₦airaland Forum

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Simply horrible!

[center]THE REVENGE OF THE TOGONATOR[/center]

He was always going to score against us! I never doubted that from the moment I saw his pre-match comments on Saturday morning. I figured he’d try an outrageous celebration when he did score and unfortunately, he chose an already used celebration, chosing  to run the full length of the pitch to gloat in front of the away fans…I recall Henry doing that against Tottenham. I expected him to get stuck into tackles and be occassionally shoved when he came up for corners and free kicks.

What I did not fathom was the fact that he would attempt to(in the very mildest terms) gouge the eyes of his former team mate. His apparent kick to the face of Robin Van Persie says a lot about his attitude. I’ve never had a problem with his footballing ability as characterised by his brilliant goal on Saturday and was always a staunch defender of himself when he played for us. What I do have issues with however is his personal attitude and such violent behaviour should not be condoned.

Robin Van Persie has since released the following statement about the alleged kicking incident to Arsenal.com.  He said;

“I am sad and disappointed by my former team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor’s mindless and malicious stamp on me during today’s match.

“We are both professional footballers and I know that the game is physical, I too have made hard and sometimes mis-timed challenges but never with the intention of hurting an opponent. He set out to hurt me today.

“I knew he was aiming for a collision because he changed the angle of his body to allow contact to be made.  He moved backwards when his natural momentum would have taken him forward. I find that deeply disrespectful. He has shown a real lack of class today, to me and the fans.

“I do feel lucky that I have not suffered a greater injury. The contact was only centimetres from my eye. I have not received an apology from him, there were no words exchanged afterwards. He had his own agenda today and that is bad for football. It’s bad for the game we all love.

“I want to make it clear that this has nothing to do with the result of today’s match.  We do not hide from that disappointment but I need to speak out about his behaviour.”

You’ve got to feel sorry for Robin, getting kicked in the face by your team mate from last season is pretty hard to swallow and very disappointing. It’s a pity the referee didn’t get a clear view of it, otherwise, he would most likely have seen RED. The FA has stated that they would take a good look at both incidents today and I suspect Adebayor will be charged for violent behaviour. The If you were to put that in perspective with the Eduardo incident, you’d think he’d be banned for life!…Talk about restrospective justice! Former top referee Graham Poll reckons he’d get a minimum of  a 3 match ban if they were to look only at the Van Persie incident. 

The ugly incident has put a cloud on Rosicky’s return to competitive action after being out since January 2008. It was his assist to RVP that led the Arsenal equaliser and he also scored a late consolation to make the scoreline look more respectable. However, Arsene has said he won’t rush him back into action as he’d rather be patient with him.

We always seem to play badly just after the international break and the defeat at Eastlands had done nothing to change the belief. Our players always come back either jaded or injured after flying around the world in six days. Credit though must go to City who were quicker out of the blocks, frequently catching us on the break and always looked more likely to score. At some point, it almost looked as if our defenders were pulling out of challenges. Although we managed to keep Ireland quiet, we had no answer for Wright-Phillips and Richards as they gave Clichy all to do. Cesc had a quiet game and I think Bedntner should be played right down the middle as sticking him out wide gives him to much work to do and leaves us without a big man in the middle to attack the crosses.

Arsene Wenger, in response to the media spoke about the feeling of dropping more points away from home. He said;

“We have the same feeling at little bit as the first game in Manchester [two weeks ago]. There was more in the game for us than what we got and we go unfortunately home with the same spirit, the same disappointment and of course with the feeling that we should have got a much better result today considering the way the two teams played. But they negotiated better the two turning points of the game, and I believe we were defensively a bit shaky today.”

Speaking of which, we’ve conceded 8 goals in 4 games already, that’s not a very good stat unless we’re scoring more per game than we are conceding. Should we blame it on a leaking defence or a porous midfield? The withdrawal of Song and Denilson on Saturday showed that we do need them in the middle of the park. Maybe we should look at whether or not our wingers are tracking back to help our full backs when we lose posession. I’ll leave it there.

William Gallas looks set to be offered a new contract before the end of the year. I must say once again that his performances have greatly improved in the last few months and Arsene is quoted as saying he would have a look at the situation in December. Surely the recent aquisition of Thomas Vermaelen has had an impact on his performances too.

I recieved an email this morning from an aggrieved Arsenal fan on Saturday’s result and I can sum his feeling up in three words “E pain me”. Sorry Chuka, millions around the world feel the same way!

The European ties take place this week there should be a full preview tomorrow on the blog.

Till then…Victoria Concordia Crescit

[center]Interlull Updates – 09/09/09[/center]
What does 09/09/09 mean to you? To me,  it’s the last day of a very boring international break at the begining of a promising season. I felt a bit guilty for not writing yesterday’s blog until I read Arsebloggers post about how it was all Arthur’s fault hmnn LWKMD.

Anyway, Andrey Arshavin is set to incur Arsene Wenger’s wrath by playing for Russia tonight against Wales despite not being fully fit. However, Russia boss Guus Hiddink has assured that all is well. He said;

“Andrey has done everything he has had to do. At the moment, there is no big problem. ‘There should be no worry. He will take a responsible decision if he cannot  play. But he would like to play.”

There’s more good news as Theo Walcott looks set to feature in Saturday’s game against Citeh at Eastlands. This would be his first game of the season after getting hurt on international duty with England. However, it looks like Carlos Tevez will have to sit this one out as he recovers from a knee injury picked up in Argentina’s 3-1 home loss to Brazil at the weekend.

For some reason the young guns have been more vocal than usual this season about their ambitions as young professionals. Maybe they have come to realise that they need to speak up to be heard, or could it also be a conscious effort by the club to give them a platform to be heard and help in their gradual integration into the first team.

Sanchez Watt has stated that he wants to be picked for the Carling Cup game against West Brom while Fran Merida has revealed that he turned down a loan move to Levante after speaking with the boss about his future with the club. Gavin Hoyte has also revealed that he had to become a man during his loan spell at Watford even though he occasionally took his washing home to his mum! He said;

“I think it was a very good spell for me. I got to see how the Championship works and how different it is being in a first-team to being a reserve player. It made me feel like a senior player, it was about making that step. I had to eat right, sleep right, all the things that senior pros have to do. I had to adapt quickly and grow up quickly. Training with the first-team players everyday makes you think ‘this is what I need to do’.”

Captain Cesc Fabregas says the Arsenal youngsters are too tough to be bullied around. Speaking on the 2-1 loss to Manchester United, he said;

“It hurts to lose in that way, but we were denied many opportunities and it was a very physical game – maybe too physical, but we showed that we will not be bullied by anybody. Clubs try not to let us play our style of football and some use questionable tactics, but we will not be intimidated by anyone.”

England play Croatia tonight at Wembley in a game where a win for the hosts will guarantee their place at next year’s World Cup in South Africa. Croatia boss Slaven Bilic has spoken out in support of Eduardo following his heroics against Celtic. He said;

“Eduardo is a complete man, a complete person. He’s great as a player, great as a person. He’s complete, and he will be even more motivated here. I can say it because I’ve known him since he was 17. When you know you are right, the things that anyone says about you can’t harm you at all. It can only motivate you more. He knows he is 100% honest. I’ve spoken with him about it. We speak every day. He knows he did nothing wrong, but that the fans will react. It happened to him at Old Trafford when he came on just a few days after the game against Celtic. We spoke on the phone after that, and it was all clear. Not a problem. He will be ready.”

Personally, I have visions of England winning a dubious penalty involving a blatant Wayne Rooney dive (missed by the referee of course) with the subsequent penalty kick miscuing into the stands, an Ashley Cole backpass bouncing off the Wembley turf into the England goal, a brilliant hat-trick by Eduardo and a double own-goal by John Terry …and before I forget, an appeal by the Croatia FA resulting in a retrospective six match ban for Wayne Rooney…What are the odds of that happenning eh?

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit!

OMO IBO:
Santos
Mancienne
Sinclair
Turnbull

make i continue?

