Arsenal West

Great news

2007-11-27T23:19:00.000-08:00

Check me out now every Tuesday on Allgoonerdup.com, the greatest Arsenal blog in all the world! Everyone's happy!

Ugly win gives hope for next season

2007-04-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

An ugly but satisfying win for The Arsenal on Sunday as we move one point closer to Liverpool and await Chelsea on Sunday.

Neither has any real implications as we all know, but it's nice to see things click for our battered team finally—at least it's things we can carry over into next season I suppose, even if it was just against Fulham. I've personally always had somewhat of a soft spot for Fulham—don't know why, perhaps it's because they're from London and aren't particularly offensive in any way like the other local clubs, save for their lack of style. That, and Jimmy Bullard is hilarious. But I liked Coleman, yet I also thought bringing in Sanchez was a canny move—a panic move, yes, but I thought it would work out better than it has for some reason.

Yet I digress. We looked strong early, taking it to them as we absolutely should against a team as hapless as theirs. The Beast put in a nice header Niemi didn't even try for, and I think everyone assumed his confidence would increase. But it only took a couple of subsequent awful misses to set everyone straight again. Adebayor had one of his better games, the type to remind us of what kind of player he could become. He worked his ass off in a team that has understandably (but not inexcusably) become lazy. Cesc as well, as if you didn't know. The point is, we looked great for most of the first half, controlling possession and, seriously folks, putting a lot of shots on goal. Granted this is what anyone should do at home against Fulham, but this hasn't been the most typical of seasons.

The second half was predictably awful, and fans have every right to blast Lehmann for his knuckleheaded attempt at a ball on the 18-yard line. Just our luck, the shot on goal was perfect, and we found ourselves on our back heels as Fulham gained momentum. But a Cesc pass and cool finish by Ade, making amends for his previous cock-up, put us back up, and an equally cool penalty taken by our surrogate captain put the match to bed.

Hleb did well to earn a penalty, but he never should have put himself in that position to begin with. As always, he was of two minds upon receiving the ball at the edge of the box. His ball controll can be quite good at times but the man has zero instincts near goal, as I've said a million times, and this was no different. I'd love for him to be shown the exit door this summer assuming we can bring in a true wide player. For me, Hleb's natural style of play has embodied our game this season: good at retaining possession without ever seeming dangerous. He doesn't penetrate, he gets sucked in and he's the last man you want with the ball when we need that final, killer touch.

However, I have to say that I feel Gallas is being slagged unfairly. I think he's doing much more than he's given credit for, and for all the talk of his ineffective partnership with Toure, let's not forget just how little they've played together, along with the fact that Toure has had an indifferent season no matter who's playing alongside him. As for Gallas airing his dirty laundry in public, I can do without that, but if it brings attention to our obvious defensive shortcomings then perhaps some good can come of it. If he is indeed a cancer to the club as some tabloids would suggest, that is a different story entirely. But I'll stick with the facts for now.

So it's Chelsea this weekend. I've been in the mood to write lately, so I'll be back with more soon.

Two in a row

2007-04-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

In a lost-cause of a season, Arsenal seem to be finishing strong as of late and hopefully taking some positives into next season. Last night's win at home to the mighty Man City continues our streak – with two wins on the bounce now!

Rosicky scored on a carbon copy of his goal against Bolton on Saturday, thanks again to some lazy defending. It seems he's finally bringing in those little bits of hustle and skill that Pires so importantly gave us in his ability to nick goals. The rest of his time on the pitch was superb as well.

And again Cesc gave us a goal, his second in two games as well. A lovely, curling ball to beat Issacson. He's finally finding his aim, as all season he seemed to have been firing shots straight at the keeper. Let's chalk it up to confidence. Glad as well to see him brandishing his Arsenal crest on his shirt after scoring. He always plays with his heart on his sleeve – I wouldn't have it any other way – and his goal celebration said it all.

But it wouldn't be an Arsenal match this season without some catastrophic defending at times. Jens and Kolo's sloppy defense allowed Beasley to score toward the end of the first half, and there was a nervy moment or two throughout the match as City nearly caught us out several times. Of the entire back line, only Gallas did well for himself I thought.

And look who scored the third: Baptista, assisted by Hleb. For once Hleb had good instincts near goal, where his ball control is a huge asset to us when he does the right thing. He fed it to Julio, who weakly put it in the back of the net. Overall he didn't have a shocking game by his standards, but I distinctly heard a lot of boos when he replaced Diaby early on due to injury.

On that note, the commentators made a lot of noise about the lack of noise inside New Highbury, and rightly so in my opinion. At 1-0 up, you could probably hear a car alarm outside the stadium. I realize this has been a season of low points for us, but come on, taking the first goal at home? That's worth cheering and singing about! So is a 3-1 win – against anyone. Not to sound like an American jumbotron, but make some noise, Gooners.

I'll get to our showdown with the scum later - a match I won't get to see since it's on the wrong channel and it starts so damn early that the local theme pub won't even be open.

POSTSCRIPT:
I wrote this entry long before I got the chance to post it, thanks to the extensive firewalls at my new job. Regardless, I didn't mention the departure of Double D, Dangerous Dave because of it. I'm waiting to hear the reactions of the media and others before I have a go at the situation, since Arsenal's backroom politics were never my forte.

