Arse good as it gets!

Arsenal v Dynamo Kyiv today in the CL

2008-11-25T18:45:00.000-08:00

No time to get down a post of any kind today. Just time to say that we are very depleted heading into this one, with Nasri and Diaby missing as well to our already large injury list. Like my mate quipped, it's almost like we miss Eboue now! Tough times, tough times indeed.

It's Cesc's first one in charge, however. And I really think it will be a good game for us today. A good result here at home will set us up well for the fiercer battles ahead, the first of those being Chelski on Sunday.

As usual with the CL kick-offs it's a 19.45 kicoff at Ashburton Grove, London time and that is a 01.15 for those of us in India and it's on Zee Sports in this region.

So here's to the start of the Cesc era, and long may he reign!

Come on you Gunners!!

Cesc: the light at the end of the tunnel!

2008-11-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

What a day for the young man taking over the reigns at Arsenal Football Club. What a day for us, and collectively what a momentous day for Arsenal Football Club.
Francesc Fabregas - the captain of Arsenal Football Club, and who among us could say that we couldn't see that coming.

Announcing the new captain Arsene said-

“Gallas will play against Kyiv. But he will not captain the team, it will be Cesc Fabregas"

"This is a permanent thing. But I don’t think I especially have to explain why. I have given you information but I do not have to explain to you why I make these decisions.

“This subject is now closed. You have to respect a little bit of the team’s privacy.”

Sure, I was all for Kolo Toure trying the armband on for size first before handing it over to the young Spaniard. But really given more thought and having read Arseblogger's piece today and Amy Lawrence in the Times, I must admit that without a shadow of a doubt we could not at this point of time find a better man for the job of cappy at Arsenal Football Club.

I don't think we had a true leader for large portions of time after Tony Adams barring the last No. 4 ofcourse. There may have been big characters, but not the men most suited to lead a team on the pitch. And certainly, the last incumbent at the post ,Gallas just didn't cut it at all. He wasn't Arsenal through and through, Cesc on the other hand is. He was ushered in to the ways of a Gunner. The tradition, the culture and the legacy. He lives and breathes Arsenal, much the same way we do, and it's such a delight to see him at the helm.

It's proud day for all of us associated with the Club. We've all seen the boy blossom into a man, and how. Seen him as a 17 year old. Seen him step up to those big Vieira boots. Seen him put in vital performances, notably against Juventus and Milan last year and what about that goal against Spurs last season when the chips were down. And so many countless others. Who really can dispute that he is the real talisman once Henry departed? Who can also dispute that he didn't shoulder the responsibility of leading a young team, albeit without the armband in recent times? Who can also say with a great deal of confidence that he is not the most important player we have on the pitch?

He is the real deal, and I find myself gushing immensely ever since I found out that it was him that would lead the team out henceforth. Everyone from the players to the fans needed a lift after the goings on recently and who can deny that this wasn't it. It would be churlish to think that things would be all A-ok from here on in. But it's a start, and the most positive one we've seen in sometime. We need re-inforcements to the team, some real quality needs to acquired. Some positions on the pitch need to be strengthened. It's been a dark, doom-laden sort of with almost everything at Arsenal. As messy as you will probably ever see, but with this latest development, you can see the doom and gloom lifting.

A fresh start. The slate wiped clean, and maybe with the more realistic knowledge of the ability and depth of our squad we can re-asses our strengths and weakness and likewise take another look at what can be realistically achieved this season. But atleast we need to wonder no more who it will be that will lead the team forward. Cescy has the confidence of the players, the fans and now that's quantified by the manager who allows him to lead his young squad out.

Fab has the fire power, the right attitude, the mental toughness and most importantly the respect of the players, and the world you would have to say.

Maybe we are asking too much out of young Cesc, maybe the weight of expectation will weigh heavily on his young shoulders. But I really don't see that happening. And I'd hate to be proven wrong, again. I will just remind you of another great captain who took the reins of the Arsenal team a little while ago, much the same age of young Fabregas here, and is one of the most distinguished men ever to put on the Arsenal shirt. If Cesc can even go on and emulate half of what Tony Adams did (if your still guessing, that is) he will long be remembered.

Take a bow Cescy! (Rather prematurely, I know but can you blame me?) Really it's a great day, and a new beginning, I can feel it in my bones! Come on Cescy you have the complete Arsenal Community behind you. It's the Cesc show from here on in ( No pressure then.. heh), and we wait in anticipation for the first episode. Over to you...

And, come on the Arsenal!!!

Update!

Speaking about his new role as club captain, Cesc said-

"It is a proud moment. I know it's a big responsibility but together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and fulfil our potential."

And will direct you to what Gael Clichy who was also in the running for captain as you would believe, had to say about Cesc being handed the armband, that's here.

And im outy!

What the Arsenal need right now

2008-11-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

There are somethings in life that make you scratch your head in disbelief, others that leave you with a sense of bewilderment and there are still others that throw you on to the the floor and leave you lying there in utter and complete bafflement. The Arsenal performance against Villa at the Grove last Saturday would definitely fall into the last category. Another late take on the game, as I didn't want too much of a knee-jerk reaction. Sadly though the gloom still hasn't lifted, yet.

I'm sure all of us Gooners the world over would have been beaming, uncontrollably so and taking the piss out of any Mancs in sight after the game just two Saturdays ago. I think it was Arseblogger who said 'what a difference a weeks makes' after the Manchester United mauling, this on the back of a pathetic draw to the Spuds and a defeat to Stoke. But it couldn't be more poignant to say 'what a difference a weeks makes', now more than ever. Wasn't this the same team to a man that controlled the game so well against a Manchester United team, and won all the plaudits? As rapturous as the win gainst the Manky Shite was, there were large portions of the Arsenal support who were happy, but more than happy we were hopeful. Hopeful that the team could kick on from here. That the confidence would be at an upswing after the uplifting win. We were not going to come a cropper after this? Were we? We hoped not. But normal service had resumed againstVilla, atleast normal as this season goes.You could also replace the word 'normal' with 'unpredictable', and you know it.

The Villa game would be the litmus test of whether we had turned the corner and would kick on on from here on in . I think it would have been plain to any observer to see the sheer determination and drive lacking right from the off against Martin O'Neil's men. You could brush it aside , like i tended to do in the early stages and say "Well, its not Man U this time round, so the boys will be up for it eventually, and get the job done".When Almunia made the save you would get the feeling that maybe it was going to be our day. Or so I thought. I cannot really comment of the rest of the match till about the 70th as I could not catch a glimpse of it owing to some 'electricity difficulties'. But I am informed that it wasn't too much better from what I had seen. I was hoping to see a revitalised Arsenal come out second half, and take control of the game. But sadly, all momentum from the Man u game had just fizzled out, much like it had 'fizzled in' before the ManUSA game.

Even at 1 nil down in the 70th, we didnt create too much. There was 20 mins on the clock, surely more than enough time to get an equaliser and a winner too! But we lacked the verve and desire to realy push on from there. A complete wet blanket . It can't be a personnel problem, can it? Surely not, atleast I am wont to say, that it isn't. So what is it?

I think our inconsistencies are born out of two things we sorely lack in this squad. And it's not for the first time that I am voicing these concerns. We lack leadership. And the other being sheer desire and drive. There's no other conclusions that you can draw from it. Especially since we know what they are capable off after the Manky Shite encounter. I winced after Billy Gallas said something to the effect of him being a good captain after the big Manure win. He is so far away from the truth. I really think the leadership issue needs to be sorted out now, even at the cost of Gallas being slighted. It really is the need of the hour. And come on, it's not like any of the lads look up to him too much, so it can't really have a detrimental effect on the squad. That in effect could then see Gallas dropped to the bench, and Toure take his place. We've tried the Gallas-Silvestre combo at the back, with mixed results at best. Maybe it's time to try out the Toure-Silvestre combo, surely it can't be much worse.With Gallas being stripped of the captaincy and subsequently dropped to the bench this idea could see the light of day. I would give the man replacing Gallas on the pitch the captains armband, and I think he should atelast be give a go. Toure is Arsenal through and through, and he is worth the experiment if not anything else. You would have to say that since Toure has been an Arsenal boy for so long he definitely needs to get a look in as captain, the lads look up to him, and well he's the man for the job at the moment. There are some theories that Cescy would make a good captain, and surely you couldn't do much better than getting the young Spaniard to wear the armband, but I would definitely like to try out ol' Kolo first. Kolo could instil some old fashioned Arsenal pride and drive in the lads, and man do we need it right now. Arseblogger in response to to the performance against Villa wanted us to buy a 'leader' in the January transfer, I am at best sceptical with the most agreeable Arseblogger.I think we cannot go out shopping for someone like that. The leader has to be an Arsenal boy, and an old head at that. I think if we can do this and maybe get one or two key players we could get some more consistency.

