It's MY Arsenal Opinion

One year too many, Press creating a story

2012-03-10T01:44:00.002-08:00

More deserving than Pires and Bergkamp?

It seems that Tomas Rosicky is about to put pen to paper on a two year contract at Arsenal. I have to say I don't understand why he's being given this deal. Back in the past Arsene had a policy of offering only one year extensions to players of a certain age. As a result the likes of Robert Pires, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown and Dennis Bergkamp were all working from season to season. These were all legends of the Club. Given the quality of those players, especially Pires and Bergkamp, it was a risky and insulting policy from Arsene Wenger and David Dein. It actually led to Robert Pires and Nigel Winterburn (foolishly, in his case) moving on for some career security. Having said that, the counter-argument is that players over 30 are more likely to be unavailable for whatever reason, and it safeguarded the Club against a large wage liability for a player who was more often on the injured list.
The policy changed when we inexplicably signed Mikael Silvestre on a two year deal from Manchester United. This merely served to compound the insult made to those mentioned above. Here was a player way beyond his best being given a contract that he simply was not worthy of. When Silvestre left he was replaced by Sebastien Squillaci, also on a long contract. The less said about how that has gone the better. Now we have the curious case of Little Mozart.
In recent weeks (in fairness I think he's played very well all season when called upon) Rosicky has been in the form of his Arsenal career. Coming in to the side for Aaron Ramsey in the past few games he has shown a real turn of pace, an ability to beat his man, an eye for a pass, and a return to some goalscoring form. All in all it is the form of a man deserving to be kept on by Arsenal. However, is it the form of a 30-something midfielder that is deserving of more than a one year deal? Let's not forget that Rosicky spent over a year being paid wages for being unavailable not too long ago. That being the case I would suggest that a two year contract is a risk for Arsenal. Moreover I would have to question how Rosicky deserves a two year deal when those mentioned above were treated as they were. Cynics might even suggest that the form he has been in is more to do with the fact that it is contract time, than it is to do with a late career renaissance. I suppose we'll see how he reacts once he signs on the dotted line. I have to say that, right now, he is very much the man I would be selecting between now and the end of the season to play behind Robin Van Persie, but I wouldn't be extending his Arsenal career quite so readily.

Judging by the back pages of the newspapers this morning it has been decided that now is the time for the press to start the unsettling process for Robin Van Persie. Of course it has nothing to do with Arsenal threatening the position of their beloved Harry at Tottenham and their "certain" top three finish.
We all know that Van Persie has yet to sign a contract extension at Arsenal and that, if he doesn't do so, he is likely to be gone this Summer in order for Arsenal to get a fee for him. However, the stuff in the papers this morning is as close to a non-story as you can get.
A couple of days ago they tried to trap Roberto Mancini in to saying he would be trying to sign him at Manchester City. Mancini, like most foreign Manager's, is a bit too clever for the average football reporter and failed to rise to their bait. Such things didn't stop the press who then twisted and manipulated his words to fuel their made-up "Van Persie to City" stories yesterday.
Going back to Summer 2001 the English press have stirred up problems for Arsenal's best players. It started with Vieira, then moved on to Henry, then Fabregas, and now Van Persie. They never, ever, pick on the players at other teams. This is designed simply to unsettle the player and to hurt Arsenal Football Club. There have been no offers for Robin Van Persie. Man City, or anybody representing them, have not said anything to indicate they will try to sign him this year (that's not to say they won't do so, but simply to show that there is nothing in this story at the moment). The two Spanish club's are not even briefing their press on a move for Van Persie, so I don't understand why our journalists choose to carry on in this way. It really is very poor form indeed. Cretins the lot of them.

I'll preview the Newcastle game tomorrow evening.

Podolski on his way, Disgraceful policing at Arsenal

2012-03-08T09:14:00.001-08:00

Lukas Podolski - coming to an Arsenal team near you

I am really pleased with the news that Lukas Podolski is on his way to Arsenal. It seems to be a done deal now that the German international will be an Arsenal player next season. If this is a statement of intent from Arsenal then I am all for it. For too long there has been far too much shilly-shallying in the transfer market. Last season we messed about all Summer in trying to keep players who were leaving, before selling Fabregas at a ridiculously low price. As a result we ended up buying at Lidl on the last day of the sales, rather than picking up Harrods best bargains early on. That's why we got Arteta rather than Mata (we should have had Mata wrapped up two months before Chelsea came on the scene).
Podolski is a top class player and he is just the type of man we need to be bringing in. The reports suggest we are getting him for as little as £11m which really is a snip for this kind of quality. There are question marks regarding recent injury troubles, but that kind of price makes this not much of a gamble to be honest. His signing will tick a lot of boxes, not least the one that says he is an improvement on what we have in the squad. It would take a very silly individual to suggest that this man is not better than Chamakh, Park, Gervinho and Walcott.
The cynics will, no doubt, suggest that Podolski is the replacement for Van Persie. I am still in the camp that thinks that RVP will be leaving, but this kind of signing is certainly showing some ambition in the transfer market. If he is the first of a few World names to be joining then it should be a message to Robin that Arsenal are now meaning business once again. I am imagining a team that includes Van Persie, Podolski, Chamberlain, Song and Wilshere, backed up by a squad including Ramsey, Arteta, Gervinho, Coquelin etc. Suddenly it looks a lot better, don't you think? Add Gotze and Yann M'Villa and a quality centre-half, and clear out the dead wood like Bendtner, Denilson, Almunia, Fabianski and Squillaci and you might have the basis of a Championship challenge for next season.
All in all the signing of Podolski excites me. I would like to see the Club get it announced quickly and tell us that there is more like this to come. We need something to show the likes of Van Persie that they can still achieve their ambitions with Arsenal. Fingers are crossed for a good and busy Summer of ins and outs for our Club.

I'm sure many of you reading this will have read Kevin Whitcher's editorial piece at onlinegooner.com yesterday. If you haven't then I would urge you to do so straight away. You can read it here. The fact that Kevin was arrested for passing on a ticket at face value on Tuesday night is an absolute outrage. We've all passed on a ticket or three in order to not be out of pocket on a game we can't attend, and there really should be nothing wrong with that. It seems that, technically, such things constitute a criminal offence in law. In this case the law is, as ever, an ass. The passing on of a seat for a premium should be illegal, not the sort of thing for which Kevin has been arrested.
I walked past Arsenal Station on my way to the ground on Tuesday and the same parasites were there touting tickets. They are there every game, and anyone reading this that goes to games regularly will know to whom I'm referring. These people are parasitic scum, yet the police allow them to conduct their "business" unfettered by the law. It would be so simple for plain-clothed police to mop these idiots up. It would also be very easy for Arsenal to "sting" them and ensure that the memberships being used to procure the tickets are cancelled.
It is likely that Kevin Whitcher will have his season ticket confiscated by Arsenal Football Club, and be banned from attending matches. An acquaintance of mine suffered these very consequences when arrested in the same circumstances outside the away end at Middlesbrough a couple of years ago. Arsenal and the police really need to get their priorities right and deal with the touts, not ordinary people trying to make sure they're not out of pocket on a regular basis. It disgusts me.

Arsenal 3 - 0 AC Milan - pride but still a fall

2012-03-07T08:27:00.001-08:00

Starting to feel more homely

Firstly I'll apologise if this is a bit brief. I'm having to type it on my iPad as my computer will not load up the appropriate pages at blogger.com for me. As a result there is no picture and no option to alter the size of the text today (NOW EDITED, as you can see).
I thought the boys were magnificent last night against Milan. Had Van Persie not missed the easiest chance he's had all season then we would probably have gone through, but to criticise anyone after last night's Herculean efforts would be churlish in the extreme. I said before the game that we were better than AC Milan and we proved it last night. Apart from Robinho they had nothing in their team. Our pace was too much, as predicted. Sadly we paid the price for the disgracefully insipid display in Milan. While feeling great pride that the players did so much to atone last night, it is impossible to not feel frustrated that we had too much to do in the second leg.
The stadium was rocking last night again and the players have been keen to thank the fans for the support we showed last night, in their interviews on the official site and on Twitter. I've always considered the determined "Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal" chant to be synonymous with backs against the wall, all or nothing fixtures. So it was last night with the noise growing with every moment. At half time I was standing there and thinking to myself that, for the first time, I actually felt at home in the new place. The combination of the players showing their pride in the shirt, and the supporters creating such an intimidating atmosphere made for quite the spectacle.
Ultimately, when the heavy legs crept in we didn't have enough on the bench to make the difference. I felt very sorry for Park coming on to play wide left. Chamakh came on and won every header but the system we play negated that tactic a RVP was now dropping deep, rather than running in behind his strike partner. It just wasn't to be, but it was a truly magnificent performance. Taken in isolation a 3-0 win over AC Milan should be considered one of the greatest in our history. In the circumstances that will not be the case. However, if it gives this group of players the belief in themselves to get better until the end of the season then it will be very important indeed. I also hope it showed Arsene Wenger that we need to play with pace at all times, so that means not picking Arteta and Ramsey unless forced in to doing so. When we play with pace, nobody can live with us.
That will do for now, hopefully a better piece tomorrow.

AC Milan (h) preview - do or die for Gunners

2012-03-06T01:31:00.002-08:00

Could be the last time we see it for a while

The baiting of the Tottenham fans in recent days is not sitting well with me. Its great that we've got to within four points of them within a week of looking like we would be thirteen adrift, but we are still behind. There is also no evidence to suggest that this squad of Arsenal players can get the consistent results required to go past Spurs. Having said that, if we get a win on Monday against Newcastle, and Tottenham lose again this weekend, the one point difference would almost certainly see Spurs implode. Chelsea's travails have given us the chance to get a small cushion in fourth, but the demise of Villas-Boas could yet be bad news for us if the players don't achieve the necessary consistency. Arsene claimed yesterday that we have been consistent in our past nineteen games, or so. Sorry, but that is frankly nonsense. The results over Christmas and January do not show a consistent team. Even more so the results in February, where we were good in the Premier League, but awful in the other competitions. I very much enjoyed the aftermath of the win over Tottenham, but you'll excuse me if I don't do my crowing until May when we've made sure of finishing above them. Right now I'd still rather be in their position than ours. If we do finish above them then it will be something to be enjoyed, but let's wait until it happens before we start rubbing their noses in it.
On to tonight and we need a repeat of the second-half against Tottenham, right from the kick-off. The injuries we have in midfield will force Arsene to change things around, I think. Given that we have to get at least four goals to have any chance there is no point in playing with only Van Persie up front. We have to attack with pace, so Gervinho, Chamberlain and Walcott must all start the match. If we concede a goal it doesn't really matter as we are all but out anyway. However, if we can start with a proper tempo, and move with speed, we can cause AC Milan all sorts of problems. I still maintain that they are not a good side. An early goal, or two, with a roaring home crowd behind the boys, and anything suddenly becomes possible. If, by some miracle, we can get them in to extra-time, I can only see one winner. At the back Milan are slow and ponderous, and should be cannon-fodder if we play properly. Of course they are very good going forward, but that is assuming that Robinho and Ibrahimovic are in the mood like they were in the San Siro. I know he scored against us in the first-leg, but Kevin Prince Boateng is the sort of mediocre footballer that sums up the state of Italian football these days.
Milan will surely look to play deep, and stop Arsenal's attackers from getting in behind. This may mean that Theo will have to think a bit more about how he goes about his business this evening. Personally I would play him through the centre, with Van Persie in the Bergkamp position. I see that Arsene is talking about The Ox playing through the middle instead, and I suppose I can see some logic in that with his extra physicality, and the fact that he is a bit of an unknown quantity for Milan to contend with. It's at times like this that the lack of quality striking options in the Arsenal squad really comes back to haunt us. I expect to see a very attacking bench tonight, albeit with very few goals to their names.
With a top four finish still to be fought for I think we Arsenal supporters should prepare ourselves for the chance that we may not see anymore nights like tonight for a long time. The Champions League music will ring out in the stadium tonight for possibly the final time for a few years. If that's the case then I hope the players at least go down fighting tonight. The reason you like European nights is that you get the chance to see the likes of AC Milan coming to your stadium to play something other than a pre-season friendly. Let's hope the boys can make sure we see some more of it next season, even if we don't quite perform the miracle this evening.