Can you start with five known names in the reserves who came through the ranks and were not bought.

I'll turn a blind eye to Di Santo but Turnbull don't cos he came through at Boro,

[center]AN ANGRY MANAGER[/center]
The big news of the morning is the fact that Arsene Wenger is set to vent his anger at UEFA’s decision to suspend Eduardo for two games at a Elite Coaches forum in Nyon this afternoon with Rafael Benitez and Sir Alex Ferguson among the confirmed attendants. Last week he is quoted as saying that the existing rules of football had been changed for a single case and as such, every decision made by referees in Europe will be challenged.

Croatia Manager Slaven Bilic has called the decision to label Eduardo – a model sportsman as cheat a “disgrace” and said he simply could not understand how Eduardo could be punished.

What is unclear to me is the process that was followed to draw up the charges against the player. Was it included in the match official’s report? Not likely! Was it based on media reporting and the sentiments of individuals with related interests? Most probably! We wait on the club for news today on whether or not they will appeal against the decision.

In some more positive news, young stars Denilson and Nicklas Bendtner have also signed new long term contracts. This not only reinforces our policy of developing the best young talent available, but also shows the tremendous amount of faith placed in them as young players.

Apparently, Nicklas Bendtner turned down Barcelona, Inter and Bayern before signing his new deal. I’ve always been a big fan of Bendtner and their approaches speak volumes of how highly he is rated by top clubs in Europe. Last season he scored more goals than anyone 21 or under in the Premiership and despite the constant riling he has received from both the media and a large section of Arsenal fans, I believe he is well positioned to blossom into becoming one of the most feared strikers in Europe. The manager paid glowing tribute to him saying;

“Nicklas has impressed me highly with his application and determination over the last season, you can see that he wants to compete at the highest level and win things with his team-mates. He scored a number of important goals for us last season and he will look to replicate that again this year. However, it’s not just about the goals, his all round contribution has improved and will continue to do so. I’m very pleased that he will be part of the team for years to come.”

His father who is also his agent was quick to point out that Bendtner was never in doubt about where he wanted to stay. He said;

“It would have been very easy to find a new, great club for him, and when the biggest clubs join in, then it is really flattering for Nicklas. But still Nicklas was never in doubt that what he wanted the most was to stay in Arsenal. He is so happy for his new contract, and the most important thing is, that he, in Arsene Wenger has a manager, who shows him a lot of confidence.Wenger gives Nicklas space and time to develop both as a person and a player, and that is really unique on football’s top level. Nicklas feels, it is ideal for him to stay in Arsenal.”

Denilson will be keen to build on his good performances last season after playing in every Premier League game. I believe that his doubters have begun to be won over by his tremendous work rate and overall contribution to the team game. With the World Cup over the corner, this season could prove to be a key one in his international career as if he is able to step his game up to the next level with Arsenal, Dunga will be faced with a pretty difficult selection dilemma. On signing the contract, he had this to say;

“My development since I joined back in 2006 has really pleased me, and I just want to build on last season’s performances. We have a hugely talented group of players here, and I am convinced that with everyone working together we’ll be able to achieve great things. It’s a special time to be part of this Club and I’m delighted to have signed a new long-term deal.”

One thing these two players have in common is the fact that they both came through the ranks playing in the Carling Cup. With our third round tie against West Brom around the corner, Wenger has been quick to state that the race is on for places in the Carling Cup.

Another player keen to make the next step is young Spaniard Fran Merida. Speaking to Declan Taylor of Arsenal.com, he told of how he felt when he was told he had been promoted to the first team.

“When Pat Rice told me I was moving into the first-team dressing room it was a great moment. I am very pleased, very happy because it has been three or four seasons. You have to stay patient, I always was and I know I am there now. I am just going to work even harder to get my chance. I know the players will help me so I’m looking forward to a fantastic season.”

Barring any unfortunate injuries, I see him playing a major role in our Carling Cup run this season, along side players like Sanchez Watt and Giles Sunu who are keen on making the final push towards the first team. Speaking to Arsenal TV Online, French striker Sunu, revealed among other things that it was Thierry Henry who advised him to sign for Arsenal. He said;

“The first time I came to the training ground I saw [Henry] and had a long conversation with him. He advised me to come here. I signed two hours after! He told me to work hard every day and give my best every day at training. When we train with the first team I look a lot at Arshavin, he helps me a lot. Van Persie as well and Eboue as well, he talks to me a lot.”

In some odd news, firefighters were called to the Hampstead home of Cesc Fabregas after neighbours spotted smoke from his apartment only for them to discover that he had burnt something in his kitchen. LWKMD!

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit.

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Is it possible for Arsenal to ask UEFA for retrospective punishment against this idiot?

A Witch Hunt by whinghing Scots, thats what I call it!

It’s still a little quiet with the players being away on internationals and you wouldn’t even notice that the transfer window closed yesterday. As expected, we didn’t sign anyone and the only newsworthy item was the fact that UEFA have suspended Eduardo for two games “for deceiving” the referee. That didn’t come as a surprise to me as it always looked like judgement had already been passed on him. In a statement released on Tuesday, the club have expressed their frustration about the decision stating that they would make a decision on an appeal once a “reasoned decision” is received from UEFA on Thursday.  SFA Chief Gordon Smith is happy with the decision but I don’t even want to go there! They are calling it a crackdown on diving, but they charged a player who is only ever known to have dived once!

How about some retrospective action on chronic divers eh?

I am of the opinion that UEFA is setting a dangerous precedent here as whilst they have refused to make use of video technology during games, it is being used to carry out retrospective action which is contradictory to their stance. I believe that if video evidence can be used to punish an individual after a game has ended, it should be employed during the game both to eliminate errors from match officials and to remove all the controversy from retrospective action. Alternatively, they could employ a method used in some sports where in a game, each team has an opportunity to challenge a certain number of decisions with the use of video replays. I think it’s worth thinking about.

Last night, the reserves continued their flying start to the season with a 4-0 win over Birmingham at St Andrews with two goals from Sanchez Watt and one each for Craig Eastmond and Giles Sunu. I’ve always thought Sanchez Watt was a bright spark and he’s clearly one to watch for the future. His scoring rate is impressive and reminds his movement on the ball and positioning is eye-catching. He’s only 18 and so I expect him to get a run out in the Carling Cup later in the season and hopefully, make a push towards getting into the first team.

Elsewhere over the weekend, Jay Simpson made his debut for QPR in their 1-0 win away to Scunthorpe in the Championship. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was a second half substitute as Blackpool were 3-1 winners over Coventry at home. Henry Lansbury played 90 minutes for Watford as they drew 1-1 with Swansea while defender Havard Nordveit was deployed in a midfield role playing a full game for Nurnberg in their 0-0 draw away to Stuttgart.

I’m not surprised that our youngsters are getting playing time in their respective loan clubs as I have never been in any doubt about their talent. I must say that I’m impressed by the fact that they are considered important players in their respective teams and that they are being given an opportunity to develop themselves as players. At this stage of their careers, it is important that they get used to being part of a first team set up as it gives them both a drive and a desire for it to remain that way when they return to Arsenal or decide to forge their careers elsewhere. It’s common knowledge that loan spells have played an important part in the formative years of several of our players such as Nicklas Bendtner, Johann Djourou and Alex Song.

That’s all for today, the Interlull as Arseblogger rightly calls it is rather annoying as nothing seems to be happening and everything else moves slowly. Hopefully, our players will return without brain damage, or career threatening depressions! 

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit.

presido1:
Breaking News: Tal B Haim on his way to Emirate for medical.

You are an idiot! He already signed for Pompey!

[center]MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING[/center]

It’s deadline day and I don’t think we will be signing anyone new before January. I think we’ve seen the team play well enough for Arsene to believe they can go all the way in the league and the cups without additional reinforcing. With Rosicky back in training and Cesc, Fabregas and Nasri all on the road to recovery, I find it hard to ponder where a new player will fit into the team. Baring injuries and suspensions, it is clear that Alex Song looks to be the bedrock of our new defensive midfield structure which is both positive and worrying at the same time.

