₦airaland Forum

From the bottom right to the top. . .hand bags really!

manmustwac:
why swear i guess your just a child at heart

Why swear not? It's Spurs we're talking about. . . why the hell not!!

manmustwac:
So you'll come and spam the spurs thread and your telling me not to retaliate against you but to go to the Arsenal thread when you {the spammer} have your own thread here?

Sounds fair to me since the basis of taunting is the football club at the moment. . . before it gets personal

Where is Dayokanu

Eboue just scored for Ivory Coast against Germany!!!

oops,

manmustwac if you try this one more time I swear you'll hate your own thread.

If you really must do this, the Arsenal thread is available for that,

I warn you, fu**k off!

manmustwac:
[size=16pt]we love you tottenham. yes we do. oh the tottenham we love you[/size]

[size=16pt]Have you ever seen Tottenham win the League?
Have you ever seen Tottenham win the League?
Have you ever seen Tottenham,
Ever seen Tottenham,
Ever seen Tottenham win the league?
[/size]

First it was RVP, now it’s Gibbsy who’s injured. He was pulled off after 21 minutes of the England U21s 0-0 draw with Lithuania and it isn’t looking good at all. Apparently, he hurt his right ankle in a tackle and will be assessed by medical staff at Colney today. Where does that leave us when our left back and deputy left back get injured? It reminds me of the 2005/2006 season when both A**ley Cole and Gael Clichy were both injured and Flamini had to be deployed at left back.

Our options at leftback are straight forward and would involve playing either Traore or Silvestre at left back to compensate for the injury. Between them, they have three appearances this season. Maybe we might just finally appreciate Silvestre’s experience this season when we through him into the mix against Liege, Chelsea and City. I left Sunderland out on purpose! Alternatively, we could play Vermaelen at left back and pair either Silvestre or Senderos with Gallas in Central defence. Either way, someone a lot of people do not like is going to get a game as I don’t see Traore ahead of anyone else in the pecking order.

The news that Robin Van Persie is flying to Serbia to seek the help of a Serbian Housewife to help his injury recovery is rather cheesy! Apparently, the trip has been sanctioned by the club who are keen to see their in-form star back to fitness sooner than later. The treatment involves massage with the fluid from horse placenta. What is of note also is the fact that her methods, using massage and vibration to bring about an improvement to soft tissue injuries in a matter of five to seven days, are increasingly being copied by some Premier League clubs. You can guess who tried to sign her up….City!

With the injury worries growing, Eduardo has said he is the man to fill Van Persie’s boots. Eduardo said;

‘I’m feeling good. At the beginning of the season I had a few injury niggles but I am OK now and ready to help the team rise to the top of the table, as well as progress in the Champions League. We are doing very well at the moment and I hope we can produce a big surprise this year.’
‘The boss knows our qualities and how they can fit into a formation. For me it is fine to play on the left or the right, no problem, the most important thing is to help the team and I feel good in those positions. It is a formation that gives us more movement and more creativity through the middle, although it is not easy because we have to balance defence and attack and that can be difficult.’

Hmnn…it shouldn’t be a big step up for him anyway and I expect we’ll have a clue as to which shape the team will change in the next few days. One certain thing though is the fact that Samir Nasri will not be filling in for Alex Song in January when he represents Cameroon in the Nation’s cup. Arsene said;

“No, [he is not a replacement]. I do not say that he could not, Samir is very tactically astute, but he is attracted forwards. He loves the offensive game. We have Denilson who can fill that role. He is more suited than Samir at the moment. Samir is more a player who has pace, is versatile around the box and can finish. It would be a sacrifice to put him down there. Also he has a little handicap in the air. He likes [that defensive role] and certainly, technically and tactically, he can do it but I believe he can be more efficient up front.”

I can’t wait for the international break to be over so we can have some decent football again. When news that Emmanuel Eboue wants to be like Eddie Murphy makes headlines on the Arsenal website, you know that someone at Highbury House is really bored! Anyway, they remembered to report that Gavin Hoyte has extended his loan spell with Brighton.

I’ve got some non Arsenal work to do at the moment so I’ll leave it there till tommorrow when we’ll know who else is going to the World Cup. Good luck to Arshavin, Gallas and Sagna…

Victoria Concordia Crescit

First it was RVP, now it’s Gibbsy who’s injured. He was pulled off after 21 minutes of the England U21s 0-0 draw with Lithuania and it isn’t looking good at all. Apparently, he hurt his right ankle in a tackle and will be assessed by medical staff at Colney today. Where does that leave us when our left back and deputy left back get injured? It reminds me of the 2005/2006 season when both A**ley Cole and Gael Clichy were both injured and Flamini had to be deployed at left back.

Our options at leftback are straight forward and would involve playing either Traore or Silvestre at left back to compensate for the injury. Between them, they have three appearances this season. Maybe we might just finally appreciate Silvestre’s experience this season when we through him into the mix against Liege, Chelsea and City. I left Sunderland out on purpose! Alternatively, we could play Vermaelen at left back and pair either Silvestre or Senderos with Gallas in Central defence. Either way, someone a lot of people do not like is going to get a game as I don’t see Traore ahead of anyone else in the pecking order.

The news that Robin Van Persie is flying to Serbia to seek the help of a Serbian Housewife to help his injury recovery is rather cheesy! Apparently, the trip has been sanctioned by the club who are keen to see their in-form star back to fitness sooner than later. The treatment involves massage with the fluid from horse placenta. What is of note also is the fact that her methods, using massage and vibration to bring about an improvement to soft tissue injuries in a matter of five to seven days, are increasingly being copied by some Premier League clubs. You can guess who tried to sign her up….City!

With the injury worries growing, Eduardo has said he is the man to fill Van Persie’s boots. Eduardo said;

‘I’m feeling good. At the beginning of the season I had a few injury niggles but I am OK now and ready to help the team rise to the top of the table, as well as progress in the Champions League. We are doing very well at the moment and I hope we can produce a big surprise this year.’
‘The boss knows our qualities and how they can fit into a formation. For me it is fine to play on the left or the right, no problem, the most important thing is to help the team and I feel good in those positions. It is a formation that gives us more movement and more creativity through the middle, although it is not easy because we have to balance defence and attack and that can be difficult.’

Hmnn…it shouldn’t be a big step up for him anyway and I expect we’ll have a clue as to which shape the team will change in the next few days. One certain thing though is the fact that Samir Nasri will not be filling in for Alex Song in January when he represents Cameroon in the Nation’s cup. Arsene said;

“No, [he is not a replacement]. I do not say that he could not, Samir is very tactically astute, but he is attracted forwards. He loves the offensive game. We have Denilson who can fill that role. He is more suited than Samir at the moment. Samir is more a player who has pace, is versatile around the box and can finish. It would be a sacrifice to put him down there. Also he has a little handicap in the air. He likes [that defensive role] and certainly, technically and tactically, he can do it but I believe he can be more efficient up front.”

I can’t wait for the international break to be over so we can have some decent football again. When news that Emmanuel Eboue wants to be like Eddie Murphy makes headlines on the Arsenal website, you know that someone at Highbury House is really bored! Anyway, they remembered to report that Gavin Hoyte has extended his loan spell with Brighton.

I’ve got some non Arsenal work to do at the moment so I’ll leave it there till tommorrow when we’ll know who else is going to the World Cup. Good luck to Arshavin, Gallas and Sagna…

Victoria Concordia Crescit

I hope all the haters are happy now… RVP got crocked after 10 minutes in Pescara and you have to wonder if it wasn’t really a well hatched Italian Job…consipiracy theories and all. Apparently he’s got a partially ruptured ankle ligament and even though I’m miffed, I think it makes it all a test of our strength in depth and unlike February 2008 when Eduardo got injured, I believe we do have the numbers to make it count. Sorry Robin, you’re going to have to sit this one out for a bit. The injury which leaves him out for around six to eight weeks will probably mean a rejig of our formation and by that I don’t mean tactics but people. With Bendtner and Van Persie out till the New Year it initially looks bleak, but when you realise we’ve got Rosicky, Eduardo, Walcott, Vela…and young Sanchez Watt you realise it’s not so bad. Alright Arsene, take your pick!

More positively though on Saturday Aaron Ramsey was named Man of The Match in Wales 3-0 win over Scotland (yes the score was 3-0) in Cardiff despite playing only 57 minutes. He set up two goals and scored a third after waltzing through the Scottish defence after an error from Darren Fletcher! However, it looks likely that he will miss Wales U21 qualifier against Bosnia with a back injury…darn! I saw the goals, the boy is good! End of story, like you didn’t already know eh? Where are those idiots who said what it was they said anyway? If I catch ever catch that dayokanu running his mouth this week, it won’t be funny at all!

Liverpool have been surprisingly linked with a January move for Eduardo! Hmn…he’d be a good signing for them but the problem is that he isn’t going anywhere. You think he’d leave Arsenal, just like that? Or that we’ll sell him eh? Just like that? They’d have better luck signing Carlton Cole who is more of the player they need. You know he’s probably going to get a good run-in in the next few weeks with you know who out injured so I figure come January he’d be figuring prominently enough that he’d be crazy to leave. Besides, Chamakh dropped off our radar because of Eduardo’s return to form and you think we’d just let him go like that? I wonder what Martin Hardy has been sniffing lately.