Liverpool 1 - 2 Arsenal - battered but three points

2012-03-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

Class in a glass

Twenty-one years ago today Arsenal went to Anfield and won. The game was notable for the fact that Arsenal were battered for most of the match. Our goalkeeper that day was David Seaman and he turned in the most complete goalkeeping performance I have ever seen. Late in the second-half we raced away and Paul Merson beat Liverpool's defence to score a superb and priceless winner. Fast forward to today and it could almost have been the same game (apart from the fact that we were wearing glorious Arsenal yellow all those years back.) Talk about smash and grab, but I am not complaining one bit. It's about time something went our way a bit, and today it did for a change.
As I said yesterday I was relying on Radio Five for my live coverage of the game (I've just finished watching the whole game back on Sky+.) Listening to the game merely served to remind me how much I dislike Alan Green and Robbie Savage. I'll leave aside the fact that our licence fee goes towards the wages of these cretinous idiots but I can't let some of their comments go by. First of all we have the penalty incident where, according to Robbie Savage, "I know it was a dive, but it's a penalty for me." And then, "Mark Halsey hasn't really got a view of it, but he has to give it." You couldn't make up such things. This man is being paid as an "expert" pundit and yet is coming out with such utter garbage. Then we have Alan Green who wanted Szczesny sent off and then decided to recount a conversation he had with Tom Watt at the Spurs game last week. It seems that Watt was defending Per Mertesacker against some tirade from the fat Irish clown by pointing out that the BFG has over 80 caps for Germany. Green, pleased as punch with himself, told him "That doesn't mean he's any good." This phrase was put over the airwaves as if it was a complete matter of fact, that his opinion of Mertesacker was clearly the right one, that successive Germany Manager's obviously have less of a clue as to what Per is capable of. What an absolute mug. Having said that you really must bow down to a man who has such a vast knowledge of the game that he announced Carl Jenkinson was coming on today, rather than Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Given that one is white and the other is black it's quite the error, don't you think?
Having watched the game I have to say that Szczesny was absolutely outstanding today. He was left exposed too much, as usual, and he produced probably his best display yet. The double-save from the penalty was incredible, and his command of his area was first-class throughout. I felt our problems stemmed from the two full-backs failing to close down properly out wide, and allowing Liverpool time to cross the ball. Having said that they got no support whatsoever from Benayoun and Walcott and, given that Enrique and Kelly were often the men on the ball for Liverpool in that area, that's just not good enough. Overall we lacked the urgency off the ball that characterised the second-half against Tottenham last week, and that's why Liverpool were able to boss the game for the most part.
Up front we have Robin Van Persie. What can you say about the man? For me he is now up there with Messi and the fake Ronaldo as the best players in the World. Today he showed how his game has improved as a centre-forward. It was almost as though he thought he'd best prove Dennis Bergkamp right in his comments about him the other day. The way he got the first goal is really what I am talking about. RVP showed strength and a real centre-forward's eye for the opening by holding off Carragher to get across the near post and head the ball in to the net. The second goal showed what he's always had - exceptional ability. The ball came, once again, from that man Alex Song. It was another perfect pass over the top, matched by the run, and the finish was out of this World.
You have to celebrate any time you take three points from Anfield, and that's what we should all be doing tonight. We've taken a massive six points from our last two games. Confidence should now be sky high going in to Tuesday when we simply have to go for broke. Who knows what an early couple of goals could do? We can start thinking about that over the next couple of days, once we've finished basking in the glow of beating the Victims in their own back yard.
I'll write some more on Monday evening.

Arsene's award, Liverpool v Arsenal preview

2012-03-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

Arsene: Not rewarded enough over the years

I suppose the catastrophe in the European Cup and the embarrassment of the FA Cup has caused us Gooners to forget we've had a pretty decent month where the Premier League is concerned. Starting with a draw at Bolton (a game we should have won comfortably) Arsenal have gone through February unbeaten. We smashed Blackburn for seven, before The King got the winner at Sunderland. The month culminated with the narrow (ha!) win over Tottenham. With all that being the case it shouldn't really be a surprise to hear that Arsene Wenger has been named Premier League Manager Of The Month. As supporters our view of things is naturally skewed by results in the other competitions, but credit where it's due, I suppose. The thing I find most surprising is that this is only the twelfth occasion that Arsene has been given the award in his sixteen years at Arsenal. Just think about that for a second. He has won it, on average, less than once per season. This is a man with three Premier League Titles and who has never finished outside the top four in the division. I would suggest that Wenger has been severely hardly done to by the selection panel for this award over the years. I imagine we must have had the odd run of form in that time, wouldn't you? To illustrate the inescapable fact that Arsene has been seriously overlooked throughout the past sixteen years I have just looked up how many times he won it in season 2003-04. Bearing in mind that Arsenal didn't lose a game that season it is astonishing to learn that Arsene won the award only twice - the same number of times as it was given to Claudio Ranieri and Fat Sam Allardyce (Chelsea were runners-up and Bolton finished eighth!) Still think there's no conspiracy against Arsenal? Congratulations to Arsene Wenger for this one, and let's hope the curse of the award does not strike at Anfield tomorrow.

Arsene used his press conference today to once again criticise the idea of international friendlies. Obviously he was most peeved by the fact that two injured players, Van Persie and Vermaelen, were forced to play for their national team in midweek. You can't help but understand his frustration, but I would suggest the players concerned should have made far more of the issue themselves and made it clear they were not prepared to risk their fitness in a game of no consequence. Given that both men were training this morning it looks unlikely that the damage done has been too bad. God knows Arsenal will need both of them to be hitting their straps tomorrow. Alex Song is another man seemingly with a niggle of some sort, and we really do need him to be fit with Coquelin and Frimpong both injured.
The other big team news for Arsenal is the latest return of Abou Diaby. You get the feeling that, with every failed return, the end is nearing for Diaby. If he plays some part tomorrow, and starts against AC Milan, I think you'd get generous odds at the bookies on him being involved against Newcastle the following Monday. Unfortunately that is the way it has been with Abou ever since his leg was shattered by some horrible little scumbag with no football ability up at Sunderland six years ago. According to Wikipedia Dan Smith, the little waste of space who maimed Diaby, is now playing for Blyth Spartans in the Conference North. I hope he's proud that he ruined the career of one of Europe's most promising young footballers at the end of a game in which his side was already 3-0 down (actually, I don't hope that - I hope that he gets what's coming to him and some other Sunday League no-mark shatters his ankle so that he can't walk for months, and never plays football again.) I really think this is the final time for Diaby. If he can not stay fit then I think it will be coming to an end for him at Arsenal, and possibly with football full-stop.
Liverpool have their own problems in the build up to tomorrow. Daniel Agger is definitely out of the game with a rib injury. This should mean that Jamie Carragher comes in for them and I think that is a good thing for Arsenal. Carragher's best years are about six seasons behind him. He wasn't the quickest in the first place, and is positively pedestrian now. Elsewhere Steven Gerrard limped off for England on Wednesday but I would not be surprised to see him fit for tomorrow. I suspect that his "injury" in the week had a certain amount to do with him not being made England Captain (and, frankly, I don't blame him - there was only one candidate for the job, and it wasn't Scott Parker!)
We know that any trip to Anfield is a tough game. If offered it now I would take a point tomorrow. Liverpool have the players to hurt anyone and I think, if they used him properly, Andy Carroll could be a trump card against a team like Arsenal. Suarez, meanwhile, is a class player, whatever his personality shortcomings. Going in to tomorrow we have to come down from the euphoria of beating Spurs, and we have to re-produce the form and effort we showed once we went 2-0 down last week. It just proved, once again, that if this team puts in the required effort, on and off the ball, they have the ability to destroy very good football teams. Liverpool will be having to contend with the hangover of having won a trophy last week, and that is a problem I would dearly love for Arsenal to have! It's another big game.

I'm working all day tomorrow, but I'll have the radio with me. I'll watch the game tomorrow night when I get home and do a review after that.

All present and correct?

2012-03-01T11:13:00.001-08:00

Like old times on Sunday

Have you calmed down yet? Have you lost the moronic smirk from your face? Have you deleted the game from your SkyPlus planner? If the answer to all of the above is "no" then you are very much like me. The fact that the only football this week has been on the international scene has allowed Gooners to bask in their own bit of glory since Sunday afternoon. Watching the game back on TV over and over again you begin to watch the crowd as much as the pitch. The reaction of the Arsenal supporters got more intense with each goal, but I didn't appreciate quite how manic we were until I saw it on the box. When Theo Walcott made it five the noise in the stadium was absolutely deafening, and the euphoria all-encompassing. I remember as a child watching from the East Upper as the North Bank celebrated some goals with such abandon. There was no better sight than a packed North Bank bouncing up and down in celebration. My favourite vision of this (sadly I wasn't at this one - my Dad considered me too young for certain fixtures in those days, which was a symptom of the times and the way violence could erupt I suppose) was after McClair missed his penalty in the FA Cup in 1988 - just look at the North Bank as it sails over the bar by watching this video. The reaction in the stands on Sunday afternoon, as the fifth goal hit the net, was exactly like that. The feeling at times like that is simply indescribable, and anyone whose not been in that situation could never understand it. I suppose it's why we go to football because, one day, we might get to feel that way again. The only feeling in football that is better than that is when you win a trophy. Great stuff.

With a massive game at Anfield on Saturday afternoon it is time, sadly, to move on. The international fixtures don't appear to have done a serious amount of damage to our players. Certainly there has been nothing reported by the Club as yet. Given that Robin Van Persie and Thomas Vermaelen were both reported to have suffered knocks on Sunday it was very disappointing to see them involved for their national sides. We will have to wait for tomorrow, and Arsene's pre-match press conference, for the definitive word but fingers crossed for a clean bill of health. Tomas Rosicky missed the Czech game in Dublin and it would be a blow if he were to miss out after such a great display last weekend.
I watched most of the England game last night and I was not surprised to see Theo Walcott left out. It kind of sums up Stuart Pearce's managerial ability that he would leave out a player on such a high after his second-half performance on Sunday. At least he should be fresh for the game at Anfield.
Before England kicked-off I watched the opening stages of Wales v Costa Rica. I wanted to see a bit of Joel Campbell in action and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Campbell scored a magnificent goal to give his team the win and, by all accounts, was very much the star of the show thereafter. Arsenal signed Campbell last Summer but had to send him to France on loan as he was not granted a work permit. He's been a regular for Levante since he joined them and his goal last night will not have hurt his prospects of gaining employment rights in England if Arsenal decide to re-apply this year. If Campbell's run and finish are anything to go by then Arsene might have unearthed another gem from nowhere. Let's hope so.

I'll be previewing the Liverpool game tomorrow evening. They already have Agger missing from their team, and a doubt over Gerrard. We'll know more about both squads this time tomorrow.

Still grinning inanely - Arsenal 5 (FIVE) - 2 Tottenham

2012-02-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

It's enough to make you twitch uncontrollably

I love being proved wrong by Arsenal. I really thought we were going to lose yesterday, and at 2-0 down it was going to be a case of how many we would lose by. Then, for some reason, the players realised what the game meant, what the shirt meant, and how privileged they are to play for Arsenal Football Club. It truly was a momentous afternoon and beyond anything we could have expected in the circumstances. For anyone who believed that Spurs have gone past Arsenal in a big way (I, for one, had only recently started to think they were a better side than us) it was a day to be shown the error of your ways.