The African Nations’ Cup starts next January and it is hoped that Diaby and Denilson will be sufficient cover during that period. In the event of a loss of form of either we still have enough time to scout for a suitable back up which is why I don’t see it happening before January. Nevertheless, Arsene is confident that they are up to the task and that we are best equipped to dethrone Man Utd as Champions.

The Scottish conspiracy continues today as Arsenal have sent a 19 page presentation to Uefa in defence of Eduardo. What I fail to understand is the rationale behind Uefa’s actions in charging him for attempting to deceive a match official. On the other hand, when English players dive (Rooney, Fowler, Gerrard), they are called clever, and when foreigners dive (Ronaldo, Drogba, Eduardo) they are called cheats! Work that one out! But then, there is the school of thought that Eduardo must have jumped out of the challenge given his injury incident…who know? Lets ask him!

Does it have anything to do with the fact that Uefa General Secretary David Taylor is Scottish or the fact that the Scots simply like to whinge when they don’t get their way? If the referee had spotted it, it would have been a yellow card. He missed it and now it’s a two or three match ban; the same punishment Didier Drogba got for his show of shame against Man Utd and Matt Taylor for breaking Eduardo’s leg in February 2008. It simply doesn’t make sense! It looks like the case has already been judged, as quoting an article in the Guardian;

Eduardo is said to have “succeeded in deceiving the referee, who was influenced by the player’s gross unsporting behaviour”. It added: “There are no exceptional circumstances that would justify a plea for mercy.” Eduardo is also said to have won the penalty with an “obvious dive” and “through the act of cheating”, while the referee’s observer is quoted as saying that there was “not the slightest interference with the player”, with regard to the Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc’s challenge. It is implied that Eduardo ought to have immediately told the referee, Manuel Mejuto González, that he did not feel a penalty should have been awarded.

Nothing much to say apart from that….I have my eye on the deadline day updates from the BBC and hopefully we’ll have more news tomorrow. The reserves play Birmingham tonight and the game is live on Arsenal TV.

Till then…Victory Through Harmony.

dayokanu:
Ok Arsenal won the league right? the trophyless league.

I guess so. . .I figure Bayern were runners up too last season eh?

You're delusional!

dayokanu:
Why do Gayyners always get easy draws?

2009/2010 AZ. Olympiakos and Liege

2008/2009 Porto Kiev Fenerbahce

2007/2008 Sevilla. Slavia Praha, Steau Bucharest

2006/2007 Porto, CSKA, Hamburg

2005/2006 Ajax, Prague and FC Thun

2004/2005 PSV, Panathinaikos, Rosenborg

IMAGINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why don't you get a room and jerk off to your Trophies!

AZ. Olympiakos and Liege are national league winners. . . blame it on Platini.

Next time maybe you should win the league so you can get the luck of the draw. . .idiot!

_{oops! I'm supposed to be a blogger!}

The draws for the group stages of the Champions League were made yesterday and it looks like we have avoided potentially tricky ties in the group stages against the top teams in Europe. Arsenal was drawn in Group H alongside AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos and Standard Liege. I don’t reckon that the ties could have come any easier that this CEO Ivan Gazidis believes that Arsenal can go all the way in this year’s competition. He said;

“The ambition is to go all the way of course. The team has matured and learnt from some of the experiences of last year. But there are an awful lot of world-class, historic clubs in the draw and we should not forget that last year we got down to the last four. The aim this year is to see if we can go a step further. There is a terrific team spirit, togetherness and real resolve at the moment. If we continue to focus one game at a time we think we can achieve something this season.”

He also went on to add that although some might look at it and see it as an automatic pass, he is of the opinion that it would be tough but that we would keep our focus as we have a very determined group of players at the club. Ironically, we are playing against the league champions from three countries and it will be interesting to see if the results in the group would be used as basis for assessing the strengths of the different leagues from which the teams come from. The fixtures show that we play away to Standard Liege the opening round of matches. I wonder if Thomas Vermaelen would be able to give the lads a few tips on Belgian football.

UEFA have stated that they plan to launch an investigation into Eduardo’s apparent dive in the game against Celtic. If found guilty, he could face up to a two match ban. While I do not deny the fact that it was a dubious penalty, I think too much is being made of it at the moment and it’s to be expected as it always looks as if everybody expects Arsenal to fail and when we do succeed, we either aren’t given credit for it or non-issues and overblown. He wasn’t the first player to dive and he definitely won’t be last, personally I don’t think he’ll want to try it again any time soon. Nevertheless, we haven’t heard his version of events

However, Spanish referee Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez has stood by his decision to award a penalty to Arsenal. He said;

“I made the decision honestly and during the game from my position on the pitch. My assistant also confirmed my decision. The Celtic players were very upset but my decision was based on what I saw and it’s not easy for referees. We make a split second decision and without the help of television. If you see the images afterwards then you can discuss the decision but my decisions are always made honestly. I remember very clearly the attacks in the Scottish press after the Scotland-Italy game but I can promise I have nothing against Scottish football.”

Hmn! It looks like the Scottish fans already have a bias towards the referee hence the animosity at the decision.

Meanwhile, the club have confirmed that Jay Simpson has joind QPR on a season-long loan deal. I think it’s the best thing for him at the moment as I don’t see him breaking into the first team anytime soon with Van Persie, Eduardo, Bendtner, Arshavin, and Vela all ahead of him in the pecking order. Some valuable experience in the grit of the Championship should do him some good on this (third) loan spell and hopefully mark a turning point in his career as to whether is future lies with us or not. We sincerely wish him all the best.

Ahead of tomorrow’s game, the boss gave an update on the injury situation of the players. Cesc Fabregas has been declared 50:50 to face Manchester United while Tomas Rosicky will also not be risked.

I’m  away for the weekend so the blog may not run on schedule…we’ll see.

My heart is saying Arsenal 4  Man Utd 0 but my head is saying 1-1.

Cristalz has a preview of the game in the Arsenal vs Manchester Utd Matchday Thread. Please join the debate.

You can also follow me at www.twitter.com/thegreengooner

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Group A - Bayern, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa

Group B - Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg

Group C - Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, Zurich

Group D - Chelsea, Porto, Atletico, APOEL

Group E - Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debrecen

Group F - Barcelona, Inter, Dinamo Kiev, Rubin

Group G - Sevilla, Rangers, Stuttgart, Unirea Urziceni

Group H - ARSENAL AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos, Standard

looks like we avoided the worst possible case as I postulated earlier in the day

Group A - Bayern, Juventus, C, D

Group B - Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, C, D

Group C - Milan, Real Madrid, C, D

Group D - Chelsea, Porto, C, D

Group E - Liverpool, Lyon, C, D

Group F - Barcelona, Inter, C, D

Group G - Sevilla, Rangers, C, D

Group H - ARSENAL AZ Alkmaar, C, D

Hmnn, we avoided the tougher teams in POT B

Group A - Bayern

Group B - Manchester United

Group C - Milan

Group D - Chelsea

Group E - Liverpool

Group F - Barcelona

Group G - Sevilla

Group H - ARSENAL

[size=14pt][center]THE TALE OF A DIVING CROZILLIAN[/center][/size]

“From outside I must say it looked a penalty but having seen it again on television, it doesn’t look to be a penalty. I believe that it was not a penalty but having seen it again, I’m not sure that the ‘keeper didn’t touch him with his right knee. I am a bit cautious because with what happened to Eduardo, you know. He might have jumped out of the way, so you have to speak to him. I don’t think he would have complained if the penalty was not given but did he want to get out of the way of the ‘keeper? I have to ask him. I haven’t spoken to him yet. That doesn’t mean I do not want a penalty that is not a penalty, but I do not go as far to say Eduardo dived. He went down, for what reason I do not know. But I do not think he would have complained if the penalty was not given.”

