₦airaland Forum

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6594719#msg6594719 date=1282147759]Whaat?? You wan deny am? Lets just do a quick ask-around i don't even need to say much on this matter. Who are these better players and at what point have they proven themselves against stiff opposition? Keep gassing yourself a few flash in the pan wins in the Carling Cup is not enough proof to show that these small children can produce consistently!! I don't even need to start drumming out the names of our so-called stars of the future that have ended up massive disappointments![/quote]Na small small e dey start, when we spoke of Wilshere, some people said we didn't know what we were talking about, now you see Wilshere starting at Anfield with Theo glued to the bench. Capello didn't take Theo to World cup but said Wilshere and Gibbs are interesting young players to look at for his new look national team. No worries, you will realise what some of us have seen since last season by this time next season.

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6594719#msg6594719 date=1282147759]How can Clichy start ahead of Arshavin when he is the first choice LB? Dudu are you high?? Eboue's defensive frailties is the reason why he has been knocked out of his initial position in the first place. When clubs are getting world-class wingers we are busy managing Eboue on the flanks and you wonder why we have been trophyless![/quote]In the same vein, if your Mr Theo is so good, why should a converted RB in Eboue be starting ahead of him? That is the million dollar question you cannot answer.

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6594719#msg6594719 date=1282147759]By a miserly 1%?? you are a desperate nigga the only offensive player that started that he scored higher than was Eboue and Arshavin who everyone knew had a bad game so your link proves what?[/quote]Listen to yourself now, who is sounding desperate? how many attackin players started the match again? and was Diaby an attacking player on the day? abeg if you no get point you don't exactly have to type.

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6594719#msg6594719 date=1282147759]I was talking about Europe Bros abi you don dey smoke gbana ni?? My point is Wilshere was poor enough to be the sacrificial lamb on the day if he was offering any threat he would not have been subbed. Shikena
Church. . Preach. . Tabernacle
Of course say it! Wenger is clueless it won't kill ya![/quote]Well you need to ask the same Arsene  whom you say is clueless what was going through his mind when he made that decision. All I know is Wilshere has nothing to be ashamed of in his performance on the day and there are a thousand and one reasons why a player can be subbed I wonder why you are fixated on one.

dipo2much:
if diaby was bad we wouldnt hav had that much possession. how was he a weak link? did he give away passes sporadically? No. If not for the slip in passin btw arshavn and wishere that time,l'pool wouldnt hav scored. That translates to the fact that everyone else (includin diaby) was doing his job.
I am quick to kill diaby when he has a bad game,but the game at anfield wasnt one of such.

Thank you very much, I personally don't have any permanent favourite player. I was on Rosicky's back during pre-season but I wouldnt go so far as not to recognize the impact he had on Sunday, and acknowledge that he might be saving himself for the season proper, something not unusual with players at his age.

dipo2much:
in my books[b],i wouldnt consider Rosicky a 2nd choice midfielder. [/b] The fact that he came in as a sub doesnt make him 2nd choice. Torres came in for Ngog. Does that make torres a l'pool 2nd choice. Its about tactics and chosing which player's strength would be more effective in a particular game.

I didn't say Rosicky is a 2nd choice MF (even though you wouldn't call him first choice last season). I said 2nd choice in every position, by that I mean. Diaby is not our first choice holding MF, Nasri is not our first choice AM and Wilshere at present is probably 6th or 7th choice MF overall. It is impressive that we played so many square pegs in round holes at Anfield and still came back with a result.
If that doesn't point to an increasing strength in depth and development of experience in players, I don't know any other indicator that would.

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6594092#msg6594092 date=1282142365]You are Theo's worst critic in this section i[b] don't even think this is up for discussion even when it comes to events that don't concern him you still find a way of accusing him of something.[/b] Infact Obasanjo would be Pope. Louis Farrakhan would join the Ku Klux Klan and Osama would be U.N Secretary General before you put on your objective hat in matters concerning that nigga.[/quote]Can you show proof of this? I comment on every player and not on Theo alone. If I seem to  come down hard on Theo, like I said it is because I see better players waiting in the wings in his position already in the squad without even needing to buy. I can't say the same for any other player in the squad no matter how bad they may appear to be.