The usual frailties were there to be seen. Their first goal simply showed how bad we can be at this defending lark. I just don't know where the defence was. Having said that, the finish was about as lucky as they come. When Van Persie had a shot deflected the wrong side of the post a little later I felt it wasn't going to be our day again. After they scored we summed up our play for most of the season as we got plenty of the ball but didn't do much with it. When we weren't giving it away we were going sideways across midfield and not threatening their defence. Then came, for me, the turning point of the game. There can be no doubt that Gareth Bale dived (as he had earlier in the game - and so had Walker and Assou-Ekotto). Bale is rapidly becoming a more proficient master of the dark arts of cheating than Rooney and Gerrard. His usual move is to writhe around holding his ankle before getting up and sprinting away once the opponent has been booked. Yesterday his behaviour was as sinister as it gets. You could tell from the reaction of the Arsenal players that it wasn't a penalty. The remonstrating with the referee was not the usual false protestation you see when a penalty is given. Mike Dean knew he had got it wrong, and that is why he didn't show a card to Szczesny - once he'd awarded the penalty then the Pole had to be sent-off. I notice that the press is not full of calls for Bale to be banned for his diving, but then he is British after all. I remember a very similar incident with Robbie Fowler diving over Seaman at Highbury in 1997. As it was, the injustice of the decision sparked the Arsenal players in to life.

Theo Walcott had been absolutely abysmal up to that point but it was his delightful flick, from which Van Persie hit the post, that ultimately led to our first goal. I have to say I thought the header from Bacary Sagna was sensational. We had put a couple of crosses in and stood and watched as their defenders cleared under no pressure. Sagna, on this occasion, decided to attack the ball and in doing so got in front of Bale to score brilliantly. His determined, rather than celebratory, reaction to the goal was a sign that he wanted to right some wrongs. The goal reminded me very much of one that Lee Dixon got up at Newcastle many years ago. It was now game on.

With tails now up Arsenal moved in to unstoppable mode. Suddenly we were closing down everything when they had the ball and moving it with pace when we had it. Mikel Arteta, for the first time in his Arsenal career, started to move the ball forward. Rosicky's movement with, and without, the ball was something Spurs couldn't handle. Benayoun buzzed all over Walker who suddenly looked lost on Tottenham's right, and Kieran Gibbs wasted no time in doubling up on him. Then there was Robin Van Persie. His goal was like a mirror image of Dennis Bergkamp. The control, turn and finish was amazing and it sent those of us in attendance mad. You had the sense that things were getting a bit twitchy on the Tottenham bench. I imagine Harry was quickly on the phone to his dog to get a half-time teamtalk typed up for him.

Shortly after we equalised Kieran Gibbs passed up an opporunity to make it 3-2 by trying to pass instead of shooting after beating a couple of defenders. However, this came after Adebayor got away with a blatant elbow on Thomas Vermaelen. The linesman saw it, and flagged for it. Mike Dean played the advantage for Arsenal, but didn't go back to his assistant to find out why he had flagged. Following our first game of the season the media ensured that Alex Song got banned for a stamp on Joey Barton which was missed by the referee. I want to see Arsenal making sure the media follow up on Adebayor. Why should we always be the ones to suffer from video replays?

The display in the second-half showed just how well Arsenal can play when the players apply themselves properly. In many ways it merely serves to underline the frustration with this group. Spurs simply had no answers to the pace and quality of Arsenal. Tomas Rosicky was rolling back the years and produced probably his best ever display for the Club. He thoroughly deserved his goal, and what a goal it was. The move itself was fantastic, but the finish was outstanding. Little Mozart celebrated with all the enthusiasm of a man who hadn't scored a league goal in two years.

After that it was the Theo show. As regulars will know I am not the biggest fan of Theo Walcott, but I love to give credit where it is due. His pace came to the fore as he made a barn-storming run to get on the end of Van Persie's through-ball. It was ironic that his inability to control the football provided the angle for his delightful finish to make it 4-2. Some of his finishing of late has been poor, but this was Walcott at his very best, the dinked chip was perfection and the crowd went crazy. Theo's reaction, captured brilliantly in slow-motion by Match Of The Day, was one of relief and delight all rolled in to one. The fact that it was about to get even better was quite incredible. Alex Song (more on him below) played yet another of his brilliant passes behind the defence and Theo was in again. This time the touch was first-class, and the finish equally as good as his earlier one. The atmosphere in the ground was as raucous and loud as it has been at any time (the Fabregas goal against Tottenham, Henry versus Manchester United and Leeds, and Arshavin against Barcelona are the only other moments that compare, in the new stadium). When you see Walcott making these kinds of runs in behind, and finishing so well, you have to wonder why he doesn't play like that all the time.

I believe that Robin Van Persie was made man-of-the-match on Sky. That was fairly predictable, but entirely wrong as far as I was concerned. Not only was Rosicky absolutely outstanding but, for me and many others I know, Alex Song was the main man yesterday. There can be few more improved footballers than Song in the Premier League. He has carried Arsenal's midfield for most of this season and yesterday he bestrode the pitch like Patrick Vieira in his prime. The way he was physically dominating Tottenham's players (especially in the second-half), mopping up in front of his defence, and then striding forward with pace, power, and an eye for a pass really was reminiscent of the great PV4. Along with Van Persie, Sagna and Koscielny he is among my very favourite players in this current squad.

I was disappointed with Arsenal's team selection before the game yesterday, but you can't argue that Arsene Wenger wasn't absolutely right yesterday. Again, credit where it's due, Arsene played a blinder with this one. Redknapp, meanwhile, got it seriously wrong. Tottenham still struggle with "Darren Anderton syndrome" by which I mean they are determined to play their best players against Arsenal regardless of fitness. The decision to put Ledley King out there yesterday seriously backfired. King is a first-rate player, but he couldn't even walk for most of the game, never mind run. Good luck with England Harry.

I am still smiling as I write this. It was the sort of result that sets you up for the entire week. The thing that makes it all the sweeter is that their muppet fans really thought they had seen the back of Arsenal. To then get hammered, and make no mistake this was a real thrashing, must make them sick as dogs. They remain obsessed with Arsenal. The game at our place remains their cup final every season (I prefer my cup finals to involve a trophy for the winner). If you want an illustration of their vitriol towards us, and their sheer jealousy of our success, then read the comments after my previous blog post on Saturday evening. You may also like to know that Saturday's post didn't make it in to the top 40 stories on Arsenal's NewsNow feed, but was in the top 10 on Tottenham's feed. How sad they are.

I'm not sure when the next post will be. We have silly internationals to endure this midweek, and I am at work throughout that time. I'll try and write something on Thursday, I think, when we can start to build towards another big game on Saturday. Until then. just keep smiling at them - it really winds them up.

Arshavin leaves, Tottenham (h) preview

2012-02-25T09:10:00.002-08:00

More of this please

It's been a glorious Saturday here in South-East Kent. We've had lovely warm sunshine all day which couldn't be much more of a contrast with the weather of two and three weeks ago. This morning I went out with the wife and children for a walk/bike-ride around the village and thought just how nice our Country is when we have decent weather. Frankly there is nothing better than a lovely day in this part of England.

I was really surprised with the departure of Andrey Arshavin last night. Following Wenger's comments at the press conference he seemed set to be here for the rest of this season. You begin to wonder if things are being done at Arsenal without the say-so of our all-powerful Manager. In January I was very much in favour of the likes of Arshavin being shipped out. Back then, of course, there was the chance to bring in a replacement or two. Letting him go in February just seems absolutely bizarre. We are a team lacking in creativity and goalscorers, yet we have weakened our squad by allowing that type of player to leave. Of course the counter argument is that Arshavin has been anonymous all season so we're not likely to miss him, and there can be little argument with that. However, the one thing Arshavin has consistently proven is that he is a big-game player. That being the case I would have had him in the side tomorrow, playing behind Van Persie.
I have mixed emotions regarding Arshavin. His quality as a footballer can not be questioned. Arshavin is one of the very best football players I've seen in an Arsenal shirt. The first year after he arrived he was consistently brilliant, and he was a the sort of experienced leader we needed on the pitch (he even captained the team in a Premier League match at Portsmouth just a couple of months after his arrival, such was the impact of his influence on the team). The little Russian should have gone on to become an Arsenal legend. We will never be able to understand why that hasn't happened. My belief is that he was simply lazy, and didn't want to put in the hard work necessary to stay fit enough for the Premier League. He started to coast badly, and that's the only reason that a player like Theo Walcott (a whole-hearted trier, but a more than limited footballer) was able to oust him from the team. I nearly choked last night, however, when I heard Charlie Nicholas criticising Arshavin for displaying all the failings that could easily be thrown at himself. There was no hint of irony from Charlie and he really went down in my estimation.
Overall I am just deeply disappointed that it didn't work out for Arsenal and Andrey Arshavin. Whatever may have happened these past eighteen months we can't deny he was a fine footballer and a great character. The way some people reacted to him after the Manchester United game the other week was out of order, but that is the way of many modern Arsenal fans. I will remember the man with some affection as we will always have the four goals at Anfield and, even more joyously, the winning goal against the best team I have ever seen when we beat Barcelona this time last year. Thanks Andrey, all the best.

Tomorrow we have to "welcome" the knuckle-draggers to our place for the North London Derby. I can honestly say we have no chance whatsoever in this game. After all they have the single greatest Manager in the history of the game and Gareth Bale is far and away the best player in the whole World (Lionel Messi? Nowhere). You have to admit that this is the most formidable team we have played in about forty years. Their dominance of the Premier League and European Cup this season is the sort of thing that Arsenal supporters can only dream of. Let's be honest here Gooners, when did we ever have a squad to match this current Tottenham side? I, for one, will feel privileged to get to watch the football version of the Harlem Globetrotters tomorrow.
Frankly, I can't be bothered to write a proper preview of a game against the swamp-dwelling neanderthals today. We know it's going to be very tough to beat them as they are having a decent season, and we're having a poor one. For once we are not the favourites. On current form we should lose but, as I was reminded by a Tottenham supporter the other day, this is the North London Derby, and form is irrelevant. I hope Arsene pulls a master-stroke and gets some of the old boys in the dressing room before the game to tell the players exactly what it means.
Whatever the outcome tomorrow we must remember simply this: We are better than them, because we are ARSENAL. They are inferior to us because they are Scum.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS

Round-up: Prices, Players actually playing, Pearce is a clown

2012-02-24T03:33:00.000-08:00

Same price next season

It's been a very quiet week in the World of Arsenal Football Club. The Club have clearly taken the sensible course of action and decided to keep smalltalk to a minimum after the debacles of the previous few days. Bacary Sagna was wheeled out as the lamb to the slaughter this week for the usual "we must bounce back" interview and it was not exactly well received. As I've said before I'm sick of this rubbish from the players as the performances on the pitch show the words on the internet to be empty sentiments. The quiet week has coincided, for me, with a week at work that hasn't lent itself to writing about Arsenal in any case. The main disappointment I've had since the weekend is the way that Sky have once again interfered with our scheduling to the effect that I will be unable to attend certain games that I could have before the TV changes. Typical.

The main news from the Club this week came yesterday with the announcement that season ticket prices will remain unaltered this year. In the circumstances I am far from surprised. Gazidis claims that this is something of a magnanimous gesture given the "rising cost of player wages..." etc. I couldn't really give a toss about the rising cost of player wages as that is the fault of the Club. If they have got a large number of average players on high wages then that is something they have to deal with. The supporters should not be penalised for the mismanagement of players contracts.
What has surprised me is that the announcement has been made so early. I suspect the Club wanted to avoid last year's speculation of an increase across the board when they announced their Club Level price rises. It seems that the Club Level season ticket holders will be forced to pay 2% more for their renewals, in contrast to the freeze for us regular plebs. I couldn't really care less that they are getting an increase as most of them were rich queue jumpers jumping on the Arsenal bandwagon when they purchased their seats in 2006. Something tells me that there won't be any protest marches with regards to the Club Level seats.
If there is a concern to be had over a price-freeze it is that we will see even less "investment" in the playing squad. This season we paid more than 6% extra and saw no big signings of note. When you pay the highest prices around you deserve to see the Club bringing in some World Class talent, rather than just selling it for a knock-down price to Barcelona - the money we got for Fabregas was an absolute insult. If we're not paying any extra this year then God knows what the Summer transfer business will be like...