Up four it...finally

2007-04-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

At last, a solid, hard-won victory to give The Arsenal a bit of breathing room for fourth place.

Finally Cesc grabbed a goal, his first of the season - a statistic I wouldn't believe if I didn't follow the team so closely. His celebration said it all: what a release it must have been from the laborious season he and the squad had endured, especially considering his disinterested-looking body language and play for the last month or so.

It's always nice to beat Bolton, and as East Lower said so well recently, "Bolton! It's come to this" - or something along those lines. Yes, beating Bolton at home became an important game for us, saying a lot more about our form than Bolton's. (As an aside, I distinctly heard Mr. Wenger describe Bolton as "a good team" in the postmatch comments. My how things have changed.) But a streak has been stopped, and hopefully we're back to our winning ways as we again play host - this time to Man City - on Tuesday. Though with the season we've had, nothing should be taken for granted.

Downward spiral

2007-04-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

I couldn't wake up early enough for this one - thus I have nothing to say about the match, but what is there to say really? What a way to finish the season. Bolton is now breathing down our necks. I can only imagine how shot our confidence and enthusiasm is at this point. Is this the club's way of scaring off Stan Kroenke? Sorry, that's the only positive I can take from this match.

Foiled again and harmless up front

2007-03-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

Disappointment again for our side as Arsenal conceded late at Goodison against a determined Everton.

Painfully obvious to every Gooner are our limitations up top. Wenger really has no choice at this point, but Baptista and Aliadiere went largely missing in all their time on the pitch. We have no presence on the front line as these two not only can't position themselves well, make runs or find space at all, but also waste the few opportunities they create for themselves.

Aliadiere's only upside is that his time on the pitch gives David Pleat plenty of chances to continually butcher his name. Likewise, Baptista, despite his teddy bear looks, his admirable determination to learn English and adapt to London, the English game and the Arsenal side, continues to have the first touch of a wrecking ball. His unwillingness to challenge for 50-50 balls is alarming as well.

Credit to Everton for coming to play today. They hustled, challenged every ball and put Arsenal under some pressure for many moments in the game. They hit the post twice (though unlike what Alan Parry may say, hitting the post NEVER equates to 'deserving' a lead, a goal, etc. I hate that kind of talk.)

As for our side: I thought Toure had an excellent game - playing on the right, no less. And Hoyte did well for himself defending on the left, not his preferred position as we all know. His contributions going forward are always going to be limited when he's playing on the left, but he exceeded my modest expectations of him today. He kept calm when the Toffees put the pressure on him. Likewise, Lehmann had a decent game as well. Johnson can be a pesky little fucker for goalkeepers (just ask Pepe Reina) but Jens dealt with it well all afternoon, making a superb save early on to deny the penalty-sniffing Johnson. Credit too to Toure for keeping the madman under control after a late challenge from Vaughan certainly worthy of a card.

Freddie's still slow and his crosses were shit today. Diaby looked good but was uncharacteristically dispossessed a few too many times. Hleb, who I was never a fan of until the Old Trafford match in September and the subsequent CL game at home to Porto, has regressed and lately has demonstrated all the qualities that earned him my dislike to begin with. While Wenger did not play he and Rosicky at the same time this match, our ineffectiveness in midfield is still due in part to the fact that, while even Alan Parry calls both of them 'wide players,' in reality they are anything but. Fabregas again controlled the midfield well, and certainly should have given us a goal or two today by himself, but when looking to pass, he has no one up front to pass the ball to. A determined back line can easily render Ali and Julio completely useless.

Wenger's decision to insert Walcott late was just puzzling. With all the recent talk of his shoulder problems, why put him in there and suscept him to more pain and agony? Indeed, on his only meaningful touch (when he should not have cut back toward the middle), a challenge saw him fall on that shoulder, and thus limit his contribution today to a minute or so.

At least Liverpool drew to Villa today, allowing us to retain our third-place position - for whatever that's worth. Maybe a few extra quid for the war chest and a bit more pride when the season's over, really. Back then to Merseyside next Saturday to face the Scouse for the fourth time this season.

Back on track

2007-03-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

So, The Arsenal got back to our winning ways in Birmingham tonight as our reserve squad held on for a one-nil victory. 'Reserve' squad is a bit of a misnomer, however, asArsene wasn't left with much choice, seeing as how practically our whole first team is either injured or suspended. I see the Cesc got some action, as did Gallas and Freddie, but beyond that the team sheet had a bit of a Carling Cup feel to it.

Of course I say all this without having watched a minute of the match (was wrapping up my last day at my old job, thanks) but it appears I didn't miss much besides Diaby's accidental goal. The fact that Rosicky and Flamini came on is good news alone, but also that they apparently revitalized the side after coming on is even better news. And, well, without actually watching the match, what else can I say? A win's a win, putting us two points above LiverpoolUSA with a game in hand. It's far-fetched, but with the pressure off, maybe Cesc is right: second place just might be attainable. You gotta set goals, right? And we have yet to play Chelsea at home anyway.

What a strange season: Henry's gone (glad we've now found out the cause of his form and demeanor this season), we do the double over the Mancs, beat Liverpool three times so far and have already drawn with Chelsea. Yet we sit a distant third and have nothing to show for ourselves.

Everton awaits. I'll be watching this one.