In some strange news, it has also emerged that the woman driving the Ford Fiesta involved in the accident with Spurs goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini is an Arsenal Fan…what are the odds? Hopefully tomorrow, I’ll have a full round up on the internationals plus the latest injury news (where is Diaby?)
Till then…Victoria Concordia Crescit

I hope all the haters are happy now… RVP got crocked after 10 minutes in Pescara and you have to wonder if it wasn’t really a well hatched Italian Job…consipiracy theories and all. Apparently he’s got a partially ruptured ankle ligament and even though I’m miffed, I think it makes it all a test of our strength in depth and unlike February 2008 when Eduardo got injured, I believe we do have the numbers to make it count. Sorry Robin, you’re going to have to sit this one out for a bit. The injury which leaves him out for around six to eight weeks will probably mean a rejig of our formation and by that I don’t mean tactics but people. With Bendtner and Van Persie out till the New Year it initially looks bleak, but when you realise we’ve got Rosicky, Eduardo, Walcott, Vela…and young Sanchez Watt you realise it’s not so bad. Alright Arsene, take your pick!

More positively though on Saturday Aaron Ramsey was named Man of The Match in Wales 3-0 win over Scotland (yes the score was 3-0) in Cardiff despite playing only 57 minutes. He set up two goals and scored a third after waltzing through the Scottish defence after an error from Darren Fletcher! However, it looks likely that he will miss Wales U21 qualifier against Bosnia with a back injury…darn! I saw the goals, the boy is good! End of story, like you didn’t already know eh? Where are those idiots who said what it was they said anyway? If I catch ever catch that dayokanu running his mouth this week, it won’t be funny at all!

Liverpool have been surprisingly linked with a January move for Eduardo! Hmn…he’d be a good signing for them but the problem is that he isn’t going anywhere. You think he’d leave Arsenal, just like that? Or that we’ll sell him eh? Just like that? They’d have better luck signing Carlton Cole who is more of the player they need. You know he’s probably going to get a good run-in in the next few weeks with you know who out injured so I figure come January he’d be figuring prominently enough that he’d be crazy to leave. Besides, Chamakh dropped off our radar because of Eduardo’s return to form and you think we’d just let him go like that? I wonder what Martin Hardy has been sniffing lately.

In some strange news, it has also emerged that the woman driving the Ford Fiesta involved in the accident with Spurs goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini is an Arsenal Fan…what are the odds? Hopefully tomorrow, I’ll have a full round up on the internationals plus the latest injury news (where is Diaby?)
Till then…Victoria Concordia Crescit

I’m not superstitious. Are you? Some people say Friday the 13th is an unlucky day; is it? Arsene Wenger thinks the converse that it is lucky and his seat number at the Emirates Stadium is 13. When I played for Home Science back in the day, my jersey number was 13 and I scored a hat-trick (ok the third was ruled out for a foul) on my debut and was pretty much Mr Prolific in my day. A bit like Sani Emmanuel of the Nigeria U25s U17s!

I’ve been quiet for about a week for a reason and it’s not like I don’t have anything to write about as such; there just isn’t very much happening everyday to make for interesting reading. Now putting all the little bits of the last week or so together, there’s quite a bit today so there’s a full load on the blog today and I’ll get right to it!

So we destroyed Wolves…’twas expected! Despite the fact that we were 3-0 up at half time I must confess that after 20 minutes I felt we could end up losing the game 2-0. They looked lively in the rain early on and threatened with set pieces with Kieran Gibbs (who needs to work on his heading) clearing off the line from Doyle and Berra missing a glorious attempt to put Wolves in the lead by miscuing his header (!). Two own goals later added to a Cesc Fabregas beauty (again!) meant we went to the break comfortable in the lead. After Arshavin made it 4-0, I couldn’t help the feeling that Wolves would score a late consolation goal from a set piece. By the way their fans were absolutely brilliant as they kept singing all the way throu. However, it looked as if Thomas Vermaelen ducked out of the way for the corner for Craddock to atone for his earlier own goal. Three points in the bag…sweet!

However, there seems to be conflicting news on Diaby who was forced off with an injury early in the first half. While Arsene Wenger was of the opinion that Diaby would be out for 3 weeks, French federation spokesperson Francois Manardo is of the opinion that he could still play a part in the crucial World Cup play offs against Ireland. He said;

“The tests he underwent this morning were satisfactory. He still needs treatment but he is not out (of the playoff). He is staying with us (at the training camp).”

This is sure irk Arsene who is often at odds with selfish National team coaches over player fitness issues. This brings me to another reason why Arsene Wenger doesn’t like November…injuries! There’s an international break at the moment and with 15 Gunners on duty, I’m a bit worried as on more than occassion, several of them have come back crocked. He said;

“I believe there is a period in November when you have a little more injuries than before. But we have a special case because we have some players [coming back] who have nearly not played this season. If you take players like Rosicky, like Walcott, like Nasri, it is a period where they can come into the team. Nasri played against Alkmaar, it was basically his first game, Rosicky has played three games and Walcott has basically not played this year.”

I guess that this year, we do have some cause for optimism as we’ve got players coming back from injury, ready to step in immediately if anyone does get injured so maybe this November will be different. On the International scene, I’m pleased to see that Vito Mannone has been called up to the Italian U21 squad for the first time. What a change in fortune for our little known keeper after a string of decent performances for the first team. Who knows, he may just be the next Gianluca Buffon!

Meanwhile, Cesc Fabregas has been named EA Sports Player of the month for October. You’ve probably heard how good Fabregas is and how much he brings to the team and so I won’t bore you with all those details you’ve heard for the last few years. However, what is of note is the fact that this months vote was a close one between himself and Robin Van Persie with the poll ending 43.4 to 42 in favour of Fabregas. What this shows is that we have two players at the top of their game and the fans know it; end of story! Oh you thought I’d say more…nah I’ll leave that to the BBC Sports bloggers!

Our loan stars all featured over the weekend with Jay Simpson scoring again and Gavin Hoyte getting sent off for the first time in his career! One thing I must say though is that our loan stars this season are probably not yet quite ready to break into the first team, but are equally too gifted to be playing only reserve team football at this stage of their careers and need to be playing week in week out to keep up their game. Still, it’s worth noting that I strongly believe that if in the end Simpson or Lansbury (both English players) don’t end up making the grade at Arsenal, they do hae the quality to play at the top level and won’t be surprised to see them turning out for the likes of Birmingham, Wigan or Boro, teams known for always taking a chance on talent.

After the International break, we play Sunderland away followed by two home games to Standard Liege in the Champions’ League and Chelsea in the Premiership. It’s interesting to note that this games will immediately be followed by a Carling Cup tie away to Manchester City. Four goals against Wolves took Arsenal’s tally for the season to 36 in 11 games, a scoring rate which keeps them on course to become the first side to break the 100-goal barrier for a Premier League campaign. Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger is insistent that he will be “faithful to his policy” in the Carling Cup when we do travel to Eastlands. He said;

“It will be interesting, exciting and a good test. We will be faithful to our policy and of course put a team out who has a good chance to win the game. If you call a full side 11 top players, then we will play a full side. For me a full side means a team who has a chance to win any game.”

More on that to follow soon enough!

Finally, Nicklas Bendtner has been named as the Danish Player of the Year. I’ve always been a big fan of the young Dane and am glad to see that he’s begining to get some of the recognition he truly deserves. People forget he’s only 21 not noticing that he scored 15 in all competitions last season. Whilst he’s currently being played out of position on the wing, I am of the opinion that in a few years, if he remains consistent and works on his weaknesess, he has the potential ability to become European player of the year.  This I say without prejudice and from a neutral standpoint. Let’s wait and see…

Please spare a thought for Carlo Cudicini who suffered potentially life changing injuries after fracturing his wrists and pelvis in a horrific bike crash yesterday….yeah he plays for Spurs but I always thought he was a decent guy before he joined them. I wish him well and hope he can go on to live a normal life in the future.

Till then…Victoria Concordia Crescit!

slimshay:
Guy pre-match analysis ready. do i post any time soon. holla quick.

Saw it. . . was great!

I’m not superstitious. Are you? Some people say Friday the 13th is an unlucky day; is it? Arsene Wenger thinks the converse that it is lucky and his seat number at the Emirates Stadium is 13. When I played for Home Science back in the day, my jersey number was 13 and I scored a hat-trick (ok the third was ruled out for a foul) on my debut and was pretty much Mr Prolific in my day. A bit like Sani Emmanuel of the Nigeria U25s U17s!

I’ve been quiet for about a week for a reason and it’s not like I don’t have anything to write about as such; there just isn’t very much happening everyday to make for interesting reading. Now putting all the little bits of the last week or so together, there’s quite a bit today so there’s a full load on the blog today and I’ll get right to it!

So we destroyed Wolves…’twas expected! Despite the fact that we were 3-0 up at half time I must confess that after 20 minutes I felt we could end up losing the game 2-0. They looked lively in the rain early on and threatened with set pieces with Kieran Gibbs (who needs to work on his heading) clearing off the line from Doyle and Berra missing a glorious attempt to put Wolves in the lead by miscuing his header (!). Two own goals later added to a Cesc Fabregas beauty (again!) meant we went to the break comfortable in the lead. After Arshavin made it 4-0, I couldn’t help the feeling that Wolves would score a late consolation goal from a set piece. By the way their fans were absolutely brilliant as they kept singing all the way throu. However, it looked as if Thomas Vermaelen ducked out of the way for the corner for Craddock to atone for his earlier own goal. Three points in the bag…sweet!