Those were the very words of Arsene Wenger when speaking to the press response to an apparent blatant dive by Eduardo in last night’s 3-1 win over Celtic.

I’ve seen worse dives than that from Cristiano Ronaldo and I don’t intend to sit on the fence with this one. At first look it looked like a penalty and it is only after successive replays that it becomes clear that it is not a penalty. Once the passing move was strung, I knew there was a penalty in it, and credit must go to Artur Boruc who although was done in by the referee’s decision pulled out of the challenge to leave us in this controversial situation. At half time while remonstrating with the referee, I noticed that the Spanish official kept pointing to his knees. Who knows? Maybe he saw something we didn’t see…nah!

We’ve been victims of such harsh justice in the past so you can understand the frustration of the Celtic players. What’s annoying is the fact that Celtic had tried to kick us off the pitch in the first leg. How come nobody is talking about that now? Dutch defender Glen Loovens displayed his blatant ignorance by claiming Eduardo couldn’t speak English. After 2 years at Arsenal? Come on! Come up with something original! He said;

“I don’t think he even speaks English so there was no point talking to him. It is very disappointing but that is football. It’s sad it happened to us. I don’t think it is really fair. But it helped his team take the lead. There is a referee and a linesman to see those kind of things.”

More sour grapes though as SFA Chief Gordon Smith has called for Eduardo to be banned after the incident. He said

“Last night Eduardo showed disrespect to the game by his actions. We have shown courage to use retrospective punishment when it comes to simulation. I’d urge Uefa to do so.”

I expect there will be more talk on this in the days to come but this shouldn’t take our focus away from the fact that Arsenal was the better team over both legs even though Celtic’s late consolation by Donati was arguably the best goal in the tie which ended 5-1 on aggregate. This brings to mind another niggling issue I have with our defence occasionally switching of in games that are already won robbing us of a clean sheet by conceding unnecessary goals.


The outstanding player on the night in my opinion was Emmanuel Eboue. I must admit that he is not quite the same player that was booed of the pitch against Wigan last season. His work rate has improved and he seems to have lost all the theatrics that we have grown accustomed to seeing over the last few years. Rather he has focused more of his energy into getting back into the team and producing the scintillating performances that initially endeared him to the hearts of the fans.

Speaking on this Wenger said;

“Eboue is a guy who needs to be loved; there was a turning point after he was sent off last year at Tottenham where for a while it was very uncertain for him. It was a difficult season. But he has not talked, he has worked and he has talent. I believe he has matured as well, because what has happened to him has made him stronger.”

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray was gracious in defeat and had this to say about the Arsenal performance;

“I would suggest there are only four teams in the English Premier League of the quality of Arsenal. I do not think the gulf between our football club and the rest of the Premier League would be there – maybe we will get the chance to show that in the Europa League. I genuinely believe Arsenal are a team who can win this competition, but at the moment Celtic are not in a position to compete with the English sides who make the semi-finals of this tournament year in and year out. You have to take the positives out of the way we played in these two matches.”

The draws of the group stages take place later this evening and it would be interesting to see who our opponents will be. Whilst we will inevitably avoid English opposition in this stage of the draw, Arsenal will definitely be up against some of the greats of European football. With Arsenal in Pot A, I’d be excited to see how we perform if our group ends up like this. ARSENAL, INTER MILAN, DINAMO KIEV AND WOLFSBURG. This is a worst-case scenario of the toughest possible draw we could face. Should we come out unscathed, you’d expect us to be tipped as one of the hot favourites to win the Champions League.

Elsewhere, Heri Lansbury was a 64th minute substitute for Watford as they lost 2-1 to Leeds after extra time in the Carling Cup.

Tomorrow, we’ll look ahead at Saturday’s crucial clash with Champions Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Till then…Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Arsene Wenger has moved to rubbish speculations that the second leg of the play off tie with Celtic is a done deal. He said;

“My priority is still to get into the Champions League first and once we are in it, to try to win. We live in a pragmatic world so let’s first get in it. It’s not job done, it’s job to do. That’s how I approach it. There’s a job to do and to finish. We have done a big part of it but the most important [thing] is to get over the line and that’s what we want to achieve tomorrow.”

He also revealed that Aaron Ramsey could deputise for the injured Cesc Fabregas. Quoting the boss;

“I am not scared to put Ramsey in [for this game], but we still have Song, Diaby and Denilson.”

I believe Arsene will have a little selection worry in the midfield as he has four equally capable players available for tonight’s game. I’d rather he allowed Ramsey continue alongside Diaby and decide between Denilson and Song who was rested against Portsmouth.

More refreshingly however is the news that Tomas Rosicky (as earlier reported) is back in training and could even feature at Old Trafford on Saturday. Nevertheless, Arsene has said that he will not unnecessarily rotate the team unless he feels certain players need some rest.

Whilst he named unchanged line ups for our first two games, I believe he wants the best team to play each game and while that could be reassuring, I hope we don’t end up with half of the team being fatigued and the other half too rusty to put up match winning performances. Notwithstanding, I am fully confident that Arsene who has also claimed that Theo Walcott’s England role is unrealistic, will do what is best for the team.

When asked about Blaise Matuidi, Wenger said

“I deny that! The only thing I can tell you is that at the moment we are not close to signing anybody. We have still one week.”

On the future of Senderos, Wenger said there was no news and if he hadn’t moved by the 31st August then he will be considered as any other player in the squad. What this means is that he may have been unwilling to consider him whilst his future was still in the balance. Poor boy!

Meanwhile, Abou Diaby in speaking to the London Evening Standard believes that Arsenal are ready to win the Champions League this season. He said;

“We talk about winning the Champions League. Arsenal are a big club and deserve to win a big title like the Champions League and as a player you want to win that trophy as well so it’s in our mind. I would like to be in United’s place and be in the final. It’s good for them and obviously we want to have the same success. We can definitely challenge everyone this season. We are ready to fight and to get something this year. It will be hard against Celtic, they are a good team and now we are focused on this game. Everyone knows it will not be easy even after winning the first leg so we will have to be focused to go through.

Gael Clichy also claims the rise and fall of Aliaksandr Hleb’s career is a motivation for him to stay put at Arsenal. In an interview with the official Arsenal magazine, he said;

“It proves that sometimes leaving for another big club is not always the right decision. When you move you have to be sure that the club really wants you – you want to know, not necessarily that you’ll be playing all the time, but that you’re part of it,”

Well said Gael…we hope the young guns are listening! In the meantime, the Mirror reckons that Fran Merida is set to be offered a new deal.

Tonight’s game as expected will be a mouth watering encounter with Celtic looking to steal a march on Arsenal’s percieved advantage with an early goal. Error prone centre back Gary Caldwell who was at fault for both goals in the first leg of the tie thinks the Gooners are the Gunner’s weak point? How daft! He said;

“We’ll have to score first to make the fans agitated but we have the players to do that. For us to win would be a great result because Arsenal are a great club. It would be massive, especially as we will have overturned a two-goal deficit.”

Game on then! I expect a not too different line up from the team that faced Portsmouth on Saturday with Ramsey coming in for Fabregas and Song replacing Denilson in the starting line up. I go for Eduardo ahead of Bendtner as the sensational Crozilian be key in unlocking the Celtic defence early on.

Possible Line up: Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy, Ramsey, Song Diaby, Van Persie, Eduardo, Arshavin

Subs: Mannone, Gibbs, Merida, Eboue, Denilson, Bendtner, Wilshere.

My verdict: Arsenal 3 Celtic 0

The game is live at 19:45 on Hi Soccer in Nigeria with audio commentary online at Arsenal TV.

Feel free to join the debates at the Arsenal vs Celtic Matchday Thread as well as the Arsenal Fans Thread of Nairaland.com. A mid-week Podcast is also available from Arsenal.com.

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Yesterday night at Underhill, the reserves got their season off to a flying start with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Fulham. Neil Banfield’s boys who finished 6th in the standings last season will be hoping improve on their performances this year even as several Academy players from the double winning season have been promoted and are set to feature for the reserves this season.

