Arsenal

Arsene Wenger is smarter than all of you .

2013-08-25T22:27:00.001-07:00

Arsene Wenger is definitely one of the smartest managers around. He has been at Arsenal for 16 years. So he knows better than you. He knows whats happening within the club and he definitely how to handle transfers and whats better for the team more than you. The problem is the media.

Daily Mail, Daily Star, The Sun and all other local dailies . These papers have to sell and all they post are absolutely rubbish rumors. Arsenal bid for Suarez . They dropped Higuain deal and waited for Suarez. That is pretty much about it. Other than that there were no other bids for Jovetic or Rooney or Fellaini (No , he did not "trigger" the release clause) or Falcao or Mata or Benzema. All these are pure rumors by the media and Arsene has rightly said that people have been brain washed by the media.

True Arsenal have more than 100m . But that doesn’t mean he will spend all the money. He will spend wise and he will spend right. We lost the 1^st match to Aston Villa 3-1. The whole world criticized Arsene for not buying. But the thing is we lost against a Villa side which had Benteke . Yesterday we saw City lose 3-2 against newly promoted Cardiff. They didn’t invest in their team this summer ? They did. They invested more than 100m. They got Navas , Negredo , Jovetic . World class players everyone. But still they lost. So splashing the cash is not always the right option. I hope everyone understands that.

After the win against Fenerbache in the UCL qualifiers , a win which almost made sure Arsenal are in the group stages for the 16^th consecutive time , Arsene Wenger said his transfer window is now open and that he will be active from that time to Sep 2^nd. So I trust him and so do the loyal Arsenal supporters. He knows better than all of us and In Arsene I trust . Still .

2012-04-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

One man team ? Lets laugh out loud !

2012-03-27T08:39:00.002-07:00

True that Robin Van Persie has scored a majority of Arsenal's goals this season. People have termed us a One man team. But how true is it? Because the last time I checked we had 17 different scorers this season. Thats more than any other team in England. So how on earth can they call us a one man team ? We have our vice captain , a center back , has 5 goals this season. Thats more than 50m Torres or the 35m Carroll scored. But that's not the point. Our full backs Sagna and Gibbs scored very recently.Other than that we have Gervinho , Walcott , Benayoun , Walcott , Oxlade Chamberlain , Park , Koscielny and of course Thierry Henry who have scored vital goals. Not to forget the delightful through balls and crosses of Alex Song. And what about the midfield maestro , currently the best midfielder in the country , Tomas Rosicky . Do I need more proof to show that we are not a one man team ?

So all the so called pundits , please check your facts and stats before labeling us a one man team !

Thank you !

Like a BOSS !

2012-03-27T08:34:00.003-07:00

A meme that I created , currently doing the rounds in many fan pages in Facebook !

The return of the King !

2012-01-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

So Henry has returned . The dream of every Arsenal fan has come true . Although its just for 2 months its going to be amazing to see him play for Arsenal again . I always wished that Henry would end his career here with us and now I am hoping the love will reach a point where Henry will find it hard to leave us again and come back to us in the summer transfer window . I know its too much to ask for but hey , this is Henry and Arsenal . You never know .

So just to be confirm , he will play the match against Leeds Utd in the FA Cup 3rd round on monday. While I was going through some other blogs I found this one and it was seriously so damn funny . Here it is

The Gunners are getting ready for the game against Leeds in the FA Cup.

RvP is hobbling around with only one shoe on his foot, “Where’s my other boot?” Ramsey points over his shoulder, “Over here, skip!”

RvP looks to find Szczesny polishing his left boot. “Give me that, Wojciech!”

Szczesny is crestfallen, “Come on, captain. We’ll need all the luck we can get. You’re the only striker we have now with Gervinho and Chamakh *cough* gone.”

Walcott yells from the other end of the room, “I heard that!” Oxlade-Chamberlain looks up from his phone, “So?” and gets back to texting Carl Jenkinson.

At that moment, Wenger walks in for his pre-match talk.

“Boys, I have a little bit of a surprise for you. We’ve signed a player on loan for two months. Many of you know him quite well. He’s won a double with this club…”

Djourou interrupts, “Pat Rice?” he asks wide eyed. “Boss, I can still play Right Back. Just give me a chance!”