I was very pleased to see the players picked to play in the Reserves the other night. I have to say it was a real shock to see such an experienced line-up. It would appear that the "senior" players that were in action performed very well, and displayed a good attitude. Frankly, when you're being paid to play football, I would hope the attitude is always good. I've never understood why players from the "first-team" that sit on the bench for most of the time do not play Reserve football. How can you expect a guy that has sat among the substitutes for two months to suddenly come in and play well on a one-off? Yossi Benayoun is a prime example of this, culminating in his performance at Swansea. In my view the Reserve team should be used properly, just like it used to be, and their games should be played in the stadium, not behind closed doors on the training ground (or at Barnet, for that matter). As well as bringing just a little prestige to the Reserve games, it would be nice for the youngsters involved to experience playing in a massive arena. It would also give some local youngsters the chance to attend the Grove for free and see a few stars in action.

Finally in this brief round-up I want to comment on the fact that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has not been called up to play for England. Stuart Pearce seems to have a long-held vendetta against Arsenal's young players. You will recall how he insisted on forcing Theo Walcott to play in an end of season tournament a few years ago, and Theo suffered the injury consequences of it throughout the next year. Then he decided to drop Jack Wilshere from a crucial qualifier because he believed the boy needed bringing down a peg or two (this was after Pearce's boss had given Jack an England debut a few weeks earlier). Of course the cretinous Pearce was forced to bring Jack on as a sub to rescue his side and get them the win that qualified them for last year's Summer waste of time. Now, it seems, it's the turn of The Ox to get the Pearce treatment.
Fabio Capello had made it quite clear that Chamberlain was likely to be involved in this squad, before he quit the job. When Pearce announced he would be picking an inexperienced group there was no doubt whatsoever that our boy would be in the squad. It sums Pearce up that he would then choose to leave out the player that has shone for his U21 team this season, and has been lighting up the Premier League since the turn of the year. I don't understand what Pearce's problem is with Arsenal, but is clear something irks him. Perhaps it is the fact that his severely limited intellect leaves him unable to communicate with our Manager, or that successive Arsenal wingers made him look a mug numerous times (I'll never forget Glenn Helder's debut when he humiliated Pearce time and again, and left him on his backside in front of the Clock End/West Stand with a glorious piece of skill). Whatever the issue is it is stifling the career of a third Arsenal youngster, and I'd like to see Wenger questioning it publicly in his press conference this morning. If Fraizer Campbell and Tom Cleverly can be picked for England when they've hardly played for their Club you have to wonder what is going on with Oxlade-Chamberlain.
As a further aside on the whole England set-up I can't let one other thing go by. Nico Yennaris has shown his worth to Arsenal on occasion this season (I would have him way ahead of Carl Jenkinson as an understudy to Sagna) yet he has also been overlooked for selection. England's U21 squad contains players from the lower divisions who will never be international footballers as long as they carry a hole in their backsides. So you have to wonder how a player who has been involved in the first-team at Arsenal, and put Nani in his pocket in the Premier League, does not get a look in. It just about sums up U21 football and the FA in general.

I'll preview the North London Derby tomorrow.

Sunderland 2 - 0 Arsenal - Wenger will be gone if we lose to Spurs

2012-02-19T09:57:00.001-08:00

Bound to be a square pass available...

Another season is over before the end of February. I do not count a battle to finish to fourth in the Premier League as being anything to play for, as such. Arsene Wenger may have created a false economy in the eyes of the Arsenal Director's, and for those who still wish to back him, but in the real World finishing in the top four really is no measure of "success."
The performance yesterday was listless and clueless. I saw little heart and even less desire. I thought Alex Song battled manfully as he, once again, played all alone in Arsenal's midfield. It says it all for Arteta and Ramsey that Song was still our most attacking ball player even when he went to play at centre-back. The disgraceful excuse for a pitch (the FA really should be taking action against Premier League Club's who produce such a shocking playing surface - Mertesacker, Squillaci and Ramsey have all suffered injuries as a result of its state) certainly didn't help Arsenal in any way. However, the Manager and the players should have realised they couldn't play their football on that cabbage patch and adapted their style accordingly. They can't say that the state of the pitch surprised them as they had to play on it only seven days earlier.
Arsenal were so outplayed again yesterday that the cheating of Howard Webb (he denied Van Persie two stonewall penalties - yet again) has largely gone unnoticed. This is because, as against Milan in midweek, Arsenal were so abject that the result of the game could not be argued with. I felt sorry for Song, whom I've already mentioned, and Oxlade-Chamberlain for the fact that they were surrounded by a bunch who seemingly went through the motions.
I said above that we didn't attempt to adapt our style of play. I have become increasingly frustrated watching Mikel Arteta. I hear all the stats monkeys telling us how he has more passes this season than anyone else, and how his completion rate for those passes is 157% and all that nonsense, but when you only ever go back or sideways, and never pass the ball more than ten yards it's no real surprise. Arteta slows us down something chronic and never goes forward. It's like watching a combination of Ray Wilkins and David Batty. His "effort" to dispossess Sessegnon in the build up to their second goal was simply embarrassing and lazy. The way he threw himself on the ground, rather than chase his man was a disgrace. Arteta is not alone, however. Sadly Aaron Ramsey is unable to hit the heights. In Ramsey's favour is the fact that he still a youngster, but his lack of pace is a massive issue. I have heard rumours that a new dance has been invented in honour of Arteta and Ramsey where the steps are very simple: Slow, slow. Slow, slow, slow. Then simply move sideways and repeat over and again. I apologise for jesting over something so serious, but if we didn't laugh...
In a more serious point I have to question our substitutions. When Coquelin got injured I expected to see Song move in to the back four with someone else coming on in midfield. As it was I didn't think Sebastien Squillaci did too much wrong, and he certainly was not at fault for deflecting the ball in for Sunderland's opener, but Arsenal gained nothing from that change - it was a wasted substitution. The double substitution in the second-half was just bizarre. Firstly I couldn't work out why, at 1-0 down we bring on a midfield player who hasn't scored in two years (though at least Rosicky tries to play forward) and even less why Chamakh stayed on the bench. I know Chamakh is in woeful form, but his height and the outlet it gives might have got us the odd chance at goal. Walcott was even more anonymous than ever when he came on, and not necessarily through his own fault. It was simply the latest in a long line of inexplicable Wenger decisions, and each one seems to be more costly than the last.
I don't know how many out there still have their blind faith in Arsene Wenger, but his inability to now motivate his players is the most worrying thing of all. George Graham and Terry Neill both "lost" their dressing rooms. Both men were then dismissed from their role as Arsenal Manager. There can be little more room for doubt that Arsenal can not recover without massive change. That means the Manager must be replaced. Next week we play Tottenham at home. As it stands I think our only chance of a result in that game is with someone else in charge of the team. Without this change I can see only another humiliation on the cards. If that happens then not even Wenger could survive - a hammering at home by Spurs and he would surely be gone. The poisonous atmosphere such a result would elicit within the stadium could not be ignored by the Board. I hope it doesn't happen, and part of me still wants Arsene Wenger to be Arsenal Manager, but I fear things have simply gone too far.

Sunderland (a) FA Cup preview, Arteta quote sums up ambition right now

2012-02-18T05:17:00.000-08:00

Gervinho - we need him to come back with a bang

There will be changes in the Arsenal team this evening. The defence should be pretty much self-selecting in the absence of Mertesacker and Koscielny, but just about every other place in the team is up for grabs. It is very likely that Lukasz Fabianski will be in goal and that merely serves to underline that the Manager is under little pressure from above to get a trophy in the cabinet. You could kind of get away with playing your reserve goalkeeper when you had the likes of Adams, Bould, Keown or Campbell marshalling the defence (when Alex Manninger was the reserve we had a World Class stopper coming in anyway, until Wenger destroyed his confidence by consistently picking the ageing David Seaman). I just think it's absurd to play a man you know is not good enough in a position where a "rest" is simply not necessary. If you feel the need for Fabianski to play a match then get him playing in the Reserves, or put him between the sticks for the second leg against AC Milan. To gamble with your only chance of silverware is simply suicidal. I'm watching Chelsea's game while I write this and they have their strongest available side out on the pitch. They are currently losing 1-0 and have just missed a penalty, but Villas-Boas clearly feels the pressure from Abramovich and will not gamble silverware away on a whim.
Elsewhere in the Arsenal team I see talk of Alex Song being left out in favour of Coquelin. I'm all in favour of Coquelin being in the side today, but not at the expense of our best midfielder. The person who needs to be left out is Mikel Arteta. His sideways passing has no place in the game this evening, but Coquelin's exceptional work-rate would be a very welcome addition against a fired-up Sunderland. I would also bring in Benayoun on the left wing, and Chamberlain on the right. I strongly suspect, however, that Gervinho will be back on the left. That being the case we need him to hit the ground running. What he might lack in a final ball/finishing, he certainly provides us with an outlet. I like Gervinho's pace and his willingness to take on a defender. He could be the difference tonight if he gets the nod.
At the front of the midfield three (and in direct contrast to what I've just said about Coquelin) I would play Andrey Arshavin. We've seen Ramsey trying and failing all season, while Rosicky simply can not provide the necessary attacking spark in there. Arshavin's ability is beyond doubt, and he showed what he can do in setting up the winner for Henry last week. I want to see him providing the passes for Van Persie tonight.
I mention Van Persie there, but there is no guarantee he will play. The main man might well be a little jaded after the recent games, but Wenger had the chance to rest him in the second-half against Blackburn and didn't do so. That being the case I will be furious if RVP does not lead the team out at Sunderland. On Wednesday night Park and Chamakh were sitting at home, not deemed worthy of a place on the plane to Italy. If either one of them plays in front of Van Persie at Sunderland then we might as well just give up on winning trophies.

Just before I sign off I want to comment on something I read from Mikel Arteta on the Arsenal website yesterday. The Spaniard was lamenting the way the game went in Milan and had obviously been asked to provide some quotes to fill space at arsenal.com. The last part of what Arteta said summed up, for me, exactly what is wrong at our Club right now. Arteta stated that games like the one in Milan are "the reason you fight for fourth place." So there you have it, dear Gooners. Arsenal's sole ambition is to finish fourth. That is exactly why they will struggle to do so. If you aim for the top, you might fall a little short, but you will certainly finish in the top four. However, if you aim for fourth, and fall short of that, you are finished. Sadly, if the players are being told that fourth place is "important" it is little wonder we are in the predicament we find ourselves. The only place to be at the end of the season is first. The fact that fourth place in the Premier League is considered success at Arsenal these days is a symptom of the malaise the Club is in.

I hope that when I write the match review tomorrow we are in that hat for the quarter-final. I will not be holding my breath, but I live in hope of being pleasantly surprised. Frankly I would take a draw tonight and bring them back to our place in the week.