Stomach punch

2007-03-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

So, we're officially playing for next season. Two weeks, three cup competitions we've been knocked out of now. We had the quality, just not the luck nor a player who could 'grab the game by the scruff...' etc. I lost track of how many shots we took, just like I lost track of how many shots we NEGLECTED to take. They say good things happen when you take shots, thus we didn't give our luck a chance.

Baptista, Toure, Fabregas, Adebayor, Henry... all were given excellent opportunities. Some of them were served on a platter. So many calls went our way (some crucial shirt pulls didn't), but none of our shots went in. It's telling that our temporary lead was due to an own goal.

It's been the story of our whole season, really. No one has stepped up and taken shots when it mattered. We're beautiful to watch, but it's always a tease. It's only been the kids who have really delivered on our promises so far this season in their thrilling Carling Cup matches. Henry is not who he used to be and one wonders what the difference is. Has he let his senior status on the team get to his head now that Vieira, Bergkamp, Pires and others are all gone? Is he feeling snakebitten after losses in the CL and the World Cup? Is he just complacent after signing his massive contract at the end of last season? Is it the switch from Nike to Reebok boots?

Though we've never quite felt like the genuine article this season, I don't feel right exiting so soon. But you can't say it's not deserved: Just like our performances on the field, this season has been all promise, no product.

CL Travelogue: Going Dutch

2007-03-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

Continuing in Arsenal West's tradition of bringing you the finest in Champions League away travelogues, here's an account of Arsenal West's London-based correspondent Tim's journey to Eindhoven - just in time for tomorrow's showdown at The Grove:

The last time we visited Eindhoven we stayed in the town, which closed around 1 o’clock after the game. We noticed that there was a train laid on to Amsterdam for the Gooners, which left from the station next to the ground. This is presumably to move Dutch away fans from the town without them even setting foot in it, but it seemed pretty handy to us. So for this visit we decided to stay in Amsterdam, where we were fairly certain the bars were not going to close on us.

Going to places like Holland and northern France is the dog’s bollocks as it is close enough to drive. This not only makes it cheap, but much easier to organise. No explaining to the ingrates in the party that you have actually saved them thirty quid by arranging a connecting Air France flight via Paris to Prague, or that Gatwick may be a pain for them, but is a doddle for me to get to. Just book the channel tunnel and a hotel. A dream for TexTours.

On Sunday night Paddy, Tony, Gaz and Martin met at my place, down at the edge of the South London suburban sprawl. We had a few pints in the local and then looked forward to a few bacon rolls in the morning. The drive to Amsterdam was pretty easy. All motorway once we were away from London and the Sat Nav actually worked, even with it’s bloody annoying voice. The best bit was that it directed us to the hotel perfectly, all around the one way streets. This gave us at least an extra hours drinking, which is admittedly a double-edged sword.

We were staying in a hotel on the site of the original Heineken brewery with a restaurant that is famous for numbering steaks. No, we couldn’t be bothered to find out why either and went for the cheaper unnumbered Burger King option. It was going to be a long night, so it was handy to find a bar with some pool tables, which slows the drinking pace down a bit. Amazingly, Gaz was showing some form, not something that many of us have seen before. We are all impressed, at least until he tripped over his cue. Then we were off to the brighter (reddish) lights. There seemed to be a lot of young women who had forgotten to close the curtains before getting ready for bed. They seemed very friendly and waved to us, so we waved back. Then wandered into the first bar we saw.

The bar was small and quiet. At first sight the clientele looked like they were in a remote country pub on a Monday night. Then the barmaid asked for a drink as part of the round, which we bought and the woman next to me got the hump because we would not buy her one as well. A few more pints and I fell backwards off the bar stool. Actually the stool and I went down like a felled tree, which was apparently very amusing, but hurt more than it should have done at that time of night (I vaguely remember). I would like to point out that this is not a regular occurrence, but I suppose falling over is a bit of an occupational hazard when you drink more than is sensible. Meanwhile, Gaz had been having a chat with my thirsty friend. “Six” she says. “No, I don’t want sex” says Gaz. “No, six” she says. “What, sixty?” replies a bemused Gaz. “No, six”. Now this may seem a bargain, being little more than the price of a pint, but you didn’t see her. We came to the conclusion that six was probably all that she could afford.

The next day we decided to make a move to Eindhoven early and set off after breakfast. The train takes about an hour and 20 minutes and we arrived to some pretty surreal scenes. There was a festival and it looked like every Dutch aficionado of fancy dress had come to town. There can’t have been a furry animal costume left in the country. At first, this seemed positive as the bars were bound to be lively. The problem was, they were also filled with traditional “oompah” music. We had a beer and decided to get something to eat. The restaurant/bar looked promising, but still had the ubiquitous music, so we found a relatively quiet corner. The staff were typically friendly and when we asked them to change the music, they asked what we would like. “Well, anything”. “Absolutely anything”. After a while the music did change slightly. It was still a bit oompahish, but the song was definitely hands, shoulders, knees and toes. My three year old daughter would have loved it. Then, a couple of tracks later, it was the theme tune from Please Sir, the old sitcom. Either we had been slipped some of the readily available soft drugs or had wandered into a David Lynch film (or both).