“No Johan, not Pat Rice. Yes, he is still fantastic quality, but he might drop a little bit physically in the second half.” Ramsey murmurs, “So what else is new?”

Wenger ignores the comment, “Wait a minute! Johan, you are suspended. What are you doing here?”

Djourou shrugs as he stuffs a bag of ice between his legs, “The medical center was out of ice. So…”

Wenger shook his head, “We spent millions on that place and they couldn’t get a refrigerator?”

“No, since today’s a match day, everyone’s here. They shut down the power to the building to save up on the utility bills. No power, no ice.”

Wenger raises an eyebrow, “Anyway, I came to tell you that we’ve signed none other than Thierry Henry!”

Henry walks in to the locker room to the surprise of many in the room. He is accompanied by Vermaelen.

Henry smiles, “Surprise!”

RvP curses silently. Looks like I’ll have to rethink getting past that 226 goals mark.

Walcott gives Wenger an apprehensive look, “Boss, you sure about this? I mean, I can’t give up my number!”

“No Theo, he will wear the number 12. And he is here only for 2 months. He will help us all and guide our team in that period.”

“Phew! That’s cool. So Thierry will help me with my runs and stuff?”

“In your case, Theo, he will teach you how to play football.”

Song puts his hand up, “Boss, why is Vermaelen with him? Shouldn’t he be resting? We have Utd coming up soon.”

“Since we couldn’t afford the insurance cover, the Verminator will be his bodyguard.”

Arshavin walks in putting on his shirt and notices Henry. He put two and two together and asked with genuine concern, “Er, boss? Does this mean you’re selling me in this transfer window?”

“No, Andrei. You are on the Arsenal official calendar, for the month of April. It’s a life sized poster too. Selling you now would bring down sales and thereby reduce our profits.”

“Ok, so those who are in the calendar are staying?”

RvP suddenly realizes why he got December. Squillaci thinks aloud, “Why wasn’t I told about this calendar shoot?”

Arshavin continues, “So are you selling me this summer then?”

“I don’t want to comment on speculation. But it is the club’s philosophy to sell players when they’ve reached the zenith…”

“St.Petersburg?”

Wenger ignores the question, “Ok, boys. We have a tough game today. Leeds is not an easy team to beat. Their defense is solid…”

“Pffft! Right…” Henry rolls his eyes.

“We will start with the same lineup as we did against Fulham, with the exception of Djourou of course. Young Nico will get to play today?”

Yennaris looks up, mouth hanging open. He races to Henry to shake his hand yelling at the same time, “Sir, it is a dream and absolute pleasure to be playing with you today!”

Vermaelen intervenes with a shoulder barge that sends Nico sprawling across the room. He trips over a bench and twists his knee.

“Oh for fu… Vermaelen! Relax. *sigh* Yossi, you’re our make shift RB for today.”

Henry taps Wenger’s shoulder, “Boss, what about me?”

“You’re not completely fit, Thierry. I’ll bring you on after sixty minutes. That will also ensure the crowd stays to watch the entire match.”

“I may not have played much lately, but I can still last the full ninety!”

“Yes, Thierry. I know. But you need to lose a little bit of weight before you can start games.”

“I may look more than thirty, but I’ve still got it!”

Squillaci nudges Henry, “Pssst. Lose the beard! Look around, do you see anyone else here with a beard? The clean shaven look makes you look younger. And fitter!”

“You serious?”

“Hey, I’m still here, aren’t I?”

Henry nods in understanding. Outside, the Emirates crowd is aware that Henry will play today. The announcer can be heard in the locker room as the squad is announced. “Number 12, the one and only King, Thierryyyy Henryyyy!”

Crowd starts chanting, “Henry matalo, matalo!”

“What does that mean?”

Wenger looks at Henry and smiles, “Rise!”

RvP frowns, “Hey, isn’t that from the new Batman movie?”

“Yes, Robin. Nolan saw the ‘Who needs Batman when you have Robin’ banners in the stadium and was very worried about how the movie would fare in London. So we signed a £10M deal to publicize ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. It was good business.”

Pat Rice walks in holding a paper, “Arsene, the loan deal hit a snag. It runs only till the 16^th of February after which he’d have to go back across the pond. It will be tough to convince the New York Red Bulls to extend it to the 26^th so Henry can play the Spuds.”

Henry looks at Wenger with concern, “Boss?”

