Evina‘s Oldham side suffering a 3-2 defeat to Accrington Stanley. Evina, who has extended his loan until January 4th, impressed with several forward runs but his side were ultimately unable to complete what would have been an impressive comeback from three goals down.

Gavin Hoyte helped his Lincoln side to keep a clean sheet in their 1-0 win over Nuneaton. Luke Freeman, meanwhile, was an un-used substitute for Yeovil.

In the Championship, Kyle Bartley was booked for dissent late on as Sheffield United suffered a disappointing defeat to Ipswich. Bartley made several important blocks and had a shot saved at the other end, but couldn’t prevent his side from losing. Vito Mannone was again an un-used substitute for Hull, whilst Sanchez Watt is not yet fully fit following his recent injury.

Source : http://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/cruise-makes-debut-in-big-carlisle-win-afobe-earns-start-on-mixed-day-of-fortunes-for-arsenal-loanees-in-fa-cup/

On another story, Arsenal 19-year old Welsh, Aaron Ramsey, is on the verge of fully recovery from his horror injury. A various source stated that Ramsey will be loaned out in order to gain match fitness. Cardiff City and Fulham were reported to be the interested suitor.

Arsenal Post Match Thoughts : Koscielny , You disappoint Me

2010-11-07T23:52:00.003+07:00

Don't get me wrong. He didn't play bad. In fact, he played quite well. However, I will leave it for later. Phew ! What a mess, eh ? I feel like smashing my keyboard like now. I am so frustated. How couldn't we score a single goal? We dominated the game and lose (again). I guess I would rather take a shitty win than this. It's so unbearable.

I guess I will stop ranting and start writing something. Come to think of it, we started the game well. We were threatening the opposition almost all the time. I noted a lot of positivities in the first 15 minutes. Theo dribbled well, Clichy looked better (except he became a little wild when it came to tackling) and Cesc got his share too by hitting the bar. Another brilliant pass from Cesc to Nasri has created a great chance for us to take the lead but Krul still managed to block it. There was one interesting occasion I noticed, which I argued with my younger brother. It was when Chamakh back heel the ball when he was already in a very good position to score. I suspected he couldn't control the ball while my brother persisted that he intended to pass the ball back since he is known of a player who chooses pass over shot. Eventually, I thought it proved me right when on several occasions Chamakh couldn't control the ball right. He couldn't even dribble for a couple yards. Having not good at dwelling on the ball, I guess it's natural when he stated his admiration at Diaby.

Lets get back to the match. We controlled the game well until a disaster came by to knock on the door of Fabianski. Well, I didn't put the blame entirely on Fabianski alone. However, it was his fault which he naively tried to catch the ball when in my opinion punching is a more appropriate action. It was wierd seeing Fabianski unable to punch the ball considering Caroll and Fabianski has the same height. Well, it is harsh to address all the fault one him since the player who were the nearest one to Caroll were Koscielny and Chamakh. That's why I wrote that I was disappointed with him since I assume he was the one tasked to mark the scorer. He gave up marking Koscielny half the way hoping that Fabianski will secure the ball. As the result, we went down 0-1 just before the break.

Entering the second half, we (again) started really well. It was until a shot from Theo which hit the bar again. Since then part of myself told me that may be this is not our day. Then another disaster happened. Nasri was subbed which I suspected was due to injury. I guess there is some curse on Arsenal players who managed to perform well in a string of matches. Having not scored until the last quarter of the match, Arsene got frustated. He subbed in Bendtner and Robin to add more attacking forces (Oh,btw Chamakh performed really bad. May be he lost his lucky charm). Yet the score didn't change. We couldn't score against Krul with his eleven guardians guarding him. What made it worse was Krul wasting time on whatever chances he got and he got away with it. As you all predicted, Mike Dean wouldn't do anything about it. He even awarded Koscielny a red card which I think it was deserved considering he was the last man. I also spotted Sagna arguing with Dean after the match was over. Not sure what was he arguing. I think we need to arrange a luxury birthday party for Dean, which sees him drowning in tear, to waste his hateness towards us. Well that's a story for another day. As for now, we lost fair and square again at our own turf. I guess we are breakable at home afterall. Thus, we need to talk less do more. Right, Kos ?