Time to remember something very important

2012-02-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

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

I haven't posted a review of the Milan debacle as I didn't see the game live. I missed the match as my eldest son was admitted to hospital on Wednesday evening. Thankfully he is home again now and there is nothing serious to be concerned about.
I have since watched the game back and read lots about it. Everyone is having their say, and rightly so. What is apparent is that legends of the Club, from Kenny Sansom to Nigel Winterburn to Emmanuel Petit to Dennis Bergkamp are all saying very similar things. They can not all be wrong. The fact is that the players were a disgrace and an embarrassment to our great Club (again) on Wednesday evening in Italy.
Regular readers will no doubt be expecting a long diatribe from me criticising Arsene Wenger. However, on this occasion I am not going to do that. My ire from watching the game against AC Milan is directly aimed at the players. We can moan about the lack of defensive organisation and tactics etc, but that wasn't the main problem the other night. The fact is that the players did not perform. The men on the pitch let Arsene Wenger down with their complete lack of application. They also let down every last Arsenal supporter. It was shameful. The Club was disgraced and embarrassed by a group of players who didn't deserve the shirt they wore. You can argue that Arsene Wenger's job is to motivate the players, and that may be a fair point, but if you need a Manager to whip you up before a European Cup match against AC Milan in the San Siro then there is something seriously wrong.
The first-half display was among the very worst you will ever see at that level of the game. The fact that their second goal should not have stood doesn't mask the fact that Arsenal should have been four or five behind at half-time. The likes of Arteta (can we please now have an end to this nonsense about how he is the glue in the Arsenal midfield?) Ramsey, Walcott (especially Walcott), Gibbs, Vermaelen and Sagna were beyond bad. Quite how Walcott can think he is worth an increase in wages is outside my comprehension (and Capello's resignation should see the end of his international career too). I hope he is moved on in the Summer months.
It is not often recently that I have felt a little sorry for Arsene Wenger. He is the victim of his own design in terms of the weak points in this team, but certain injuries have not helped (losing Mertesacker before this tie was a bigger blow than many might have imagined), and I do not really blame him too much for what occurred within the game on Wednesday. We were up against an AC Milan team that are really not very good. Italian football is not very good. Arsenal's players made them look top class on Wednesday, and that is pretty galling. Make no mistake, we are not a particularly good side ourselves, but the only teams to be feared in this European Cup are Real Madrid and Barcelona. Arsenal had a chance to go far this season, with the right draw, and they blew it. The fabled "mental strength" has once again showed itself to a be a soundbite that means nothing. The players once again failed to repay the faith shown in them by their Manager.
Over the last couple of days one or two of the players have been talking on the official website and giving their usual empty promises of improvement etc. I've had enough of all that nonsense. I'm sick of hearing it. Thomas Vermaelen says that the players "owe" the supporters after the game in Italy. I beg to differ. The players owe the supporters every time they get chosen to be in the privileged position of pulling on a jersey bearing the Arsenal crest. We live and breathe our football team. Those lucky enough to kick the ball in our name are merely the latest to be entrusted with our heritage. It's time they realised what it means to play for Arsenal, and that only proper commitment will do. The phrase I've written underneath the Arsenal cannon at the top of this post is the one that Bertie Mee used to implore his players to remember. George Graham did the same. Personally I'd have it pinned up at the door to the changing room. We are ARSENAL, and the time has come for the players to realise it.

I'll preview the Sunderland FA Cup tie in the morning.

AC Milan v Arsenal preview, New home kit is awful

2012-02-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

Oh for fu...

So it's back to European Cup action tonight and the sort of game that European competition is really all about. When I was growing up AC Milan were the best team in the World. They had Maldini, Baresi (the dirtiest, most cynical player, I've ever seen), Rijkaard, Gullit and, the best of all, Marco Van Basten. Even in 1995 when I first got to see them in the flesh at Highbury they were still number one. Arsenal gave them a decent going over in the first-leg that night but couldn't score. In the second-leg we were outplayed, but had a perfectly good goal by John Hartson disallowed at 1-0 down. An equaliser would have landed the Super Cup, just a week or two before George Graham got sacked.
The current vintage of AC Milan gives little for Arsenal to be frightened of, or intimidated by. Any team with Kevin Prince Boateng as first-choice is lacking something. The fact that Milan are top of the Italian league perhaps says more about the state of Italian football than it does for the quality of their team. Having said that they did get a draw in the Nou Camp in this season's first group matches. While there is certainly nothing to fear, there is plenty to make Arsenal realise they are in for a tough game. Milan are a well organised team and will be tough to break down. They have Ibrahimovic (who only plays when he feels like it) and Pato (who seems to have not yet fulfilled expectations for his quality) up front. They have enough to hurt us, but only if we allow them to do so.
The Arsenal team is also lacking in certain areas, obviously. That is clearly why we are scrapping for fourth instead of first in the Premier League. However, with the attacking players we have at our disposal we have more than enough to put the Italians under pressure. The pace of Walcott and Chamberlain will scare the hosts and make them wary of coming forward too much. Anyone who saw the way Bale and Lennon got at them late on during Spurs' visit to the San Siro last year must appreciate Arsenal's greatest weapon tonight is speed. Personally I see a case for leaving out Robin Van Persie tonight and playing Thierry Henry instead. The lower pace of the match will given Henry time on the ball, and allow him to bring his wingers and Rosicky/Ramsey (whichever gets the nod) in to the game high up the pitch. There is also the small matter of trying to keep RVP as fresh as possible during a very busy period of big games. We have one more match to make use of Henry, so let's see him play from the start.
The need for Arsenal to score in Italy is paramount. If we can't win the game (which is a very tough ask) I would take any score draw. A defeat by the odd goal, provided we score, would not be a catastrophe, but I don't like the idea of going in to the home game facing a deficit. The away goal is all important, and a late 1-0 win would do me just fine, thanks very much. It's a big night for two giants of the European game.

Pictured above are three new Nike shirts for next season (with thanks to some bloke I don't know on Twitter). The one on the left is Arsenal's new home shirt. I can only say that it is horrible. What is with the dark neck and the blue hoop on the sleeve? Then there are the black socks. What exactly is going on here? It really is time for Nike to be ditched as the stuff they are producing is not only poor quality, but it has increasingly little to do with the heritage of Arsenal Football Club. Red shirt with white sleeves is not that difficult, surely?

Sunderland (a) preview - a very special Arsenal mascot

2012-02-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

This young shaver will lead Arsenal out tomorrow

Arsenal are in Premier League action tomorrow at Sunderland. I hadn't realised until Arseblog pointed it out earlier in the week that we really do have a hard stretch ahead of us. The period from mid-February to mid-March has broken our season a few times in recent years, and the fixtures that we have over the next four weeks or so have the potential to do it again. Two away trips to Sunderland, two games with AC Milan, and also Spurs and Liverpool make this the toughest part of the year for Arsenal. Win those games and we'll be set fair. Lose any of them and we could be in serious trouble. The terrible run from Christmas until last week could be brought in to seriously sharp focus should we struggle in the next month. We all know that the games in December and January were the bread and butter points we needed to pick up. Winning those fixtures would have afforded some breathing space. As it is we have no room for dropping further points at this stage.
With the need for points being so acute we could probably have done without having to play Sunderland (and the fact that we have to go there twice makes it even worse). Since the manic Martin O'Neill replaced Steve Bruce they have been one of the form teams of the Premier League. That has coincided with Arsenal's dismal run. However, I would suggest that Sunderland are due for a defeat. They've had a fine run, but they're still nowhere near being a top team. The fact is if Arsenal play the way they did against Blackburn they will destroy the opposition. My fear is that this Arsenal team is too inconsistent. We have also been here too often in the past, with a superb performance followed by the kind of "turn up and we win" misconception that has so often cost us points.
The team news is reasonably encouraging. It seems that Kieran Gibbs will travel to the game, as will Marouane Chamakh. Any hopes that the Moroccan would regain his form and confidence in his time away with his national team were scuppered when he was dropped from their team. With Thierry Henry making his final Premier League appearance tomorrow (please come back again next season Thierry) we are back to square one in the striker department. I can not understand why Henry's loan has not been extended. Arsene says we must be "fair" to New York Red Bulls - utter nonsense. All those who said bringing Henry back would be a mistake have been proved wrong, in my view. It's been great having him, and we will be far worse off without him.
In terms of Sunderland I have been very impressed by McLean, who has very much been given his chance by O'Neill. The youngster has come in and scored goals, which is more than can be said for Nicklas Bendtner. Big Nick is not allowed to play against Arsenal, but I doubt he would have got a start anyway. You know that they will be strong and committed. Arsenal will have to work very hard off the ball if they're to bring back the points tomorrow.
I would very much have liked to be there tomorrow, but work intervenes. I have more reason than usual to want to be at the game as my nephew, Freddie (named after our famous Swede) is the Arsenal mascot for the day. He can't wait to lead the team out tomorrow, holding the hand of Robin Van Persie. He will also be the last Arsenal mascot to get to have his picture taken with The King. I hope Freddie can bring us some luck tomorrow. It seems that Arsenal and Sunderland will really be looking after him and the family tomorrow. With a bit of luck he'll get to have a few shots at Szczesny and stick one in the net in front of the travelling Gooners. If you're going to the match then please give Freddie a wave and a cheer (his mother should have put a red streak in his blond hair so that you could all sing to him!)

There won't be a another blog post until Monday evening at the very earliest. I would like to do more, but I won't be near the internet until at least then. I hope that by the time I preview the AC Milan game we have three more points in the bank, and Freddie has a special picture with The King and RVP.

The overt racism of the English media

2012-02-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

...because the English have done so well at the job

Fabio Capello's departure last night was almost simultaneous to the publishing of yesterday's blog post. If you missed it in the maelstrom you can read it here.
The past twenty four hours in football have, naturally, been dominated by the job of England Manager. There has been precious little chance for any proper football news to break through. As a result tonight's offering is not about Arsenal (though I do want to quickly mention the £5 return coach fare offered by the Club for the FA Cup game at Sunderland next week, a super gesture from Arsenal FC). In fact this blog is not even really about England - most regulars here will know that international football is a tedious sideshow as far as I'm concerned and exists only in the Summer when there is no Arsenal to watch. Tonight's post is about the reaction of the media to Capello's resignation, and their clamour for Harry The Twitch to take over.
In the past few weeks the media in this Country has been questioning how far we have really come in tackling racism in the game. Frankly it's a stupid debate as racism is not prevalent in football grounds in this Country. Sure, it exists in some of those that watch football, but that is true of some people in any walk of life. The high profile incidents involving Luis Suarez and John Terry have brought the issue to the fore. Arrests at football matches for racist remarks etc have been reported in the press - these arrests are nothing new, but the current climate made them "news." What has been particularly clear from our media, whether it be the printed word, Sky, BBC, TalkSport or whoever, is that racism is unacceptable in any form. It can not be condoned or encouraged. Racist remarks and views are to be stamped out. These are the sort of phrases we have been hearing in the media since Luis Suarez was first reported by Patrice Evra, and it's difficult to argue against, I'm sure you'll agree. You can imagine my shock, then, to see fat Barry Fry on Sky Sports News last night shouting in to the camera, and I quote, "...we don't want any more of these foreigners. We've had enough of foreigners." That's right Barry, we could do without these successful Manager's coming over here and helping us qualify for major tournaments with the most overrated talent in the World at their disposal. He went on to say how "they don't have the passion" and that the next England Manager must be English as "they can show the passion for our Country." Not that Barry would be guilty of using his own stereotype in order to get his point across. I'm sure he didn't realise it, but what Fry said was inherently racist. And Sky allowed it to be broadcast, and then replayed it all night and all morning. These foreigners with no passion - Arsene Wenger? Jose Mourinho? Carlo Ancelotti? Paolo Di Canio? Barry Fry wasn't alone, mind you - he merely set things off and running before a number of others picked up the baton and ran with it.
On the BBC website we had Alan Shearer and Peter Reid talking about "foreigners" and their failings, and how they don't "get" our ways and "don't understand" our media. Dan Walker of the BBC stated on Twitter that Capello's "unwillingness to master the lingo was frustrating" - to who, exactly? The muppets in the press? It hasn't been a problem to Trappatoni in Ireland, and his English is far worse than Capello's. There is this misconception that the foreign bosses can not inspire players. I remember Gareth Southgate complaining that Sven didn't get the players going at half-time in the Brazil quarter-final in 2002. This overlooks the fact that, if you need a Manager to get you buzzing to win a World Cup quarter-final, it says rather more about you than the man in charge.
Then we come to the written press. It is here that we have to put up with people like Oliver Holt and Charlie Wyett, serial offenders at getting their facts wrong, who seem to have forgotten that they are reporters. They are there to report, not to give opinion, not to set a public agenda, not to speak for the masses. These press journalists have been full of the "English passion needed" nonsense all day long. Of course this has brought them to the conclusion that England's leader must be Harry Redknapp. That conclusion has nothing to do with him being the biggest rent-a-quote in the history of football, obviously. The stuff on Twitter last night and this morning has been quite incredible. It seems that Fabio Capello was nothing more than a failure - two pretty flawless qualifications out of two (what happened under the last English boss?) Brian Woolnough had the gall to mock David Bernstein for describing Capello as a "great Manager." I would suggest that Fabio Capello's record as a football manager puts him among the legends of the game. It seems that history is to be expunged in the interests of showing that British is best. Who needs all that foreign technique etc when you can have English tubthumping instead? According to the press a man with one FA Cup to his name is a far better bet, because he's English, than a man with numerous Title's and European Cup's, but is Italian.
Sky Sports News today has actually been embarrassing. It has been wall-to-wall "Redknapp for England." It resembles the sort of thing you get with the US Presidential race. Sky have elected Harry as the "popular" choice for the job, and are being backed up by the press. Harry, it seems, is the Messiah of English football (I suppose after yesterday I can't quote Monty Python to finish that sentence). In the face of this storm the FA are being left with no choice.
If I was on the FA Board I would make sure to appoint Harry Redknapp as England Manager. I would keep every press cutting, every interview and every piece of video that demanded his appointment. Then when it all goes wrong, as it inevitably will, I would use it to defend Redknapp to the hilt. The press want him, let them have him. But then use their nonsense to beat them over the head with when they change their minds. We have, of course, been here before. The media demanded that Kevin Keegan should get the job. The FA gave it to him. It quickly became apparent that there was something missing. The media turned on Keegan. Most football supporters knew Keegan wasn't a top Manager before he was appointed. In the end he realised it himself and fell on his sword, genuinely honest to the end.
The main point of this post was to point out that the press have been slating Luis Suarez, various supporters and John Terry in recent weeks, for racism. They have made it clear that the guilty must be punished. I just find it ironic that their view of the "personal qualities" of a "foreigner" are what dictates whether or not someone should be England Manager. That is a prejudiced and racist standpoint. Of course the England Manager should be English, in an ideal World. But when there are no English Manager's with the requisite achievements then you must look for the best man for the job, regardless of his nationality. Little Englander syndrome won't do. And the media should not castigate people for racism when what they have done in the past twenty-four hours is effectively tantamount to the same thing. Let's face it, we couldn't understand why a "foreigner" was appointed to Arsenal in 1996, but Arsene Wenger showed he was the best man for the job. Maybe, just maybe, the problem with the England team is not who the Manager is, but the fact that the players are just not good enough, and haven't been since 1966.