Wenger gives a cold stare, “When Tottenham is ashes; you have my permission to fly.”

And with that, he turned around to lead the team out to the tunnel where the Leeds team was gathering.

RvP shakes Henry’s hand as they walk out, “It’s good to have you back, Thierry. Just let me know if there’s anything you need.”

“You can count on it!” said Henry, eyeing the captain’s armband on RvP’s left sleeve.

As they lined up in the tunnel, ready to walk out on to the pitch, Szczesny whispered into Henry’s ear. “I hope you polished those boots,” he said as he applied some chap stick to his lips.

From Sportskeeda.com

Anyways , have a nice weekend and wishing Arsenal FC all the very best for the next game !

Cheers .

2011 : The English Premier League

2012-01-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

So how will 2011 be remembered ? The year that saw Manchester Utd winning the title for an unprecedented 19^th time ? Or Manchester City opening their major titles account after a huge gap ? Or Arsenal losing the Carling cup finals against a team that later went on to get relegated ? Its been on amazing ride for a football fan . Every team has had its highs and lows . Some teams went from being high to an all time low. And some teams did the opposite . So lets see the highlights of the top teams now.

Arsenal

Highlights

•The 2-1 victory over Barcelona at the Emirates in February.
•The extraordinary goalscoring form of Robin van Persie.
•Going to Stamford Bridge and winning 5-3 with a newly constructed team.

• Celebrated 125 years for exixtence and opened a statue for Theirry Henry in front of the Emirates.

Lowlights

•Losing to Birmingham City in the final of the Carling Cup.
•An 8-2 humiliation by Manchester United at Old Trafford.
•The departures of both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri during the summer.

Hero : Robin van Persie (Amazing goal scoring form)

Villain : Samir Nasri (Putting money before loyalty and joined Manchester City)

Chelsea

Highlights

• It says much for Chelsea’s frustrating year that the bright spot may have come very recently with the 2-1 victory over Manchester City

• Beating Valencia against all odds and qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions leauge.

Lowlights

• The Champions League exit to Manchester United who comprehensively dismissed Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
• The race row that has surrounded John Terry has been a potentially hugely damaging distraction.

Hero : Daniel Sturridge

Villain : Fernando Torres

Liverpool

Highlights

• Dalglish, back in his oversized Adidas bubble coat, walking along the touchline at Old Trafford for his first game in charge in January put the spark in the starry-eyes of every Liverpool supporter.
• Luis Suarez first goal for the club against Stoke in January also signalled the start of another love affair between The Kop and a star striker.
• Dirk Kuyt’s hat-trick against Manchester United in a comfortable 3-1 Anfield victory in March was the performance of 2011 by anyone in a red shirt.

Lowlights

• A limp European exit to a mediocre Braga side was unexpected given the rapid improvement under Dalglish.
• Having gone above Spurs in the race for qualification this season, a home defeat to Harry Redknapp’s side on the penultimate Premier League weekend was equally anti-climactic.
• This season, the cruciate injury to much improved midfielder Lucas, and continued toils of Andy Carroll, have caused most concern.

Hero : Suarez ( also a villain right now for his 8 match ban )

Villain : Fernando Torres (Yes! He is the Villain again )

Manchester City

Highlights

• Winning the FA cup .

• Qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history

• Thrashing Manchester Utd in their own den 6-1

Lowlights

• Crashing out of the Champions league despite winning the match against Bayern Munich

Hero : Joe Hart

Villain : Carlos Tevez

Manchester Utd

Highlights

• Winning the premier league title for the 19^th time .

• Beating Arsenal 8-2 at home to record the biggest win of the year

Lowlights

• Crashing out of the Champions league after an embarassing defeat at the hands of FC Basel

• Crashing out of the Carling cup , again , after an embarassing defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace

Hero : Chicharito

Villain : None .

Stats :

Manchester United are the current holders of the Barclays Premier League . They wrapped up the title in May. It happens to be their 12^th Premier League title and the 19^th League title over all. They are now the sole leaders in terms of number of titles. Liverpool come 2^nd with 18 and Arsenal 3^rd with 13.

Highest scorer in the Premier league in 2011 is Robin van Persie who has now scored 34 goals equaling Thierry Henry's record. He is now two short of Alan Shearers record of 36 goals in a calender year.