However, there seems to be conflicting news on Diaby who was forced off with an injury early in the first half. While Arsene Wenger was of the opinion that Diaby would be out for 3 weeks, French federation spokesperson Francois Manardo is of the opinion that he could still play a part in the crucial World Cup play offs against Ireland. He said;

“The tests he underwent this morning were satisfactory. He still needs treatment but he is not out (of the playoff). He is staying with us (at the training camp).”

This is sure irk Arsene who is often at odds with selfish National team coaches over player fitness issues. This brings me to another reason why Arsene Wenger doesn’t like November…injuries! There’s an international break at the moment and with 15 Gunners on duty, I’m a bit worried as on more than occassion, several of them have come back crocked. He said;

“I believe there is a period in November when you have a little more injuries than before. But we have a special case because we have some players [coming back] who have nearly not played this season. If you take players like Rosicky, like Walcott, like Nasri, it is a period where they can come into the team. Nasri played against Alkmaar, it was basically his first game, Rosicky has played three games and Walcott has basically not played this year.”

I guess that this year, we do have some cause for optimism as we’ve got players coming back from injury, ready to step in immediately if anyone does get injured so maybe this November will be different. On the International scene, I’m pleased to see that Vito Mannone has been called up to the Italian U21 squad for the first time. What a change in fortune for our little known keeper after a string of decent performances for the first team. Who knows, he may just be the next Gianluca Buffon!

Meanwhile, Cesc Fabregas has been named EA Sports Player of the month for October. You’ve probably heard how good Fabregas is and how much he brings to the team and so I won’t bore you with all those details you’ve heard for the last few years. However, what is of note is the fact that this months vote was a close one between himself and Robin Van Persie with the poll ending 43.4 to 42 in favour of Fabregas. What this shows is that we have two players at the top of their game and the fans know it; end of story! Oh you thought I’d say more…nah I’ll leave that to the BBC Sports bloggers!

Our loan stars all featured over the weekend with Jay Simpson scoring again and Gavin Hoyte getting sent off for the first time in his career! One thing I must say though is that our loan stars this season are probably not yet quite ready to break into the first team, but are equally too gifted to be playing only reserve team football at this stage of their careers and need to be playing week in week out to keep up their game. Still, it’s worth noting that I strongly believe that if in the end Simpson or Lansbury (both English players) don’t end up making the grade at Arsenal, they do hae the quality to play at the top level and won’t be surprised to see them turning out for the likes of Birmingham, Wigan or Boro, teams known for always taking a chance on talent.

After the International break, we play Sunderland away followed by two home games to Standard Liege in the Champions’ League and Chelsea in the Premiership. It’s interesting to note that this games will immediately be followed by a Carling Cup tie away to Manchester City. Four goals against Wolves took Arsenal’s tally for the season to 36 in 11 games, a scoring rate which keeps them on course to become the first side to break the 100-goal barrier for a Premier League campaign. Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger is insistent that he will be “faithful to his policy” in the Carling Cup when we do travel to Eastlands. He said;

“It will be interesting, exciting and a good test. We will be faithful to our policy and of course put a team out who has a good chance to win the game. If you call a full side 11 top players, then we will play a full side. For me a full side means a team who has a chance to win any game.”

More on that to follow soon enough!

Finally, Nicklas Bendtner has been named as the Danish Player of the Year. I’ve always been a big fan of the young Dane and am glad to see that he’s begining to get some of the recognition he truly deserves. People forget he’s only 21 not noticing that he scored 15 in all competitions last season. Whilst he’s currently being played out of position on the wing, I am of the opinion that in a few years, if he remains consistent and works on his weaknesess, he has the potential ability to become European player of the year.  This I say without prejudice and from a neutral standpoint. Let’s wait and see…

Please spare a thought for Carlo Cudicini who suffered potentially life changing injuries after fracturing his wrists and pelvis in a horrific bike crash yesterday….yeah he plays for Spurs but I always thought he was a decent guy before he joined them. I wish him well and hope he can go on to live a normal life in the future.

Till then…Victoria Concordia Crescit!

Tomorrow evening, we play Wolves away at the Molineux knowing that either of Manchester United or Chelsea will invevitably drop points in the title race on Sunday. As such, we must grab our opportunities as we have clearly failed to do in the last couple of seasons. Speaking to the press ahead of the match, Arsene had this to say;

"I'm focused on us winning the [Wolves] game, after I take any result [at Stamford Bridge]. For us you know that a successful season is to grab opportunities when you have them and we have a good opportunity to gain some ground on one of the two teams. That is what we will try to do."
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-we-must-grab-our-opportunities

It's games like this that we should show absolutely no respect for our opponents and simply destroy them. I'm looking at the league table and I see Wolves in 17th. Fair enough they just came up but Mick McCarthy has one of the worst records as a Manager in the Premier League (Sunderland anybody?). If we play the way we took the game to AZ and Spurs, they'd be toast for us by half time. The more we score, the better as it'll only boost confidence and morale and send out "Watch Out For Us" signs to all our opponents!

I'll pause here to watch to the prematch press conference

Ah! I've seen it! Nothing out of the ordinary except the fact that the boss wasn't too pleased that other clubs seem to be trying to destablise Fran Merida who is out of contract in the summer. Apparently, he's verbally agreed a new contract and all that is left is for him to sign it.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-merida-deal-ready-to-be-signed

Nevertheless, we won't be rotating centrebacks any time soon and I'm hoping we come out of November injury free with the international break coming soon. Good news on the horizon is the fact that Vela and Traore are close to making a return while Denilson and Theo Walcott are expected to be training in a matter of weeks.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-merida-deal-ready-to-be-signed
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/free-video-vela-and-traore-close-to-return

In some other news which Wenger cheekily described as been above his head, it has come out that Stan Kroenke has for the second time this week purchased more Arsenal shares. Significant though was the fact that 100 of the shares were purchased from Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood. As a result of this, Silent Stan has a beneficial interest in, and controls voting rights over 18,594 Shares, representing 29.9% of the issued Shares.

At this stage again, I can't shout! However, I am confident that whatever happens will be in the best interests of the club. Now the Hill-Wood family has been connected to Arsenal for over 70 years with current chairman Peter being the third generation of his family to serve as Chairman following his father Denis and his Grandfather Samuel. As such I am loathe to imagine that he would genuinely trade the heritage of the club for material wealth and leave us in the hands of the unknown. Oh that Stan would say a word! Still, Arsene knows!

Just a minute, I've just picked up on an article on the Arsenal website which makes for a very interesting read. I quote, albeit out of context!
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/free-video-vela-and-traore-close-to-return

Mr Kroenke has confirmed that he will not increase his shareholding beyond 29.9% of Arsenal's issued share capital within the twelve months following the date of this announcement, save as specified in this announcement.

This was September 2008 after Stan was invited to join the board, a little over twelve months ago! Are we getting somewhere on this? Today I leave you to come to your own conclusion on this. Tomorrow, the football returns!

Till then, There's Only One Arsene Wenger!

Tomorrow evening, we play Wolves away at the Molineux knowing that either of Manchester United or Chelsea will invevitably drop points in the title race on Sunday. As such, we must grab our opportunities as we have clearly failed to do in the last couple of seasons. Speaking to the press ahead of the match, Arsene had this to say;

"I'm focused on us winning the [Wolves] game, after I take any result [at Stamford Bridge]. For us you know that a successful season is to grab opportunities when you have them and we have a good opportunity to gain some ground on one of the two teams. That is what we will try to do."
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-we-must-grab-our-opportunities

It's games like this that we should show absolutely no respect for our opponents and simply destroy them. I'm looking at the league table and I see Wolves in 17th. Fair enough they just came up but Mick McCarthy has one of the worst records as a Manager in the Premier League (Sunderland anybody?). If we play the way we took the game to AZ and Spurs, they'd be toast for us by half time. The more we score, the better as it'll only boost confidence and morale and send out "Watch Out For Us" signs to all our opponents!

I'll pause here to watch to the prematch press conference

Ah! I've seen it!  Nothing out of the ordinary except the fact that the boss wasn't too pleased that other clubs seem to be trying to destablise Fran Merida who is out of contract in the summer. Apparently, he's verbally agreed a new contract and all that is left is for him to sign it.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-merida-deal-ready-to-be-signed

Nevertheless, we won't be rotating centrebacks any time soon and I'm hoping we come out of November injury free with the international break coming soon. Good news on the horizon is the fact that Vela and Traore are close to making a return while Denilson and Theo Walcott are expected to be training in a matter of weeks.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-merida-deal-ready-to-be-signed
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/free-video-vela-and-traore-close-to-return

In some other news which Wenger cheekily described as been above his head, it has come out that Stan Kroenke has for the second time this week purchased more Arsenal shares. Significant though was the fact that 100 of the shares were purchased from Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood. As a result of this, Silent Stan has a beneficial interest in, and controls voting rights over 18,594 Shares, representing 29.9% of the issued Shares.

At this stage again, I can't shout! However, I am confident that whatever happens will be in the best interests of the club. Now the Hill-Wood family has been connected to Arsenal for over 70 years with current chairman Peter being the third generation of his family to serve as Chairman following his father Denis and his Grandfather Samuel. As such I am loathe to imagine that he would genuinely trade the heritage of the club for material wealth and leave us in the hands of the unknown. Oh that Stan would say a word! Still, Arsene knows!

Just a minute, I've just picked up on an article on the Arsenal website which makes for a very interesting read. I quote, albeit out of context!
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/free-video-vela-and-traore-close-to-return

Mr Kroenke has confirmed that he will not increase his shareholding beyond 29.9% of Arsenal's issued share capital within the twelve months following the date of this announcement, save as specified in this announcement.