I think we are very much an outside chance for the Prem, at best and even with just a third of the season done and dusted with. I have not seen 'Champion' material from this team thus far. As euphoric as it was dispensing the Manks with disdain, it is the four losses , against, with due respect the lesser lights of the league that are seeing us languishing. We may not be too far away from the top, bieng a long way to go and all that. But the inconsistency and performance thus far has not warranted a rightful title challenge.That said a quick couple of wins could get us up and running, but maybe, just maybe we may end up paying for past sins this season as far as the Prem goes.

I am however looking forward to our CL challenge this season. We could go far in the competition, the team we have now is strung in this way. More often than not it's going to some European big shite that we take on, and the boys will definitely be up for it, won't they? I sure as heck hope so.

Heads up Gooners! Always. And a special shot out to all the fans who lingered to sing at the end of the Villa game at the Grove. You lads rule. All.

We get off our Arse, and how!

2008-11-10T23:07:00.000-08:00

My last post was after the disheartening fiasco of a week against the Spuds and then the subsequent loss to Stoke. It was shattering, and I was looking to the Fenerbahce game to get some of that frustration out, a release I thought we definitely needed ,and heck wasn't it the Manks who come a visiting on Saturday? But as it panned out, we were not really keyed into the game and it was another frustrating performance.

So it wasn't the best lead up by any stretch of the imagination to a day I would 'ring in my calender', to quote Le Prof. We were seriously depleted going in to the game. Already without Van Persie who was suspended, we would also be without the Togonator who should be out for three weeks. To add to that, a big cloud also hung over Theo, Billy Gallas and Bacary Sagna. Didn't really know how the boys would react to the visit of the defending champions. Would we step up? Or would we roll over? I hadn't the faintest idea. "Right , let's 'ave it then", was the most appropriate thing for me to say then going in to this one. A loss would re-affirm all that has been said in most Arsenal forums including this one, about the lads inexperience and general lack of quality in key areas, and oh the character, or the lack of it thereof. A win on the other hand would set us back on track, would help us forget some previous sins, and let us focus on the rest of the season ahead. Some Gooners we're likely to accept a draw as a good return for us, given the recent outcomes.

It does not require infinite wisdom to work out what formation Wenger would adopt for this game. Unsuprisingly it was the lone Dane striker, Nicklas Bendtner deployed upfront, unsuprisingly also the 5-man midfield. But suprisingly though, Theo was declared fit to take his place on the right wing, and so also Sagna behind him on the right and Cap'n Gallas was partnered at the back by Silvestre. Diaby, Denilson and Nasri made up the other numbers in midfield, while Gael Clichy marshalled the most despicable of all divers, an unholy diver if you will at left back. While on the subject, give this a go, it won't disappoint. And oh Almunia resumed his position between the sticks.

Here in Bangalore, we got some of the Gooners together to watch the big game at SBX Sports Bar, Marathalli. There were plenty of the poseur 'Untied' fans as well. So the atmosphere was unlike any other I had witnessed at a pub before. Right from the off it was tingly neck stuff. But some things were different from the Arsenal performances we were accustomed to in recent weeks. We were right up for it, right from the off, getting stuck in , putting a foot in, fighting for th 50-50's. We were not going to let them boss us, not on our home patch! We showed desire, steel and resolve and were going to go down, if we were that is with a fight. If The Manky Shite, expected an easy outing against a young Arsenal side, who were in the worst form in years. They definitely had another thing coming. There was a scary moment early on when a dodgy back pass from Silvestre was handled was Almunia. Luckily nothing came off the subsequent free kick. We created chances early on with Nasri dancing his way along the left, with Clichy to back him up on the overlap. Two good crosses with Bentdner as the target were floated in to the box from the left, but one missed the target narrowly and the other was put over by the young Dane. Agonising. I could feel a goal coming for us though. The crowd was much bouyed by the response of the Gunners and were in good voice, the best I've probably heard at Ashburton. Needless to say I was really thrilled to bits about the response by the team. It really was so awesome, after all the dark days we've witnessed in the recent past, not to mention the criticism.

The Mancs had their chances as well, but suprisingly their sharp shooters were a bit shite all nite, fortunate for us! When the doubly damned ( A Spud and then turning out in ManUsa colours, what a hideous combination) Berbatov did get the ball past Almunia in goal, it was from an offside position. It was going our way so far. We pressed and probed as both teams forayed forward. The visitors more on the break. They had one beautiful move where they cut our defense to ribbons, and that was really worrying. But it was soon all forgotten when a Fab freekick on the right was Cleared by Vidic, whose header found Samir Nasri in the box who took a couple of touches and drove it goalward past the crowd. The ball took a deflection off Gary Neville and beat the flapping Van Der Sar. Cue Chaos! 'Insaneness'. Absolutely. And Completely. One nil to the Arsenal! And Oh, Manky Shite nil. Many people think it was a fortuitous goal. They better be kidding! It was a goal fair and square and on the balance you would probably say we were more deserved leaders than the Manchester lads. This was in the 22nd. You will have to depend on the match report here for a better, comprehensive account of the game. Manure did have a couple of chances, Park forcing a save out of Almunia, who I thought was outstanding at times. As the minutes ticked by though, you get the feeling it was going to be our day. The signs were there, our "shambles" defense improved with every passing minute, Rooney failed to hit the target when presented, and we were mixing it toe to toe and even bossing it for large periods of the first half with Fergie's lot, no mean task, i'll have you know. Sample this, the average age of our front six was just 21, eat that!

So we went in at the break with our heads held high, and a well deserved lead. That was just half the job done, ManUSA are known to be a second half team. So we all knew, as nerve racking and end to end the first half was, it would be a walk in the park compared to the second half. Amazingly young Nasri, a debutante in the Man U-Arsenal Ruckus' had other ideas, latching on to some neat work and space created in midfield by Fab, he found himself just inside the box with Van Der Sar to beat. And he drilled it past the Dutchman, into the top left hand corner! Oh, now your talking!! 2-0 to the Arsenal and Nasri wrote his name up in lights, again in the 48th. Well, well well, an unlikely result looked well and truly on now.What ointment this win would be, if we pulled it off, could we? A nervous 40 some minutes ensued, some decent saves by Almunia helped us along the way. Some Suprisingly astute defending by the back four, played a pivotal part. A revitalised midfield stood defiant, as they broke forth in search of more goals. While they all played a part in preventing us from conceding. Some of the most biased refereeing I have seen by Howard Webb ensured that the Shite always, and I do mean always got their decisions, and broke up our play. Aargh!!

The manks did have their chances though, Ronaldo, the unholy diver cited above, missed from close- on. It was nervy stuff, but the manks never really looked like scoring. But this was the Manky shite at two goals down, of course they were going to come at you and they did. In fairness we really did our bit to keep them at bay. We survived all until the 89th when sub, Da Silva unleashed a rocket past Fabianski, who came on for the injured Almunia who took a boot to the face from the shite kicker Carrick, also doubly damned you might note.

Hmmm you thought, as you wrung your hands and shook your head in utter and sheer fright! The celebrations were put on ice, could we collapse again. The palpitations ensued, 6 minutes of injury time? 6 whole minutes!!! It was the longest six minutes. We survived, we learnt something from the Spurs game, and didn't attack, not as much anyway and protected the ball better.

That's it! Full time. We had kicked the Mnaky Shite where it mattered most, and how! What a game! What a result. Pandamonium. Delirium. The Manky dissing that was on all game reached a crescendo. We really let them have it in the pub. And it was pure, unbridled joy! It was one of those feelings that you will savour for the rest of your life. You live for these sorts of days!

I was so happy. Happy for every Arsenal Supporter who stood by the team through the harrowing last weeks. The players who pulled it off. Brilliant. And for Arsene, how sweet it must be for him. How sweet indeed!

The press wrote us off, some of us Gooners didnt think the team had it in them. But the players showed the strongest character to prove their detractors wrong. A real dagger it was. A complete performance by the young Arsenal team. Absolutely proud of the lot of them! while Nasri will rather deservedly get all the plaudits, it was a proper shut up and dominat job by the entireArsenal team. Each one of them did us proud!

The past disappointments were forgotten. The felling of the Manure will be long remebered. And now for me two days on, I still can't stop smiling!

It's a bit late to say savour it, Gooners but I know some of yal still are! Come on you Gunners, lets kick on from here!!

Cheers!!

We really need to get off our collective Arse

2008-11-05T22:28:00.000-08:00

It's been the toughest week for me personally being a Gooner. And it has taken it's toll. I avoided all the shite that would have been flying about following the two 'defeats' in a row. Yes I do, (and most of you will agree) consider the Totscum result a defeat.