The highest scoring game in 2011 was the 8-2 victory of Manchester Utd over Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Biggest home win in 2011 belongs to Manchester Utd with a goal difference of 6 when they beat Arsenal 8-2 in september.

Biggest away win belongs to Manchester City when they beat Manchester Utd 1-6 at Old Trafford .

Longest winning streak in 2011 belongs to Manchester City who won 7 games on the trot until they faced defeat at the hands of Chelsea earlier this month.

Longest losing streak belongs to Wigan Athletic who lost 8 continuous games in 2011.

Highest Attendance in a single game belong to Manchester Utd . 75,627 people attended the match between the Red Devils and Wolves .

Most goals scored in a match by a losing team: 3 goals . Arsenal were involved in both the games.

• Blackburn Rovers 4–3 Arsenal

• Chelsea 3–5 Arsenal

Fastest goal of 2011: 26 seconds – Robin van Persie

The 20,000^th goal in the Premier League was scored by Albrighton of Aston Villa in the game against Arsenal at Villa Park . The match ended in a 2-1 victory to Arsenal.

Biggest transfer in 2011 was the purchase of Fernando Torres in January by Chelsea for $50m, who has also turned out to be the biggeest flop in 2011.

- Larsen Lamington

The Kings. Past and Present

2011-11-26T04:24:00.001-08:00

The reasons Manchester City cannot buy success !

2011-10-25T07:42:00.001-07:00

So has the best league in the world now come to the level that it can be bought ? Manchester City and Chelsea are prime examples of the statement. Last sunday Manchester City thrashed Manchester United by 6 goals to 1 in Old Trafford . Did Manchester City buy the victory ? Many believe thats the case . If you analyze the starting XI of City during sundays game only two players were playing for them since before 2008. Or to be precise before the reckless spending phase began . And the cost of the Manchester City team that beat their local rivals was nothing short of a whooping $185 m. City are without doubt the strongest team in the league right now. Chelsea , meanwhile , have spent 222 m in the last four years. But will all this spending help them in the longer run ? Lets find out.

For success in the long term prospect , a club needs to forge a really strong team . All the clubs which are backed by rich Sheikhs or oil oligarchs look to build a team full of superstars . Now the problem is that building a team full of global superstars come at a price . What happens to the players of the youth academy ? Few clubs have a good youth set up and Manchester city is without doubt one of them. The players they have produced in the last few years are Micah Richards , Stephen Ireland and Daniel Sturridge and Dedryck Boyata. While Richards has established himself and Sturridge left for more green pastures , Ireland and Boyata have struggled to make a name in the first team . The same thing happened at Chelsea . After some initial success they decided to put in more money and buy the best available. What happens when they keep on buying new players is that their youth set up becomes a mockery. None of those players are going to get a chance to shine on the top level . And with the rule of home grown players being a must in the squad , they finally decided to spend on the academy . While no notable names have come out of the academy so far , Chelsea need to step up their youth set up.

Secondly , these rich owners have limited knowledge of football and that came to light after Roman Abramovic fired Carlos Ancelotti who led Chelsea to a strong 2^nd after a very disappointing mid season. The rich man at Etihad stadium also fired Mark Hughes just because few results did not go their way. If a club needs success then first they need a strong management. Firing the manager just because of a few bad results will not work. This only puts more pressure on the manager. If that was the case then the world would not have seen the greatness of Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger. If the club needs to stay on top for a longer run , they need to stick to their manager and instill confidence in him no matter what the results are.

The financial restrictions coming into play from the coming season means clubs must break even on a rolling 3 year period or risk a possible ban from UEFA competitions. Now that would put an end to all the big money transfers from all clubs . So what happens when all mega stars get old and retire ? That will be the time clubs like Manchester City will face the problem . So in my opinion big clubs who just spend big and with the thought that money can buy success will not succeed in a long term . All across Europe , the top sides have/had a set of players associated with them . Xavi , Iniesta , Puyol and Messi at Barcelona , Zidane , Figo , Raul , Casilas at Real Madrid , Giggs , Scholes , Neville and Beckham at Manchester United , Henry , Pires , Vieira , Tony Adams at Arsenal , Del Piero at Juventus and the list goes on. But when is comes to Manchester City , no name will spring to the mind. Simply because they just keep shuffling around. They buy the best thats available to them. Thats the key ingridient they are missing. He needn't necessarily be a local guy from Manchester. He needs to be a player who embodies their style and be a leader who works harder and be appreciated for that. Now City may be leading the premier league. And who knows ? They might even win it. But will all this reckless spending and the enormous wages their players receive be an answer to their long term success ? In one simple word the answer is NO .