This was September 2008 after Stan was invited to join the board, a little over twelve months ago! Are we getting somewhere on this? Today I leave you to come to your own conclusion on this. Tomorrow, the football returns!

Till then, There's Only One Arsene Wenger!

I’m really angry this morning! First it was Bendtner pulling off with a groin injury, then Eduardo missing a sitter he should have scored. The news that we play Man City in the Carling cup wouldn’t have been hard to take except that our game in hand will now have to be pushed further away and we’ll have to wait even longer before we can even think of going top pending a capitulation by the Chelski or Manure!

As if that wasn’t enough, I found out that the flashes and floaters in my left eye were not as a result of a hex by dayokanu or obertan but that the gel had moved and the light was reflecting of something it shouldn’t be. Then the doctor tells me she sees no breakages and I have wait it out unless it gets worse! Geez, I bet she wouldn’t have said that if it was here eye. She left me so dilated I couldn’t even cross the street properly.

Speaking of crossing, I haven’t been too impressed with Gael Clichy’s crossing this season and I feel he could be doing much better. He’s not going to have the chance anytime soon though as he’s had the unfortunate luck of pulling up with a stress fracture of the back. How does one get that? One man’s misfortune is usually another man’s blessing as Kieran Gibbs has the nod to start at left back for the next few weeks.

While we didn’t learn anything new about Spurs on Saturday. Apart from the fact that the win made it 1000 points for Wenger, it would be nice to remind ourself of a few things we already know about them.

1. Robbie Keane is a Arrow
2. Spurs are a sh*t team
3. Harry Redknapp has got a twitch!

Fancy them talking themselves up about a win at the grove just yet after how many (16?) years of trying! Bollocks! They need to get their heads checked every now and then when they come down the Seven Sisters Road.

Manuel Almunia was fantastic in goal apparently spurred on by a three-way race for first spot with Mannone and Fabianski. Oh and Eduardo should have lobbed Gomes when he was one-on-one with him. He had three options; lob, dribble or sidefoot. He took the easy option and unfortunately didn’t do a very good job. Smells a bit of a lack of sharpness. With Bendtner’s injury, he should start against AZ as the boss doesn’t yet reckon that Rocky is ready to start.

On some footie results last night Bayern lost at home to Bordeaux (Dayokanu where art thou!) and Chelsea and Man Utd came away with draws at home and away respectably respectivly!

Now Silent Stan has been at it again! He’s gone and bought another 427 shares to increase his stake in Arsenal to 29.6 per cent. The shares were purchased from the estate of Ernest Harrison, the British industrialist, at a cost of £3.6 million. All he needs is another .3% and he’d have to make a formal bid to take over the club offering not lower than the highest price he paid for the shares in the last 12 months.

Consequently, the Arsenal Supporters Trust has released the following statement. It is quite lengthy, but worth the read.

[b]“When Stan Kroenke first invested in Arsenal the AST sought a dialogue with him and visited Denver to inspect some of his other sporting operations. We saw first hand the sports marketing and property development expertise he could offer and successfully called upon the club to invite him to join the Board.

“Yet whilst the AST welcome Stan Kroenke’s involvement, we agree with the sentiment of Peter Hill-Wood’s statement at the most recent AGM that there is no need for any shareholder to launch a takeover of the club. The AST believes in plurality of ownership.

“If a takeover is launched by any party, we would seek urgent discussions with those involved.

“The AST has a good relationship with both Stan Kroenke and members of his team at Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE). We have stressed to them the importance of custodianship and that the club will be stronger if it has supporters directly involved in its ownership model. While we cannot vouch for their future actions we are encouraged that they have said they see the AST having an important role to play at Arsenal.

“The AST has repeatedly stated that we are generally opposed to a takeover and would fight any plans that require the club to incur debt to pay for a takeover as has happened at Manchester United and Liverpool.

“Two red lines that cannot be crossed are the use of debt secured on the club’s assets to fund a takeover and an ownership structure which excludes small shareholders.

“The AST’s own assessment of today’s development is that a takeover is not imminent and that today’s purchase is the consolidation of an existing position.[/b]

Well said! Now let’s get on with the football. Diaby was at the press conference with Arsene, so I assume he’ll be starting. Although the boss seems to have noticed what a majority of the Arsenal fans are upset with Diaby about.

“I must say he is attracted like a magnet by the opponent’s goal,” said the boss. This usually leaves us short at the back nevertheless, his good behaviour in the last few games may have something to do with Arsene having a private word with him. He continued;

“You do not want to take that out of the players when they are at such a young age but what we can be as well is a little bit more controlled. We do not need to have seven players running forward when you are 1-0 or 2-1 up with five minutes to go. That is something I have told him to take responsibility for in the team.”

I believe the lineup will be largely unchanged from the one that played Tottenham except for Kieran Gibbs at left back and Eduardo up front in place of Bendtner. The boss may also choose to rest Sagna for Eboue with more games coming in November.

I don’t expect anything less than a resounding victory over AZ tonight – more like a teach you a lesson kind of game! Still it’s important not to underate any teams in the Champions League as was the case with Manure vs CSKA and Bayern(!) against Bordeaux.

Apparently, Robin Van Persie has been watching AZ and says they are unpredictable. He said;

“It’s going to be strange because they are unpredictable. “They drew against an amateur side [recently] and lost at the weekend to Ajax. “They had a good first half but not so good second half. It is hard to know what to expect from them. If we win, we have ten points and have basically qualified.”

Juventus seem to have taken a fancy to Bacary Sagna while Benik Afobe and Fran Merida seem to be on their way to Spain if you believe the papers. Apparently, Barcelona are still seething from the loss of Cesc Fabregas and Fran Merida that they have set their sights on revenge by signing up the England U17 star for their reserve team. Apparently, a £5,500 deal has been reported.

If I were you Benik, I’d sit my arse at Colney and wait for my turn cos you’ll end up waiting for much longer before you get a look into that Barcelona first team! The Merida to Atletico Madrid story is old, but worth watching as he might just do a Flamini on us. Beware of the curse of the departing players. Only very few have ever done better elsewhere!

For some reason, Eboue wants to play for PSG, while great train robber Ronnie Biggs feels well enough to see Arsenal play at the Emirates. Cesc Fabregas has also been crowned October’s PFA Fans’ Player of the Month for top-flight…I wonder who will be the EA Sports Arsenal player of the month for October…Vote or Die!

The game is live at 19:45 GMT on Hi Sports

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit!

I’m really angry this morning! First it was Bendtner pulling off with a groin injury, then Eduardo missing a sitter he should have scored. The news that we play Man City in the Carling cup wouldn’t have been hard to take except that our game in hand will now have to be pushed further away and we’ll have to wait even longer before we can even think of going top pending a capitulation by the Chelski or Manure!

As if that wasn’t enough, I found out that the flashes and floaters in my left eye were not as a result of a hex by dayokanu or obertan but that the gel had moved and the light was reflecting of something it shouldn’t be. Then the doctor tells me she sees no breakages and I have wait it out unless it gets worse! Geez, I bet she wouldn’t have said that if it was here eye. She left me so dilated I couldn’t even cross the street properly.

Speaking of crossing, I haven’t been too impressed with Gael Clichy’s crossing this season and I feel he could be doing much better. He’s not going to have the chance anytime soon though as he’s had the unfortunate luck of pulling up with a stress fracture of the back. How does one get that? One man’s misfortune is usually another man’s blessing as Kieran Gibbs has the nod to start at left back for the next few weeks.

While we didn’t learn anything new about Spurs on Saturday. Apart from the fact that the win made it 1000 points for Wenger, it would be nice to remind ourself of a few things we already know about them.

1. Robbie Keane is a Arrow
2. Spurs are a sh*t team
3. Harry Redknapp has got a twitch!

Fancy them talking themselves up about a win at the grove just yet after how many (16?) years of trying! Bollocks! They need to get their heads checked every now and then when they come down the Seven Sisters Road.

Manuel Almunia was fantastic in goal apparently spurred on by a three-way race for first spot with Mannone and Fabianski. Oh and Eduardo should have lobbed Gomes when he was one-on-one with him. He had three options; lob, dribble or sidefoot. He took the easy option and unfortunately didn’t do a very good job. Smells a bit of a lack of sharpness. With Bendtner’s injury, he should start against AZ as the boss doesn’t yet reckon that Rocky is ready to start.

On some footie results last night Bayern lost at home to Bordeaux (Dayokanu where art thou!) and Chelsea and Man Utd came away with draws at home and away respectably respectivly!

Now Silent Stan has been at it again! He’s gone and bought another 427 shares to increase his stake in Arsenal to 29.6 per cent. The shares were purchased from the estate of Ernest Harrison, the British industrialist, at a cost of £3.6 million. All he needs is another .3% and he’d have to make a formal bid to take over the club offering not lower than the highest price he paid for the shares in the last 12 months.

Consequently, the Arsenal Supporters Trust has released the following statement. It is quite lengthy, but worth the read.

[b]“When Stan Kroenke first invested in Arsenal the AST sought a dialogue with him and visited Denver to inspect some of his other sporting operations. We saw first hand the sports marketing and property development expertise he could offer and successfully called upon the club to invite him to join the Board.

“Yet whilst the AST welcome Stan Kroenke’s involvement, we agree with the sentiment of Peter Hill-Wood’s statement at the most recent AGM that there is no need for any shareholder to launch a takeover of the club. The AST believes in plurality of ownership.