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6594092#msg6594092 date=1282142365]The fact that Eboue is a starting RWF at times is simply proof of Wenger's stinginess and nothing else and we all saw the impact he made at Anfield didn't we?[/quote]And Wenger's stinginess has not made Clichy become a starter ahead of Arshavin at LWF

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6594092#msg6594092 date=1282142365]Only Arshavin played significantly worse than Diaby that day!! Our possession was more of our numerical advantage than anything else besides there are very few matches we don't dominate possession however bad we play and this has nothing to do with Diaby! He was crap on the day. Shikena!![/quote]Well if that is your opinion, yu're welcomed to it but I'd like you to know that most Arsenal fans don't agree with you on that. You can look here to confirm. http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/man-of-the-match-against-liverpool-chamakh.
He scored more than Sagna, Clichy, some others and dare I say Theo in the Man of the match polls on the Arsenal site.

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6594092#msg6594092 date=1282142365]Nigga please! We have only crossed the quarters thrice in those twelve years! You give that dude too much credit! We are the worst team in Europe among the traditional big 4 plus we have lost to each and every one of them over two legs. Arshavin is more of a goal threat than Wilshere any manager woulda left him on any given Sunday[/quote]Very fuzzy how people's memory can get with this we havent won anything in 5 years mantra, we beat Liverpool at every level we met them last season abi dem no dey traditional big 4 again? and I never said I had any issues with leaving Arshavin on, I prolly would if I were in Arsene's shoes, I was only pointing out that Wilshere being subbed off was not any judgement on his performance on the day.

@HNIC

I think it is better it starts early this time, if we start off wobbly and grow into the season rather than starting well and ending badly. I was a bit impressed that what was effectively a 2nd choice MF (in every position) nicked a point from Anfield and didn't look out of sorts there. It is time to show the strength of the squad, no one asks for injuries but they are a given and the squad can only show that they are well equipped to cope.

And the injury scourge begins again, Nasri is out for a month, thank god we're better equipped to cope with it this season.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/nasri-undergoes-minor-surgery-on-his-knee
opportunity for Wilshere and some young guns to get more games and show what they can do, we also still have Denilson, hope Cesc's chest infection clears up ASAP too.

What have yu people done to Sauron? I'd like him come explain bebe's signing.

dayokanu:
Young Boys 3 Tottenham 1 half time _{Dayokanu likes}

How you no go like am you this anti-brit, wetin England do you self?

On a funny note, I hear young boys is giving Tottenham a hiding, already 2-nil up. 

sorry I had to modify the post, it is now 3-0.  They thot it was easy playing in the UCL.

debosky:
Dein fully supported the building of the Emirates and was instrumental to it – the difference is that he believed bringing in Stan Kroenke would take the club to the next level, enabling us to compete with Abramovich and the Glazers. Despite all the hatred towards Dein, we’re now 25% owned by Kroenke.

Definitely not, he wanted us to lease Wembley. The board obviously had no problem with Kroenke, it was the way DD went about it that was all wrong. He sold out behind the other member's back, I don't know about you but I believe multi ownership is the best. Yes Abramovic might have given Chelsea their golden years but I personally don't believe that is how to build something that lasts. The Glazer wahala and Gillet& Hicks also do not make sole ownership buyouts appealing in any way, what fans forget is that there is no free lunch, someone somewhere is paying.

debosky:
But what is clear is we haven’t. . . .with certain flaws continuously appearing:
1. Over-reliance on youth
2. Mass sell offs without adequate replacements
3. Stubborn age policy
4. Failure to fill obvious gaps

1. Our youth won't remain youth forever, and the quality produced gets better by the day.
2. There is a reversing of the trend with Cesc.
3. You have a point here, but Arsene has shown that if a player produces, he can at least think of making exception to that policy
4. I would also agree you have a point here if we don't get another CB, my mind is not made up on the GK and like I said above, I still wouldn't lay the blame solely with Arsene but yes he would be largely culpable.

slimshay:
As amy lawrence said, last time the fans decided what happened in the premiership newcastle went down.
Be careful what you wish for, it just might come true, selah

Me I dey go buy o, Arsenal is a cash cow and with the stadium debt almost paid will make even more money. The sharesave scheme is being done by Equiniti who also handle the sharesaving scheme at my place of work. Now, I will become even more pro Wenger cos I'll want maximum ROI on my investment.  