For many years , the noise that was coming from the City fans was that they were the real local football club of Manchester and that United were now a global brand. They said Manchester United has “sold out” by losing its soul. And now ultimately what City combine to create is a soulless and cultureless team playing for a lot of money. For all the years of the fans talk of being the real “local” club , they have now forgotten what they stood for and they look set to become the least authentic football club in the world.

Arsenal Vs Bolton : Team news

2011-10-24T02:19:00.000-07:00

Arsenal yesterday confirmed that Park will definitely start against Bolton on wednesday. Chamakh and Oxlade Chamberlain are also expected to start upfront with Park in a 4-3-3 formation. The midfield will probable consist of Benayoun Frimpong and Diaby , who is fit and will be needing some practice before the Chelsea game on saturday. The defence will need some sorting out as Jenkinson and Gibbs are injured. Djorou will continue at the right back and Santos will be at the left back . The center backs will probably be Squilacci and Miquel .

Starting line up : 4-3-3
Fabianski
Djourou
Miquel
Squilacci
Santos
Diaby
Frimpong
Benayoun
Ox-Chamberlain
Chamakh
Park

Subs:
Rosicky
Ramsey
Myaichi
Gervinho
Coquelin
Watt

Van persie and other major players will probably be rested ahead of the crucial match against Chelsea. A victory against Chelsea on saturday will put the season back on track and we will be surely aiming for more than just a 4th place finish.

COYG !!

Why Wenger is the best man for Arsenal right now ?

2011-10-09T02:04:00.000-07:00

The man who led Arsenal to a 49 game unbeaten run , does not become a poor manager all of a sudden. At this moment of crisis , there is no better man to lead Arsenal than the great Wenger himself . No one knows Arsenal FC better than Wenger , David Dein and of course the Arsenal board. And all of them believe Wenger is the right man for the job . Isn't that proof enough ?

Many have, of late , said that Mourinho or Guardiola should be replacing Wenger . But how would that solve the problem ? Excluding his days at Porto , Mourinho has had to spend 100s of millions to buy success while Pep Guardiola has had the good fortune of taking over a team that had the best players in the world. At this moment Arsenals confidence is lower than their position in the league table. Ever since I started following/supporting the Gunners there has been just one point where I felt so low. And that was in the 2004 lent season. Arsenal were knocked out of the FA cup by Manchester United in the Semi-finals on saturday . Then on Wednesday , Chelsea knocked Arsenal out of the Champions league Quarter finals . And on Friday Arsenal welcomed Liverpool to Highbury . Honestly I expected them to lose and choke . And they were losing . It was 2-1 at half time and Liverpool were on top. But out came the players after the break and like a phoenix they rose from the ashes and beat Liverpool 4-2 and from then on they never turned back . So if Arsenal can come out of a situation like that (Losing out on a treble in the space of one week) , I think Wenger can easily steer his team to safety with the expectation much lesser now .

Wenger built his team around Cesc Fabregas and in the summer he left to his boyhood club , Barca . Arsenal will take time to recover from that transfer . Give Wenger time till christmas and I will chew my hat if Arsenal dont start winning and start move up the table by then . Arsene Wenger has been Arsenals most successful manager. He has achieved what many have only dreamt of. He is the only manager in the premier league to take his team through an entire season unbeaten . Not even SAF could do it . Many believe Wenger is reluctant to spend. That maybe true. But also consider the fact that he has Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Ox Chamberlain in his current squad. They are all young and yet to hit top form but they are already household names . They are supposed to be the future of English football .What that also means is financial stability. He does not have to give out hige wages . Arsenal's profit keeps increasing and the debts keep decreasing. What other club has this scenario ?

Another reason why Wenger is the right man for the job is his reputation to unearth young and unknown talents . Who knew Eduadro da silva or van Persie or Adebayor or even Cesc Fabregas before they all came to Arsenal ?