“If a takeover is launched by any party, we would seek urgent discussions with those involved.

“The AST has a good relationship with both Stan Kroenke and members of his team at Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE). We have stressed to them the importance of custodianship and that the club will be stronger if it has supporters directly involved in its ownership model. While we cannot vouch for their future actions we are encouraged that they have said they see the AST having an important role to play at Arsenal.

“The AST has repeatedly stated that we are generally opposed to a takeover and would fight any plans that require the club to incur debt to pay for a takeover as has happened at Manchester United and Liverpool.

“Two red lines that cannot be crossed are the use of debt secured on the club’s assets to fund a takeover and an ownership structure which excludes small shareholders.

“The AST’s own assessment of today’s development is that a takeover is not imminent and that today’s purchase is the consolidation of an existing position.[/b]

Well said! Now let’s get on with the football. Diaby was at the press conference with Arsene, so I assume he’ll be starting. Although the boss seems to have noticed what a majority of the Arsenal fans are upset with Diaby about.

“I must say he is attracted like a magnet by the opponent’s goal,” said the boss. This usually leaves us short at the back nevertheless, his good behaviour in the last few games may have something to do with Arsene having a private word with him. He continued;

“You do not want to take that out of the players when they are at such a young age but what we can be as well is a little bit more controlled. We do not need to have seven players running forward when you are 1-0 or 2-1 up with five minutes to go. That is something I have told him to take responsibility for in the team.”

I believe the lineup will be largely unchanged from the one that played Tottenham except for Kieran Gibbs at left back and Eduardo up front in place of Bendtner. The boss may also choose to rest Sagna for Eboue with more games coming in November.

I don’t expect anything less than a resounding victory over AZ tonight – more like a teach you a lesson kind of game! Still it’s important not to underate any teams in the Champions League as was the case with Manure vs CSKA and Bayern(!) against Bordeaux.

Apparently, Robin Van Persie has been watching AZ and says they are unpredictable. He said;

“It’s going to be strange because they are unpredictable. “They drew against an amateur side [recently] and lost at the weekend to Ajax. “They had a good first half but not so good second half. It is hard to know what to expect from them. If we win, we have ten points and have basically qualified.”

Juventus seem to have taken a fancy to Bacary Sagna while Benik Afobe and Fran Merida seem to be on their way to Spain if you believe the papers. Apparently, Barcelona are still seething from the loss of Cesc Fabregas and Fran Merida that they have set their sights on revenge by signing up the England U17 star for their reserve team. Apparently, a £5,500 deal has been reported.

If I were you Benik, I’d sit my arse at Colney and wait for my turn cos you’ll end up waiting for much longer before you get a look into that Barcelona first team! The Merida to Atletico Madrid story is old, but worth watching as he might just do a Flamini on us. Beware of the curse of the departing players. Only very few have ever done better elsewhere!

For some reason, Eboue wants to play for PSG, while great train robber Ronnie Biggs feels well enough to see Arsenal play at the Emirates. Cesc Fabregas has also been crowned October’s PFA Fans’ Player of the Month for top-flight…I wonder who will be the EA Sports Arsenal player of the month for October…Vote or Die!

The game is live at 19:45 GMT on Hi Sports

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit!

It’s a quick one this morning as I’ve got a meeting at 10 with my secret high school hero just before we play Sp*rs in the early kick off. A major talking point as yesterday’s press conference was goal keepers. Arsene Wenger claims to have already chosen his keeper for today’s game. With the injury enforced absence of Fabianski, it’s a straight choice between Mannone and fit again Almunia. He said;

“I’ve decided who will start but I won’t tell you. I’m always tempted to start with Manuel Almunia, but he was sick for a long time and it takes some time to come back. A player who is on the bench wants to play. The job of a professional footballer is to perform well when he plays and when he doesn’t play do everything to play the next game.”

Methinks he might just fall into temptation and give Almunia another shot in goal. If not, then he surely is in deep trouble! It’s gearing up to be a highly technical game and I believe we are sure to see sparks flying in the 162nd North London derby. There was a full preview by slimshay yesterday which was really in overkill!!! I hope we do the same to Tottenham today.

Nevertheless, it’s heartening to know that we haven’t lost to Spurs in the League since 1999 and at home since 1993 as we have dropped only 4 points from a possible 30 in our last 10 Premier League home meetings with them. However, they are also unbeaten in their last four matches against Arsenal so today’s match is surely another one for the record books!

If you are at the game or watching it on TV, please remember to sing this song

What do u think of Tottenham,
S*it,
What do u think of s*it,
Tottenham,

We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham,
We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham,
We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham,
We are the Tottenham haters,

Key Players: Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal) and Robbie Keane (Tottenham)

My Verdict: A highly explosive game!

The match is live at 12:45 GMT on Hi Soccer.

Till tomorrow….Stand Up If You Hate Tottenham!!!

It’s a quick one this morning as I’ve got a meeting at 10 with my secret high school hero just before we play Sp*rs in the early kick off. A major talking point as yesterday’s press conference was goal keepers. Arsene Wenger claims to have already chosen his keeper for today’s game. With the injury enforced absence of Fabianski, it’s a straight choice between Mannone and fit again Almunia. He said;

“I’ve decided who will start but I won’t tell you. I’m always tempted to start with Manuel Almunia, but he was sick for a long time and it takes some time to come back. A player who is on the bench wants to play. The job of a professional footballer is to perform well when he plays and when he doesn’t play do everything to play the next game.”

Methinks he might just fall into temptation and give Almunia another shot in goal. If not, then he surely is in deep trouble! It’s gearing up to be a highly technical game and I believe we are sure to see sparks flying in the 162nd North London derby. There was a full preview by slimshay yesterday which was really in overkill!!! I hope we do the same to Tottenham today.

Nevertheless, it’s heartening to know that we haven’t lost to Spurs in the League since 1999 and at home since 1993 as we have dropped only 4 points from a possible 30 in our last 10 Premier League home meetings with them. However, they are also unbeaten in their last four matches against Arsenal so today’s match is surely another one for the record books!

If you are at the game or watching it on TV, please remember to sing this song

What do u think of Tottenham,
S*it,
What do u think of s*it,
Tottenham,

We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham,
We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham,
We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham,
We are the Tottenham haters,

Key Players: Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal) and Robbie Keane (Tottenham)

My Verdict: A highly explosive game!

The match is live at 12:45 GMT on Hi Soccer.

Till tomorrow….Stand Up If You Hate Tottenham!!!

Hi ya’ll as promised by Green Gooner, this is Slim with my first pre-match analysis, and my luck, the first being the North London derby. In truth derbies defy any form of analysis. But we’ll do what we will, so here goes….

In the run up to this fixture last season, the tall dude from Togo and captain Cesc Fabregas had promised the Arsenal faithfuls a game and result fit for the DVD collections. We did get a game fit for a DVD colletion, but for the results, erm…I’d rather file it under lessons in not letting the opponents come back into the game. Funny how we were just taught the same lesson again last week by another London derby.

In the final minutes of the game, Fabregas had received the ball somewhere in the middle of the park, and probably in an attempt to fulfil his promise seeing that the game was still at 4-3, he sought out the Togolese with a long pass. In retrospect, wrong decision, cos then the Spuds had the ball back in their possesion, and, what would we have, Modric hit a shot that went off Aluminia’s upright came back into play for Lennon to tap in for an equalizer. Moral of the story? Never try to pass the ball to the Togolese. Simply put he is a piece of….sh…Ok, off track, I’m here for the pre-match analysis.

Often at derby matches, pre-analysis, statistics and what not fly out of the window. All is left to watch and manipulate your emotions with are 22 men who seem to attack the game as if they have forgotten one and every mangerial instruction and are possesed by spirits of derbies past. The last time Arsenal met Tottenham, at White Hart lane, Eboue had a rush of blood to the head, and was consequently shown the approprioate color by referee. Forcing Arsenal into a defensive game to hold out for a goal-less draw.

In the last London derby played last weekend against West Ham, Arsenal gave up a 2 goal lead to draw the game 2-2 at full time, leading analysts to point out the complacency in the team and the inabilty to kill off or see through games in which opponents threaten resurgence after going down to Arsenal’s superior attack. Quite positively manager and players alike have identified this, not necessarily as a chronic problem, but as an issue that has to be dealt with and consciously taken care of if the need arises again. Especially as it had occured against AZ Alkmaar in the UCL mid-week before the West Ham game.

Interestingly at this point of the season Arsenal has won as many matches, drawn as many matches but have lost one less than the Spurs albeit with a game in hand. Interesting because at this stage last season, Tottenham couldnt even buy a win, while Arsenal where on a fumbling start to a very inglorious season. In as much as we might disagree, the Gunners go into this fixture against a better performing side than they met last season.

Arsenal, in the EPL has a 100% home record this season, seeing off oppositions with wide goal margins, the least return being 3-1 against Birmingham. In midweek, playing with a majority of second stream players, the team more than held theirs by defeating a resurgent Liverpool side 2 goals to 1.

The first came from an awesome 20 yard strike by Fran Merida that careened off the right upright into the back of the net while the second came off the left foot of Nicklas Bendtner after a series of neat passes. Returnee keeper Lukazs Fabianski however also contrived to let in an even more fabulous left footed strike from Emiliano Insua. In that game Arsenal also employed the services of Samir Nasri playing his first game this season after sustaining a long term injury in pre-season training. Also back in the starting lineup was Eduardo after coming on as a late susbstitute in the draw against West Ham.