The thing I was thinking about prior to these games was whether we had the bottle to compete for the title this season. While those credentials are at best 'questionable', I think another issue has to be addressed as well. The players, and their quality.

We all knew the average age of the squad. Yet we did know that they were a bit more experienced than their age betrayed. But as we have discovered in our last two displays, we lack the leadership and the steel to really put up a strong challenge. Are the players good enough? Earlier on in this season and in posts like this one here, I had reposed faith in this 'young squad', albeit maybe with the addition of proven or quality DM.

I must admit however that I was wrong. Man for man we do not measure up to the so called rest of the 'big four'. As each team proves the depth of their squad, we come out looking sheepishly miserly in that department. I'm not calling for wholesale changes, but some players in the squad are just not going to cut it at the highest level. Will not name players right now, because I think each is as woeful as the other and should take responsibility for the goings on last week. Wenger really needs to get that cheque book out in January, and splash the cash, we are short in plenty of spots on the pitch , and that needs to be plugged, heck it's almost a gaping hole!

Can't even imagine how it would've been at the those who were at the Grove , after the Scum went a goal up so early on with that 'Bent' shite-kicker, us going two clear and then the Scum coming level with nothing on the clock. Aargh!

It was an absolutely shattering result against Tottenham. Leading by two goals and chucking it all away against the sworn enemy. I know i said that anything could happen in these sorts of derbies, but heck that was downright unacceptable. That's the word for it unacceptable. And then when we expected a propah result against Stoke, well it was such an insipid display and a most damaging loss.We expected a result and we absolutely needed one, everyone concerned at Arsenal FC needed one. But then we all know what happened. Well, I have never experienced something of this proportion in all of my time being an Arsenal fan.

Than in itself has to sum it up for all of us doesn't it. After 'losing' up in midweek to the Scum the team should have been so riled up and up for it that they absolutely kicked the shit out of Stoke. So where is the leadership, the steel that we so desperately need. And we are not great in the quality department as well, not by any stretch of the imagination.

We need some proven quality, and some real steel and leadership if we are going to remain in the top 4 this season. Will Wneger do what is needed? I mean he has said the stuff we'd expect him to say, but will anything be done about it. I understand that he can't buy anyone now, but that is his problem, no one elses.

We have really tripped up at the start of the season, we've dropped points against teams we would expect to beat. We are capable of beating a few teams on our day, granted, but consistency is what we suffer from, and that comes with determination and real quality. I could be totally wrong and the boys could really whip everyone in front of them, from here on in! Oh please let that be it!

We play Fenerbahce today in CL action, a chance for Wenger to set some records straight and get the most disbelieving of us back on his side. A very capricious, thinking aloud type of post today, but that's exactly how I feel. And this post is absolutely last minute as well.

It's a 19.30 kickoff at the Grove tonight and that's 01.00 in India and it's live on Zee Sports. The players will have to get themselves up and deliver for the their coach, their fellow players, and for the undying fans!

Stand up you gunners!!! Come on ...The Arsenal!!

Let's kick Totscum when they're down!

2008-10-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

Yes it's that time again. The time where two London Clubs set aside any other ambitions to wholly focus on one. It's North London derby time again. That means that we as Arsenal FC almost set aside our title ambitions to channel all our energies on the annihilation of Totscum, while our less worthy opponents try and avoid the drop. Heh! It's going to really something, and it more often is . And don't let the league positions fool you. It will be all hammer and tongs. It may pale in comaprison to the mayhem that goes on in Galatasaray and Fenerbache derbies or indeed Independiente and Racing Club in Argentina, but heck, it's our derby and the need to win this one is as good as any other in the world.

Tottenham have been through hell and they will be looking to get their season back on track and could there be any other way than beating their bitterest rivals.They need a bit of impetus. There's no such impetus as beating Arsenal at their home ground for our disillusioned neighbours. Their pride has been hurt immeasurably, some of it though can be salvaged.

We on the other hand can hand them out a thrashing, they never would have received at their mother's knee. And prove, as we have done time and time again of their gross inferiority. Arsenal fans as you can imagine have been at the forefront of taking the piss out of the recent misfortunes of Tottenham, and another Tottenham disaster will give us the licence we have never really needed to go overboard with the dissing. Oh wouldn't that be lover-ly!

It's also time to wipe away those memories of the 5-1 Carling Cup defeat, it was the kids I know, but still we need to dish it out today. The good thing about it too, is that we really will, in my opinion there's no way the Scum could weather the storm. Totnum are just back from their most important result all season. They're first win, they also have Harry Redknapp pulling the strings as coach. But is it going to be good enough to beat an Arsenal side at Ashburton Grove. Naw! I really don't think the Spuds have it in them.

We know they want to beat us so bad, so that's enough for us to piss all over them! Fab gets it going pre-match saying that Spurs would find it tough going to beat our ladies side, and there's stuff about Ade winding them up too. And if you ever need to be reminded of our dominance in this particular fixture have a gander here.

Then again anything could happen in these sorta games. Only one way to find out now innit? It's a 20.00 kickoff at the Grove and so turns out to be a 1.30 kickoff in India and it's live on ESPN in the region.

Let's kick the shite outta Spurs!!

Come on you Gunners!!

3 points and we are back in the mix!

2008-10-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

Apologies for no game preview blog yesterday. My internet connection was acting up yesterday and that put paid to any attempts to get anything up . Was a bit of a laboured Arsenal performance yesterday at Upton Park. All three points nevertheless and that's all that matters.

We started brightly enough in the opening minutes yesterday, enough for the Arsetard to think that we were going to run riot. But that was not how it panned out. Van Persie and Theo came close on occassion and Almunia had to make a fine save off Bellamy who was put in by Scott Parker I think it was, to completeley open us up. Another shot from distance brought about another fine save from our number one. A super run by Theo on the right channel ended up with him in the box and hitting the bar. Another time we came close was when Fab floated a ball in for RVP in the box to beautifully chest down for Theo to beat the keeper, but Green pulled out a decent save to deny us. A couple of half chances for us and some pops from distance from the home team meant that the half time score remained at nil. I think it was more a case of us being less penetrative than West Ham being overly good. We did pick up the pace towards the latter stage of the first half, but nothing was forthcoming. Our central defensive pairing of Silvestre and Gallas did have theior "moments" but I would have to admit it was much better than most.

We failed to pick up from where we left off in first, we were bossing the possesion but failed to produce too many clear cut chances. RVP hit the post from a free kick and that was pretty much it until Ade who came on in the 67th for one of the two wingers who were both substituted, the other player to come on was Diaby. Ade danced his way into the box, past a couple of defenders to put in a cross/shot which Faubert turned into his own net for the opener. And you will have to admit it, Ade was the spark we needed to get the win and he proved it with a well worked second after a sublime pass from Bendtner, who didnt have his best game by any stretch of the imagination.A more detailed match report is here.

After the game Arsene remarked that we couldn’t afford to drop points today

“It is a big win for us because if we had come out of it with a frustrating 0-0 draw, we would have felt that we had wasted an opportunity to get closer to the top.

For us it was important not to make a mistake and to take one of our own chances. We gambled a lot and fortunately we had some strikers on the bench and in the end that made the difference.

We knew before the game that we couldn’t afford to drop points today but I must say that West Ham can feel frustrated because they defended very well and gave absolutely everything today. In the end we got a little opening, maybe they got a little bit fatigued in the last 20 minutes.”

So three vital points it was, especially since two of the usual suspects dropped some this weekend. We are now 4 points behind Liverpool who conquered the Russians in their own backyard, 1 behind the Russians and 1 ahead of the Manks who dropped two points at Goodison on Saturday.That puts us right back in it. We did drop points early on this season but we are hanging in there, tough games await us and we will have to step up.

Before that howeever its the rejuvenated Spuds up next at Ashburton. Our meek North London rivals picked up their first win and will be rearing to go when we take them on this Wednesday. More on that later.

So long mates!

Cheers!

Arsenal 5 - Fenerbache 2, shite defending and commentary to match

2008-10-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

Greetings Gooners, quite a washout it was then yesterday huh? What with seven goals being scored,and all that. A win at Istanbul against the Fenerbache is definitely something to savour, and we will.

We set up with 5 in midfield, with Ade the lone man up front. The back four consisted of a central pairing of Song and Silvestre, while Eboue (thankfully) slotted into right back, and not midfield. It was good strategy by Le Boss to strengthen the midfield and it did pay dividends.We settled pretty early on in the piece. Fabregas setting Ade on his was for the opener after some nifty footwork by Diaby. The second came literally seconds after when Theo was sent bounding down the right by our young Spanish maestro, to slot home. 2-0 Arsenal, and really it was just what we wanted to shut up the home fans. Easy -peasy, really. If we thought our defence was shite then we have to be thankful we don't have Fenerbache's.