Arsene Wenger has never known a darker period in all his time at Arsenal, receiving unprecedented questions as to his ability to deliver results for the club. His past successes, however, will stand him in good stead as he battles to prove why he is still the right man to lead Arsenal to title glory once more.

Wenger has built an incredible infrastructure at the club, one which is envied by the majority of Europe, and because of this he has become the club’s greatest custodian during his 15-year spell in North London.
He is not without criticism, but there are a number of reasons why Arsenal should hang on to Wenger—a manager whom many will say is still the right man for the job.

And one final thing - In Arsene We Trust !

Arsene "who?" to Arsene Wenger .

2011-10-01T00:41:00.000-07:00

On this day exactly 15 years ago , the French professor took up the Arsenal job . And when he signed the paperworks at Highbury the question on everyones lips were "Arsene who ?" . But he erased all doubts as the team finished a healthy second and in his first season incharge he completed the double thereby becoming the first overseas manager in the history of the Premier league to complete the double. He brought in unknown youngsters and transformed them into superstars and mega stars. Patrick Veiera , Nicolas Anelka , Thierry Henry , Cesc Fabregas are just to name a few . The late 1990's and the early 2000's witnessed the rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal reach an all time high. Every game was intensely fought and his personal rivalry with Sir Alex Ferguson increased . He created the French revolution at London .At one point the first names on the team sheet were Sylvain Wiltord , Thierry Henry , Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires. All French. They revolutionised the way football was played in the premier league and mesmerised everyone . He brought back total football to England . He went to Old trafford and snatched the title away from Manchester United . He went to White Hart lane and sealed the title there . These two stadiums have given Arsenal the frostiest of welcomes and to go there to win the title just shows the mental strength of Wengers team .

Ever since Wenger took over there has not been a single season where Arsenal did not qualify for the Champions league . This feat is bettered only by Manchester united and Real Madrid .

Arsenal went through an entire season unbeaten . And went on a 49 game unbeaten run . That feat wil never be achieved again because "Invincibility was born and buried in highbury " . That statement has a literal meaning to it as Arsenal completed the switch to the Emirates stadium in 2006 and ever since they have never been able to reproduce the football that they used to . They are still contenders but fall in the final hurdle. Ever since moving to the Emirates , Wenger lost his talismans in Henry , Pires , Adebayor and most recently Fabregas and Nasri .

Wenger has come under a lot of criticism this season for not buying major players to boost his squad . And he was forced to go against his policy and made 5 signings on transfer dead line day . To all those who doubt Wengers policy here is an explanation . He lost the man around whom the team was built and it takes a lot of time to recover from it . And Arsenal are no different. In another 2-3 years time Wengers plan will be executed . He , in my opinion , has created a team for the next ten years that will rule the premier league .

Wilshere(19) , Walcott (22) , Alex Oxlade Chamberlain (18) , Frimpong (19) , Jenkinson (19) , Gibbs (19) , Miquel (18) and Szczesney (21) are all looking like household names already . But look at the age of all these players . This is what Wenger has always stressed and his hardwork is going to pay off starting from this season . This team will win something this season and Wenger will lift the trophy with that smile on his face and then again we will repeat " In Arsene We Trust "

From an ardent fan of Arsenal , Wenger and his philosophies !

Jack buys new car to cheer him up !

2011-09-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Jack Wilshere, who has his leg in plaster due to injury, has bought a new car worth more than 50,000 pounds to relieve his boredom.

The England star has replaced his Range Rover Sport 2.6 HST 4x4 with the Autobiography Edition – and called in legendary car pimper Yianni Charalambous to kit it out.

"Jack has bought the car to cheer himself up because he's fed up with his ankle injury," the Sun quoted a source as saying.

"He's been going mad at home with nothing to do and spent loads of time checking out new cars online ahead of his operation," the source added.

But with his leg in plaster, he won't be able to drive it for six months. But who cares . I would be just satisfied sitting for hours at length just admiring the beauty of the car .

The match is about to begin in another couple of hours. Wonder if Jack will be at the stadium tonight .

Arsenal vs Olympiakos : Team news .