Now the time has come to put your money where your mouth is. If you want an opportunity to have a say in how Arsenal is run go and see details at www.arsenalfanshare.com . Hope to jam some of y'all there in the not so distant future particulary Debo. Its an initiative of the Arsenal Supporter's Trust to get arsenal fans into the ownership of the club, if you don't like the old babas then buy them out and have a Barca kind of model.

dayokanu:
I find it odd when a clubside thinks 12 CL participation with only one final appearance is some form of success. I think Porto has even been more sucesul than that, they at least won

Na you know, I know who is rated higher in Europe between Arsenal and Porto right now.

debosky:
That ruthless pragmatism is what Wenger has likely lost - he has won trophies with pragmatism, including many FA cups so he's no longer interested in that. He now wants to do it in the 'ideal' way, and appears to be unwilling to modify that approach. If I am right on this reading, he won't win another trophy with arsenal till he leaves, but he will keep us near the top.

Fair enough Arsene has his ideals, I've never seen a successful individual without some sort of idea or masterplan he takes towards it, do you really think Arsene will lose his pragmatism at this age? even you who is younger are you not mostly set in your ways? If Arsene was set in his ways already when he won those trophies earlier, why the sudden change?

Pray, did the whole Arsenal board also lose this pragmatism at the same time as Arsenal did? or why on earth did you think they renewed his contract earlier than usual this time? why exactly does the loss of this pragmatism align squarely with an improvement in the financial fortunes of the club?

If there is any ideal you can accuse Arsene off, it is the ideal that a footballing club should not live beyond its means, with what I see happening at Liverpool and has happened at Portsmouth, I don't see anything wrong in such an ideal.

The difference between Arsenal and Aston Villa is that our board members are not creaming off the money the club makes but reinvesting it, MON obviously could see that Randy Lerner was taking money out of the club which is why he left, cos he wouldn't carry the can if performance dropped. If you need more info about the financial muck in most of the PL clubs a couple of Untold Arsenal articles would show you all.

Dr Kitaun:
I dont understand what Dudu means by organic growth from within, does that apply to Vermeleaen ? Arshavin ?
Why should AW descend as low as discussing and comparing us with MAN CITEH ?

Money talks Dr. Kit, whether people acknowledge it or not. Even pointing out the 2 players you've mentioned, how good is Arshavin playing now? the way most people talk, its like we need 11 Arshavins/Vermaelen types but no way can the club pay for that like City or Chelsea back in the day.

The only club that has gotten a very fine blend of experience and youth is Manure and they still outspent us doing it by a lot more (it is interesting to note that they still outspent us in the ongoing transfer window even though, they also seem to be going down the youth/untested player route nowadays).
Money gives you the complete player here and now while a youth policy needs time and has a larger degree of uncertainty associated with it.

The fact that we are depending on one or 2 buys to win the PL suggests to me that the balance isn't right if (as Kos's scare showed) injury can easily deprive you of that prized asset in a second, the likes of Manure and chelsea have won the league not by depending on any one player but strength in depth which they have mostly bought.

Arsenal have taken a different route to develop that strength in depth which is why we've been trophyless for so long (it is interesting to note that out of a squad of 26 players in the first team player profiles on Arsenal.com 15 players have been with Arsenal prior to their 18th birthday with most of them still under 25) with each passing year we get better because even without buying, these players get better with experience and that is the organic growth I'm referring to.  It is rational to expect Song to be better than last year, also Denilson considering the strides Diaby took last year between 22 and 23, even if you don't believe they can improve, at least they were good enough for 3rd place and would make good squad members, we also have Wilshere now with a half season of league experience whom Arsene is comfortable enough to play at Anfield on opening day of the season, and also JET whom you seem to like, now convince me that is not organic growth.

It is wrong to say Denilson is not good enough at 21, even as poor my opinion is of Theo I still refrain from saying he won't make it. The truth is, to replace this players with quality better than them which will last will require much more than spending a paltry 10m per transfer window or even the 16m the club had to string together to get Arshavin when UCL participation seemed in jeopardy.