Feberbache though were not completely on the backfoot, some solid goalkeeping by captain on the night, Almunia ensured that our 2 goal advantage was preserved. Our defences, however were breached when Guiza's shot was deflected past a hapless Almunia, and you were thinking hmmm. But we were back in it, this time Diaby made a run down the left and whacked it home with aplomb. 3-1 , to the away team, but we were always under pressure with our slack defending. It was very nervy at times.

We scored early in the second through Song and at 4-1 we were cruising. You'd have to think it would have to be some sort of out break of the Ebola virus at the back to let this game slip. We controlled most of the possesion in the second period, but we were in dangerof conceding at times when we played a high line, and one such time we were caught by Guiza and paid the price. But we were no real danger of losing the game even at this stage. The cherry on top moment was when young Aaron Ramsey made it 5 for us when he scored in the closing minutes. 5-2 and that's that! A full match report is here.

A fine win, especially with the record that the Turkish team have at home. But that said the defending left a lot to be desired. It was really nerve-racking at times. And you really wonder if we would survive with a performance like this against stronger opposition. In a way it was the same old Arsenal , brilliant going forward, but not so great at the back. I know it was this back fours first time out, but we need to sort out the defensive frailities now.

Besides that I think Diaby had a fine game, the 5 man midfield suited us well and Almunia was worth his weight in gold at times. And Cescy was beginning to find the form we all know him for and Theo was dazzling again with hi9s pace and movement. 7 points, that gives us. and top of the table. We play Fenerbache in the reverse fixture at Ashburton Grove in two weeks time. Our next 2 matches are London Derbies - an away trip to West Ham and then the Shite come a visiting. Should be a real cracker, what with them being the bottom dwellers we always knew they were. Ha!

The commentary on Zee Sports yesterday was horrendous! Absolute rubbish it was , worse than the Fenerbache defense. Sub-standard nonsense and we also get step-motherly treatment by the networks in India. The Manure and Chelski games always, always get prominence over ours. They even have the original commentary, but we had to settle for some leftover drivel by some nincompoop, who kept seeing RVP on the pitch every time Cescy or Nasri was on the ball. It was just a joke. The commentary added nothing to the game, he had no extra information to add to that which we could not see or decipher for ourselves. And will leave it there not going to waste anymore spittle on that. I'm never envious of Manure or Chelski fans, but this time I am. Heck, no way just kidding you! Never jealous of that lot, no way!

I'm in a real hurry so will resort to linking you to Arsene's post match comments, what Ade and Almunia had to say.

And that will have to do for now. 5 goals scored, 2 let in. A big win but our defence is just not the most assured. It's hard not to be pleased after a win like this, but we definitely need to work out our defense. That's something Arsene can think about while he celebrates our win and his 59th birthday.

Happy birthday Arsene!

and im outy!

Everton review and Fenerbache preview

2008-10-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hello again! How goes it wherever you are? Much better after the real footbal back and the Arsenal win against Everton on Saturday. Wasn't the most convincing win by any stretch of the imagination. But three vital points and we hopefully can get our season back on track after the stop start stuff so far.

I think a big factor which is going to determine if at all we are successful at all this season is mental toughnesss. And Van Persie deals with it here -

"At this time, in football, the mental aspect is really important, maybe more than 30 or 40 per cent [of the game]. If you look at the matches against Bolton and Blackburn, the mental aspect was more important than the way we wanted to play.

“I do not think it is a real big problem for us but every single time we have to prove it again.

“Last season we played fantastic for three-quarters of the season and then suddenly everything fell down.

“I do not know if the reason was mentality, maybe it was a bit of everything, but we learned a lot from last year.

“The season is long. We've lost some points but we've won some as well so we just have to stay positive.”

While the lads did have to come back from a goal down, to win the game, it wasn't by far against the toughest of opposition. We were sluggish in the opening exchanges and indeed for most of the first half. It was only in the second half that we began to take control after the crucial goal by Samir Nasri. Maybe it was all the international travel, but maybe it was lack of real thrust and drive. And thats what I think will determine if we do win any cups this season. Do we have the drive? The team still needs to convince me of it. Again I am nit-picking a bit especailly after they came back to win against Everton. But I can't help but wonder if we do have have a determined driven bunch at the moment. We need some heads with real character to lead the young 'uns. To say we have no experienced campaigners in the squad will be stupid, but then again will they step up sufficiently? Well I haven't seen enough of that yet. We are just into the season, but we could have had a better starts, and can't afford too many more slip ups in the Prem. We need to show that we have real character from here to bomb on, even this early on.

Post Everton Le Boss speaks about Samir Nasri, who I think is one strong character and a vital cog in the present set up. Wenger is pleasantly suprised to note that he is settling down so well, saying-

"When you look at the impact he had already here you can say he’s ahead of what I planned for him.

"He’s 21, goes from France to England, and I must say I’m quite pleased with his attitude and his performances. He’s doing extremely well and he is already becoming an important player for us and that is why you do not want him to get injured."

Fabregas dismissed speculation that he had refused a contract at Arsenal with this here, read all about it , if you haven't already that is.

It's back to CL action for us tonight as we take on Turkish powerhouses Fenerbache in their own backyard. The fans there really create a 'cauldron' like atmosphere and is one of the toughest places to go to. I think we should be able to deliver there though, and I fancy us to come out on top. While a draw won't be too bad, I really think we can do one better.

The complete squad for this game is available here. We will have Djourou and Bendner back for this one, but missing all but Clichy of our starting back four. That could mean a Djourou and Silvestre partnership at the centre, while I really hope that Arsene deploys Eboue at right back, if he gets into the team at all that is. We all know that Eboue will though.

That's about that for now. A win today will put us well on track and restore a lot of much needed confidence. The game is a 1945 kickoff Uk time and a 0015 kickoff for viewers in India, who can watch it on Zee Sports.

Come on you Gunners!

Everton today as the real football returns!

2008-10-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

Greetings fellow Gooners! I arise from the every depths of the international break to salute the return of real football. And it's the Arsenal once again in action, Everton provide the opposition this time.And needless to say we need all three points. The mood in the camp understandably has been better.

And all that had definitely got our midfield general thinking.The man who rescued a point for us last time round, Cesc Fabregas had stated earlier in the week that this team probably was too young and not as skillful as earlier teams. But he 'clarified' those statements saying-

“Arsène has built an unbelievable squad here,” said Fabregas.

“We have great spirit and I have complete trust in the manager’s policy.

“Arsène is the best at giving youngsters a chance. No-one else comes close to him for that. He doesn’t care how old you are, as long as you are good enough, and has the confidence to give young players a chance.

“Anything said to the contrary is simply not true and I would like to reiterate to all Arsenal supporters that I am 100 per cent behind the team and the manager.

Well it's plain to see that Cescy shares the same opinion that we all do as stated earlier this week. But like him we have to get behind the team and get some spirit going. A win today will be a good start, if not we could be in for a long season.

Le Prof is well aware of the situation we are in saying-

"I believe that this is a new start,” he said. “In fact it is the real start of the season because there is now no interruptions anymore. It looks like to me there is a new championship starting.”

I watched the Invincibles DVD yesterday, and was reminded that the 49 game winning run started from a disappointment. They stated thir run as if they were beginning a new season and thats what this present lot has to do as well.If we can capture some of the resolve and consistency into this team, then I think we can go a long way this season. I definitely agree with all the opinion out there that central defence needs some chopping and changing and that we need a DM. But besides that I think the squad is all in place. Most of all though, we need some unshakeable steel, once we get that then I think we can be unstoppable. Maybe im getting a wee bit carried away after watching the Invincibles. But heck, they proved that anything is possible!

We are walking a bit of a tight-rope from here on in. Arsene adressed that saying-

“I think if you ask me how many games I think we can lose I would say zero. I always start a season thinking you cannot lose a game, but we have lost two already and we are in a position where we have given ourselves a handicap."

“I still think it is manageable to get back to the top. I know that there is not a lot of margin of error left but I still think we can do that.”

Hmm a long way to go come may and rot like that, but we need to get our act together pronto. And It could all begin today for us.

We will be missing Gallas, Sagna, Bendtner and Djourou all out through injury. So this will mean plenty of mixing and matching with the back four and will also provide Sylvestre a chance to slot in and show us what he's got. On the good side of things though,RVP ( quick galnce upwards and 'thank you' to the heavens) has returned unscathed from the international break and Cescy should play with a broken nose. And what do you know ! Diaby is fit again. Could he be be the missing ingredient in our deficient midfiled? Well we'll just have to see won't we.