2011-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Diaby , Wilshere and Vermaelan are long term injured players and thus are out of the match . Added to that list are Walcott (Knee ) , Kocielny (Ankle) , Benayoun and Djourou (hamstring) and Gervinho (thigh) are all out . I am thinking that Kocielny and Gervinho are actually fit to play but Wenger is just not going to take the risk of aggravating the injury as they have the big derby weekend . So the final starting 11 should look something like this :

Szczesney
Sagna
Mertesacker
Song
Gibbs
Arteta
Frimpong
Ramsey
Arshavin
Chamakh/Rosicky
Robin van Persie.

Subs :
Fabianski
Santos
Jenkinson
Miquel
Myaichi
Alex Chamberlain
Coquelin

I really want Chamakh to start and Arsenal play a 4-4-2 formation . Its been really long and I think the last time Arsenal played that formation was when Bergkamp and Henry were up front. These two can really support each other and form a formidabble partnership .

All the best Gunners !

Arsenal news round up

2011-09-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

Arsenal.com have reported that Jack Wilshere has successfully undergone an ankle operation and will undergo rehab for 4 months. So that means he is going to be out of action till atleast New year . That is definitely not good news for us . Wishing him a speedy recovery .

All media (esp Daily mail ) are reporting that Van Persie wants to leave Arsenal . As an Arsenal fan for the past decade I can assure you that its not going to happen . I know Arsenal and its players too well to say who will leave and who wont . Van Persie loves this club and I cannot seeing him leave without atleast 2 Premier league trophies and definitely not until Arsenal have a replacement ready .

And also we understand that Walcotts injury is not as serious as feared and could make an early return on Wednesday .

And finally $amir Na$ri has used twitter to congratulate our captain on scoring 100 goals , a feat he could never achieve with how much ever money he has got ! He also wished Jack a speedy recovery . (Oh how I wish Jack could soon wish him the same) .

Thats all for today . Will be back with team news and formation for Wednesdays game tomorrow !

Arsenal news round up .

2011-09-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

Thats it for today . Looking ahead for the CL match and of course the derby on sunday . Keep checking my blog for team news for wednesdays game .

Cheers !

Arsenal fans make #RVP100 to trend in twitter

2011-09-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

In the wake of Robin van Persie's 100th goal for Arsenal , the fans went crazy and started tweeting about him with a hashtag #RVP100 . Now that hash tag is trending worldwide in Twitter . It was an amazing response from the Arsenal fans on congratulating the Dutch master on his 100th goal . I am glad that I too was responsible for #RVP100 to trend.

Heres wishing RVP all the very best for his next 100 goals . Love you captain fantastic !

History repeats itself !

2011-09-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

The master and the apprentice !

Van Persie - 100

2011-09-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

Robin van Persie has scored his 100th goal for Arsenal . Captain fantastic . Van Persie scored 2 goals against Bolton the 2nd being his 100th . Amazing achievement .

Wilshere Out for another 3 months

2011-09-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

Isnt that great ? Just when we thought things were going up our team decides to drop another bombshell. I now have serious doubts about our clubs medical staff. I think we need to start investing more on that department as well. Day by day they are becoming more like our defence against Blackburn. Ok so I read the Jack is out till christmas and is supposed to undergo surgery on monday . Well atleast we thought we had Benayoun for cover until I found out he too is injured and will miss the next week. The injuries have robbed us of atleast two premier league titles in the last 4 seasons. When will we ever have another full strength squad. And when was the last time all our first team players were available without injuries or suspensions ? I think we have to go a long long way back for that. So the question is "If we had our full strength team at our disposal week in and week out would we win the Premier league ? " My answer is Yes we will cruise to the finish.

Anyways , wishing Jack a speedy recovery from his surgery and come back for the CL knock out stages to knock Barca out of the tournament !

Looking ahead for the game today evening ... Cheers ... !

Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers : Team news

2011-09-22T03:53:00.000-07:00

Arsenal are heading into this weeks match against Bolton at an all time low. 3 defeats in the opening 5 fixtures is not something anyone would have predicted. That being said we had to dig out a hard fought victory over lowly Shrewsbury during the Carling cup midweek match.

Before going into the team news we hear that Jack Wilshere could make a shocking early return to competitive football by mid-october itself. That bit of news will sure rejuvenate any Arsenal fan. We need him . Period.