A lot of people on here questioned my insistence on Arsene pursuing a youth policy last season by referring to the likes of Silvestre, Gallas and Sol but where are they now?  and how much were they bought for again? total sum is the 750K paid for Silvestre. Those players should be seen for what they are, stop gap measures, anyone still waiting for Arsenal to go and spend big is prolly supporting the wrong club.

debosky:
@ Dudu

Let's move on - I maintain there was no reason to play Wilshere in a game of this magnitude, and his error almost cost us 3 points. While it wasn't catastrophic and Wilshere did ok, it was not necessary.

The key issue here is now securing the CB(s) and GK we need.

I second you on this, our only point of departure is if it is Arsene's fault if we get one or not. If we don't get one, it will be because a deal couldn't be agreed and I personally don't believe Arsene should carry the can for that, that would be a direct result of our financial prudence policy. I found this statement from Arsene very interesting.

[Quote]"You said to me that Manchester City invests over £100 million and us £8 million and if we do not win the title it is a scandal! You have to accept that the league is at a high level and it isn’t as easy as it looks."[/quote]From this statement, I can deduce that we likely bought Koscielny for around 8m, I don't know how much we made from selling Dudu but I would think some of that would go towards buying Schwarzer and the CB. I still believe we will get at least a CB in before the window closes.

The fact that we put in an offer for Schwarzer as early as May but haven't tied down a deal till now, took so long to bring in Koscielny and taking so long to bring in the extra CB tells me it is all monetary issues, I told you a long time ago since the Arshavin saga that we are counting our pennies, I find it hard to understand why most fans can't comprehend this.

This is the one point where most Arsenal fans including yourself have refused to face up to reality, if this squad is going to make it, it will be mostly from organic growth within and not how much we spend or don't spend to bring in players, that is the singular reason we're investing so much in youth.
Now you've got someone promising Alardyce 100m on bringing in players if he buys Blackburn, making it even tougher if anyone intended to compete based on money alone, I am glad we developed our academy.

Debosky:
He is in the squad to fill a role, not necessarily start. In the end he was taken off for Rozzi, didn't that prove that he didn't HAVE to start?

didn't see this initially Debo, what are you on about here? are you now saying that taking a player off in a game means he should not have started? what happened to subbing due to fatigue or changing tactics?

He was played because he was better than Rosicky during pre-season, for all we know maybe that has lit up a fire under Rosicky's backside. Whatever the reason, he fully justified his manager's belief in him and it bodes well for the future of the club that we have an 18 year old we are not afraid of playing anywhere in a league match.

The manager didn't loan him out because he believed he was ready to compete for a first team shirt, when did competing for a first team shirt include not playing at Anfield?

dipo2much:
1) even if we get a gd CB and goalie,  In contrast to what a gooner posted,i dont think a trophy is guaranteed (at this stage in the season) even if we hav an additional CB and keeper. Who could hav foretold that liverpool would have a season as bad as they did at the initial stages of last season? At least they finishd 2nd a not-too-far season and had a better squad than we have at arsenal now. And assuming chelski n manure are 'perfect' manager and team-wise. can both teams win d league? I think if we get a good CB and goalie,we are only makin ourselves better 'contenders' as are chelski and manure.

I never said we would definitely win the league, I said I would bet £150 if we get an extra CB and bet £300 if we get a GK in addition, with the odds being given for arsenal winning the league, I think its a worthwhile risk considering the strength of the squad and I'm not even usually a betting man.

As to Liverpool having a better squad 2 seasons ago than we have at Arsenal right now, I strongly disagree, this present Arsenal squad is stronger than most people think it is, without Cesc, Song and RVP for most of the game and an out of sorts Arshavin we went to Anfield and gave them a game. A friend predicted that Arsenal would start slowly this season and his prediction seems to be spot on.

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6582773#msg6582773 date=1281986778]I am not his PR manager but i get irked when you single him out for criticism every damn time even when its clear there are a lot of sub-par players at Arsenal. Mr Diaby had a stinker but as usual Duduspace was conspicuously mute on that. I am sure if it where Theo that gifted Liverpool that opener you would have JF.Killed him on this thread[/quote]Firstly, I don't criticise Theo everytime, I did say on this same thread that he had an okay game when he played for the 3 lions last week, it is however my opinion that he is the worst attacking player in the Arsenal squad, I need no other proof than the fact that Eboue a converted RB is starting ahead of him as a RWF, if the only place he can make an impact is when played centrally then I dont think he is good enough for us and he is taking a place in the squad that a more able player should be.