It will be interesting to see how Arsene Wenger lines up his team against Tottenham come Saturday. With Mannone showing glimpes of inexperience, Fabiansky and ‘former’ number one Almunia also fit to play, who goes between the sticks on Saturday, like the date of the rapture, is known only to Wenger. We expect to see the usual backline of Sagna, Gallas, Vermaleen and Clichy. In midfield Cesc would assume his rightful place, alongside Song, I’d expect Wenger to go for Diaby ahead of Nasri not entirely cos of full fitness but as Diaby’s height offers defensive size in the middle of the park. In attack Arshavin who has been talking up his first derby action having sat out the last fixture as a substitute should start on the left of the 3 man attack, Van Persie in the middle while Eboue or Bendtner takes up the last slot on the left.

So far the Spurs possess the most impressive away record in the premiership this season, winning 3, drawing one and losing 1 of their 5 away matches. They come in to this game on the back of an impressive 2-0 win over Everton in the Carling cup. However they will be prosecuting this game without their leading goal scorer Defoe who still serves his suspension after being sent off against Portstmouth in their last away win in the EPL.

Media darling Harry Redknapp will look to get the North London derby spirit going, claiming 4 goals in his first acting as enough incentive. With the availabilty of gangly striker Crouch and the pace of Aaron Lennon, it will be expected that a number of high balls will be coming into the box from both set pieces and breaks down the right if allowed. Captain Robbie Keane, who incidentally has a good scoring record against Arsenal has been talking up the match. He indicated in his own opinion however that the teams are now more evenly matched than previous occassions. The game play on Saturday would indicate if this statement is true.

Deja Vu or Vu Deja: I write this pre-match analysis exactly one year to the day when the thrilling 4-4 draw was played at Emirates last season. The sunday before that we had gotten to play West Ham. In that particular game Arsenal defeated West Ham 0-2 away only to return home in the next game to give up a 2 goal lead to draw Tottenham. Last week Arsenal gave up 2 goal lead to draw West Ham at Upton park. If Arsenal does beat Tottenham by 2 goals it will be as close you’ll get to a reverse deja vu wont you say?

So look ye all forward to another definitely more than sure to be interesting North London derby…lot of qualifiers there eh?!!!! To the RED AND WHITE ARMY!!!!!

PS: Fabianski is reportedly out out with a 3 week thigh injury! Get well soon Pole, we need you in pole positions between the poles

slimshay:
by now you will have seen my post. hope i did well sha!!

Saw it; loved it!

Hi ya’ll as promised by Green Gooner, this is Slim with my first pre-match analysis, and my luck, the first being the North London derby. In truth derbies defy any form of analysis. But we’ll do what we will, so here goes….

In the run up to this fixture last season, the tall dude from Togo and captain Cesc Fabregas had promised the Arsenal faithfuls a game and result fit for the DVD collections. We did get a game fit for a DVD colletion, but for the results, erm…I’d rather file it under lessons in not letting the opponents come back into the game. Funny how we were just taught the same lesson again last week by another London derby.

In the final minutes of the game, Fabregas had received the ball somewhere in the middle of the park, and probably in an attempt to fulfil his promise seeing that the game was still at 4-3, he sought out the Togolese with a long pass. In retrospect, wrong decision, cos then the Spuds had the ball back in their possesion, and, what would we have, Modric hit a shot that went off Aluminia’s upright came back into play for Lennon to tap in for an equalizer. Moral of the story? Never try to pass the ball to the Togolese. Simply put he is a piece of….sh…Ok, off track, I’m here for the pre-match analysis.

Often at derby matches, pre-analysis, statistics and what not fly out of the window. All is left to watch and manipulate your emotions with are 22 men who seem to attack the game as if they have forgotten one and every mangerial instruction and are possesed by spirits of derbies past. The last time Arsenal met Tottenham, at White Hart lane, Eboue had a rush of blood to the head, and was consequently shown the approprioate color by referee. Forcing Arsenal into a defensive game to hold out for a goal-less draw.

In the last London derby played last weekend against West Ham, Arsenal gave up a 2 goal lead to draw the game 2-2 at full time, leading analysts to point out the complacency in the team and the inabilty to kill off or see through games in which opponents threaten resurgence after going down to Arsenal’s superior attack. Quite positively manager and players alike have identified this, not necessarily as a chronic problem, but as an issue that has to be dealt with and consciously taken care of if the need arises again. Especially as it had occured against AZ Alkmaar in the UCL mid-week before the West Ham game.

Interestingly at this point of the season Arsenal has won as many matches, drawn as many matches but have lost one less than the Spurs albeit with a game in hand. Interesting because at this stage last season, Tottenham couldnt even buy a win, while Arsenal where on a fumbling start to a very inglorious season. In as much as we might disagree, the Gunners go into this fixture against a better performing side than they met last season.

Arsenal, in the EPL has a 100% home record this season, seeing off oppositions with wide goal margins, the least return being 3-1 against Birmingham. In midweek, playing with a majority of second stream players, the team more than held theirs by defeating a resurgent Liverpool side 2 goals to 1.

The first came from an awesome 20 yard strike by Fran Merida that careened off the right upright into the back of the net while the second came off the left foot of Nicklas Bendtner after a series of neat passes. Returnee keeper Lukazs Fabianski however also contrived to let in an even more fabulous left footed strike from Emiliano Insua. In that game Arsenal also employed the services of Samir Nasri playing his first game this season after sustaining a long term injury in pre-season training. Also back in the starting lineup was Eduardo after coming on as a late susbstitute in the draw against West Ham.

It will be interesting to see how Arsene Wenger lines up his team against Tottenham come Saturday. With Mannone showing glimpes of inexperience, Fabiansky and ‘former’ number one Almunia also fit to play, who goes between the sticks on Saturday, like the date of the rapture, is known only to Wenger. We expect to see the usual backline of Sagna, Gallas, Vermaleen and Clichy. In midfield Cesc would assume his rightful place, alongside Song, I’d expect Wenger to go for Diaby ahead of Nasri not entirely cos of full fitness but as Diaby’s height offers defensive size in the middle of the park. In attack Arshavin who has been talking up his first derby action having sat out the last fixture as a substitute should start on the left of the 3 man attack, Van Persie in the middle while Eboue or Bendtner takes up the last slot on the left.

So far the Spurs possess the most impressive away record in the premiership this season, winning 3, drawing one and losing 1 of their 5 away matches. They come in to this game on the back of an impressive 2-0 win over Everton in the Carling cup. However they will be prosecuting this game without their leading goal scorer Defoe who still serves his suspension after being sent off against Portstmouth in their last away win in the EPL.

Media darling Harry Redknapp will look to get the North London derby spirit going, claiming 4 goals in his first acting as enough incentive. With the availabilty of gangly striker Crouch and the pace of Aaron Lennon, it will be expected that a number of high balls will be coming into the box from both set pieces and breaks down the right if allowed. Captain Robbie Keane, who incidentally has a good scoring record against Arsenal has been talking up the match. He indicated in his own opinion however that the teams are now more evenly matched than previous occassions. The game play on Saturday would indicate if this statement is true.

Deja Vu or Vu Deja: I write this pre-match analysis exactly one year to the day when the thrilling 4-4 draw was played at Emirates last season. The sunday before that we had gotten to play West Ham. In that particular game Arsenal defeated West Ham 0-2 away only to return home in the next game to give up a 2 goal lead to draw Tottenham. Last week Arsenal gave up 2 goal lead to draw West Ham at Upton park. If Arsenal does beat Tottenham by 2 goals it will be as close you’ll get to a reverse deja vu wont you say?

So look ye all forward to another definitely more than sure to be interesting North London derby…lot of qualifiers there eh?!!!! To the RED AND WHITE ARMY!!!!!

PS: Fabianski is reportedly out out with a 3 week thigh injury! Get well soon Pole, we need you in pole positions between the poles

Cristalz:
That'd be nice dearie, but I want 'em threads up within the next 90 minutes, less if possible.
I appreciate your interest though.

@ Cristalz
I think the preview has been marked as SPAM, please help unmark it and make it sticky.
[quote][/quote]

Arsenal vs Tottenham
Venue - Emirates Stadium, London
Time - 12:45pm GMT, 1:45pm Nigeria

Often at derby matches, pre-analysis, statistics and what not fly out of the window. All is left to watch and manipulate your emotions with are 22 men who seem to attack the game as if they have forgotten one and every mangerial instruction and are possesed by spirits of derbies past. The last time Arsenal met Tottenham, at White Hart lane, Eboue had a rush of blood to the head, and was consequently shown the approprioate color by referee. Forcing Arsenal into a defensive game to hold out for a goalless draw.

In the last London derby played last weekend against West Ham, Arsenal gave up a 2 goal lead to draw the game 2-2 at full time, leading analysts to point out the complacency in the team and the inabilty to kill off or see through games in which opponents threaten resurgence after going down to Arsenal’s superior attack. Quite positively manager and players alike have identified this, not necessarily as a chronic problem, but as an issue that has to be dealt with and consciously taken care of if the need arises again. Especially as it had occured against AZ Alkmaar in the UCL mid-week before the West Ham game.Interestingly at this point of the season Arsenal has won as many matches, drawn as many matches but have lost one less than the Spurs albeit with a game in hand. Interesting because at this stage last season, Tottenham couldnt even buy a win, while Arsenal where on a fumbling start to a very inglorious season. In as much as we might disagree, the Gunners go into this fixture against a better performing side than they met last season.