Team news :
Thomas Rosicky ( Knee) , Jack Wilshere , Thomas Vermaelan , Abou Diaby (ankle) , Seb Squilacci (calf) are out injured. No more suspensions as well. So the probable line up for the weekends game will be as follows :

Szczesney
Sagna
Mertesacker
Koscielny
Santos
Song
Arteta
Ramsey
Gervinho
Arshavin
Van Persie

Subs :
Frimpong
Walcott
Benayoun
Chamakh
Gibbs/Park
Djourou
Fabianski

I would actually prefer Park starting rather than Arshavin . Gervinho and Park can be substituted for Walcott and Arshavin later on in the game as they are known to make immediate impacts.

Hopefully Arsenal will begin to turn things around . The process will be slow. But I am sure Wenger knows what he is doing .

In Arsene we trust !

Borussia Dortmund Vs Arsenal : Team news

2011-09-13T00:42:00.000-07:00

Arsenal are still without Wilshere and Vermaelan. They also miss Ramsey and Rosicky through injury .
So the probable line up is as follows

Arsenal : (4-3-3)

Szczesney
Sagna
Koscielny
Mertesacker
Santos
Arteta
Song
Benayoun
Walcott
van Persie
Gervinho

Subs :
Fabianski
Frimpong
Arshavin
Park
Gibbs
Chamakh
Djorou

Looking forward for tonight . Go Arsenal ...

Todays Arsenal news round up.

2011-09-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

Aaron Ramsey is injured and is not in the 18 member squad that is travelling to Germany ahead of the teams first Champions league game against Borussia Dortmund
The 18 member squad can be viewed here.
GK Szczesney believes the club can easily finish in the top four .
Tomas Rosicky will also miss out on the CL opener and a chance to face his former club after his knee injury persists

Tomorrow is the match against Borussia Dortmund . For Indian fans the match is being telecast in Ten action + and the coverage starts at 11 30 IST .
Match can also be streamed live at P2PLive.

Todays Arsenal news round up .

2011-09-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

Per Mertesacker is confident that Arsenal can beat Dortmund on tuesdays Champions league opener .
Captain van Persie is pleased with all the new signings Arsenal made in the last two days of the transfer window
And Jack Wilshere shows off his tattoo on twitter. You can see the image here.

Cheers !

Player ratings : Arsenal vs Swansea

2011-09-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

Szezesney - 8/10 for a clean sheet and a world class save. Made a mistake during one of the corners of Swansea but thank god the opponent struck high and handsome.

Sagna - 8/10 . Another solid performance from the trusty defender . Made the useful runs down the wings and useful tackles as well.

Mertesacker - 9/10 . An impressive debut for the tall German international. Made quite a few brilliant tackles without being booked .

Koscielny - 9/10. Strong performance from the Kozzer . In the absence of Vermaelan he marshalled the defence perfectly.

Gibbs - 8/10. An able replacement for Clichy . Delivered some good balls to the box and made brilliant runs and assisted the midfielders as well. Will be interesting once Santos is match fit .

Walcott - 6/10. Though he may have unknowingly set up the goal that Arshavin scored he had a poor game. Expecting much more from Walcott at this point of his career .

Ramsey - 6/10 . Like Walcott he had another mediocore game. Sometimes he doesnt know when to pass the pass and where to pass the ball .

Arteta - 9/10. Another debutant. Another impressive performance . Made a lot of contact with the ball and made good passes. Blended in with the team with ease . It looked like he had been playing with this team for a long time. Hopping for more better things from him this season.

Frimpong - 8/10. Had a typical Frimpong game. A good strong midfield performance . Songs starting place looks so much in danger with this youngster putting in good performances.

Arshavin - 10/10 . A brilliant game from the little Russian . Scored the winning goal and looked full of confidencce. Looks like our Russian champion is back to form. Can only mean great things for Arsenal FC .

van Persie - 7/10. An off day but nevertheless played his part. He missed two chances and hit the post once. But he is capable of doing much more than that

Overall it was a good performace from Arsenal. Not great , just good. Good enough to get the 3 points they so badly wanted. Things can only get better with Gervinho and Song coming in for the next game. Wilshere and Vermaelan will be out for atleast one month.

Now to look forward to Tuesday night . Dortmund , here we come ...

Picture : Eboue vs Vermaelan

2011-09-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

Taken during a pre-season game some 3 seasons back .Arsenal vs Ajax . It was Eboue who discovered TV5's talent . Maybe he has gone to Galatasaray as a scout .