George remains the scapegoat for football's crooked ways

2012-02-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

George Graham - note the blazer and tie - Arsenal Class

So Harry Redknapp is officially innocent. I have to say I am seriously surprised. The main question with regards to the case must be this: "If you have nothing to hide, and are not trying to conceal something from someone, why was your Monaco bank account in the name of your dog?" British justice, as everywhere else in the World, can be very odd, but there you go. There's nothing more to say about any criminal aspect, but questions should (but won't, as the FA is toothless) remain with regards to the football aspects surrounding the money involved. By this I mean the fact that Redknapp (and he is far from alone in this, it seems) was paid part of a transfer fee to sell players.
Back in 1995 Arsenal used the "bung" case against George Graham as the excuse they needed to end his glorious reign over the Club. George was off in the Summer anyway, but Arsenal were heading for relegation and the Club needed a reason to get rid of their most successful boss since the 1930's. It was ironic that the arch-disciplinarian, a man who was classy in everything he did, a man who knew who he represented (to quote Bertie Mee), should be caught with his hands in the till. What has become clear from Redknapp's trial is that the "bung" is now woven in to the individual contracts of club officials. I have heard Barry Hearn on TV this evening explaining that he has the same deal with his Manager at Leyton Orient. It seems that "legalised bungs" are now prevalent in football. I have to imagine that this is a direct legacy of the treatment of George and his long ban from the game.
I just don't understand how a Manager can be paid to SELL his Club's best players. Surely, if a man is being rewarded for selling then he will do his utmost to do just that, rather than concentrating on winning instead. As sad is it may be that is simply human nature - we are all greedy, deep down. Of course George was done over for making money on players he bought, rather than sold, but I find it very difficult to imagine that this practise is not still ongoing. Nevertheless the fact remains that George is the only person ever to have been found guilty of it. Had he not admitted his wrongdoing he would almost certainly have got away with it (and I do not seek to excuse what George did - it was wholly repugnant as he was effectively taking money that should have belonged to Arsenal Football Club).
Amongst all of this shadiness is the fact that football is a very dark business. There can be no doubt that the game is corrupt to its core. The business with George in the mid-90's merely skirted around the edges of a wider issue. Football was bent then, and it is bent now. George Graham was made a scapegoat and that suited the FA and its new Premier League. Certain other Manager's seriously got away with it, but the media didn't really care as they had a target to focus on. George was their lamb to the slaughter while others were free to fight another day, and win a few more trophies (George recommended two players from the same agent who paid him, to a certain Manager at another Club - did he not receive similar payments? I would find it hard to believe otherwise). The FA was happy as justice was seen to have been carried out and a clear message sent. The events of the last two weeks, in a court of law, appear to have shown that the message was interpreted within football as an invitation to "legalise" a practise that remains banned in the English game. Everyone involved gets paid something, but only the supporters suffer - just ask Portsmouth FC die-hards.
I would like to call on the FA to stamp out this way of conducting transfers. What does this now mean for supporters who pay to watch their team? How many fans are out there thinking that the Manager of their Club is trying to push them forward, get them promoted, get them to Wembley, win the League etc when, in fact, they are simply looking for the next big transfer deal out of the Club so that they can be paid handsomely? Maybe I'm in a small minority, but I see this as a terribly frightening turn of events for football. What is the point in supporting a team if the Manager is being incentivised to sell players, rather than be successful on the pitch? After all, I thought football was about winning matches, not selling players.

Frimpong gets another bad one, Afobe to replace Park?

2012-02-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

Afobe - some rare good news on the injury front

It's been a day of very mixed news for two of Arsenal's brightest young prospects, Emmanuel Frimpong and Benik Afobe.
Frimpong has suffered his second cruciate ligament injury in less than two years. As rotten luck goes this is about as bad as it can get for a young man trying to make his mark. Frimpong had a very decent first half to this season as a squad player at Arsenal and was tearing it up at Wolves until Saturday, when his loan spell was brought to a very painful halt. Frimpong has quickly established himself as a bit of a cult figure with the Gooner faithful since his debut against Liverpool. What he may lack in "technical" ability he more than makes up for in sheer effort, strength and determination. With time, and good coaching, his ball-skills can be improved - just look at Alex Song - and he and Coquelin were battling it out to be the understudy in central midfield. Frimpong isn't everyone's cup of tea, however, and it is often remarked that he lacks self-discipline on the park. Again, I would argue that his youthful exuberance will soon give way to a learned experience. That, ultimately, was the purpose of his loan at Wolves. Having already been set back a year by his knee injury on the eve of last season you have to feel extremely sorry for him. If there is a small bit of good news for Frimpong it is that this injury is not in the same knee. You would have to think that gives him a good chance to recover. He will be out for most of the rest of the year.
The flip-side to Frimpong's injury is the return to full training (with the first-team, which I believe is telling) of Benik Afobe. The young centre-forward impressed on his first-team bow against New York Red Bulls in pre-season, but was promptly struck down with a serious hip injury. Since then the only sight we Arsenal fans have had of him has been sitting with Jack Wilshere at home games. Afobe had a highly successful spell at Huddersfield last season and could have been expected to go out to a Championship, or maybe even a Premier League, side this season. Personally I think he was in the thoughts of Arsene Wenger as a back-up to Van Persie and Chamakh. I wonder if, had Afobe not got injured, Ju Young Park might have actually been getting paid to play some football in Lille, rather than watching Arsenal from the bench. It is likely now, if he gets fit enough to play, that Benik will be loaned out for the rest of the season. However, I just wonder if, with Henry going back to America and Park being totally ignored by Wenger, the youngster may find himself promoted between now and May. His injury seems to have a lot of similarities with that which effectively ended Freddie Ljugberg's career at Arsenal, so I hope that he can recover somewhat better than our prolific Swede. Afobe is a goalscorer, and Arsenal will certainly need one before the season is out - a Kevin Campbell style impact would be very welcome indeed.

Arsenal 7 - 1 Blackburn - a win to warm the cockles

2012-02-05T04:09:00.000-08:00

Class

Arsenal's past, present and future combined yesterday to score six of Arsenal's seven goals against the hapless Blackburn Rovers. It was nice, first of all, to see Paul Robinson keeping up his consistent record against Arsenal - he is, without a doubt, the most overrated goalkeeper of his generation. Apart from that it was wonderful to have such a performance from Arsenal. I suppose it had to happen after the missed chances of Wednesday, though I would have preferred to not have one or two of yesterday's strikes if it had meant a win at Bolton as well.
I wasn't going to be able to get to yesterday's game even before I was ill, as work was intervening. It's annoying that my son has also been unwell and probably will not now get his chance to see Thierry Henry play for Arsenal (unless we get another instalment next season - unlikely). There is no doubt that The King's last minute goal was a real icing of the cake for Arsenal. It serves right all of those who either stayed away deliberately or who left early (why leave early from an early kick-off?) The so-called "black bin-bag protest" turned out to be, as you might expect and hope, a load of old rubbish.
The main part of the win was in place long before Thierry got his goal. That was thanks to the front three combination of Van Persie, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott. Just occasionally Theo gets it right, and yesterday was one of those. These moments are all too fleeting and brief, but it shows that he can do the business at times. I imagine Martin Olsson will be regretting his comments that Walcott was "no threat" when he last came up against him when playing for his Country. Perhaps Theo had taken note and was ready to show his stuff. Whatever it was, credit where it is due.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain seems to be one hell of a talent. He is exciting and powerful. He has an eye for a pass. He can finish. He is almost certainly going to go to Euro 2012, which is a tournament he could do without, frankly. The lad has real class. It's a shame that Wenger didn't get him in sooner as he would surely have been a better bet than Theo and Arshavin have been for most of the season. Now that he is in the team we have to enjoy his presence. He might, just might, provide a bit of inspiration between now and May.
At the head of it all, of course, is Robin Van Persie. His goalscoring since January last year is of Wright and Henry proportions. The fact that he has been fit throughout that period shows what he might have already achieved had he not been afflicted so badly by injury in his career. I still don't believe Robin will be at Arsenal next season - he still hasn't signed a contract - so we will have to make the most of him while he is here. Right now Robin is The Man and we could not do without him.
I'm not going to say too much more about the game. I could not see it live, so I feel a little detached to be honest. I've watched the whole game on Football First, with the idiotic Tony Gale as summariser (two-footed tackles are a "foreign thing" according to our Tony - what a clown) and it really was a marvellously dominant performance. I would say that Szczesny was at fault again on Rovers' goal as he sets himself up wrong at free-kicks - that's four or five this season that he hasn't got across to because he doesn't stand in the centre of his goal. I would also say that Alex Song's passing has undergone the most improvement I've ever seen in a player - the ball inside the full-back is now becoming a trademark for him.
The one other thing I want to address before I sign off is the ridiculous smugness of those who still believe in the Manager. It was a magnificent performance, a magnificent victory. It highlighted all that is great about Arsene Wenger and the team's he sends out. However, it does not excuse what has gone before this season. It doesn't mean that everything is now alright. It certainly doesn't make me "feel really stupid" for wanting Wenger out. Such sentiment, that was prevalent on the forums and Twitter etc last night, just sums up what a bunch of mugs some of our supporters are. Why can't we just enjoy the win without all that other nonsense?

Hopefully the blog will get back to normal ahead of a quiet Arsenal week as I recover from my recent ailment.