The game is a 1500 kickoff in the UK and therefore is a 1930 kickoff here in India. A couple of mates and I here in Bangalore are really trying to unite all the Gooner faithful in Bangalore and eventually the whole nation. To begin with join the Google group (link alongside on the right) and come over to SBX Sportsbar in Gopalan Mall on Mysore Road to watch the Everton game. Even if you can't make it this weekend, join the group and maybe we'll catch up later for a game. But game watching is not all, we have plenty of other grandiose plans, so do sign up and you will receive regular updates and much more. This is your chance to be part of an Arsenal Community in India.

Hope to see you at the game and Come on Arsenal!!!!

Sunderland today and all three points please!

2008-10-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Back to Premier League Action today it is for the Arsenal after the 4-0 histrionics against Porto in midweek. Our opponents this tine 'round are Sunderland, as we visit the Stadium of Light today.

I'm really pressed for time, so will point you in the direction of all the stories, and on the double. First up team news, it looks like we will have Alexandre Song back for selection and Silvestre as well. Fair play to the Cameroonian, he's looked good so far this season in the opportunities presented to him. And that's seems to be all as far as team news goes. Le Prof talks about passing on his philosophy and there's a fuller match preview here.

Needless to say that we can't afford to lose this one. We will be expecting a strong showing and all three points please. Roy Keane is not the easiest of adversaries and the boys will have to do more than just show up like they did against Hull. We are a two points off the top and we'd like to be there and there abouts atleast till February or so and then look to kick on.

The game is a 1500 kickoff in the UK which makes it an evening kick off at 19.30 for viewers in India and it's live on ESPN. A couple of my mates and I are watching the game at the Sports Bar at Cosmos Mall in Marthahalli, Bangalore. It's opposite Brookefields ( HLL office). We'd like it if more Gooners, or any one else interested dropped by. We are trying to get a regular place where fans can come together to watch week in week out. So do drop by if you are interested. And oh, we checked with the management at the Sports Bar, they ARE showing our game.

And that's about all. Hope to see you at the game!

Cheers!

Come on you Gunners!

Porto 0 - Arsenal 4

2008-10-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's 4-0 whitewash of Porto was just what we needed to get the Arsenal spirits back on an upward spiral. I'm sure the community is well satiated with the performance at Ashburton grove in the matchday 2 encounter at Ashburton Grove.

2 each for the frontmen Adebayor and Van Persie. And it was nice to see them both get well amongst the goals early on this season. Four scored yesterday, but really it could have been so much more as we created a whole truck load of chances especially in the second half. I may sound a little harsh but, I'd like to see us more clinical in the final third.

On to the performance and now as must be clear was much improved from last Saturday. The lads looked up for it and wanted to atone for the disappointment against Hull. We dominated the play from the 10th minute of playonwards or so. But we were never quite penetrative enough. Theo was a live wire on the pitch and was wreaking havoc in the Porto ranks. His lightning pace is really something to behold, incredible. Porto were dangerous on the counter though a rasping shot from long range prompting a diving save from Almunia, and another corner which was not dealt with resulting in a frantic goal line save from Clichy and clearance from Ade , helping out the defence. The openner came in the 31st when Adebayor was put in by Cesc, who squared for an on rushing RVP to slide in past the Porto keeper.1-0 to the Arsenal, as Arsene got off the bench to celebrate. Arsene was all smiles and he had a look of satisfaction writ large on his face. He spoke about feeling 'physically sick' when the team do badly and now we could see the opposite. Back to the goal, it was super instict that saw RVP at the right place at the right time to slot home the goal, absolutely brilliant! The second came when RVP took one of the many corners in the first period, a nice delivery which founds it's way to our big Togolese striker , who then headed it into the ground to beat a flapping Porto GK and the man on the line. 2-0 and we were cruising, and in to the half time break we were comfortable.

All we had to do is probably ride out the early storm from a seasoned Porto side, who are no mugs. The storm was not forthcoming though, as we increased our lead through RVP. a loose ball picked up by Theo (?) who played it into the path of RVP who powered his way into the box to poke home for his second. A wonderful goal, and something we are not accustomed to seeing too much at Arsenal. 3-0, and if there was any doubt of the game being sewn up, it was made completeley clear that it was. We were completely in control of the game by this stage, the game being completely played in the Porto half. The fourth came when Bendtner who came on for RVP around the 60th had his legs taken in from under him. Ade stepped up and delivered from the spot . 4-0. We created a whole lot more after this, but sadly no more goals were forthcoming. One note of caution though-It was not the most assured performance at the back though, and we really need to clear this up.A full match report is here from .com.

After the game Arsene said-

“We were focused. I thought at times we were a little bit too tense, especially at the start of the game. But we were focused and at that level, whether it is the Premier League or the Champions League that is vital. I believe that on Saturday we were caught by a lack of focus.

“I think the team is maturing and there is big potential in the side. We want to be intelligent and in the end you measure that on how well we do together.”

Well the Arsenal rollercaoster goes up again. Good to get back to winning ways again. We needed a commanding performance yesterday, and the lads delivered, and really theres not too much more you could ask for after a 4-0 performance. We needed a response yesterday, and we got it. I'm going to leave it here for the time being, work calls and rot like that.

Have a good one, Gooners!

Porto today in CL action and Arsene speaks

2008-09-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

The second post of the day? I know! I'm as shocked as anyone else! Well the previous one today was something I wanted to pen for some time. But had not got down to doing. I just seem the time is apt now. Any hoo give it a read.

We play Porto in match day 2 of the CL and this game is at Ashburton Grove. A must win game I think for us. We need to instill some belief in the team and the fans , and a win is always a good way to this. A brief round up stories from the fallout of the Hull game and stories building up to the Porto game now as I'm pressed for time.

Arsene speaks about the Hull performance here and gets it right as he does all the time-

"I believe we had the chances to win the game as you have seen. I feel the commitment was on Hull's side. They fought for 90 minutes and I believe from the start onwards we were not completely switched on to the level that you need to be to win the game."

Arsene also admits that he takes some if not all the blame for the performance on Saturday-

“I always look first at myself after defeats,” he said. “Don’t worry about that. We do that with all the staff.

“You think about the game and, if you can watch it, you watch it again.

“But there were certainly enough ingredients in the game to make me physically sick again.

“We had an opportunity to go top of the League and in that situation you have to be right in your intensity and in your concentration level. That ‘electric level’ in our head was not high enough.

“I don’t know if we can’t afford to lose again but what we delivered today was not good enough. We know that. So the important thing now is not how many games we can lose this season but preparing well for Tuesday night.”

Le Boss also speaks about changing things around for the Porto game and you can read all about it here. He also talks about Champions League focus. But hearteningly he also speaks about turning the corner defensively and mental strength.

And that's about all I have time for and about all that's doing the rounds. The game is a 1945 kickoff UK time and 0015 in India. It's live on Ten Sports in India so look out for that. A win will be just what we need.

Come on ....The Arsenal!

The basic difference between Arsenal and Man U

2008-09-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it. The Hull loss has hit me really hard. It's hard to stomach. So much so that I've avoided any Arsenal news and therefore have had nothing to write about the last couple of days.

Was chatting to an Arsenal mate prior to writing this, who was less perturbed by Saturdays goings on, less perturbed than yours truly at least. He almost brushed it away- (like the Fulham result) another bad day at the office for Arsenal. But I beg to differ. The Fulham result could probably be dismissed in this manner, but not two defeats in six games. One of the primary reasons for my friends naivete attitude was that Manchester United lost early on in the season last time round and still ended up champions.

This brings me to my whole point of mentioning this conversation. Man U have the attitude and the resilience to come back from setbacks which we do not quite have. Even if we do have the 'bounce backability' more than past seasons probably it cannot be compared to the (now) second best team in Manchester. Arsenal plays wonderful football, easy on the eye and probably the most entertaining.

We perform really well when we get a string of great results going, and then we build from there. Usually it takes one bad result to set us back. Granted that we did bounce back really well after the Fulham game, but it still cannot be compared to the resolve that Manchester United has. That unshakebale resolve, I believe is largely down to their Manager Alex Ferguson. He instills such drive in them and this is where he excels most. This is also where our own Gaffer falls short a bit. That is also why I think that with Ferguson gone they will fail to be as successful as they have been in recent times. Wenger has his own methods and am, not talking them down, not at all.

That is why I think while Manure can bounce back, we can't, not quite. This is the strongest difference in my opinion between us and the Manky Shite. Maybe a lack of experience counts too and should be permissible when discussing this issue.