After writing this much, I think I have calmed down. I guess Liverpool winning did console me a little. Fernando Torres strikes has taken Liverpool back to their changing room with two goals lead. Hopefully they can hold the lead. This will be an interesting match. Thus, I am off to watch the second half.

Till then, Arsenal Mantap.

PS : Liverpool won !! What a relief knowing that Chelsea didn't widen the gap. On the other side, I do feel today result becomes quite hard to take since we miss the chance to close the gap.. I guess this week belong the the Manchesters..

Teaser before Arsenal-Newcastle clash

2010-11-07T04:23:00.001+07:00

Hello Gooner !! I guess you are all having a great time now, aren't you ? As for me, I am really enjoying tonight fixture having seen our rival (?) Spurs lost. It was thanks to Bolton who took Gales and co back to the earth. Thus, please don't overhype especially for you, Spurs supporters, who has already thought of winning the Champions League. It was your defence which has failed you big time. It was funny when I saw your "big" signing Gallas looked so gutted when they conceded the first goal. I guess old habit doesn't change. The following hours sure couldn't be funnier, Spurs fans pleaded us to take Gallas back. I asked to myself "WHY?", didn't your manager say that he has secured another big signing. I think he was not using his brain much, eh?

Speaking of brain, I remembered what our manager said regarding stopping Gale. He indeed pointed out that in order to stop faster player, one should use his brain. Think think think. I guess it was what Owen Coyle did. I suspected him noting Arsene's advice and dictated it into his men mind. Coyle's men intelligently keep Gale from doing much. As the result, Tottenham came to use the right flank rather than the left where Gale used to open his coaching clinic of how to chase a monkey. Having relied more on the right flank, Spurs did almost level the score. Well, it was until Petrov scored the killing goal which left Tottenham fans all crying. I have to give some credit to Spurs players though having not give up when they were three goals down. I admit that the match ended more dramatically than it has to. I guess you really miss your messiah, Rafael, when Modric didn't do much tonight.

Moving on to Manchester, MU did another traditional win againts Wolves. They scored the decisive winner when there was only two minutes left from the final whistle. Another lucky and undeserved win I think, but it is what champions do right ? There was an interesting incident happened on the second half. It was Chicarito, their new favourite, who was turned on by Hanneman soft touch on the hip. I guess he couldn't bear the temptation and fell for it inside the penalty area. What a shame, he got yellow carded in the process. I thought they could end up a great couple. A macho bald man with beard and a pretty boy. Don't you think so ?

Next we will move on to Arsenal, we will be facing Newcastle at the Emirates with Jack coming back after the suspension. Hopefully it is followed by Cesc. However, there is still doubt regarding Andrey, Denilson, and Song. I don't think there will be included on tommorow squad. Even if it happened to be the opposite, I will considered it as a plus. A midfield with Cesc and Jack starting is strong enough in my opinion. There is no need to rush our player when we have adequate cover, right ?

I reckon we will beat the Toon Army at home. Thus, I will put my trust on Koscielny's words. He said that we should be unbreakable at home. The loss from WBA was due to him not being at his best. He admitted that the condition was caused by being used too much. Then I guess securing three points at home is considered a done job since he has been rested this midweek. Isn't it, Kos?

I will leave you with the news of Clichy being offered a new deal. Although the 25 years old full back still has a few years left in his contract, Arsene tried to tie him longer with Arsenal. It may be a shock to some of us since Clichy hasn't been doing well for us since the past seasons. Well, I guess Arsene has his reason on this. Not to mention that he has another business to tend. Sure our manager was busy lately, eh?

Till then, Arsenal Mantap.