Bruised Bendtner wants change, Bolton (a) preview

2012-02-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

Nicklas Bendtner - not as I had expected him to be

I'm writing this from my sick-bed. This time yesterday I was in good health. Today I have been downed by the dreaded man-flu. It really is unpleasant and it means I'll be keeping this a little more brief than I had intended. I was going to write about our surprise transfer business of yesterday, but it will have to wait.
Rather randomly I bumped in to Nicklas Bendtner last night. It seems that Nick had been given a bit of time off by Sunderland following his broken nose and he chose to take a short break in Dubai. Who says footballers have a tough job? I have to say that Bendtner was completely the opposite sort of character to that I had expected. I thought he would be arrogant and aloof, dismissive of the public. After all, this is how the popular press have chosen to portray him over the years. Instead I was greeted with a smile and, after confirming that his face was on the mend (he still sports an impressive shiner on his left eye) I asked about his future. When asked if he was coming back to Arsenal he said "perhaps if everything changes around." I found this an interesting response and asked if he meant "with a new Manager?" Again he smiled, and then said "we will see." He then graciously signed an autograph for my son and went on his way. Not Pulitzer Prize winning stuff, I grant you, but it struck me that he was a player who has had his card marked by Arsene Wenger. He won't be coming back all the while Arsene is in charge. Most supporters will not be too disappointed. Those who have read this site for a long time will know that I always defended Bendtner. I felt he was underrated, and I was certain he would be a success at Sunderland. His comments about Arsenal earlier in the season, where he said he would not ever go back, made me annoyed and I realised that my defence of the Big Dane had been misplaced. He has, of course, not been a revelation at Sunderland. I was wrong about Bendtner as a player, but I am pleased I got the opportunity to meet the man and realise that the real Bendtner is not the man he is portrayed as. I would have liked to have more time to speak to him, but that's the way of it. It's just nice to get a small chat with anyone connected with Arsenal Football Club.

The results last night mean that fourth place is looking even more distant. A failure to win at Bolton this evening would see it starting to disappear over the horizon. The team news is good, with Sagna possibly getting a start, and plenty of others returning to fitness. I think Arteta will return to the starting eleven tonight, though Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey were both outstanding on Sunday. I wouldn't be surprised to see Arshavin start in place of Oxlade-Chamberlain - today's news on Jack Wilshere will give Arsene Wenger food for thought over the playing time he gives to the young man (the timing of the news of Wilshere's "setback" does not surprise me - there was no way Arsenal would let it leak out while the transfer window was open).
Arsene said yesterday how it was a tough game on Sunday and he would have to assess certain players. I think he may have been preparing the way to rest Robin Van Persie and start with Thierry Henry. Personally I would rather see RVP start (and Henry could then be the one to play ahead of Chamberlain) and try to get the job done. The last thing Arsenal need tonight is to be chasing the game again.
Bolton have their own problems, but confidence should be good after they stuffed Liverpool in their last game. Ryo can not play for them against Arsenal, which is no bad thing for us. It would come as no surprise to me if a certain Kevin Davies was back in their side tonight though. Never underestimate the value of his loose elbows and ability to con referees in to awarding free-kicks.

That will do for now. More tomorrow. Hoping to feel better by then.

Arsenal 3 - 2 Villa - still think there's no media agenda?

2012-01-30T02:47:00.000-08:00

Media trying to get RVP banned

At half-time yesterday the talk in the stands was about how this team had no chance of coming back from a two goal deficit. There had been precious little in the first-half performance to suggest that those selected to play had the necessary desire, or ability, to turn things around. The Arsenal performance before half-time was a showcase of everything that is often wrong with the team. There was a dominance of possession, but is was almost exclusively held in front of Villa's defence. It was a slow build-up, with little movement and even less inspiration. I thought Rosicky and Ramsey were impressive, but those in front of them were static and it was fairly easy for Villa to defend. Occasionally Chamberlain would run at the defence and look dangerous but, more often than not, he was doing a passable impression of Theo Walcott at his worst and failing to make the run off the ball that might provide the necessary opening. Meanwhile, on the two occasions Villa attacked the defence was nowhere to be seen. Their first goal was a near carbon-copy of the schoolboy defending that cost us a goal against Olympiacos earlier in the season. The second goal, from a quick counter-attack, saw the ball hit the back of the net with none of our back four in attendance. Where the hell were they? Lukasz Fabianski did his bit, with a decent save, but there was simply no help for the Pole.
Trailing by 2-0, and with such a soporific effort before half-time, I found it quite incredible that no changes were made immediately. We'll never know what was said in the dressing room, or by whom. Whatever it was, and whether it was said by Wenger, Pat Rice, RVP, Vermaelen or Thierry Henry (who stayed inside for most of the half-time break) it certainly worked. Suddenly there was a pace to our attacking play. The movement that had been non-existent was suddenly prevalent all over the field. Every player seemed to want to get involved. We nearly scored straight away with a fine header from Mertesacker (it was noticeable in the second-half that he didn't lose a single challenge in the air simply because he attacked the ball and got off the ground to beat people). Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky and Alex Song started to dominate the whole game, with good support from Koscielny who regularly stepped in to midfield. Van Persie suddenly became difficult to mark and dragged the defence around, while Chamberlain caused Hutton all sorts of problems. Then there was Theo Walcott. Occasionally Theo plays like a the sort of player we want him to be. Yesterday's second-half was one of those. I thought he was outstanding after half-time and Villa couldn't handle his pace. If you wanted an example of how Arsenal beat teams when playing well then it was there in the first fifteen minutes of the second-half. The pace and movement was unstoppable. I just wish the players would realise that they can do that to anyone, if only they would show the desire to do so. The work off the ball was excellent. There was one point, at 3-2, when Alex Song started chasing down the Villa defenders when they had the ball. He was suddenly joined by Ramsey, and Chamberlain, and Van Persie. The Villa players panicked in the face of this pressure and passed the ball straight to Tomas Rosicky on the halfway line. The crowd stood and applauded the effort. And that's the key to all of this - effort.
If the first-half was a showcase for all that is wrong with the way this Arsenal team performs, then the second-half was everything that we go to football for. The goals may have come from penalties (indisputable ones at that) and a lucky ricochet, but it can't be denied that Arsenal deserved to score them. The football after half-time was excellent. The only thing I was disappointed with was late in the game when Thierry Henry spurned the opportunity to send us home even happier and gave the ball away rather than going for a shot at goal when he was put clear. It was very much like the sort of thing we've come to expect from Chamakh, and it could have cost us had Villa scrambled an equaliser. In the end it didn't matter, and we went home happy with a win.
This morning it seems the newspapers and Sky (no surprise) are leading with the "elbow" incident involving Robin Van Persie. It should be noted that Sky have largely ignored the FA Cup this season as they are not covering it. Until now. I've watched the incident and I don't believe Robin has deliberately elbowed Cuellar. I think he's used his arm to protect himself against the constant barging that had gone unpunished every time he was challenged. On the occasion in question his arm has gone a little high and caught the defender. However, nobody noticed it when it happened, and nobody complained to the referee. ESPN picked it up on a slow-motion replay and gave Craig Burley something to go on and on and on about until the end of the game (I watched the game back when I got home last night and I can't believe how amateurish the whole ESPN production is). Alex McLeish's post-game press conference, which Sky keep showing this morning, is laughable. His reaction to the question tells me that he has no clue what they were talking about but, thinking quickly, he realises there's something he can deflect criticism with. He can't describe the incident at all. He simply keeps saying how he felt RVP had "caught him." Then he has the audacity to call for the FA to do something about it.
It is a very sad state of affairs, following such a great comeback, and such sensational football, that the press are running with the Van Persie "elbow" this morning. There is no doubt in my mind that Van Persie will pick up a three match ban. After all, he's not English is he? After Joleon Lescott got away with his clearly deliberate forearm smash on Kaboul last week (Lescott is English, lest we forget) it would sum up the FA and the media prejudice that is prevalent here. Most of all it makes it even more clear that there is a media bias against Arsenal Football Club. Why is it always our players that they pick on? Remember Alex Song in the first game of the season? We can go back a long way and pick up incidents where the FA has acted on video evidence to ban Arsenal players after a media driven campaign to do so. It started with Paul Davis in 1988 and it hasn't stopped since. The media hates us, and I hope that Arsene Wenger uses that as motivation for the rest of the season, as George Graham did in late 1990. If we could win the FA Cup it would really upset the press, and that is a wonderful thing.

I'm not anticipating any signings between now and tomorrow night. There is a chance that Ryo will be loaned out for the rest of the season, but little else will happen for Arsenal I suspect. That being the case, and the need to go to work getting in the way again, the next post will be Wednesday morning in preview of the game at Bolton. Until then simply remember to spit on any journalists you meet - they hate us, so we should hate them.

After the good news...Aston Villa (FA Cup) preview

2012-01-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

We CAN get our hands on this in 2012

I suppose we should have expected it really. Following yesterday's great news about Bacary Sagna I should have known that the powers of Satan would conspire to pass wind in our faces today. And so it is that we hear that Jack Wilshere has suffered a "setback" in his return from injury. It really couldn't be much worse news for Gooners. I think a lot of us, and I certainly include myself in that, had rather pinned our remaining hopes for the season on Jack's return, and the psychological lift and improvement in quality that it would bring. At the moment there is no indication of how serious it is, but I would suggest that suffering pain while simply jogging is not a good sign when you're coming back from a stress fracture. I certainly get the impression that Arsene Wenger is extremely worried about the young genius. It really is a massive blow to Arsenal and our chances of getting back in to that top four this season. I suppose we have to hope it's not a serious problem and will not delay his comeback next month. But this is Arsenal and we have no luck whatsoever when it comes to injuries. Get well soon Jack, we seriously need you.

The other news from the Club today with regards to the players is quite positive. Arsene used his press conference to confirm that Henry, Arteta, Sagna and Coquelin will be part of the eighteen on Sunday against Aston Villa. The FA Cup represents our best (only) chance of silverware this season. In recent seasons we have failed to deliver in the Cup as Wenger has shown the competition less and less respect. Given the high stakes now involved in actually getting a pot in the cabinet come May I think we might see a bit of a change in philosophy. I'm fairly certain that there will be very few fringe players taking the pitch on Sunday. Having said that, I have no desire to see Sagna rushed back in to the starting eleven. With Coquelin and Yennaris both around there is simply no need to hurry things. I would even be tempted to play both of them (with Coquelin at left-back) and move Vermaelen in to the centre alongside Koscielny. There is no doubt that TV5 looks out of place at left-back (and somehow got away without a slating for the way he defended for United's opener last week), while Coquelin's pace would be competition for whoever Villa put in to that wide area.
In midfield I think we will see Arteta back, with Ramsey dropped - the sight of the Boyo being outpaced by Ryan Giggs last week was an embarrassment. That would leave Wenger with a decision on who to play as the attacking point of the midfield three. I suspect he would go with Rosicky in there, but I wouldn't mind seeing Arteta getting his chance in the position he prefers to play. Arteta, as regulars here will know, is not someone that impresses me. However, he has been playing a role that is strange to him. I'd be interested to see how he fares when finally given the playmaker role.
Wenger has some big decisions to make up front, and this part of his selection will tell us once and for all how he is prioritising the FA Cup this year. Personally I want to see Van Persie, flanked by Chamberlain and Henry. As far as I'm concerned there is no place for Arshavin and Walcott in this team right now. Will Wenger "risk" RVP, or will he put him on the bench and give Henry or Park a run in attack? The fact is that we must win the FA Cup or end another season empty handed. That being the case, would you really leave out the best striker in the Country?
Aston Villa will cause us problems, make no mistake. They have pace in their team with Agbonlahor coming back. I also really rate Albrighton who has not played as much this season as I would have expected. In Darren Bent they have a man who regularly scores goals. Yes, he misses his share of chances, but you don't get a goalscoring record like his if you're no good. He reminds me a bit of Andy Cole in that regard. In defence they have a decent pair of rugged centre-backs who, when they play well, are an outstanding combination.
One more thing to say about Aston Villa is that they have Alex McLeish as their Manager. Everyone knows that he is a complete joker. The man is a cretin, and no mistake. He is the man who defended the indefensible when Eduardo had his leg shattered. However, he is also the man that seems to have something of a sign over Arsenal. His Birmingham team became a fairly constant irritant following the Eduardo incident, culminating in the Carling Cup Final debacle last February. I would love to see us get one over on McLeish and put four or five past his team. I don't really see that happening, but you've got to dream.