This doesn't mean that the Arsenal can't bounce back from here, for my sake and Arsenal fans everywhere I really hope they do. What it does mean is that Arsenal and Manchester United follow different principles, and what can be applied to them cannot be applied to them.

I don't know if The Arsenal will ever have steel like that, maybe it's not quite our way, it's not something we absolutely depend on. But some resolve to the present team could make all the difference. Once this is done, consistency will be a by product.

Once again we flatter to deceive

2008-09-28T01:16:00.000-07:00

I'm writing immediately after the Hull result. A crushing defeat as we come crashing down to earth. Our second loss of the season, and I'm really gutted, I really am. Ahuge dose of reality we received today after all the lofty remarks all this past week.

If you had a read of my post leading up to the game, you would have noticed that I was confident of getting the result, but not completely convinced of the consistency of the team. We are capable of playing the most dazzling football of anyone on the planet some times. Granted we can't do this week in week out. But we atleast expect to get the result, something this team has shown it can do. Actually I really think it's consistency issue. If we can go to Bolton, our bogey team and get the result, almost against the odds then it's not really personnel problem is it?

We weren't good enough for all three points today and that's exactly how our luck would have it.Credit to Hull though, they were organised, tough to breakdown and took their chances when presented to them.

I think we have a decent enough squad. I really do, maybe we need a DM, but that's it by my book. This team has really played some superb football this season, but they are given to off days. Case in point being this Hull game and the Fulham game our two losses this season.I don't think it's personnel

This result is the impending bubble burst. Maybe I saw it coming, maybe we all braced ourselves for when the bubble would burst. We had another good start to the season, barring Fulham of course thus far. But I still had a sneaky feeling that we still would come up short to the high standards that the premiership displays these days. This post is not meant to be an " I told you so". I think it was just an opinion that was held by some proportion of the Gooner population.

So this brings us to some really poignant question. Is the team good enough to compete for honours? I know I've said we don't have a personnel problem. What I mean is that the players are good. But do they have what it takes to mix it with the Chelskis and Manky Shites of this world. Do we have the tenacity and mental tougness to put in consistent performances week in week out. I'm not completely convinced. No I am not.

You could look at the table and say, oh we are just 2 points off the leaders at the moment. But we need to take into account that the games we have were with all due respect against the " lesser lights" of the premiership. You look at our run in pre-season and you went " oh that will be 18 points then thank you". But that's when reality comes to bite you back in the arse. As it stands we have already dropped 6 out of a possible 18. Will this be good enough to compete for the title this season. I don't think so, but I sure as heck hope so.

Is this loss suprising? Yes. But it still was on the cards. Rather it happen now than later on in the season.

Very raw post from me.. but there you go.

So long

Hull at Ashburton today and 12 glorious Wenger years

2008-09-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hello there you lot! And happy Saturday too you! I'm sure you are all coming back down to ground level after the Carling Cup antics on Wednesday. I finally got my hands on the full game and it really is a joy to watch. After our three away games on the trot it's a return to the Grove and Premier League action today.

Hull are our next opponents and they've given a rather impressive account of themselves this season. Losing just one in their opening exhanges so far this season. They are striking up some good form, but we are doing rather well ourselves. It will definitely have to be a major upset if Hull are to get anything from this game today. I can't see us losing this game, the first team have been well rested and will have to 'fight' to keep their starting positions, knowing that there are a bunch of kids, waiting in the wings to usurp them. So nothing but three points is what i expect from this match, and cement our place on the top of the table.

Call me a bit foolish or whatever, but I wouldn't like us to be top at this stage too much ( I contradict myself, i know, just hear me out though). Well for one, it puts uneccessary pressure on the young team. It lulls the supporters into thinking 'yeah this is it, we're going to do it this time'. It makes the papers gush over how good we are and on and on till the break of dawn....You get the picture. I'd rather we stay within touching distance of the top, 2 points or so off the top so we can plod on and put in steady performances is away from the eager, over expecting eyes, and then surge to the top in the latter stages of the season. Nit-picking I know, but I don't want it to fall apart like last season, when so much was expected of us and then it well, fizzled out.

Lot to get through today so let's keep it going. Michel Platini has retracted his comments on Wenger. In all fairness, they were way off the mark and Arsene was due an apology. This was brought about on account of the older Platini spanking the younger, and it was well deserved. And I see you nod your head in agreement. Arsene Wenger, who is just absolute genius speaks about Jack Wilshire, likening him to the great Liam Brady. High praise indeed for someone so young, but he is a class act, as were all of the kids in the CC match midweek.

Arsene had plenty to say yesterday and some if it had to do with him completing 12 illustruous years at the club on Sunday. He says he never thought about leaving and gets a touch philosophical and also thinks we should not rest on past glories but strive for more in the future and we should have no complaints really. Congrats Arsene, and thanks for everything so far, more to come we hope! Wenger rather relentlessly said-

"I’m not very happy to speak about my anniversary because what interests me in life is what is in front of me and not what is behind me.If you came to my house you would not find anything from the last 12 years, because I’m only interested in what’s happening in the future. There are no photos.I don't even know where those trophies and mementos are. I am interested in history, but not my history. It's something strange. I'm always oriented forward, forward, forward."

When asked about whether he thought about leaving during his tenure, Le Boss said-

“I was offered the chance to leave but I never considered leaving."

"The longer I stay the more difficult it becomes to envisage leaving. But I know one thing - you have to prepare yourself.

"You have to work inside the Club like you will spend your whole life there. But as well you have to accept the idea it can stop from one minute to the next.

"But that is basically life as well - you expect to live for 100 years but you can die from one minute to the next."

There's also a bit more about Wenger's decision to continue after 2011, when his contract expires at Arsenal and you can read about that here. The Manager also talks about the kids and the faith he places in them.I know everyone's going to town about the kids, but I really hope the lack of experience doesn't trip us up again. Feet on the ground folks it is, a long way to go and all that.

Back to the game today at Ashburton Grove, the team news is that we are without Samir Nasri again this weekend, while we do have Mr. Resilient aka Gael Clichy back , and Silvestre is in contention again for the first time. Tomas Rosicky is still out though, leaving Wenger 'speechless' and us as well I'm convinced. We joke about it, but here's hoping we see Tomas back on the pitch soon.

It should be a reasonably good test for us I think tonight. The Tigers will come at us with all they've got, and we can prove our strenghth and more importantly our consistency. We all know that we have the talent, but do we have the bottle to do this week in week out. Well, lets find out the only way we can. The game is a 1730 kick off in the UK and it's live on Star Sports for viewers in Asia at 2200 India time.

And that's your lot today..

Come on...the Arsenal!!

I love the kids! I'm not a paedo!

2008-09-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

The kids are definitely alright! 6 goals against Sheffield United as Arsene Wenger's youngest team ran riot at Ashburton Grove. A Nicklas Bendtner brace, a Carlos Vela hat trick on his full debut and a Jack Wilshire goal, the second youngest goalscorer in our colours were enough for us yesterday!

With an average age of just 19, it was Djourou, Song, Fabianski and Bendtner who were the elder statesmen in the team. All the networks conspired against us and we couldn't catch a stream anywhere all last night. Gooners in the UK had some consolation with BBC5 providing live commentary, something we had tom do without in India. The match report is here. And you can Read Le Gaffer's post match gushings here.

Any hoo will end this with the goals.
Warning: This could leave you Arse-gasming!

Fantastic result, questions answered and Bolton hoodoo laid to rest

2008-09-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has followed Arsenal in the recent past, knows that the football we play is a thing of beauty. If you have followed Arsenal long enough, another thing would we plain to you, beauty does not always win. But beauty did win yesterday at the Reebok. It wasn't the most complete performance. We had our harried moments, especially in defence, but but we rode them out to come out on top.

A complete match report is here, so I won't go into details of the game.Three sublime goals it was that put Bolton to the sword, and 3-1 was the final score. We laid many of our demons to rest with the performance yesterday. Can we mix it in a hostile place like Bolton, with them kicking you for 90 minutes on the pitch, where the fans will bite your legs off given half the chance off it? YES. Are we going to get bullied off the ball, so much that we lose our rhythm. NO. Can we get a result away from home? YES. Was the Fulham result a one- off? YES. Do we have belief in our abilities as a team to come back strong from a setback? YES. Are we really title challengers this season. OH YES!

If you really think about it, it really is a kick in the teeth for the ' ugly' version of the beautiful game. Bolton's hoofing the ball forward and hard man tactics were effective, and we were in many a precarious situation either side of the break, but we still held firm. Holding even firmer to the belief that we could score more than we let in. I really believe we could score at will in this game. As usual there we squandered chances, but that's almost a given with the present set up. We will have to learn to score off of them against tougher oppositionwhen the chances do dry up.