How exactly can you say that Diaby had a stinker on Saturday? he is an holding player FFS and arsenal had 64% possesion what more could you ask for? he wasn't to blame for the goal we conceded, everyone knows it was upfront in the final third we had issues with an out of sorts Arshavin and Eboue being effectively checkmated by Agger, now it is you who is looking biased against Diaby if you can come on here and say he had a stinker against liverpool. If you take your Theo tinted glasses off, and put his run against liverpool in the UCL aside we'll be able to discuss the merits and demerits of each player sensibly.

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6582773#msg6582773 date=1281986778]Judging from the last 5 trophyless seasons its hard to say this manager knows what he is doing! He was part and parcel of the shambolic midfield that could not dominate proceedings in the middle luckily Wenger spotted that
Me i wan know the optimistic Igbo wey Duduspace dey smoke i might consider going back to smoking because of that[/quote]Judging from 12 years of continuous UCL participation, it is hard to say this manager doesn't know what he is doing, players can be removed for whatever reasons, fatigue, tactics e.t.c. so subbing Wilshere might not have much to do with his performance on the day. Arshavin played much worse and was left on the pitch.

debosky:
You're really taking the piss here. . . . being in the squad to gain experience is NOT the same thing as starting against Liverpool with a depleted midfield. How can you justify such a daft move?

He is in the squad to fill a role, not necessarily start. In the end he was taken off for Rozzi, didn't that prove that he didn't HAVE to start?

It is not a matter of Wilshere being ashamed of his performance - young players make mistakes and that is normal. The issue here is a wrong decision by the gaffer - Wilshere's introduction should be one in relative comfort so he can learn and improve, not one where he could possibly be facing a backlash if we lost the game.

It is the height of naivety to think that all your players are competent to play any game, that is why you have a first 11 and back ups - all the back ups will never be as good as your first choices unless you are Chelski at the height of money madness or Citeh. Evidence shows our back ups are clearly NOT as good as the first 11, as our catastrophic losses at the back end of last season proved.

Is it only young players who make mistakes? I haven't seen anyone coming up anywhere to criticise Wilshere for what happened yesterday, it is all part of the game, he will go home and learn from it, there is no certainty that having a older player would have changed the outcome of yesterday's match. There is no reason why Arsene couldn't play him yesterday. If he is good enough to be in the squad then he is good enough to play when he is so called by his manager, if he is not then there is no point in him being in the squad.

[quote author=A-40 link=topic=439183.msg6582464#msg6582464 date=1281982547]Overskill has never failed to kill the ninja. Mr Duduspace we saw the moment of brilliance from Mr Wilshere our so-called Messiah that gifted Liverpool the opener how you are yet to blame Theo for that gaffe is beyond me like i said week in week out EPL action would expose these so-called future stars

Not much to comment on. Arshavin and Nasri where dreadful thank Goodness we kept Cesc!! In all fairness it was a tough game and the result was ok even though it coulda been better. The defence is still a problem but if Wenger does not care why should i??[/quote]Are you Theo's PR manager? even when he is shoddy you see nothing wrong in him. He was okay yesterday while Arshavin was pants I had nothing to comment about on his game yesterday cos he wasn't excellent neither was he brilliant, but what Arshavin did yesterday is what you might call a typical Theo performance apart from Arshavin adding his usual laziness to it. If Arshavin continues like this he might be getting the Adebayor treatment very soon, patience is short at the emirates at present.

And I have not called Wilshere a messiah but it is instructive that his manager was confident enough to play him at Anfield yesterday while keeping Theo on the bench, that is a testament to his ability, was Arsene ever confident enough to start Theo at Anfield at Jack's age?

follypimpi:
^ Wa de gbayii Debosky.We started creating chances the moment Rozzi with his very quick feet came in.

Now, this is the Rosicky we know and not the one that sauntered through Pre-season like he couldn't be bothered. Maybe with age, he is pacing himself through the season.

debosky:
Throw him in against Liverpool?? As his full EPL debut at Anfield?? Dudu go drink some coffee or something, you still have a hangover if you think it's a good idea throwing him at the deep end. Why not against Blackpool at home when we will clearly be dominant?
A coach has to at intelligently and I don't think AW did Wilshere the best by starting him against Liverpool.