Just before I wrap up I want to thank all the people that have come to the site in the last 24 hours. We have had over 18,700 hits on here, which is just short of the most ever. The site was the second most popular on Arsenal's NewsNow feed yesterday, and that is great. I hope that those of you that were new to It's MY Arsenal Opinion enjoyed what you read, and that you might keep coming back to read my ranting on Arsenal. You can also follow the blog on Twitter (@ARSENALDvbrisG) or by joining our group on Facebook - just search on there for It's MY Arsenal Opinion. Thanks again.

I'll try to get a match review done when I get home from the game, late on Sunday evening.

Some good news at last

2012-01-26T02:57:00.000-08:00

Sagna is on his way Bac

Yet again, following a defeat, the Club has gone in to a bit of a lock down over the course of this week. There are times when it's best to keep your counsel, and I think this was one of them. The last thing the supporters would have wanted this week was a load of guff about "spirit" and "belief" etc, especially if it had the Manager's name to it. As a result it's been a long and slow few days. Thankfully I've been at work so I haven't spent all day scouring the web for any small bits of news that might have been doing the rounds. The dust has started to settle on what happened on Sunday and we can now move on. In terms of my last post I would have to say it's the first time that I've written something about Arsene leaving, and not been subjected to abuse in the comments section. The times are changing.
Having had a very slow few days in terms of anything from Arsenal, I was delighted to log in to Twitter this morning and see the announcement from Bacary Sagna that he is back in full training with the first team today. This is Bac's first full involvement with the group since he broke his leg earlier in the season. Given that we have had pretty much non-stop misery recently this is a big boost. In my view Sagna is an outstanding full-back. He struggled in his second year at Arsenal but, since then, has got better and better. There can be absolutely no doubt that we have missed Bac immensely. As far as I'm concerned his return to the side can not come soon enough. The first leg against AC Milan may yet come a little too soon, but I wouldn't be surprised if he made his comeback in the San Siro.
In the absence of Sagna we expected Carl Jenkinson to get a lot of game time. Unfortunately for the youngster he picked up a serious injury of his own. As a result we have since seen Koscielny (briefly) and Johan Djourou filling in for the most part. Djourou probably played his last 45 minutes in that position on Sunday. I think that Nico Yennaris will now, injury permitting, find himself in place at right-back until Sagna returns.
I have been immensely impressed by Yennaris in the games he has played. For a small guy he is physically strong, with a great leap. He is also quick and has good ability on the ball. I would say that he has looked a far better player than Jenkinson did when he played. Of course Yennaris will make some errors, but he is more likely to be forgiven them than Djourou will. He is an Arsenal supporter (he was the team mascot at home to Coventry in 2000) and will do us proud if he gets the opportunity. It is a very similar scenario to that which gave Kerrea Gilbert his chance back in 2006. Gilbert grabbed it with both hands before picking up a serious injury at home to West Ham. That let Eboue back in and he made the spot his own until Sagna arrived. If Yennaris can make the same impact as Gilbert (whose career has since gone down hill quicker than Franz Klammer) then he could have a good future at Arsenal. He will certainly be able to keep the right-back spot warm until Sagna is ready to come back.

Arsenal 1 - 2 Man Utd - a strangely momentous day for all the wrong reasons

2012-01-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

How we were when it was great

Yesterday marked the beginning of the long farewell for Arsene Wenger. The substitution of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and, more particularly, the reaction of the crowd marks a sea-change in the relationship between Arsene and the supporters of Arsenal Football Club. I have NEVER heard this Manager's authority questioned so vocally by those in attendance at a game. Any number of keyboard dwellers have had their say on Arsene but, frankly, it is only the voices of those that attend that will ever really be heard. Up until yesterday the Club was able to be under the impression that the majority of Arsenal supporters (those that go to games, that is) backed Arsene Wenger's judgement implicitly. The vocal nature of the disapproval of the crowd can have left the Board of Arsenal with no illusions that things are reaching a crossroads. Regular readers, and those of you that know me personally, will be aware that I have been calling for Arsene to leave for a few years now. It gives me no pleasure whatsoever that more and more regular match day fans have now seen that it is all going wrong under Wenger.

The picture at the top of this post shows Arsene with the spoils of glory, and what amazing glory we enjoyed. It is because of such incredible success that Arsene is rightly regarded as the greatest Manager of Arsenal, alongside Herbert Chapman. It is also because of that success that the current malaise is felt so keenly. Arsenal had a long way to fall, and they are certainly doing it.

Taken in isolation the decision to substitute Chamberlain doesn't really mean a lot. Okay, it was a decision that badly backfired with Arshavin failing to defend properly for the winning goal. However, if it was just the one mistake by Arsene there would have been a bit of gnashing of teeth, but nothing more. The fact is that we have seen error after error from the Manager, in every facet of his job, since Patrick Vieira was sold in the Summer of 2005. The cumulative effect of the slide since then came to a head with the putting up of the number 15 on the fourth-official's board yesterday. It was very much the straw that broke the camels back for many of those watching. It was, quite simply, time to make voices of dissent heard. I have read in some areas of the press that the Arsenal fans were booing Arshavin on to the pitch. That is utter nonsense, and pure mischief making from the media. The booing was for the Manager and his decision to take off Chamberlain. I have to say that I believe it to have been Arsene's very own "Eboue" moment.

I am not buying the idea that Chamberlain was tiring, or had cramp. As I said on Twitter last night, there are certain symptoms of cramp, but skinning the opposition full-back time after time is not one of them. Arsene could have clawed some ground back had he simply admitted he had made a terrible mistake at a crucial point in the game. The fact is that Arsenal were suddenly on top, and The Ox was the man making all the running. The way in which Wenger killed that momentum (I remember the same thing happening at Tottenham a few years ago when a late Pires equaliser, and a Spurs on the run, was met with the introduction of Cygan in place of Super Rob, killing the game off as a draw), and the suddenly resurgent support of the team, was a gross and crass error of judgement. Perhaps a substitution wasn't out of the question, but Walcott and Ramsey should have been heading the queue to get to the early showers. Arsene is right to say to the press that he is not obliged to explain his decisions to them. However he is obliged to explain them to the supporters of Arsenal Football Club. After all, we pay his wages.

Many people contributing to the Twitter debate last night (particularly certain blog writers) were disdainful of the crowd reaction. Two of them actually described it as "moronic." They believe that, due to the past success of Arsene, he should never be subjected to this kind of reaction. According to them the fans were a "disgrace." One of them, as she told me, believes that it was "moronic chanting" and that the pen is a better weapon if people want to show their displeasure with the Manager. According to this individual you are far more likely to make your point to the Board by "writing in blogs, or to The Gooner." What a load of old pony. How can anyone honestly believe that the Arsenal Director's read rubbish like this, or The Gooner fanzine? Give me strength. She is obviously a bit too nouveau to have heard of Terry Neill and how he lost his job at Arsenal. I asked her, after a long to-and-fro, what is her opinion of Arsene and the job he is doing - I received no response.

Let me say that I am not an Arsene Wenger hater. I could never despise the man who took us to the success that he did. However, he is also the man that demanded we leave Highbury in order to "compete." Does anyone out there honsetly believe that we are in a better position after five years at the new place, than we were at our beautiful home? He is the man who sold Patrick Vieira too early. He is the man who effectively forced Gilberto Silva and Jens Lehmann and Robert Pires out of the Club. Yes, he is also the man who won two Double's, created the Invincibles, signed Thierry Henry and Robert Pires and Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars and Sol Campbell etc. In an ideal World the successes of Arsene Wenger would clearly outweigh anything that has happened since the trophies dried up. But this is not an ideal World. The plight of Nottingham Forest is the most extreme example of where sentiment, and living in the past, can get you. I don't want to see Arsenal going in to a similar spiral of ineptitude and despair.

As I said at the start of the post I believe we have now seen the beginning of the end. Every defeat, every tactical error, every goal conceded, is likely to be responded to by a vocal element (a rarity, I know) and the Board will be hearing it. A lot is being made of Robin Van Persie's reaction to seeing Chamberlain go off yesterday. He was, perhaps, unlucky to be caught on television, but it was a reaction that should scare us all. If the Club Captain is reacting like that, then what other players are questioning the Manager and his methods? (Incidentally, anyone who thinks this will see Van Persie not signing a new contract needs to realise that he wasn't going to do so even before yesterday - otherwise it would have been done months ago).

The title of this post states that yesterday was "momentous...for the wrong reasons" and it certainly was. I can only finish by, regretfully, linking to a song that sums up my feelings towards Arsene Wenger. Again, it brings me no pleasure or satisfaction, but you might just have begun to agree with me now. I'm just sorry that Arsene's glorious reign will end in such an inglorious and acrimonious way. I could write so much more, but I will wait until it finally comes to an end. Perhaps a book could be on the cards...

Manchester United (h) preview

2012-01-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

TV5 - looking like he will play

There was a time, not that long ago, when the matches between Arsenal and Man Utd were THE fixtures in the Premier League season. Sadly, thanks to our decline since 2005, that is no longer the case. The humiliation of what happened in August could not have underlined the gap between us any more than it did. Of course that was a seriously weakened Arsenal team, but the Man Utd side was younger even than our embarrassing eleven on that day. That Arsenal improved dramatically after the signings were made a couple of days later will count for nothing tomorrow, such is the latest injury crisis to beset us - especially at the back. The 8-2 defeat, and the complete and utter humiliation it caused, should be all the motivation needed tomorrow, however, regardless of injuries. If the players don't put it in tomorrow then they really have become a dead loss once again.
It seems, from various things doing the rounds tonight, that Thomas Vermaelen is likely to play. Is he properly fit? I sincerely doubt it. Can he get through this game, at least? We can only hope so. I remember Patrick Vieira being gambled with in 2003 against United, and it didn't pay off. However, with the way we are right now, Thomas Vermaelen is certainly a risk worth taking. Even playing out of position at left-back I think it is difficult to quantify just how much Vermaelen's presence improves our defence. I wouldn't be averse to seeing Koscielny switching to left-back with TV5 alongside Mertesacker. Koscielny has more pace than Vermaelen to go up against Nani, while Vermaelen has the physical attributes to combat Wayne Rooney.
In midfield most people seem to be tipping Tomas Rosicky to come in for Benayoun, as Mikel Arteta is still out injured. I know Benayoun was fairly anonymous at Swansea last week, but he is surely worth another dig ahead of Rosicky. If I had my way then the Israeli would certainly be getting the nod, but I fear Little Mozart will be there from the start tomorrow - this week marked the two year anniversary of his last Premier League goal. For an attacking midfield player, albeit one who doesn't play every week, that is a scandalously poor return.
Thierry Henry is apparently to undergo a late fitness test on his calf. It's strange how, when one player gets a certain type of injury at Arsenal, we see three or four dropping like flies straight after. I can only put it down to something being done differently in the training regime. Make no mistake we need Henry tomorrow. I'm sure a fit Thierry would have got a start ahead of Arshavin down the left. In his absence I would have no qualms at all about putting Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in. The lad is champing at the bit to get his chance, and there is no bigger stage in the Premier League than against Manchester United. I also fancy his chances against United's choices at right-back.
The results today have certainly gone Arsenal's way. Whether we can take advantage of that remains to be seen. On the evidence of the past few weeks I would have to think it unlikely. I hope that the motivation I wrote about earlier in this piece is prevalent. If we can get at United, which will mean a lot of hard work, then we can damage their defence. The important thing is to take the chances we create for a change. There must be more shots at goal - I read a stat the other dy that less than 10% of our goals come from shots outside the area, while more than 20% of those conceded come from there. If that's not telling us something then I don't know what will. We have the ability to create, even in the 8-2 we missed a number of chances. If we can score our goals, and defend even reasonably properly, then Arsenal have a chance tomorrow. It is a must win game again. Let's hope Arsenal can produce and put us in the right mood again.