It must be said that as irresistible as we were going forward we very quite vulnerable at the back. Maybe it was just Bolton's physical prescence and their strength in the air, but we were found wanting every now and then, and that clearly has to be sorted out.

Stand out players yesterday- Almunia, Song, Adebayor, Denilson and Walcott. Also, the battler Clichy seems to be ok.

In the end though it was a fantastic, battling win for the Arsenal.It was a win of character. The boys put mind over matter, knowing that they were the better side, and just well did the job. Will forget about the jitters at the back and say it was a very satisfying result, many things proven, and also puts us atop the table for the first time this season. You could see it meant a lot for the lads too. And it gets better, who is at the bottom of the table you ask.. well who indeed. North London isn't the biggest place in the world, but if you look at the table you get the feeling there's enough room for about 18 teams between Arsenal and Totscum.

Enjoy your Sunday lads, and look out for Chelski , Manky Shite game at 1830 in India and that's 1400 in the UK, a draw would be an ideal result, as usual.

Cheers!

Bolton Preview, Kroenke, Financial results and other bits and bobs

2008-09-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings Gooners! How goes it? It's another working Saturday for yours truly. I work alternate Saturdays. Isn't that one of the biggest tragedies you would ever encounter. Anyway, the prospect of football later on today keeps me going. The last of the three away trips on the trot for us it is today, and away we go to the Reebok to take on Bolton.

Bolton hasn't been a happy hunting ground for us. They are probably no where near the type of shit kickers they used to be, but that's not saying much. A glance at the table shows that they are lodged in mid-table with four points having won one and drawn another while losing 2 of the other games away. We on the other hand have managed to put the Fulham away disaster behind us with our away win at Blackburn last weekend. But fatigue will surely be a factor, after our more recent excursions in the Ukraine on Wednesday. But Arsene is not making room for any excuses, especially fatigue-

“It will not be an issue because we don't put that in our brain. You want just to keep the focus as we had it at Blackburn and Kyiv then let's get the maximum out of the game."

“When you are a competitor you want competition so you cannot complain when you have that competition and you are tired. This is a fantastic opportunity because when you are a football player you want to play football matches.”

All I have to say is that if we have any title ambitions it's weeks and games like this we will have to endure and come out on top off. The Manager also spoke about the recent encounters at the Reebok, with special reference to the last game there between us-

“I felt it was always very good or very bad. Rarely inbetween. But then for years they had a very good side and to be honest they still have. Nobody likes to go to Bolton because everyone knows they give you a tough commitment.We are preparing ourselves for another away game and one where we need mental resources to get the result."

“Only this time we want to win the game without being 2-0 down.”

Hmm while it was quite a rollercoaster last time 'round, I would prefer something a bit more sedate. Speaking about the team we might expect today Le Prof said-

“Nobody has come back from Kyiv with any knocks. But we will rotate a little bit because it was a very physical game.”

So that still means that Nasri, and Silvestre will still be out for this one.

In news at the board room level, Stan Kroenke who holds about 12.4 % shares has accepted the invitation to become a Director on the Board. He is not party to the 'lockdown' agreement which binds the other directors but, 'Mr Kroenke has confirmed that he will not increase his shareholding beyond 29.9% of Arsenal's issued share capital within the twelve months'. This is the American we'd rather have and NOT Fat minus the Orange.
Arsenal have also recorded their second highest profit, owed largely to the new stadium, and Peter Hill-Wood speaks about this, Kroenke and more. One poignant thing he does say in this interview, which gives you an insight into the state of mind of the club, and it's this utterance by PHW-

“We are committed to operating the Club as a business which is financially self-sustaining. This is clearly demonstrated having achieved our second highest ever pre-tax profit of £36.7m."

The financial Results were announced as well yesterday and you can give that a once over here.
Wenger speaks about Gallas, Denilson, Walcott and Song, and you can read all about that at those respective links.

Will end this fairly longish one with this- Jens Lehmann has annoyed someone, and not for the first time. Man, do I miss his finger wagging and whatnots. Keep at it Mad Jens!

So here's hoping we get the result today to end a fairly succesful week for Arsenal Football Club. The game kicks off at 17.30 Uk time so that makes it 22.00 and another late kickoff for us here in India . It's on Star Sports for viewers in the sub-continent.

Come on you Gunners!

Arsenal 1-Dynamo 1: Could have been better

2008-09-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

One goal scored and one let in means one point gained for the Arsenal. It wasn't the worst result ever, but it could have been better against Dynamo Kyiv in our first outing in the Champions League proper yesterday. The .con match report is here. You will have to admit to being just a touch chuffed with the performance.

Song coming in for Eboue was the only change from the team that started against Blackburn, .Song displaced Denilson to wide left and he sat in the DM slot.We started brightly enough in the first half RVP having two chances working the home 'keeper Bogush ( man! he wasn't bogus at all), Ade coming close. But the best chance of the half was when Theo passed to Ade outside the box, who then looped a pass for Van Persie also in the box just outside the left hand post. RVP then laid it into the path on an approaching Fabregas to shoot from point blank range, but he wasn't able to convert.

Dynamo had decent spells of possession, and frustrated us. Maybe it was because they played five in midfield to our four, but our passing game deserted us and we never really got it going throughout the game. But we still had the pick of the scoring chances in the first period.

The second half was more of the same stuff. Almunia who had little to do so far in the game, was beaten by a shot on goal. Luckily enough for all of us, it came his left upright and did not nestle in the back of the net. Instead, it rolled in front of goal for our number one to smother. They went ahead in the 61st though. when Sagna was adjudged to have brought down Dynamo lone frontman Bangoura in the area. It was a horrendous decision, if it was a foul at all, it was Sagna who was the victim, as he was held by the Dynamo striker. Bangoura then dispatched the kick from the spot. 1-0 Dynamo. After this as hard as we tried, we could not really get our game together and the home side we bouyed by their lead. All this meant that we failed to create clear cut chances. Song who was really good on the night made way for Bendtner on 70 mins and RVP me way for Vela on 84. They failed to improve the situation though. We got ourselves in decent positions but failed in the scoring third. It was not until the 88the that we scored. And it was another low cross from Walcott that Ade got a touch on infront of goal. It probably was heading goalward anyway, but Billy Gallas was not taking any chances, he stabbed it home, to cue huge sighs of relief amongst the travelling fans. And for us indeed. There wasn't enough time for a winner and that's how it ended.

I know Gallas has come in for plenty of stick for his defensive frailties. While they are true, he does chip in with some really pivotal goals for us. I'm convinced it was his touch that brought us up on level terms last night. 3 goals for us this season in Europe if I'm not wrong and absolutely vital ones. So credit where it's due and rot like that.

Arsene got it spot on after the game when he said-

“The game is a mixture of frustration and relief. The game should be over at half-time because we had clear chances in the first half, but it is a relief because with three minutes to go we were 1-0 down. I felt our level dropped in the second half and we did not create as many chances as we would have liked to. We feel we have lost two points today."

The point we got sees us level our opponents on the night, while Porto saw off Feberbache with a 3-1 victory. So Porto it is then who sit pretty atop the group. On hindsight it was an important point, and well we can build from here. It's not the easiest group to progress from. We will have to battle at the away games and try and get maximum points from our home games, and that's not beyond us. Will leave it there for now, but Bolton away, another historically bad place for us in recent times is up next . Bulid up to that later.

So long!

Dynamo Kyiv, our first hurdle in Europe

2008-09-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

It's Champions League time for the first time again this season. A possibly tricky away trip to Dynamo Kyiv is first up on the horizon for us. That said, I'm expecting the lads to come through victorious.

A win would be the ideal way to start things off in Europe's most prestigious tournament. We are in a fairly rich vein of form having scored 11 without any in reply in our last 3 games. The two frontmen have been amongst the goals, the defence while not filling us up with confidence has failed to leak in any goals. And Almunia has been assured between the posts. While the jury is still out on the midfield, it has been a bit of an experiment which you will have to agree has worked for the most part. We would definitely like a DM to be included, I really don't think it's going to happen now though.

Eboue and Clichy who we feared would miss out today have been included in the squad and that's good news. While Nasri and Silvestre are still injured and have been left out. Kieran Gibbs makes way for Carlos Vela in an other wise unchanged squad that was named for the Blackburn game the past weekend. And that's the team news ahead of this one.

Le Boss says a draw would be good result, but really I fancy us to win this one. Wenger said-
“It is a tough place for us to go. It is maybe a little bit better for us to play earlier but I am convinced it will still be a massive challenge. We’ll go there and try to win the game but even if we take a point then for me it will be a good start."