Why not? if Arsene has belief in his ability I say why not? is that not why he is in the squad for days like this? Cesc supposedly had a chest infection or something but whatever reason it might be is he not a squad member? should he not be ready for anything that might come along? Does he have anything to be ashamed of in his performance yesterday?
You would come and tell me that we should have 2 players good enough for each position so if Wilshere is good enough to be in the squad then he is good enough to play anywhere at anytime be it Anfield or OT.

dayokanu:
Vermaelen and Koscielny are enuff when suspended they can draft Theo to CD.
Almunia is more than enuff, Stick with him
but Duduspace, I want the league by May, Anything short is FAILURE, No excuse would suffice Not even injury to 23 players cos you have the transfer window to plan for such exigencies.
Would you agree that Arsenal FC is a useless club and that Wenger is clueless if you end up without the league this season?

Why should I? no one is ever guaranteed of anything. Winning the league would definitely be success but I wouldn't call not winning it failure particularly in a life where one dodgy refree decision can be the difference. I don't live a life of absolutes but if Arsene is able to buy one more CB, I'll go on a limb and make the bet that Arsenal would win the league cos I would consider it a risk worth taking considering the strength of this team.

What is this stuff about not playing Wilshere? he might have had a so so game but no way can anyone say he was disappointing? and if you don't throw him in now, when exactly do you throw him in?
I tire for arsenal fans self, you don't want him to go out on loan and you don't want Arsene to play him. Wetin coach suppose do self?

@HNIC

I have said it before and will say it again, the basic ingredients for this team are already in, we only need to make up the numbers in defence. There are only 2 reasons why I can think of Arsene buying Schwarzer, he has massive experience, knows the PL well and has aerial command of his box an area most of our GKs have been found wanting, also there is talk of him ultimately becoming a GK coach with us. I pointed out that Almunia did take us to within 4 points of winning the PL in 2007/08 but people like Debo are quick to gloss over that as if the chap is completely clueless. Take away this mantra of not winning anything in 5 years and what yu've got is a squad that is more competitive than last seasons.

Swap Almunia for Reina yesterday and the "Anti-arsenal" arsenal fans would have gone into overdrive this morning.

If Arsene gets that extra CB, I will go and make that bet and would gladly bet with anyone on this thread that we will win the PL this season.

yousouph:
@bgees. Na wenger give una mouth. Imagine all the dead balls we got in the 1st and nothing to show. Theo takes freekick!

Interesting ability he is adding to his locker, quite an impressive attempt I must say. Theo works hard, I can't fault him for his hard work, its only his ability I question but if he develops other aspects of his game it can only benefit him.

debosky:
To supporters of the 'lean squad' policy, now we have only ONE fit CB in the side. . . .so much for the sense in letting loose 4 CBs at once.  

With more men we still couldn't create any meaningful chances and Wilshere's error for the goal (as well as Almunia's failure to stop the shot) shows we are still in need of reinforcements.

In the cold light of day, a point from Anfield is not a bad result, but given the circumstances it is an abysmal result.

The old evils are still here. . . lack of concentration (Wilshere) poor goalkeeping (Almunia) and a new one, lack of creativity. I can't remember a game where we've created so few chances.

Coolu temper, the transfer window aint closed yet. Kos looks a good buy though and so does Chamakh, it is funny that Arsene is the only manager being judged on the basis of players he hasn't signed, other managers get judged on the basis of the players they buy.
I was blaming Arshavin initially for the pass it caught Wilshere wrong footed, hard to say whose fault it is but Wilshere will learn from it thank god it wasn't cataclysmic.

Interesting game but thank god we didn't lose. Unfortunate 2nd yellow for Kos, and I wonder what Sagna was thinking when he headed that ball back, much easier to leave it for Almunia.

Ope oooooo, Chamakh.

Arshavin is a liability today. He is having a typical Walcott kinda game.

which kain useless pass was that from Arshavin??

Praise God, Kos is back.

@HNIC

Trust the English pundits, they've already started giving him his excuses.

Red card for Joe Cole  Hope thats not a bad injury for Koscielny though? now its imperative we get that extra CB.