Arsenal, in the EPL has a 100% home record this season, seeing off oppositions with wide goal margins, the least return being 3-1 against Birmingham. In midweek, playing with a majority of second stream players, the team more than held theirs by defeating a resurgent Liverpool side 2 goals to 1.

The first came from an awesome 20 yard strike by Fran Merida that careened off the right upright into the back of the net while the second came off the left foot of Nicklas Bendtner after a series of neat passes. Returnee keeper Lukazs Fabianski however also contrived to let in an even more fabulous left footed strike from Emiliano Insua. In that game Arsenal also employed the services of Samir Nasri playing his first game this season after sustaining a long term injury in pre-season training. Also back in the starting lineup was Eduardo after coming on as a late susbstitute in the draw against West Ham.

It will be interesting to see how Arsene Wenger lines up his team against Tottenham come Saturday. With Mannone showing glimpes of inexperience, Fabiansky and ‘former’ number one Almunia also fit to play, who goes between the sticks on Saturday, like the date of the rapture, is known only to Wenger. We expect to see the usual backline of Sagna, Gallas, Vermaleen and Clichy. In midfield Cesc would assume his rightful place, alongside Song, I’d expect Wenger to go for Diaby ahead of Nasri not entirely cos of full fitness but as Diaby’s height offers defensive size in the middle of the park. In attack Arshavin who has been talking up his first derby action having sat out the last fixture as a substitute should start on the left of the 3 man attack, Van Persie in the middle while Eboue or Bendtner takes up the last slot on the left.

So far the Spurs possess the most impressive away record in the premiership this season, winning 3, drawing one and losing 1 of their 5 away matches. They come in to this game on the back of an impressive 2-0 win over Everton in the Carling cup. However they will be prosecuting this game without their leading goal scorer Defoe who still serves his suspension after being sent off against Portstmouth in their last away win in the EPL.

Media darling Harry Redknapp will look to get the North London derby spirit going, claiming 4 goals in his first acting as enough incentive. With the availabilty of gangly striker Crouch and the pace of Aaron Lennon, it will be expected that a number of high balls will be coming into the box from both set pieces and breaks down the right if allowed. Captain Robbie Keane, who incidentally has a good scoring record against Arsenal has been talking up the match. He indicated in his own opinion however that the teams are now more evenly matched than previous occassions. The game play on Saturday would indicate if this statement is true.Defoe will miss out due to suspension after he saw red against Pompey.

So look ye all forward to another definitely more than sure to be interesting North London derby…lot of qualifiers there eh?!!!! 

******Thanks to slimshay for the preview. . . it has been slightly modified to give it a neutral view******

The thread will be up now.

I think that after last night’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool no one can truly say that Arsene Wenger does not take the Carling Cup seriously. On the Arsenal website, the official match report said;

“This was not a young Arsenal side but it was very much a second-string”

One might argue that unlike in previous years, Arsene chose to field a much stronger team because of the opposition. However like I said on the blog yesterday, the even though the team make up was slightly different, the policy of fielding youngsters on the fringes of the first team and players returning from injury lay offs still remained.

It was good to see Nasri play a full 90 minutes after returning from a broken leg. I was a bit surprised to see him play in the attack as I had expected the boss to pair him with Coquelin and Ramsey in the middle. Nevertheless, debutant Craig Eastmond who got the nod ahead of Coquelin (who does look a bit like Thierry) was excellent for all 75 minutes he was on the pitch. Usually deployed at right back, I was impressed with the way he joined and linked up play in the holding midfield position.

We’d seen Gibbs before and know all about his abilities but I was a little concerned about how Gilbert would fare. At 22 you’d think he’d already be in the first team. However, although he was a bit shaky in the opening exchanges, it was clear that as the game progressed he grew in confidence and was more effective at right back. I wonder what the boss is thinking in that area. Cover for Sagna & Eboue?

The outstanding player on the Arsenal team for me was Fran Merida who showed more than just glimpses of his footballing ability. At times you’d think it was Fabregas on the pitch. But then, they both come from the same footballing school so you’d think they’d be similar players! His touches, movement and intelligence on the ball were a real asset to the Arsenal team on the night and it makes you understand why Arsene was reluctant to send him out on loan again this season. His goal was an excellent left footed shot which beat Cavalieri and went in off the post. He was also involved in our second goal feeding Ramsey beautifully who in turn released the ball to Bendtner who after his horror miss one-on-one with the keeper earlier fired a rifling shot into the roof of the net.

I must talk about our central defenders too. Silvestre and Senderos looked shaky at times with the former often beaten for pace and the latter reluctant to close down attackers. Nevertheless, I was impressed at their level of composition and their ability to control the game even though they kept passing back to the keeper early on. OK, maybe that had to do with the fact that Liverpool simply refused to open up the play to prevent us from playing Beautiful Football. However, each time they did, they were sliced open with some sleek passing moves. So were we also when we lost the ball and they broke out with counter attacks.

I was slightly disappointed at Ryan Babel’s performance on the night as he looked slightly off colour and a shadow of himself. Voronin was lively so also was Kuyt but the lacked the creative spark that Babel should have provided. The equaliser from Insua was a beauty and I don’t think Fabianski stood a chance with a shot of that quality…out of nowhere too! Alberto Aquilani made his much anticipated debut for Liverpool and looked sharp and even had claims for a penalty waved off late on after Senderos looked to have handled in the box.

Still, it was a worthy victory. I wonder who we’ll face in the next round as all teams in the quarter finals play are Premier League sides. It’d be interesting if we come up against Sp*rs. That should be an interesting tie.

On the win, the boss had this to say about the collective team performance;

“The experienced players played well, the young players played well. We had Craig Eastmond make his debut tonight in a holding role and everybody did well in every position. Liverpool came back to 1-1 and we still managed to win the game. That shows as well we have mental resources. It was more of a European Cup night than a Carling Cup night, quality wise. We have seen two very, very good teams who play at the top level.”

We play Sp*rs at the weekend and I’m sure more sparks will fly in our third London derby of the season. Slimshay should have the preview by tomorrow and that should surely spark life into the weekend. I’m playing football tonight and hopefully my new boots should spark some life into my game!

Till then…Gunners Rock!!!

I think that after last night’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool no one can truly say that Arsene Wenger does not take the Carling Cup seriously. On the Arsenal website, the official match report said;

“This was not a young Arsenal side but it was very much a second-string”

One might argue that unlike in previous years, Arsene chose to field a much stronger team because of the opposition. However like I said on the blog yesterday, the even though the team make up was slightly different, the policy of fielding youngsters on the fringes of the first team and players returning from injury lay offs still remained.

It was good to see Nasri play a full 90 minutes after returning from a broken leg. I was a bit surprised to see him play in the attack as I had expected the boss to pair him with Coquelin and Ramsey in the middle. Nevertheless, debutant Craig Eastmond who got the nod ahead of Coquelin (who does look a bit like Thierry) was excellent for all 75 minutes he was on the pitch. Usually deployed at right back, I was impressed with the way he joined and linked up play in the holding midfield position.

We’d seen Gibbs before and know all about his abilities but I was a little concerned about how Gilbert would fare. At 22 you’d think he’d already be in the first team. However, although he was a bit shaky in the opening exchanges, it was clear that as the game progressed he grew in confidence and was more effective at right back. I wonder what the boss is thinking in that area. Cover for Sagna & Eboue?

The outstanding player on the Arsenal team for me was Fran Merida who showed more than just glimpses of his footballing ability. At times you’d think it was Fabregas on the pitch. But then, they both come from the same footballing school so you’d think they’d be similar players! His touches, movement and intelligence on the ball were a real asset to the Arsenal team on the night and it makes you understand why Arsene was reluctant to send him out on loan again this season. His goal was an excellent left footed shot which beat Cavalieri and went in off the post. He was also involved in our second goal feeding Ramsey beautifully who in turn released the ball to Bendtner who after his horror miss one-on-one with the keeper earlier fired a rifling shot into the roof of the net.

I must talk about our central defenders too. Silvestre and Senderos looked shaky at times with the former often beaten for pace and the latter reluctant to close down attackers. Nevertheless, I was impressed at their level of composition and their ability to control the game even though they kept passing back to the keeper early on. OK, maybe that had to do with the fact that Liverpool simply refused to open up the play to prevent us from playing Beautiful Football. However, each time they did, they were sliced open with some sleek passing moves. So were we also when we lost the ball and they broke out with counter attacks.

I was slightly disappointed at Ryan Babel’s performance on the night as he looked slightly off colour and a shadow of himself. Voronin was lively so also was Kuyt but the lacked the creative spark that Babel should have provided. The equaliser from Insua was a beauty and I don’t think Fabianski stood a chance with a shot of that quality…out of nowhere too! Alberto Aquilani made his much anticipated debut for Liverpool and looked sharp and even had claims for a penalty waved off late on after Senderos looked to have handled in the box.

Still, it was a worthy victory. I wonder who we’ll face in the next round as all teams in the quarter finals play are Premier League sides. It’d be interesting if we come up against Sp*rs. That should be an interesting tie.

On the win, the boss had this to say about the collective team performance;

“The experienced players played well, the young players played well. We had Craig Eastmond make his debut tonight in a holding role and everybody did well in every position. Liverpool came back to 1-1 and we still managed to win the game. That shows as well we have mental resources. It was more of a European Cup night than a Carling Cup night, quality wise. We have seen two very, very good teams who play at the top level.”

We play Sp*rs at the weekend and I’m sure more sparks will fly in our third London derby of the season. Slimshay should have the preview by tomorrow and that should surely spark life into the weekend. I’m playing football tonight and hopefully my new boots should spark some life into my game!