Commenting on the group that we are in Wenger had this to say , and you would have to agree with him-
“Our group has four teams who are all used to playing in the Champions League – Fenerbache, Porto, Dynamo and us. Anyone can take points off anyone that’s why for me it’s very important we start well in this game.”

Hatrick hero over the weekend Ade, seems to have won back some of the support- following the scoring goals and working hard method. On hindsight it was good for us that he didn't go, he will have to continue to put his head down and get the job done though. He had a great deal to say ahead of the CL, and can all be found here, do give it a gander.

And that's all there is for today. So here's to a good start in Europe for us today.

Come on ... The Arsenal!!!

They're having a larf mate!

2008-09-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

I watched the Spuds fall to another abysmal defeat to Villa at Shite Hart Lane yesterday. Their worst start to a Premiership season. Ha! Spurs top four and Champions league football .. hilarious!!
After all the money they blew up, and Modric and Bentley and Geovani, and the pre-season hue and cry about how they would displace us... It's just so pathetic.

Otherwise, there's nothing besides some post match reaction from the Blackburn game. Arsene speaks about the title race, and thinks we could see a few suprises here-

"With the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham investing heavily over the summer, Wenger feels there is more pressure than ever on the so-called ‘Big Four’. As a result he predicts the title will once again go down to the wire."

Hmm I know it's kind of premature to slag off the Spuds, but I ask you now, is there ever a bad time? What I thought!

The buildup to the Kiev match hasn't really kicked off, maybe there will be more later in the day. More on this when there is more.

Anyways, have a look at the table as it stands above. Nuf said!

Have a good one you lot!

A fine, controlled performance

2008-09-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's trip to Blackburn was supposed to be a game where we could show that we could mix it away, at not just at home. It would also be a well laid out stage to show the doubters that the Fulham game was just a blip, and that we could contend for the title this season. Yesterday's game proved all of that. 4-0 winners we ran out at Ewood park yesterday, thanks to 'trick hero Adebayor.

A full match report as usual by .con is here. It was a fine performance by the team yesterday. Controlled. Accomplished. And never pushed. Blackburn had a few chances yesterday, but we were never in any real danger. The back four looked strong yesterday, Toure deflecting a Santa Cruz shot over the bar in the first comes to mind. And that summed up the chances the opposition had. Almunia had very little to do, one finger tip save I remember, but really nothing really of too much consequence.

Theo made the first goal for RVP, with a dazzling run and RVP slotted home the openner after a super first touch to take it away from the defender. Ade's first came close in on half-time after a fine display of keepball by the Arsenal. A beautiful cross by Denilson was met by tyhe Togonators head, unmarked in the area. 2-0, and game over in my mind.The home team however didn't thinks so and stepped it up in the second period. We weathered the storm just a wee bit for about 7 minutes of the re-start and then went on cruise mode. We created some chances but nothing extraordinary. Calm controlled stuff I thought it would be till the last 10 minutes or so, and that's what transpired. We were alloted a slightly dubious penalty in the 78th when Eboue was brought down in the area. Ade to take the pen , this time and it found the back of the net. The final goal came in the 88th, when 17 year old sub, Ramsey delivered a fine throughball for Ade to round the 'keeper and stick in the back of the net. Wilshere came on for a cameo , and will go down in the record books.

It was a facile win yesterday. We were never under any pressure throughout the game. We controlled the play and performed well within our limits.Fabregas while being the fulcrum, was not the only play maker, infact the chances were created by a host of others , such as Denilson, Walcott, Eboue and Ramsey. I can't imagine the fireworks when Cescy does step it up, but all said and done he didn't need to yesterday. Ade was hardworking, Eboue and Denilson had good games, as everything clicked for us. It was another clean sheet for the defence and Almunia as well. It was not as euphoric as the Newcastle game, our last game in the Prem. But it just showed us that we could get a result without having to run circles 'round the opposition.

After the game Arsene said-

“Blackburn are a team that can be dangerous going forward and I feel that, as well as our good offensive performance, we had a good defensive performance. On crosses they can be extremely dangerous but we kept [Roque] Santa Cruz quiet. I am happy we didn't concede and that we always looked fluid going forward. It was a well-accomplished away game.”

The Manky Shite went down at Anfield yesterday, capping a fine weekend!The look on Fergie's face after the Babel's goal was priceless, well maybe not as priceless as Ade's goal celebration dance. What was that all about??

I'm off for now, remeber the CL kicks off midweek with out away trip to Kyiv or Kiev or whatever. Where we could be without 3 of our first team regulars. More on that later.

Blackburn, the first of three away trips today.

2008-09-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello there from sunny, cloudy and then sunny again Bangalore. It's the first of the 3 away trips in a week at Blackburn today. The others being Dynamo Kyiv in midweek and those shit kickers Bolton in a week from now.

Blackburn have one of each result in their first three games and won't be the easiest team to get a result against. The Ewood park outfit are coming off a stinging defeat against the Hammers in their last outing and their new boss, Ince and latest signing Robbie Fowler will be looking to impress. In short, we will have to rotate the squad as Wenger has said.

"I don't know [if Walcott will be involved]. I will have to rotate the squad in the next three games. You cannot expect the players who have played in their national teams can play three times in a week. We have a very compact squad and people are interchangeable...

This week is a tough obstacle. I am convinced we can be successful in all the three games. Let’s prove that we can switch on quickly, use the positive experiences [from the internationals] bring them in-house and be efficient at Blackburn.

After Mark Hughes, they have another tough boy in with Paul Ince. So we don’t expect any changes. Blackburn is always a difficult game but I believe it is down to us, how good we will play and most importantly how we switch on.”

We will have to 'switch on' and be on the top of our game. Regarding our squad, we will have to wait on a late fitness test for Samir Nasri, while Silvestre is 'doubtful' and Vela won't be included too because of his late return from international duty. Besides this, Le Prof should have a full complement of players to choose from, other than the usual suspects of course. One of the most impressive players in pre-season, Wilshere should make it to the squad.

Let's be clear about this, if we do have to harbour any title ambitions, it's these sorts of games that we need to get a result in. I know this is too early to talk of titles and rot like that, but wins here all make a big difference. We have shown that we can do it at home, but we did slip up at Fulham away. We should use this game to prove that we can do the business away as well.

The Mineiro talk continues, let's reserve comment on this till something concrete happens. But he played for us in a reserves game against Fulham. The report says that Wenger is to assess him and then ... well let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

The Manky Shite take on Liverpool in an earlier kickoff ( 12.45 UK, 17.15 IST) and should be a good game to watch. Our game kicks off at 15.00 UK time and 19.30 here in India and they're both on ESPN in the Indian sub-continent.

Come on Arsenal!!

Theo and other stuff that happened in the interim

2008-09-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hee haw, I says hee haw, not coz I've suddenly turned into a braying animal, but because the football is back again, the real football this time. The internationals are a thing of the past, for the time being atleast and it's back to the good old Arsenal. What would we do without it? I don't know, I really don't. What did we used to do before some of us were Arsenal fans, nothing much really, nothing much at all.

Alright, the drivel alert went off for a brief moment there. So what has happened in the the interim since I posted? Well lets get this out of the way first, we didn't sign anyone, not even Stephen Appiah, who is a free agent and to whom the transfer window fiasco doesn't apply to. Note- No Appiah doesn't own a coffee estate or play hockey in his freetime .

Appiah would be a good signing, but I'm not going to have a moan about us not signing him because it's not going to do us any good now. Though he could be just what we wanted. Arsene denied having any interest, though the rumours have been flying about thick and fast. There has been some noise about the Brazilian known as 'Mineiro'. At 33 years old, he probably does not fit the bill unless its a stop gap signing, but smacks of an un-Wenger signing.

In other news 'Trio Walcott' seems to be coming in to his own after the hattrick against Modric and Croatia. Now hoping he can do the business in red and white, but really there's hardly a better way to announce yourself to the world. Arsene speaks about the young striker's exploits, and is especially pleased of his mind, in a manner of speaking. Really happy for the Theo though. Here's some pics courtesy arsenal.com

All the lads have returned from International duty unscathed so far, so we should have all avilable for selection for our first of 3 away trips at Ewood park. It's not going to be the easiest trip ever. The players will be feeling the effects after turning out for their national teams , and with the CL returning next week, Wenger may want to rest some players. We will have more light shed on this in the customary pre match press con.

Before I go, I just want to inform you that the Arsetard has started an Arsenal-India group on Yahoo, and we would be delighted if you would join too. The easiest way to do this is to click on the side panel o the right and it will take you right to the group page.

That's all there is for now.

Have a good day, and it's Friday again! Phew!