French duo of Giles Sunu and Francis Coquelin got off the mark in the first half with substitute Roarie Deacon who was making his reserve debut scoring within minutes of entering the fray. While I am not surprised at the result, I am slightly concerned that the trio of Kerrea Gilbert(22), Jay Simpson (20) and Nacer Barazite(19) have been unable to make the step up to first team action as they seem to have been in the reserves for ages. I believe that this season will be key for them as if they aren’t shipped out on loan again, they should form a big part of the Arsene’s Carling Cup squad and hopefully push their way into the first team. If not, it doesn’t look likely that they’d have too many more chances.

Elsewhere at the weekend, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas scored on his debut for Blackpool heading home a corner against Watford who also handed a debut to Henri Lansbury who came on as a second half sub with the game ending in a 2-2 draw. Harvard Nordtveit also made his debut for FC Nurenberg in their 2-0 loss to Hannover. One player I’ll be keeping my eye on is the versataile Jay Emmanuel-Thomas who has previously featured at left-back, centre midfield, and also up front, and is a constant threat in front of goal.

Ahead of tomorrow’s crucial second leg Champions League tie against Arsenal at the Emirates, one thing that is clear is that the game will not be lacking in goals. Celtic have scored 8 goals in 2 league games, while Arsenal have scored 10 goals in 2 league games. As I pointed out on Sunday, only one of the goals has been from a striker and although this could be a worry for some teams, Arsene Wenger seems unperturbed. He said;

“We have played a 4-3-3 formation early in the season and there are many benefits from it. At the start of the season, I wanted to play high up the pitch, making a threat in the opponents half early in the game. It tells me that we have a game where we attack from everywhere. Our strikers at the moment are providers. For me, in a good team everybody can score and a good striker scores and provides. At the moment they provide more than they score, but I know that Eduardo and Robin van Persie will score so I am very happy that at the moment they do not score and we still score goals.”

I totally agree with him on that point. Football has and will always be a team sport and a formation that allows everyone get involved protects the team from being over reliant on one or two players for goals which could be disastrous should they be a bunch of misfiring twats!

One man not getting worked up is Celtic manager Tony Mowbray who claims he already knows his starting line up for tomorrow’s tie. Speaking to the BBC, he said

“If we had been sitting here 2-0 up, then I would probably play a different team to one that is 2-0 down and having to score some goals, but I am pretty clear in my mind what my team will be. The result of the first leg alters your thought patterns of how you might set up in the second leg. I understand that if we lose 2-0 again, I will be judged to have got the team wrong again but if we win 3-0 then hopefully everyone will be pretty happy.”

I hope his new master plan doesn’t include telekinetic fire breathing aliens from a distant galaxy with six arms and eight legs or else Gunnersaurus will have to make his playing debut for the club.

The Daily Mail are speculating that we are back on the radar for Blaise Matuidi despite Saint-Etienne declaring previously that the player is not for sale. The press conferences will probably be held today and hopefully, we’ll have an insight as to the Manager’s thoughts on that, the game, and the injury worries to Fabregas and Diaby. The news stories are slowly building up hopefully, there will be more to report as well as a full preview of the Celtic game on the blog tomorrow.

Till then…Victoria Concordia Crescit!

Where do I start from this morning as nothing new seems to be brewing at the moment? The tabloids are making a hash about an interview Andrei Arshavin gave to The Times where he is quoted as saying;

“We still have to buy. That’s my opinion. We shouldn’t set Everton as a benchmark; we should be looking at the top teams of Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona. We should buy first-class players, regardless of their age. We should buy the ones who should improve our game. The top teams have much bigger squads than ours and that is why we have to buy.”

Remember he says that it’s his opinion and it’s not like he was telling the boss what to do as when asked where the boss should strengthen, he said

“I’d rather not comment. I don’t think that would be appropriate. Arsène understands where improvement needs to be done.”

I believe he’s fallen into the age-old trap of journalists leading interviewees on to make them make statements which could easily be taken out of context just like Gallas’ costly mistake last season. Still it’s an interesting interview which tells a lot about his character as a person too.

Yesterday, I forgot to add the manager’s comments about the new atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium after the Portsmouth game. He said;

“Highbury had a natural soul because of all the history; we have to create history here first by winning titles, but also by making the place warm and where you feel the history of the club. The fans have to feel a connection between the values a club wants, and that has always been right here. You want to transfer the history of the club in the walls here, and create a new history with the results. We have maybe at the moment not achieved that, not outside nor on the pitch. My job and that of the team is to create it on the pitch. We have the ambition to win the title, and have a good opportunity to show we can do it.”

Hopefully, we can achieve some of that this season and build on this for the years to come.

In some other news Everton seem to have reluctantly agreed a fee with Citeh for Joleon Lescott and this could cause them to rekindle their interest in Senderos with Everton Manager David Moyes claiming they need new players. We’ll see what happens today and hopefully get some confirmation on Cesc’s injury situation as he remains a doubt for our next two games.

The reserves also kick off their season tonight at home against Fulham…all the best to the lads.

Till Tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit

A brilliant Arsenal team continued an emphatic start to the season on Saturday evening as they thrashed a hopeless looking Portsmouth team 4-1 at the Emirates. Arsene Wenger made four changes to team that faced Celtic on Tuesday with Eduardo replacing Nicklas Bendtner up front for his first Premiership start since February 2008. Kieran Gibbs and Emmanuel Eboue slotted into the full back positions in place of Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna while Abou Diaby replaced Alex Song in the centre of the midfield.

It was Arsenal who started brightly, with Diaby finding himself free on the right in the opening seconds with a clear sight on goal. Unfortunately, he took t0o much time to make up his mind allowing the scurrying Nadir Belhadj to deflect the ball over the bar.

His finishing was much better in the 18th minute when he finished off a brilliant move worked by the in-form Eduardo. He collected the ball on the left, nudged it past Marc Wilson and raced around him to collect it, steading himself and rolling a neat pass to Diaby who sidefooted powerfully to the top corner. The fans were singing one nil to the Arsenal.

If that was brilliant, the next was equally as exceptional courtesy of a classic counter attacking move by Arsenal. Diaby headed a Portsmouth freekick clear and raced ahead with Fabregas sending a neat ball to the overlapping Eboue on the right. Eboue had the presence of mind (this time) to square the ball to Diaby who gave David James no chance with a neat finish.

Pompey surprisingly pulled one back Kaboul towered above a static Almunia to nod in Belhadj’s centre from the left. One thing I must say is that if Almunia had made an effort to get the ball earlier than he did, he’d probably have been given the foul. However, his indecision cost him a clean sheet as he only challenged the ball after Kaboul was in the air and could only clutter into him. Classic switch off from Almunia…very daft!

Cesc was withdrawn at halftime with a tight hamstring and speaking after the game, the manager had this to say;

“If it is a little pull he will be out for three weeks, if just tightness, maybe , Wednesday. We’ll know more in 48 hours.”

For our third goal, William Gallas was on the right end of an attacking move he knew next to nothing about. An Arshavin free-kick was flicked on by Van Persie with Vermaelen sliding in at the far post with his effort finding Gallas who kicked the ball into his own face and into the net. I always say a goal is a goal as long as it is in the net. At this stage, Arsenal were cruising and Aaron Ramsey who had come in at half time for the Captain scored his first Premier League goal in the 69th minute when he broke the Pompey offside trap to latch on to Van Persie’s incisive pass and finish neatly past a helpless David James.

I could go on and on with every detail, but I’ve already done that on my twitter feed! Besides, the official match report is much better at Arsenal.com. As earlier predicted, Piquionne was the outstanding player for Portsmouth although Peter Storrie and Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim looked unperturbed at the proceedings from their Executive Box.

Abou Diaby provided what is arguably one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt and I must confess that he has looked much sharper and determined in his two appearances this season. I recall that at Members Day earlier this year, two squad members had a separate routine from the entire team. Diaby underwent a rigorous passing routine while Thomas Vermaelen was made to work on his endurance. These two players have had a unique impact on our season so far, Diaby with his more incisive footwork and Passing and Thomas Vermaelen with his fitness levels and his ability to blend into a new team within a short period.

Speaking to the press after the game, a delighted Arsene Wenger had this to say

“We have had a brilliant start. It should create confidence and momentum. We now go into another week which will be another test against Celtic and then Manchester United. It looks to be exciting and interesting. We want to make this place very special, and there is still some more work to do. However, you also have to accept the team have to get the people off their seats, not the other way around. Last year maybe we did not give enough belief to our fans, and maybe the belief of our fans had been affected by the negative publicity we got.”

On the frustrating time Diaby has had, the boss also had this to say;

“He has been out for nine months. He has been here three years and I have seen that today he played his 100th game so that means he has been out for a long, long time. He has had little problems and he worked very hard this summer. This could be Abou’s year, it could be his season because he prepared well, he looks very sharp, very strong, he has all you dream to have to play in the Premier League.”

The News of the World are reporting that Arsenal are ready to open contract talks with Cesc Fabregas to fend off interest from Barcelona. Although he is currently contracted till 2014, we’ll look to Arsenal.com for some official confirmation.

Meanwhile, Celtic Manager Tony Mowbray is already turning his thoughts towards the second leg of the Champions League play off tie on Wednesday. Speaking after Celtic’s 5-2 thrashing of St Johnstone, he said

“Obviously, the result of the first leg alters your thought patterns of how you might set up for the second leg. If we had been sitting here 2-0 ahead I would probably play a different team than if we were 2-0 down. We have to go and score some goals. I am pretty clear in my mind what my team is going to be next Wednesday but wait and see. I understand that I get judged. If we lose 2-0 I’ve got the team wrong again. But if we manage to win 3-0 everyone will be pretty happy hopefully.”

A 3-0 victory for Celtic at the Emirates? Rather presumptuous if I may say. I think their defensive frailties will let them down in this tie. The error prone Gary Caldwell’s misjudged header allowed Trinidad and Tobago international Colin Samuel to rifle past Artur Boruc . He’s already been sent off for Scotland this season and it was he who gave away the free kick that led to Gallas’ goal at Parkhead as well as scoring an own goal for the second. I remember Mowbray saying if I his strategy for the first leg didn’t work he’d probably get beaten in the head? I wonder if we can take him up on the offer any time soon!

Richard Wilson of the Independent is of the opinion that Thomas Vermaelen has added steel to Arsenal’s style. The Mirror are also reporting that we are also set to offer Gallas a new contract and that Tomas Rosicky will return to training on Monday…hmnn! My lips are sealed! In other news, the U18s kick-started the defence of their title with a 1-1 draw away at Sheffield United yesterday.

Before I forget, we’ve scored 12 goals in 3 games and only one striker has scored! Worrisome? I think not; I guess it’s a product of the 4-3-3 formation which gives the midfielder more opportunity to be in crucial positions. That’s all I’ve got to say about that…I’m hungry!

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit!

edoyad:
@gooner
We were lounging our thing jejeli on this thread before you came to tell us of your blog. I don't understand is it that the thing doesn't operate on weekends (and christmas and newyear and sallah and . . . ) ?

Victoria's Secret Concordia

By the way, Victoria Concordia Crescit is the clubs motto.

It means Victory Through Harmony.

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal have paid the price for Theo Walcott’s dual role for England this summer. Wenger who also believes that once a player breaks into the senior squad he should not continue to play for the U21s had this to say;

“Theo will not be available for the Man United game. I believe it will be a problem for England as well. He has an inflammation of his lower back. That’s why last year I didn’t want him to play for the Under-21s. I know how it works. The player comes back later than everybody else, he doesn’t have a decent preparation, you are under pressure to rush him back, you play him earlier than you should, he gets an injury, and you see him again in October. He had no decent preparation for the championship, for the season, and in the end England will pay the price as well.”

I believe that if England boss Fabio Capello had put his firmly put his foot down, Theo would not have been selected for the U21s this summer. So much for consideration eh? Methinks it’s all Capello’s fault!

As mentioned earlier in the week, the manager has now confirmed that Carlos Vela will be ruled out for a month following an ankle injury sustained on international duty. The club has also confirmed that they have begun talks with Nicklas Bendtner over a new contract as he is in the last year of his contract. Yesterday, someone asked how they’d let that happen. I believe it’s a bit similar to the case with Flamini where a player needs to play to earn a new contract as Bendtner has done over the last two years. Hopefully, he won’t do a Flamini on us and join Milan in the summer!

The club has also announced that the official handbook for the 2009/2010 season is available from today at all Arsenal Stores, Matchday Stands and Online. Quoting Arsenal.com,

“As ever, this peerless production provides you with a more comprehensive, relevant collation of all things Arsenal that you’ll find anywhere else”

Please click here to purchase online. <>how do you link within text?<>

Apparently defensive minded players are in high demand as although Wenger has ruled out signing Bred Hangeland from Fulham, he claims to have spoken to 10 managers who were in the market for defenders or defensive midfielders and he revealed that he could still sign a defensive minded player. He said;

“Defensively, number-wise, maybe we could still do with one, do you know a player somewhere?”

One player who will definitely not be making a return to England is Patrick Vieira. The former club captain had earlier in the summer been linked to Sp*rs and later with a sensational return to Arsenal. Speaking to L’Equipe, Vieira said;

“I will stay at Inter. I have been training without any worries. The summer friendlies have gone well and I played more than what I had been expecting. Now I will fight to play as much as I can. I have not received any guarantees in this sense. Staying here is the hardest decision, but also the most reasonable. I do not see myself playing anywhere else.”

Ahead of today’s game against Portsmouth, Arsene has admitted that it is too early to speak about anything that will happen in the league this season. He said;

“After ten games, we will not only have played Manchester City and Man United but, interestingly in our case, is that after four games we will have played three times away from home, so if we do well, we will be in a strong position to have a positive trend after ten games. So the weight of these two games will certainly be very important, to see how strong we do away from home against the big teams. Of course, it will have an impact, on our belief as well.”

I must admit that our first few games will pose a serious question to our title winning credentials and if we come off them with some good results; it would not be out of place to look optimistic towards the remainder of the season. However, if the converse is the case, then it means we would have to play some serious catch up, a situation we are already in given our Champions League qualifiers of which the manager is not too pleased about.

On the transfer window, he had this to say;

“I believe that the buys should be over once the championship is started. Somewhere when you are manager, you have to make decisions and decide whether you will be successful with a squad or not. Once the championship has started, for me, it is ‘OK, the race has started; now you cannot change any more’. And no window in January either. Because it’s too easy to rectify any mistakes that you have made, especially for clubs who have big money. It gives better chances to the smaller clubs.”

Tell that to Citeh!

Gael Clichy has been spitting fire and says the Arsenal team is ready to end the long wait for silverware at the Emirates this season. Speaking at the launch of the 1 Goal: Education For All Campaign which was reported on the blog yesterday, he said;

“I think the first two games have showed people that the quality is there at Arsenal, and we can count on Arsenal to finish at the top at the end of the season. But it’s always the same. For four years now we’ve been saying, year after year, that ’this is the one’. But this year is really important for the club and for the players. We have to show people that we’ve been waiting four or five years, but now is the time for us to win trophies – whatever they are, the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup or the Carling Cup. Now is the time for us to do something for the fans and for ourselves as well.”

A match preview was included in the blog yesterday; you can find it here if you missed it. <>how do you link within text?<>

You can also follow live discussions on the Arsenal Forum and Arsenal vs. Portsmouth threads of Nairaland.

The match is live at 15:00 on Hi Soccer in Nigeria.

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit!

edoyad:
@gooner
We were lounging our thing jejeli on this thread before you came to tell us of your blog. I don't understand is it that the thing doesn't operate on weekends (and christmas and newyear and sallah and . . . ) ?

Victoria's Secret Concordia

Sorry guys. . .I've had Electricity issues and the AVR on my generator is broken. . .I've had to go the office to update the blog. I'll post it now, thanks for noticing

mukina2:

Madam, I hear you.

I started a daily Arsenal Blog last week using Word Press. . .I'm currently employing domain forwarding as I've installed Wordpress on another of the domains I own.

I'm using an unusual green theme as it ties in to my blog; The Green Gooner i.e the gooner from Nigeria (The Land of Green White and Green)

I've embedded some video content in today's blog and have set up distribution lists to email the blog to all who desire. I hope to include the feature on the main pages next week.

The address is www.thegreengooner.info and it redirects to www.arsenalnigeria.com/thegreengooner.

Cheers

Ahead of tomorrow’s match, there are no new injury concerns from Tuesday with Eduardo declared fit to play against Portsmouth after pulling out of the Celtic game at the last minute. He also had some concern about Walcott’s back injury. Speaking to Arsenal TV Online yesterday Arsene said;

“Eduardo had a tight groin in the warm-up and he felt he could not play. He had no power and we had to change [the teamsheet] quickly.”

Subscribers to Arsenal TV Online can see the full interview from this morning.

Declan Taylor of Arsenal.com caught up with Jordan Cross of the Portsmouth News for an insider’s view of the Portsmouth team. Talking tactics, he said;

“They’ll be setting their stall out. Pompey will play 4-5-1 with three holding midfielders to try and stop Arsenal creating too many chances. That will be no mean feat judging by their awesome start. I think talk of Arsenal’s demise has been greatly exaggerated, the romp at Everton and the comfortable manner of their Celtic win suggests that. It will be very much a 4-5-1 and anything they can snatch will be a bonus.  They might look to their last visit when, despite their defeat, they played well, and they got a 2-2 draw on their first visit. Hopefully they can draw on those experiences.”

Apparently, the one to watch will be Frederic Piquionne who has come on-loan from Lyon. He also had this to say;

“He looked impressive against Rangers in pre-season, scored twice and looked lively. He has something of the Fredi Kanoute about him. He has similar build and a bit of pace to get in behind. But Portsmouth need to give him greater supply to what they have in the first two games. He has been used on his own and needs the midfield supporting him. But he has looked bright and the fans are pinning a lot of hopes on him this season. He looks capable and he has scored goals fairly regularly in France. If he can get into double figures this season I think he would be pleased and so would the fans.”

The press is speculating that Arsenal has joined in the race to sign Steven Taylor from Newcastle with Wenger reportedly sending a scout to watch him play midweek against Sheffield Wednesday alongside scouts from Everton. While I have been a long admirer of the Taylor, I think such a signing will be unnecessary unless there are departures from the squad. We’ll see how that pans out in the next few days.

In more positive news yesterday, Arsenal announced three new appointments of a new Chief Commercial Officer, General Counsel and Head of People and Operations. All three will report to the CEO, Ivan Gazidis who spoke about the appointments. He said;

“We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming three professionals of the calibre of Tom, Svenja and Trevor to Arsenal Football Club. They are all hugely experienced and successful in their respective fields and will each add a vast amount of skill and expertise to our overall operation. The collective business acumen of our three new appointments will be a huge asset to Arsenal Football Club and is just another sign of our ambition for the forthcoming years.”

Inasmuch as the major business of the club is on the pitch, I believe that if the back office is well manned, it would take a lot of pressure of the Manager, leaving him time to focus more on the football side of the business. It’s no news that since the exits of David Dein and Richard Carr, Arsene felt an additional responsibility to the club in the management sense but with the arrival of Ivan Gazidis the balance since to have changed and I hope that these new appointments have a positive influence on the club both on and off the pitch.

Premier League stars including Mikael Silvestre and Gael Clichy of Arsenal, former Gunners, Kanu and Thierry Henry have pledged support for the 1 Goal project to get all African children into schooling. I think it’s a fabulous initiative and I encourage everyone who can to sign up.

Meanwhile the Islington council has announced new drinking controls around the Emirates Stadium. Police are now authorized to seize alchohol if there is a possibility of a nuisance or disorder. . . .hmnn! If you really need a pint on match day, why not head to the Rocket instead!

Our next opponents Portsmouth are currently in disarray at the moment following the near breakdown of the takeover of the club. After losing their first two games, they seem set for a rough ride reminiscent of Carson Yeung’s failed takeover move of Birmingham City in 2008. Or was that punishment for Matt Taylor breaking Eduardo’s leg? Dunno!

I don’t see them posing a genuine threat to our style of play and hopefully it should be another three points in the bag for us. The boss has one again talked about the new 4-3-3 formation and I expect he would deploy it again tomorrow. Barring any late withdrawals, I believe we might see the same squad again except if the boss decides to rotate the team ahead of Celtic on Tuesday and Manchester United next week.

It might interest you to note that Portsmouth last beat Arsenal in March 1958, winning 5-4 at Fratton Park in the old First Division while they last won at Arsenal in October 1954 and have also gone 14 games since they last won away.

Arsenal (probable, 4-3-3): Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy; Song, Denilson, Fabregas; Arshavin, Van Persie, Bendtner.

Portsmouth (probable, 4-5-1): James; Kaboul, Wilson, Distin, Hreidarsson; Mullins, Diop, Mokoena; Utaka, Kranjcar, Piquionne.

Referee: Steve Bennett.

Last season: Arsenal 1, Portsmouth 0; Portsmouth 0, Arsenal 3.

Prediction: Arsenal 3 Portsmouth 0 + a free scarf for every home supporter courtesy of the club.

Till tomorrow…Victoria Concordia Crescit.

To subscribe to the Daily Arsenal Blog from the Green Gooner, please send an email to *******@****.info with the subject SUBSCRIBE.

Super Nick Bendtner is set to be rewarded with a three year extension to his contract following his scintillating start to the new season.

Two outstanding performances on the right side of our new 4-3-3 formation has shown that our young Dane has clearly got a bright future ahead of him if he continues on this path. I hope he isn’t caught with his pants down again though! Maybe the exit of his nemesis the Togonator has something to do with it…hmn! My lips are sealed!

Manuel Almunia has also revealed that the team spirit in the team has improved since the departures of both Adebayor and Toure who didn’t get on with Bendnter and Gallas respectively. He also believes that we have ironed out our defensive flaws. He said;

“All the players, we have a better relationship with each other and, if the dressing room works, then, on the pitch, the team works as well. It’s something that is right. Everybody comes into the dressing room with a better mood. It’s crucial to have a good relationship with each other.”

“I think everybody knows what we did last season, what mistakes we made, everyone knows what we had to improve and every single player is trying to do his best. We will put everything together and that’s it”

Robin van Persie believes that all the negative criticism in the press helped to unite the squad as they sought to change that impression. Quoting him;

“Maybe being written off brings the players a little closer together but we will see what happens. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to make the ‘enemy’ cleverer than they are!”

However, Celtic manager Tony Mowbray still believes Celtic stand a chance of overturning the two goal deficit at the Emirates next week. He said;

“It’s a big ask for us now but I think the secret is to go down there and try to score the first goal, that would make them very nervous and edgy, but if they score first we aren’t going to score four at the Emirates.”

I must admit that the tie is far from over as Celtic have proved to be the better Glasgow team, but then it’s more difficult than it seems as I don’t ever see this Arsenal losing at home to Celtic next week. At least he is still being realistic when he says their only chance is if they score first.

Celtic forward Giorgios Samaras has admitted that the home side’s errors cost them the first leg of the tie. Speaking to the Daily Record, he said;

“If you see how we played and how many easy mistakes we made then it’s difficult to win against a world-class team with world-class players,”

Carlos Vela’s agent has revealed that the young striker is recovering from an ankle injury sustained on international duty with Mexico. Other reports had earlier linked him with a loan deal to Fulham as part of a deal to bring Brede Hangeland to Arsenal. Get well soon eh Carlos!

Meanwhile goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is eying a Carling Cup berth this season. Speaking to Arsenal.com, he said

“I want to convince the manager to give me a Carling Cup chance, then my main target is to be No 1 at Arsenal, I want to jump into the starting XI every Saturday so I need to take all the steps. Personally I think my development has been very good so far so hopefully I will keep doing well and take my chances.

I want to take every step: last year I stepped up from the Under-18s to the Reserves, this year I managed to get into the first-team squad. I got a few chances from the boss and I knew that was my chance to convince him to give me more chances. I think I have taken it well. I’ve kept a clean sheet throughout the whole of pre-season and now I want to prove to him that I am a good keeper and he can rely on me. Mentally I believe I am ready for the first team. I’m very confident. I have never played at the top level but mentally I am ready for that.”

That indeed is a statement of intent from the 19 year old who broke both arms in a freak training accident last year. From the what I saw of him in preseason, I consider him a much better prospect than Manonne or Fabianski and hope he takes giant strides in his development. Good luck then eh?

Giant killers Burnley scalped another big name last night as they beat champions Manchester United 1-0 last night. ***grins***. We’ll see how they fare in late November! In some other not so pleasant news, Sp*rs beat Hull 5-1 away from home to mark their best start to a season in 14 years…next thing you know they’ll start thinking they’ll win the league…not a chance! Used car salesman Phil Brown claims Sp*rs will finish in the top four this season. At whose expense Phil? Still it’s better than the crazy Man City fan that got a tattoo with the Champions League trophy two years too early! Delusion; that’s what it is!

There’s some more crazy stuff from Spain with the press insinuating that Arsenal has signed a deal with Barcelona to allow Cesc Fabregas to leave next summer but I won’t even go there.

Till tomorrow, Victoria Concordia Crescit!

thegreengooner

It might interest you to know that the last time an English club prevailed in a European game at Celtic Park was on Dec 7, 1983 last night, when Brian Clough’s Arsene Wenger’s Nottingham Forest Arsenal won 2-1 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Cup Champions League third-round tie qualifier. Speaking to the press, Wenger said he felt we collectively dominated the game;

“I believe we have a fantastic attitude, a great togetherness and we put relentless pressure on Celtic. We never let them establish a flow and we always disturbed their game very well.”

I believe it was a patient performance last night by the boys. Apparently some of the media coverage said “poor old Celtic” as they were undone by a wicked deflection and an own goal. However both goals were the product of cleverly worked attacking moves.The first was off a Cesc Fabregas free kick; Gallas (who in my mind thinks he’s our second striker) got in a good position to head in a few seconds too early. However, I’m glad he had the presence of mind to duck which in turn deflected the ball into the right corner. With half an hour gone into the second half, substitute Abou Diaby burst free quite cleverly from Hinkel and found Clichy free on the left who delivered a dangerous cross that was turned into his own net by Celtic captain Gary Caldwell.

Cruel you may say’ but all that matters now is that we take a huge advantage into the second leg at the Grove! On that, he Arsene had this to say;

“I believe we have to make sure we win the game at home. It would not be serious to take that game in a non-serious way. It is a massive game, what is at stake is massive to us because we want to play with the best. Even with an advantage of two goals we want to finish the job at home.”

Once again, Alex Song was fantastic and Gallas seems to be in his best form since we signed him. Thomas Vermaelen showed that he could cope with a high intensity game and overall it was a well deserved result. Arsene was quick to praise them

“William was Fantastic. I believe again today he played very well. He is certainly in the best form of the last two years for me. “In the last two games Song has played extremely well. He can win the fight, not only with physical strength but he has that sense to nick the ball from his opponent without giving away the foul. That’s a very interesting quality.”

I think Celtic were a little too direct in the first half and they conceded quite a few fouls as they tried to kick us off the ball. Was this the cunning plan Tony Mowbray talked about? If this game had been played a couple of years ago, I reckon we’d have lost by 3-1 (Bolton anybody). The players seem to have muscled up as despite the crunching tackles early on they were focused on the game at hand. I was pleased with the way we were able to steal the ball away from them without drawing unnecessary fouls. The boss also commented on this

“I think there were some bad fouls. The referee took some time to intervene but afterwards he did it. We got sometimes some harsh treatment today. I’m very happy with the commitment of my team despite the physical approach of some Celtic players. I can understand that from Celtic’s point of view but what is more interesting for me is how we respond to that. I believe we did that well.”

I must admit that for most of the game, I thought RVP was a little off the pace. We didn’t quite have the final ball in the latter stages of the game but overall we kept up the intensity throughout the game. I’m also pleased with the impact Abou Diaby had when he came on for Arshavin (who had another quiet game). He used his physique well in winning balls on the left and his timely pass to Clichy on the left was instrumental in the second goal.

The introduction of Fortune and McDonald in the second half sparked life into the Celtic attack. This was however snuffed out once we had scored the second goal. Landry Nguemo was also lively before he was substituted. However, he got booked so he’ll miss the second leg at the Emirates.

The full match report is available at Arsenal.com

A late injury to Eduardo meant Wilshere was named among the subs in his place. I hope it’s not too serious and we should have more word on that later in the day. This was ironical given that in Tuesday’s football, Chelsea went top of the Premier League thanks to their 3-1 victory away at Sunderland which included a Darren Bent goal and a downward header from Didier Drogba that went over the bar!

Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail in an article claims Andrey Arshavin is a star from Russia with a touch from Brazil. It’s definitely worth reading. The press again are speculating again that we may be lining up a bid for Rafael van der Vaart. Hmnn! I think it’s just a rehash of the stories we heard earlier in the week. We’ll see.

REDaction are distributing 57,000 scarves to each seat in the home section of the Emirates Stadium on Friday. If you are interested in helping out, please send your details to redaction.gooners@gmail.com by Wednesday evening.

Till tomorrow, Victoria Concordia Crescit

mukina2:
quote what?

a. Quote the entire blog post without putting a link
b. Quote the post and put the link when asked
c. Just post the blog as a post.(doesn't sound right!)

I'll try not to post. . .but then what happens when other people start to quote the blog?

ABD77:
GOONER, U ARE SELFISH!!!
I NEVER MENTIONED UR NAME AND I DIDNT ASK U TO BUY ANYTHIN FROM ME.
AM A NIGERIAN, I LIVE IN NIGERIA SO TO GET CREDIT CARD IN TRHIS COUNTRY IT IS NOT EASY.
BEFORE I FINALY WENT FOR VIRTUAL CARD I HAVE TRIED EVERY THING I COULD TO GET VISA ACCOUNT BUT THE REQUIREMENTS LIKE HAVING CURRENT ACCOUNT, MINIMUM OF 100USD, UTILITY BILLS, PLUS CHARGES ETC DID NOT ALLOW ME TO GET IT DONE LIKE THAT. BUT SINCE AV GOTTEN THE V.V CARD I HAVE BEEN ALRIGHT WITH IT.
MIND U THERE AREMANY OUT THERE WHO WERE IN MY SHOES AND NEED THE INFORMATION.
BUT IF BECAUSE U HAVE ACCESS TO THESE THINGS THAT U DONT WANT OTHERS TO HAVE ACCESS THEN .
I DONT WANT TO TALK TO U ANYMORE.
HOW MANY NIGERIAN FOOTBALL FANS HAVE MASTER CARDS OR VISA CARDS
DOES IT MEANS BECAUSE U HAVE THE REST SHOULD GO AND SLEEP?
DONT BE SELFISH.

off topic response. Thats all I can say

I'm not selfish oh!

All you needed to do was ask the right questions.

What do you need a Card for if you don't have the $100. You forget that card is foreign currency denominated.

If you have issues, you can always get a GTBank Mastercard. You simply need to provide two references. The opening balance ($100) and initial card cost ($30). There are no transaction charges though. It is very accessible.

Our original discussion was not about Visa or Mastercards. . .let's keep on point eh?

You are getting more civil by the post.

Let's continue.

Cheers