As the locals knew that there would be a few more people in town than they could easily handle, with the festival as well as the game, they decided to lay on a fanzone in one of the squares. It was just a big tent with a bar, a screen showing Arsenal videos and a DJ playing music, but it worked well. The music was a big improvement, anyway. There were plenty of PSV fans and the atmosphere was friendly with the usual Northern European low-key police presence. They even laid on a free bus service to the ground, which provided an interesting journey when a few Neanderthals started some Yid songs. One bloke (I think he was from Denmark) then started an anti Jewish tirade that even seemed to shock the nutters. You always get a wide cross section of society at football.

After the match we did get straight on the train, which was handy. However, with the defeat on our minds and the fact that we did not get back until well past midnight, we only had a couple of beers and then hit the hotel.

The game? At least in the first half, I don’t think we played badly. It was just the recent story of not being able to put away our chances. Eindhoven? It’s a nice town, but a little too small – could do with a few more bars. The ground is great though and the gas heaters in the roof are brilliant. Staying in Amsterdam? A good theory and plenty of nightlife, but the train journeys were a pain. It’s a bit like a Dutch fan going to watch their team playing Villa, but staying in London.

A glimpse of the future in Cardiff

2007-02-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

What an incredible match today's Carling Cup final provided. Too bad it was marred by some lousy non-calls (a critical offside, a penalty shout, a deserved red card), celery missiles and a silly fight. Arsenal was off by inches throughout the day. The young Gunners ran circles around Chelsea but couldn't put the ball in the net more than once, due in large part to the fact that Petr Cech remains one of the best keepers in the game. He had a blinder today, producing a couple saves that I really doubt anyone else could have made.

For our part, Theo, Diaby, Denilson and Senderos all played out of their skins, while Aliadiere, Toure and Traore looked fantastic as well. Oddly, none of our more-experienced subs (Hleb, Adebayor, Eboue) had much effect on the match. Baptista started off well but gradually disappeared. But besides the subs, my only question mark was the play of Cesc, who wasn't on his game today. He didn't link up well with the young squad all afternoon as passes were just inches too far or fractions too late.

We really lost our shape when Diaby came off, such was his presence in the middle. It's no wonder Chelsea scored the go-ahead with him off the pitch.

And in the end, an equalizer was just slightly beyond us.

I don't want to go into the missed offsides call, the missed penalty decision, the red card that should have been dished out to Essien, the Terry incident, the donnybrook near the end, etc. It'll be discussed ad nauseam elsewhere, and in the end it was the skill of Robben and Drogba all afternoon that gave Chelsea the decision.

Sorry for the Myles Palmer/David Pleat analysis, wherein I make statements and provide no evidence or examples to back it up. This match wore me down. Although I'm disappointed in the outcome considering we easily could have beaten Chelsea today, seeing this makes me excited for the future, as it is indeed looking brighter every day at Ashburton. Hats off to the kids for making Chelsea's millionaire mercenaries look ordinary.

Toothless

2007-02-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything sooner on the PSV match - I was too disgusted to do so. Haven't read anyone else's blogs, the match was just too painful. The wastefulness in front of goal, giving away possession so easily and another one of Henry's vanishing acts have combined to make me believe that the less I write on this, the better. I'll be back with more ahead of Sunday's Carling Cup match.

Held (and tripped, kicked, etc.) again

2007-02-17T09:56:00.000-08:00

A just lot a bit of my will to live after viewing the most cynical and negative Blackburn performance at the Grove as Arsenal is forced into another FA Cup replay following a goalless draw.

Blackburn came here looking for no more than a replay, which is what they earned after kicking, holding and riding their luck all afternoon. It was only with the addition of Adebayor and Rosicky that Arsenal produced their best chances. Those were halted by several brilliant saves by Fridel and by the clearest of penalty shouts being waived by the referee Atkinson. However, in light of our misses midweek against Bolton, any chance from the spot would not have been any sort of guarantee of a goal.

In terms of Arsenal performances, there wasn't much reason for excitement. The squad looked tired and sorely lacked a cutting edge. Walcott had another performance better forgotten, although Ljungberg looks to be returning to form. He obviously didn't score, but did a great job of fighting and getting stuck in after looking a bit out of sorts midweek.

The return of William Gallas after three months out was of course another bright spot. He put in 60 minutes of time in his unfavored left back position before being replaced by Clichy. Gallas played well, although Blackburn gave the defense almost nothing to do, as Almunia was tested only once, in tipping an optimistic chip over the bar by Derbyshire.

Cesc didn't put in one of his better performances either as he seemed to lack that lethal through-ball everyone knows he's capable of. However, kudos to the lad for taking Mark Hughes to task in the tunnel after the match. After Hughes confirmed Cesc's question of whether he had played for Barcelona, Cesc reportedly replied: 'that wasn't Barcelona football, was it?' Well done lad! His team spirit can never be questioned.

Also of note earlier in the week was diminutive Robinho's dismissal of an absurdly rumored move to Tottenham because 'they're not a big club' according to the striker. And there you have it!

Next match: PSV away on Tuesday, followed by Chelsea in the Carling Cup final in Cardiff.

Fat Sam awaits

2007-02-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,
So I finally watched the Wigan match, or should I say the last 20 minutes of it. Brilliant stuff from Rosicky, and Flamini must be the luckiest guy on earth. However, my man of the match, for no other reason than just acting like himself, goes to Mad Jens. His "time wasting" antics still have me laughing as I write this. Anyway, not a whole lot I could glean, except that Adebayor's earlier disallowed finish was pretty nice indeed. Finally, I wholeheartedly agree with Tommi Gooner over at www.allgoonerdup.com in welcoming Henry's 'petulant' display, for demonstrating some passion. It's much better than watching him make absolutely no effort for 90 minutes - something we've seen a bit to much of from him this season.

I probably won't be able to catch the FA Cup replay vs. Bolton tomorrow due to just too much going on at work, etc. With any luck, though, I'll be sure to watch the replay in the evening. Is anyone particularly excited about the FA Cup this year? A future date with Blackburn (who awaits the winner) certainly does nothing to pique my interest. Either way, good luck to us.

Delayed reaction

2007-02-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I'll come right out and say it: after some extenuating circumstances on Saturday night, I wasn't able to wake up Sunday morning and watch our match against Wigan. I did, however, record the replay, which I intend to watch tonight. A proper discussion of some of the game's pivotal moments is in order, though. So far, I've only seen what the highlights show produced from the match, and I have to say I loved Rosicky's winner, and was glad to see his enthusiasm for the crowd and for the crest on his shirt. I'll be back soon, when I actually have something to say.

Chelsea awaits in Cardiff

2007-01-31T22:01:00.000-08:00

A well-deserved win by Arsenal sees us through to face Chelsea in the Little Cup final in Cardiff.

Playing at home with an unbeaten record to maintain, the young Gunners weren't about to concede to Spurs, of all teams. Overall there were many strong performances. I'm sure everyone is buzzing about Denilson: I certainly am. The kid's sensational, and I simply can't wait to see more of him in the future. Diaby looked solid in midfield as well, Kolo and Big Phil were pretty solid in the back, Hoyte continues to improve with every game, and while Theo was back to his familiar ways, putting on Rosicky was yet another masterstroke from Wenger. His presence changed the game as he was able to work some of his magic from the middle of the park (and in setting up the first goal) instead of on the flank, like Theo.

Likewise, as Traore was getting skinned all match by Ghaly, it was rather fortuitous that he came up injured and Wenger threw on Clichy. He expectedly gave us more options going forward and was much more reliable on defense. Adebayor didn't have one of his more memorable matches, but he got on the scoresheet, which is exactly what we ask of a striker. Meanwhile, Aliadiere was no doubt testing everyone's patience as he once again proved willing to disappear for large portions of the match and was hesitant on the ball most of the game. But sure enough, he left it late and redeemed himself in so doing.

Tottenham looked out of sorts for stretches of the match, and the tiny strike partnership of Defoe and Keane just wasn't effective. Ghaly, after planting an elbow in Big Phil's temple in the opening minute or so of the match, found himself in some hot water in the second half. Nonetheless, Traore made him look good in what was hopefully a learning experience for the youngster. But who other than the fattest Egyptian on the planet, Mido, should level the match with only a couple minutes to go. Thankfully his subsequent try was wide - I would not have tolerated losing at the hands of he and Spurs.

Cesc even made an appearance, though I was praying he not get injured, as Van Persie, the Beast and Hleb have all recently come up injured while making substitute appearances. So in all, a great day, made all the better after hearing of a possibly serious knee injury to Chelsea's left back. And if that sounds excessively mean-spirited, watch how it happened and be prepared to laugh.

Another opportunity missed

2007-01-29T20:33:00.000-08:00

So I missed our FA Cup match against Bolton due to my family being in town, but after reading this, I realized (a) I didn't miss much, and (b) it ended pretty much how anyone would have predicted before the match. The FA Cup is horrible this year and is only serving as a distraction. Please, no more injuries or we won't be able to field a team for this year's only meaningful cup tournament, resuming this month.

Fat Sam comes to town

2007-01-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,
With my lingering cold, a shit-ton of work to do and visitors coming into town this weekend, I can't be bothered to write much in the way of our FA Cup matchup against Bolton on Sunday. It will no doubt be a spirited affair, but you have to think that, even with all our injuries, the momentum is firmly with us. The fact that it is in London only strengthens that momentum. I'm personally getting a bit sick of seeing the likes of Fat Sam and Bolton in the FA Cup, but we've done 'em before, no reason we can't finish them off again Sunday.

I'm getting excited at the prospect of seeing more of The Beast, what with Van Persie out for a while now. Just to review, his Carling Cup stats: 2 matches, 6 goals (7 if you'd like to count the own goal). "Two nil and you f***ed it up!" Well done all Gooners who made the journey to N17. A listen to 606 later that evening was wonderful indeed. Spurs supporters don't believe they have a chance in the second leg next week, and franky, neither do I! I'd post the goals, but my stupid Mac at work won't allow me the link option.

Have a good weekend everyone, I'll be back after Sunday's match.

Beast comes good in earning satisfactory result

2007-01-24T18:44:00.001-08:00

Quite a gut-wrenching affair at Shite Hart Lane, wasn't it? This Carling Cup semifinal match had an intensity more fitting for the FA Cup semifinal, but in the end our young lads once again clawed their way back - further proof that our squad seems to be unparalleled at chasing a match. As I found myself saying last game: it's far from the first time we've had to do so this season.

The first half was dreadful from Arsenal as Tottenham came flying out of the gates. I didn't see Berbatov's shot hit the post as the North American cable provider gave us a white screen to look at for the first six minutes of the match. Then came Almunia/Toure's boner. Each was waiting for the other to play the ball, allowing the Bulgarian a free header. The lesson, taught to me as a kid, is once again relevant: when in doubt, always clear your line!

It got worse as Graham Poll awarded Spurs a cheaply earned free kick when Denilson knocked over... somebody (don't remember who). Then the Beast, trying to do his best impression of Henry on Sunday, actually suceeded in ribena-ing the ball into his own net. Make that 2-0 to the home side and cue mass panic at Arsenal West offices.

Despite Arsene's supposed best attempts, our young guys - of whom only Cesc, Big Phil and Kolo see regular first team action - came out looking like more of the same. Until... the one and only Cesc had a free kick cleared off the line by the clownish Michael Dawson. The Arsenal were knocking on the door, and two minutes later Baptista muscled his way to making amends for his earlier howler. Like that, the game turned on a dime, and Baptista pulled in a second after Hoyte (yes Hoyte) squared the ball perfectly for the big Brazilian inside the box.

Tottenham were on the ropes, and thanks to taking Aliadiere off, who contributed nothing, moving Theo up front and Hleb in midfield, the stability added was tremendous. Our passing all game until the introduction of Hleb proved once again that Cesc is a class apart. Suddenly, every 50/50 ball wasn't going Tottenham's way, it was ours: and had Theo kept his composure to drag a shot to the far post instead of hitting it wide on the near post, we could have stolen a victory.

Even so, a draw with eight juniors away to Tottenham, who treated this like it was a European Cup final (not that they'd know) is indeed a satisfactory result. However, lessons learned: Diaby was outmatched, Traore needs to stop getting skinned by Lennon, leave Aliadiere to keep an eye on the bus next time, keep Theo up front as he did nothing on the wing (against Assu-Akotto!) and strengthen the midfield with Cesc, Flamini, or Hleb - if he's fit. Any word yet on his injury? Finally, Eboue's substitution was an uncanny one - into midfield. The drama queen did quite well for himself, making smart passes, putting himself about and keeping his nose clean with his general acting silliness.

So, next cup? FA, this weekend against Bolton - home of Le Sulk who, appropos of nothing, hinted at an escape to Arsenal following last weekend's humiliation to lightweight Middlesbrough and a heavyweight Mark Viduka.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh

2007-01-21T10:02:00.000-08:00

Somebody pinch me. Am I dreaming? Did we really just beat the Mancs in injury time? Was my jumping up and down and screaming, which woke up all my neighbors just before 10 a.m. all for nothing? I can still hardly breathe.

As I've just got done telling everyone on the phone immediately following the match, I love this contest. There's no fixture I like watching more. Twice in a season? Wow, when was the last time we did that to the Mancs?

All credit in the world to our squad, who dug deep and clawed away until they got their result. Admittedly it's far from the first time they've had to chase a game this season, but as we all know, at this very highest level of football, snatching a victory like this is no small feat.

Eboue did a capable job on Ronaldo, who had a relatively quiet match by his standards. And while we're speaking of Eboue, what a lovely cross he sent Henry's way in injury time: it's one thing to do that to the Watford defence (or was it Sheffield's?), it's quite another to pull that on the Buccaneers.

Flamini held his nerve in the midfield and did an adequate job without being outstanding (he's no Gilberto, but he did the best job possible), while the rest of our midfield put in a gutsy performance as well without any real standout efforts. However, when comparing their efforts to that of the Mancs', I found myself wondering where Scholes and Carrick had disappeared to? They did not exert their presence in any way on the match and were otherwise invisible.

My kudos goes to Adebayor, who played quite well again today. His workrate is unparalleled, as is his ability to hold up the ball. Fantastic job for him.

Van Persie supposedly picked up an ankle knock in training, though you wouldn't know it by a single piece of sublime positioning and touch to bring Arsenal level. Finally he too holds his nerve while standing on the same pitch as Henry, who produced a flick by which I'm still mystified. What exactly did he do, and how did he do it? Amazing.

And Henry. Take a bow, son. Who says he doesn't show up for the big matches? What a beautiful header, coming after John Champion was squawking all match long about his modest heading ability. Keeping his and his teammates poise after that goal was reassuring too - the job of a true captain.

While Clichy bottled it on the Manc goal by playing Rooney with way too much slack, his performance otherwise was respectable.

Finally, to Mad Jens Lehmann. Another outstanding performance by him with some wonderful first half saves. I love too how he just has to put his mark on a match, as he went down with a sudden foot injury in the dying seconds. Well done, I continue to enjoy his every performance, in every sense of the word.

Well, the game is being rebroadcast in four hours... I just may watch it again. Hopefully by that time my breathing and blood pressure will return to normal, though I doubt it! What a great win, and a great week ahead basking in this most beautiful of victories.

Hosting the Americans

2007-01-20T15:52:00.000-08:00

So, it all goes down tomorrow, and while ManUre USA Yanited Buccaneers coming to town is always an important affair which stirs an unsteady mixture of nervousness and excitement in me, I feel much better going into this game than I would have were it to have been scheduled a month ago.

Well, Ralph's gone, off to the Arsenal old boys in Portsmouth, and in terms of right backs, it looks as if Eboue is set to play. Fine with me as long as he can keep the theatrics to a minimum. He handled the winker reasonably well at Old Crapford back in September, and I hope his head is in the right place tomorrow.

Far from being in the right place are the (knuckle)heads at the FA, who appointed closet Man U fan Mike Riley to ref the match - a move that wouldn't seem out of place in Italy.

Will it be a wide open, seat-of-your-pants affair, or a duel of 4-5-1's? My guess is the latter. In that case, while I may be biased, I firmly believe a midfield containing the likes of Cesc, Hleb, Rosicky and Flamini and whoever else is far superior to one containing John O'Bese, even though he'd be supported by Scholes and Ronaldo. But after O'Shite's anemic display in our last meeting, expect Sir Ruddyface to actually take his 17 million pound summer toy, Michael Carrick, for a test drive against The Arsenal on Sunday. This might signify a change from his classic, cynical 'kick Arsenal off the pitch' strategy of yore, since Carrick's a bit of a softie, but on his day he's a decent distributor of the ball in a withdrawn role who can unlock lesser defences.

With Senderos sure to start alongside Kolo, Man U should send crosses in at their own peril, as Big Phil proved his prowess in the air against Liverpool. Looking at last year's matches against ManUre USA Yanited Buccaneers, Phil got skinned, as he does, on wide open breakaways and one on one situations, with Park Ji Sung/Ji Sung Park cleverly evading the Swissman.

Up front? Van Persie's a possiblity now, though it's well-known his form slips when he has Henry spitting in his ear for 90 minutes. I'd love to see Thierry partnered with Adebayor, who had an outstanding match in Manchester. To leave him out of this match would be a crime, which is why I really hope Arsene goes with a 4-4-2. And on the other side, though Rooney's gone missing in action for several weeks now, ManUre USA Yanited Buccaneers have the services of an old Swede to call on, one who proved decisive against us in Paris last year. He can read a game almost as well as anyone I've seen, and our back line would do well to keep at least one eye on him at all times. I dare not invoke his name before the match.

Lastly, our favorite Brazilian, Gilberto, will be unavailable thanks to the clownish antics of Robbie Savage last week. That'll mean our resident Swiss Army knife (from France) Mathieu Flamini will step in. I know Baptista was a name bandied about on message boards, but I don't think he's ready, although he was on the pitch for our winning goal in September, and earlier had flashed a shot just wide after pouncing on a laughable back pass by O'Pie. Flamini, one of my sentimental favorites, will step up nicely I hope. He's a player who I think will provide the scrap needed for this match and the skill to break up Yanited's offense - with cleats and elbows, if he has to.

Right then, I'm currently fighting off a nasty cold, so I hope at least some of this made sense. I'll be back following our victory.

One down, one to go?

2007-01-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, as it's obviously January I'd be remiss of I didn't eventually weigh in on the transfer window goings-on with us. Since there isn't much to discuss, what with Le Boss proclaiming no new players in the January window for months now, this might be short. Yes Seb Larsson has made his move to Birmingham permanent, so for those interested, look out for him appearing in numerous cinematic skin-flick adventures like 'Balls of Polyurethane,' 'The Old Whore at St. Andrews' and a supporting role in his manager's latest, 'Bruce Almighty,' very soon.

The big one, of course, is that Lauren is sadly departing. To where we do not yet know, but I just hope it's not somewhere in England. I would not want to play against him for the world! Word on 'le rue' is that he's on his way to Lyon, in which he would compliment Abidal nicely on the other side of their defense. Were he to end up there, it'd be just our luck to draw Lyon in the Champions League this season. But I liked Lauren and don't understand why his time has come so soon, unless his injury is more serious than we think. If he is indeed headed to France, perhaps he's a pawn in the deal to send Ribery to Arsenal that we've been hearing about since July. Whether or not Ribery would be the best guy to spend our money on is another matter, and a subject for another day. Though if Lauren waits till the summer he'll leave on a free anyway, in which case you can disregard most of this paragraph.

But like other bloggers, I personally prefer Lauren to Eboue, whose dramatics I've become very tired of. Let's not forget it was he who took that shameful dive to set up our only goal in Paris last year. However, while he has his share of both awful and disgraceful moments, I thought he did a great job against the bronzed showpony in our win at Old Trafford in September, and if he can develop some consistency with his crosses and maintain some dignity out there he'll turn out ok. Arsene knows, etc.

Freddie's staying, which maintains some grit and experience in our squad, but not speed as his wheels went flat a long time ago. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go in the summer, which would be sad, but unfortunately necessary. Not sure I could see him go without getting a little misty-eyed, as his departure would be one of the very last from that Arsenal era - the squad I am probably most fond of. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

As for our reservists and other mercenaries out on loan, well, I'm writing this at work and don't have too much time to waste, and to be honest I haven't given too many of them much thought anyway. Another day, perhaps.

Alright, back tomorrow with a preview of the Manure USA Yanited match at TNHOF.

Distractions...

2007-01-14T21:58:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, what a couple of amazing wins that I have been unavailable for comment on - my apologies, I've been too wrapped up in ordering a brand new super-neato David Beckham Los Angeles sawker shirt.

It was actually due to a plane ride that I missed the Carling Cup demolition of Liverpool, which saw the likes of previously unheralded (and with very, very good reason) Aliadiere, Teddy Ruxpin and Alex Song all get on the scoresheet and Rafa Benitez criticize Liverpool's board for leaving him unable to spend the kind of money Arsenal spends (ha!!!). Then, while still traveling I was unable to find a bar carrying the Blackburn match and had only the Review Show and fellow Gooners to fill me in. Gilberto will surely be missed for the ManUre match, but our spirit in taking the game to dirty northerners, along with a classy goal by Henry (one of several particularly amazing goals in the Prem this week) sealed the victory over Blackburn, a team I wish we could play more often, at least this season.

Right then, I'm off but will surely catch our next match. More to come this week, I promise. Sorry everyone.

Hahahahahahahaha

2007-01-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

Big Phil comes up... uh, big

2007-01-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

Mr. Senderos was the linchpin in the Arsenal defense that repelled the best Liverpool could throw at it as The Arsenal made the cup-holders give the trophy back early.

It was Senderos' type of game today. Whereas Philippe Stepanovs might be a more appropriate name when defending against speedy strikers and wingers, his prowess in the air, getting on the end of nearly every one of Liverpool's million crosses was truly inspiring.

For while Rosicky's contribution was outstanding today, I mention Senderos first because without him, the scoreline would have been far different. Likewise, Eboue, for all his faults, made some key plays and Almunia had the most confidence I've ever seen in him.

But Rosicky finally came good today. After a barren stretch during which he proved he could mangle the easiest of tap-ins, he held his composure remarkably well in slotting home two (1, 2) beautiful goals.

Which brings us to Henry: just remarkable, really. Do nothing for 83 minutes, then pull out an exceptional piece of magic. It was trademark Henry - trying something so daft and actually getting away with it. His pass to himself in which he muscled his way past Jamie Carragher (yes, Motty) was incredible, as was his tiptoeing around the box before banging it past Dudek. Liverpool's defense had earlier allowed Rosicky the same space, and Henry made them pay for it twice. Despite his arrogant goal celebration, whatever it takes to bring his form back is alright with me.

Liverpool's goal was quality, but made possible by lackluster marking. I don't understand how you leave a striker all alone near the 6-yard box on a corner kick. In my younger days, I practiced marking on corners thousands of times, so I don't see why it's beyond Arsenal to do the same. But on another note, it was nice to see us playing physically, especially after wily Arsene bemoaned the thuggery going on in English football just the day before. It certainly looked like Xabi Alonso was a marked man today.

Right then, that's all for now, back with more after our rematch in the lesser cup on Tuesday.

No room for excuses

2006-12-31T10:08:00.000-08:00

An ugly, awful loss to Sheffield United highlighted each and every one of our weaknesses for all the world to see yesterday at Bramall Lane.

In the muddy affair, The Arsenal put barely a shot on target, got muscled off the pitch and found difficulty stringing simple passes. There appeared to be very little strategy to our play, and Jens Lehmann had twice the work to do than their starting keeper, Kenny, and their stand-in, Jagielka - combined!

Baptista, given a rare start, has shown to be completely worthless as he lacks both the physical toughness, touch and the quick decisiveness needed to thrive in the Premiership. Aliadiere was put in the shop window one more time before the transfer market opened, only to see his worth probably decline in a 90-minute dissappearing act. Van Persie, for all his wonerful play in the past week, was taken out of the game by a dirty punch behind the ref's back by Sheffield captain Simon Cowell as well as a yellow card. He had a good move or two later on, but just couldn't make the difference for us.

Kolo Toure has looked out-of-sorts for a couple months now I feel, and his performance was the lowest yet. We need Gallas back ASAP, for Philippe Stepanovs, good game though he had, just isn't the adequate partner Toure deserves. Nade produced a nifty dummy to get past the Ivorian in a challenge he never should have made. In fact, Sheffield's hoofing the ball upfield nearly exposed us several more times as well.

Gilberto committed several awful giveaways as well. Without the dynamic partnership of Hleb and Fabregas in midfield, our chances of success are greatly limited, I'm afraid. Our game is quick, smart passing and reliance on superb talent up front, and with today's lineup we had neither the smart passing nor the right guys up front to get it done. Sorry, but blaming the pitch for slowing our game down just isn't going to cut it with me. Sheffield did a good job of closing our players down, which made our heavy touches on the ball too costly.

While we're at it, I'd also like to point out that Rosicky hasn't looked the player he did before his injury. As often as he appeared out of position in the Watford game, he made sloppy passes for 90 minutes against Sheffield. For me, the only player who I can honestly say played well was Gael Clichy who, after a couple months now, is reminding me of our previous left back - in all the good ways, I mean. Lehmann had a solid game as well in a mud puddle of a penalty area, and with as much as he was forced to do. He's busy as hell against a virus-stricken Sheffield team (SHEFFIELD!) and we could barely get their stand-in to break a sweat? We should have been raining shots down on their goal instead of playing cutesy games of one-touch in their penalty area, and for this Wenger will no doubt have their heads. That's inexcusable.

I'll be back in 2007, hopefully feeling less anger than I am now. Have a great New Year, Gooners.