Till then…Gunners Rock!!!

slimshay:
@ Gooner, whats good man, im working on the arsenal vs sh*t pre-match analysis, but ive been to your blog and cant seem to navigate how i'll end up posting, maybe we fashion a way i'll send it to you and you get to post it, or you just gibe me sharp sharp directions. . holla bac.

The admin link is http://arsenalnigeria.com/thegreengooner/wp-admin/edit.php

log in with the user name and password that you registered.

Navigate to posts and click on add new. Once you are done, publish the post and holler.

I'll help you format the text till you get a hang of it.

Any issues, just holler

It’s the Carling cup and you sense a feeling of Dejavu all over the place when you remember that THAT game in 2007 when we won 6-3 at Anfield with Julio Baptista scoring 4 and missing a penalty! Just hoping the tide won’t turn in their favour. Since the draws were made I have pondered on what shape the team will take and only last night I realised that Arsene’s Carling cup policy might actually favour us tonight as we might end up playing a stronger team than we would usually see.

Now, Arsene claims he always plays the strongest possible team in the cup ties and is insistent he gives an opportunity to fledgling talent, blending them with players who are on the fringes of the first team and those returning from injury. The boss had this to say;

“Nasri comes back but Traore, who played in the last round is out, he has a groin problem. Fabianski will get a game too, he will start. But Jack had a knock on his ankle and will be out unfortunately. It is a question of days but we made a trial with him on Sunday and we are resigned to the fact he will be just too short to play. Eduardo and Bendtner will be back. But we still have Rosicky, Denilson and Walcott out.”

“I can play Samir where he is needed, [which] I would say [is] more in the defensive role. He has pace and he can play in a role that is half a winger, a dropped winger who will come in sometimes and go wide.”

It’s a shame young Jack Wilshere misses out on another showpiece opportunity after his heroics in the youth cup final last season. Anyway, so who do you reckon will start tonights game? Fabianski is definitely starting and with Hoyte on loan at Brighton and Traore injured, I’d go with Gilbert at right back and Gibbs at left back. We all know Senderos and Silvestre are going to be in defence. In the middle, I see the boss playing Nasri, Coquelin and Ramsey with Vela, Eduardo and Bendtner in the attack. Anything less and it’s dicey for me!

Speaking to the Guardian, Nasri spoke about his return from injury. He said;

“It has been difficult, and now I need to play because nothing can replace the games. It was the first serious injury that I have had but I am really happy that I had a quick recovery. Everything is fine now.”

Talking tactics, Rafael Benitez has hinted that midfielder Alberto Aquilani could make his debut with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres likely to be out of the tie. He said;

“He will be with us. He is improving his fitness, so he’s in the squad. He cannot start at this moment but he will be there and maybe we can give him some minutes. If it’s possible, we will try to use him.”

Liverpool have not won away from home or scored an away goal since their victory at Leeds in the previous round so the odds are stacked agaist them in this area with Arsenal having a 100% home record this season, having won all seven matches played at the Emirates Stadium this season. Nevertheless, we have failed to beat Liverpool are unbeaten in the last seven league and cup matches played with record of 5 draws and two losses.

In some other news, Silent Stan is reported to have purchased a further 10 shares of the club at £8,500 each. We’ll see what happens!

My Verdict: Just watch the game!

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit

It’s the Carling cup and you sense a feeling of Dejavu all over the place when you remember that THAT game in 2007 when we won 6-3 at Anfield with Julio Baptista scoring 4 and missing a penalty! Just hoping the tide won’t turn in their favour. Since the draws were made I have pondered on what shape the team will take and only last night I realised that Arsene’s Carling cup policy might actually favour us tonight as we might end up playing  a stronger team than we would usually see.

Now, Arsene claims he always plays the strongest possible team in the cup ties and is insistent he gives an opportunity to fledgling talent, blending them with players who are on the fringes of the first team and those returning from injury. The boss had this to say;

“Nasri comes back but Traore, who played in the last round is out, he has a groin problem. Fabianski will get a game too, he will start. But Jack had a knock on his ankle and will be out unfortunately. It is a question of days but we made a trial with him on Sunday and we are resigned to the fact he will be just too short to play. Eduardo and Bendtner will be back. But we still have Rosicky, Denilson and Walcott out.”

“I can play Samir where he is needed, [which] I would say [is] more in the defensive role. He has pace and he can play in a role that is half a winger, a dropped winger who will come in sometimes and go wide.”

It’s a shame young Jack Wilshere misses out on another showpiece opportunity after his heroics in the youth cup final last season. Anyway, so who do you reckon will start tonights game? Fabianski is definitely starting and with Hoyte on loan at Brighton and Traore injured, I’d go with Gilbert at right back and Gibbs at left back. We all know Senderos and Silvestre are going to be in defence. In the middle, I see the boss playing Nasri, Coquelin and Ramsey with Vela, Eduardo and Bendtner in the attack. Anything less and it’s dicey for me!

Speaking to the Guardian, Nasri spoke about his return from injury. He said;

“It has been difficult,  and now I need to play because nothing can replace the games. It was the first serious injury that I have had but I am really happy that I had a quick recovery. Everything is fine now.”

Talking tactics, Rafael Benitez has hinted that midfielder Alberto Aquilani could make his debut with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres likely to be out of the tie. He said;

“He will be with us. He is improving his fitness, so he’s in the squad. He cannot start at this moment but he will be there and maybe we can give him some minutes. If it’s possible, we will try to use him.”

Liverpool have not won away from home or scored an away goal since their victory at Leeds in the previous round so the odds are stacked agaist them in this area with Arsenal having a 100% home record this season, having won all seven matches played at the Emirates Stadium this season. Nevertheless, we have failed to beat Liverpool are unbeaten in the last seven league and cup matches played with record of 5 draws and two losses.

In some other news, Silent Stan is reported to have purchased a further 10 shares of the club at £8,500 each. We’ll see what happens!

My Verdict: Just watch the game!

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit

edoyad:
Uncle donkey, have Bayerna Bayerna made it into top 6 yet ? Remember the winter champions will soon be crowned .

Resilience is the hall mark of a good team. Coming from consecutive draws Let's see how we handle our next two games.
For all the rubbish talk about Heskey's muscle, any team that wants to break into the top 4 should have players like Carlton Cole in their ranks. If he continues to develop at this pace i see another Didier in the making.

I perfectly agree with you on this one, as well as your comments on Diamanti.

When I didn't see him in the starting line up I wondered why but I guess Zola had other ideas.

I don’t really want about yesterday’s draw with West Ham. Arsene’s comments sum it all up. He said;

“We complicated the game a little bit. We had five or six chances in the second half where we missed the final ball. That’s where we have to learn.”

“In football sometimes you have periods like that. When you make a problem of it, it becomes a real problem. We have to play the football we love and learn when we are leading to kill the games off and keep playing the way we want to play the game.”

We play Liverpool on Wednesday and when asked about the team, Arsene had this to say.

“It will be a mixed team. We want to win every single game we play, no matter who plays.”


In my humble opinion, I think Manuel Almunia has been dropped. If Fabianski turns out in goal then you know it’s a pretty dicey situation. Once I saw the line ups I figured the boss had made up his mind. You know he asked us all to see come to the game to see who would play and you figure he had a surprise in for us. I asked Arseblogger for his take on the goalkeeping situation and he had this too say;

“…my take is that Almunia has no future at Arsenal”

Cheeky eh? I thought Vito’s reaction to the freekick was splendid but unfortunately his save thrust the ball into the path of MOTM Carlton Cole who simply buried the header. I’ve scored goals like that and it showed his high level of awareness in the box. The penalty was inevitable and you’d think we should have known better. I can’t shout! The rest is on Twitter!

We’ve thrown away two points – fair play to West Ham Carlton Cole and Diamanti but with Utd losing to Liverpool yesterday (Ferdinand was shocking) we’re still close there and are still only third with a game in hand. Let’s see how the week turns out.

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit

I don’t really want about yesterday’s draw with West Ham. Arsene’s comments sum it all up. He said;

“We complicated the game a little bit. We had five or six chances in the second half where we missed the final ball. That’s where we have to learn.”

“In football sometimes you have periods like that. When you make a problem of it, it becomes a real problem. We have to play the football we love and learn when we are leading to kill the games off and keep playing the way we want to play the game.”

We play Liverpool on Wednesday and when asked about the team, Arsene had this to say.

“It will be a mixed team. We want to win every single game we play, no matter who plays.”


In my humble opinion, I think Manuel Almunia has been dropped. If Fabianski turns out in goal then you know it’s a pretty dicey situation. Once I saw the line ups I figured the boss had made up his mind. You know he asked us all to see come to the game to see who would play and you figure he had a surprise in for us. I asked Arseblogger for his take on the goalkeeping situation and he had this too say;

“…my take is that Almunia has no future at Arsenal”

Cheeky eh? I thought Vito’s reaction to the freekick was splendid but unfortunately his save thrust the ball into the path of MOTM Carlton Cole who simply buried the header. I’ve scored goals like that and it showed his high level of awareness in the box. The penalty was inevitable and you’d think we should have known better. I can’t shout! The rest is on Twitter!

We’ve thrown away two points – fair play to West Ham Carlton Cole and Diamanti but with Utd losing to Liverpool yesterday (Ferdinand was shocking) we’re still close there and are still only third with a game in hand. Let’s see how the week turns out.

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit