Fabregas the master

Hi fellow true gooners.

Cesc Fabregas came off the bench to clinch 3 vital points for Arsenal, a result that puts us back into the title race. I was nervous before today's game, Villa have been in excellent form and I thought we would really struggle to break them down. The first half was a good one, not much in the way of chances but we were playing well enough. Eduardo should definitely have scored in the opening 5 minutes and perhaps it can be true to say that he has never been the same player since the injury at Birmingham 2 seasons ago.

The second half was completely different, we pressured Villa high up the pitch and I felt a goal was on its way even before Cesc came on. What can I say about Cesc? The little genius stepped of the bench and had an almost instant impact, he really was a class above any player on that football pitch today. Fabregas is not know for his set piece ability but his first was an absolute beauty and his second goal a piece of stunning break away football. I am not Walcott's biggest fan but to be fair he played well when he came on, the Villa defenders couldn't live with his pace and for once he did have the end product which he usually lacks when in the final third. I thought Diaby was magnificent today, if he can find consistency then he can be a fantastic asset to Arsenal. The defence also looked very solid, they defended as a unit and managed to keep a very pacey Villa front line at bay, in truth they never really looked like scoring. I just love Vermaelen, he has such fantastic technique and is a real fighter - the incident where he was on the floor and still managed to shield the ball from Agbonlahor was magnificent.


Victory did come at a cost and I hope that Fabregas's injury is not too bad as with Song going to the ACN we will be dreadfully short of midfielders - I also hear that Denilson picked up a knock too. I feel the momentum is with us but it will all count for nothing if we don't get 3 point at Portsmouth on Wednesday. I maintain that if Wenger can make one or two quality signings in the next month then we have a real chance of lifting the Premiership trophy come May.

Player Ratings:

Almunia 6 - Did make a good save today but I have no confidence in the guy at all, erratic is an understatement.

Sagna 8 - Solid as ever, if only he had the attacking ability of Eboue he would be the best right back in Europe.

Vermaelen 9 - Brilliant today, one of the main reasons we kept a clean sheet today.

Gallas 9 - Strong in the tackle and always a threat at set pieces.

Traore 8 - Growing into the side the more he plays, a very able debuty at left back and a great pass to Walcott for the second goal.

Denilson 6 - Ineffective but battled hard.

Song 8 - Great game today, harried the opposition and shielded the back four well.

Diaby 8 - Excellent in the first half but faded in the second, great goal at the end.

Nasri 6 - Not a great performance, needs to be more direct with his final ball.

Eduardo 6 - Missed a great chance, did his bit but he isn't a left sided midfielder and there are question marks as to whether he has lost something that made him such a special player before his horrific injury.

Arshavin 6 - very poor today, the sooner we get Bendtner back the better as he is not a lone front man.

Subs:

Fabregas 10 - A genius.

Walcott 7 - Did well when he came on, great pass for the second goal.

Ramsey 6 - Not on the field long enough to make an impact.

Team of the decade

Hi fellow true gooners.

We're now nearing the end of the decade and I've decided to compile my Arsenal team of the decade. It's been a tough decision, there have been so many great players who have worn the red and white since 2000 and some not so great ones!

Here goes...

Goalkeeper - David Seaman

I know it was the 90s that we saw the best of David Seaman but the simple fact was that even when he reached the twilight years of his Arsenal career he was still the best. The greatest goalkeeper in Arsenal's history, the big man was an agile and commanding stopper. Defenders knew that with David Seaman in goal even if they were breached he would be there to save the day. Every great team needs a great goalkeeper and he was the bedrock that the Arsenal team was built on, a member of the famous back five he was so solid and dependable. In my opinion Seaman was up there with Schmeichel as the best goalkeeper of the past 30 years. One highlight is the save he made against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final, probably his finest in an Arsenal shirt. A testament to Seaman's legacy is that he was England's last great keeper and they have never found anyone to fill his shoes, the same could be said of Arsenal although an honourable mention must go to Jens Lehman.

Right back - Lauren

As much as I loved Lee Dixon, he only played for one year right at the beginning of the decade and was reaching the twilight of his career. For 2 or 3 years, Lauren was the finest right back in the country. An elegent player who started his Arsenal career on the right of midfield before Wenger saw something in him that we didn't and converted him to a defender. A hard working, technically gifted attack minded full back who when called upon defended superbly. A member of the invincibles, he will forever be remembered as a legend at the club.

Centre Half - Sol Campbell

Arguably one of Wenger's greatest signings and one of the great England centre halfs of the past decade. I'll never forget the day Campbell signed for the club, there I was watching Sky Sports News when the breaking news appeared across the bottom of the screen 'Sky Sports understand that Sol Campbell has signed for Arsenal' - a moment I will always cherish! Although his Arsenal career started slowly, I was there at White Hart Lane when faced with a barrage of abuse from Spurs fans put in that crunching challange on Gus Poyet in the first 15 minutes of the game, from that moment he never looked back. A truely wonderful defender who was so cruely denied England winners in not one but two crucial tournament games, he had strength and pace to burn. His last act for Arsenal was to score in the Champions League final in Paris but it just wasn't written in the the stars - now that would have been the perfect farewell.

Centre Half - Tony Adams (Captain)

He may have only played a few years in the early part of the decade but for me he was the greatest centre half this country had seen for 30 years. A truely inspirational captain, Arsenal through and through - you knew he would die for the cause. Quite simply the best, there are no words needed.

Left Back - Ashley Cole

The gooners may hate him but I'd take him back in a flash, what a brilliant full back he was. A great defender, excellent going forward and popped up with some vital goals. I'll stop now for fear of retribution...!

Left Wing - Robert Pires

One of my favourite players of all time, such a graceful, elegent and beautiful footballer. Pires was simply brilliant, a midfielder who would score 20 goals a season and each one would be a beauty. Immensly skillful and the handy knack of always being in the right place at the right time, he forged an unstoppable partnership with Thierry Henry. Bobby was a one off, amazingly gifted, technically superb and a player that defenders would fear. I was gutted to see him go, the reception he received at the Emirates last season said it all - a true Arsenal legend.

Central Midfiled - Patrick Vieira

What can one say about Patrick that hasn't been said already?! For me the best midfielder in the world when he was in his prime, a fighter who had everything. Strong in the tackle, he could play teams on his own and beat them! The fact we are still talking about never really replacing him 5 years after he left the club speaks volumes for him as a player and a leader. It was fitting that his last kick in Arsenal shirt won us the FA Cup against his greatest of enemies - Roy Keane and Manchester United. In the top 5 players the club has ever had.

Central Midfield - Cesc Fabregas

The only member of the current Arsenal team to make my team of the decade. Febregas is a beautiful footballer to watch, the guy just oozes class. First team debut at 16, captain of Arsenal at the age of 21 - it's still hard to believe that he's still so young. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see Fabregas lift the Premier League trophy, he deserves a medal but the fear is that he may decide to move on to pick up silverware - who could blame him as he's already given the club 8 years service, he's nearing his testimonial year! It's such a shame that although he did play alongside Vieira for a short time, they never played in the same team when they were both in their prime.

Right Midfield - Freddy Ljungberg

Another legend, a free scoring midfielder who contributed nearly 20 goals every season. So pacy and exciting to watch, what impressed me so much was his never say die attitude. The 2001 season he virtually won us the double single handedly, scoring vital goals in the title run in. Also a member of the invincibles (there's a theme here), his link up play with Bergkamp was magnificent - they almost had a telepathic understanding. It was nice to see Freddy back at the Emirates a couple of weeks ago, you can still see that he has a great passion for the club.

Striker - Dennis Bergkamp

Quite simply the greatest player I have ever had the fortune to see in Arsenal shirt - words cannot do this man justice. In the top 20 footballers of all time, he had everything and a bit more. Dennis Bergkamp scored over 100 goals for Arsenal and each one was beautiful in it's own way. There are so many superlatives that could be used, I could write about him all night! I rate Dennis as the greatest Arsenal player in our history - that says it all.

Striker - Thierry Henry

Electrifying! 226 goals for Arsenal and one of the true legends of the modern game regardless of what the gutter press have been printing recently. Henry was unstoppable, a goal scoring machine, the likes of which we will probably never see again. Seeing Henry in full flight was just a sight to behold, my overiding memory was the goal he scored against Liverpool in 2004 when he waltzed past their entire defence to give us a moral boosting victory in a season defining game, let nobody try and fool you that he wasn't a big game player - he was the biggest of them all. TH14 - I salute you!

Subs: Jens Lehman, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown, Ray Parlour, Gilberto, Wiltord, Kanu

And that's it folks - do you agree with my selection? Let me know!

Post Hull thoughts

Hi fellow true gooners.

A great result yesterday, 3 more points, a good scuffle and some fine finishing. This has set things up nicely for a real 6 pointer against Aston Villa next Sunday - a game we simply must win. I must admit that I was a little concerned before the game, I didn't know how we would fare without Fabregas and whether we would have the creativity to open up Hull. The first 40 minutes of the game was absolutely dire and wasn't what we all wanted in such freezing conditions. The game changed when we got a free kick and Nasri decided to stamp on one of their players, the melee that happened after it was handbags. Nevertheless, Nasri was stupid and should have been sent off and upon watching a replay of the incident I felt Barmby should have gone to for rasing his hands towards Nasri. When we won another free kick a minute later, I turned round to my dad and muttered "Why the hell is Denilson taking it?!" - that showed me! A fabulous free kick from a player who has perhaps the worst shot at the entire club. I think the incident before half time did us a favour, players suddenly began to play with a bit of passion and from that point on I was sure we would get the 3 points.

We played very well in the second half, Diaby and Denilson were excellent. Diaby is such an enigma, sometimes he can look unstoppable and other times absolutely awful - if he was to become a bit more consistent he could be a really big player for us. The penalty was an absolute farce and justice was done when the worst goalkeeper in the premier league got lucky and saved Geovanni's spot kick. I was also very pleased to see Eduardo get on the score sheet, hopefully that will boost his confidence. It was such a shame that he put another chance past the post, had that gone in it would have been a fantastic solo goal.

Villa next week is massive, we have a depleted squad and they are at full strength so we will need to be at our very best. I really do fear Villa, they have excellent players and are a very pacy side and we all know that pace scares defenders. In James Milner I feel Villa have one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and I really hope that he goes and starts for England at the world cup. If we do beat Villa then we are really in the title race and as I've been saying all along, if Wenger reinforces the squad in January then we do have a realistic chance.

At half time yesterday news was filtering through the stadium that Mark Hughes had been sacked by Manchester City. Listening to the radio phone in on my way home it was really frustrating hearing the opinions of Alan Green, he kept on saying he feels really sorry for Mark Hughes. How can anyone feel sorry for a millionaire who loses their job? I'm sure he'll get a nice big pay off. What about all the people out there who lose their job and get nothing? All this epsiode has shown me is that City as expected have no class, you can't build a top four side over the course of a few short months. I would blame the owners who gave Hughes £40 million to spend on two awful centre halfs in Lescott and Toure.

Next time you feel like slagging Wenger off just count yourself lucky that you support a club built on tradition and class. I'll leave you with a famous saying George Graham used to tell all his new players when they signed for the club:

"Remember who you are, where you are and what you represent".

This applies to players and fans alike.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks.

Enough is enough Arsene

Hi fellow true gooners.

I was on the verge of being excited about last nights game but a part of me knew we would probably undo all our good work from Anfield and unfortunately I was right. Things do need to be put in perspective somewhat as Turf Moor is not an easy place to go and Man Utd were beaten there earlier in the season, so maybe a draw wasn't such a bad result. What disappointed me the most was the performance, although we could have been three up in the first 15 minutes, the truth is that after that we were unable to create much and could and should have been beaten. It just goes to show how much Fabregas makes us tick, all our play was going through him and once he went off injured I knew we would be up against it. The only players to do themselves any justice was Song and Vermaelen, both trying to push us forward and create chances even though they had little in front of them in terms of quality and application.

The reason for my title is in relation to two players I do not feel are fit to wear the shirt - Almunia and Walcott. Almunia's performance last night was one of the worst I've seen from a goalkeeper, his attempt to cut out a simple ball accross his six yard box for Burnley's dissalowed goal (which was clearly onside) was embarrasing. Manual Almunia is the WORST Arsenal goalkeeper I have ever seen and is easily the worst in the Premier League. It's no wonder that our defence looks so suspect, how can anyone have confidence in Almunia to do the basics? The answer is they can't and it shows. I'm not saying that Fabianski is the answer but he cannot be as bad as Almunia - it's a sad state of affairs when you have to pick a goalkeeper on the basis that they aren't as bad as the competition, unfortunately that's where we are. Fabianski MUST start against Hull and Wenger MUST buy a goalkeeper in January - this should be his number one priority.

Theo Walcott's performance was painful, there's no other way to describe it. Lets analyse walcott as a player and what he can do:

Running at full pace with the ball under control - No
Running at slower pace with the ball under control - No
Crossing a ball - No
Shooting accurately - Maybe
Beating a full back - No
Upper body strength - None
Injury prone - Yes

The guy clearly isn't good enough, his performance last night was beyond shocking and when he wasn't losing the ball he was anonymous just like he was at Liverpool. I think it's time for Wenger to sell him to the highest bidder and earn some money out of him, I echo the sentiments of some Arsenal blogs who have said that Walcott will end up in lower league obscurity when he leaves Arsenal. Can he prove me wrong? I doubt it but I will be the first to hold my hands up if he does. Eduardo? I don't know what's happened with him but I'll save that for another day!

That being said, we are still in third, we have a Hull on Saturday and I think we will beat them even without Fabregas and it's snowing!

Come on Arsenal!

Double standards

Evening folks.

What is it with the crap that pundits spout on Match of the day? For the last 4 years all I keep on hearing from the likes of Hansen, Shearer and Lawrenson is that if Arsenal play badly then we don't win and that that we can't grind out results. Last night on MOTD2 Hansen was an embarrassment to football punditry, acting like a little child who had just seen his football team get beaten. It was impossible for him to give a neutral view of the game that saw his beloved Liverpool team unable to create a single chance in the second half. Instead Hansen declared that had Liverpool have been given the penalty then they would have won comfortable whilst refusing to acknowlegde that Arsenal had become the only away team since 2003 to come from a goal behind at Anfield and win the game - the last team to do that? Arsenal. I can't stand Hansen, he's full of himself and acts as if he's the star of the show but his job is to provide punditry which he is unfortunately unable to do. Lee Dixon talks a lot of sense, he's Arsenal through and through and when talking about the game last night he gave a balanced view because that's what he's paid to do. Sometimes it's hard to accept that our tax money goes towards paying idiots like Hansen and Shearer who throw their toys out the pram when their team loses.

Classy Arshavin does it again

Arshavin really loves playing at Anfield doesn't he...?!

It was a massive win for us today and one that puts us right back in the title race, we're now 6 points behind Chelsea with a game in hand. It's been a really strange season so far with all the top teams dropping points in the title race. The gap is really closing and I can't see the top four being the same as last season and I think Liverpool will really struggle to finish in a champions league place. The first half today we were absolutely awful, our passing was all over the place and there was also a real lack of fight. The goal we conceded was all too predictable and as I said on this very blog, Almunia is not good enough and will cost us points this season. I really can't see what Wenger see's in him, he can't catch a ball, always concedes goals from free kicks and his distribution is extremely poor. I can only hope that Wenger replaces him in the transfer window as Fabianski isn't good enough either.

We did get a bit lucky with the equaliser but we needed it as we didn't really look like scoring and I couldn't see us getting back into the game. Arshavin's finish was magnificent and although I wrote a piece about his attitude, I can't deny that he has really stepped up to the plate when weve needed him most. Liverpool were poor in the second half and we looked solid at the back and never even looked like conceding. So what does this mean for our season? We still lack a front man and the result does paper over the cracks a little bit but as I've said - if we can stay in the race until we get to January then a few new signings could turn us into potential champions.

What a result, let's just enjoy that for now.

Player ratings:

Almunia 4 - just terrible, a third rate goalkeeper.

Sagna 8 - Solid as usual, defender well and got forward to good effect.

Gallas 7 - Lucky not to give away a silly penalty but otherwise was sound today.

Vermaelan 8 - Had Torres in his pocket.

Traore 8 - I wasn't sure about him but his performances have been good and today he was excellent.

Denilson 6 - Gave the ball away too many times.

Song 7 - Not his usual standard of passing today but he protected the back four well.

Fabregas 7 - Poor first half but played better after the break.

Nasri 8 - Thought he played well today and ran his heart out.

Walcott 5 - Anonymous and still can't beat a player, yet to realise his potential.

Arshavin 8 - He hardly touched the ball but has class and the ability to do something very special.

Have a good evening folks!

Number 1 - The greatest Arsenal game of the decade

So here it is, my greatest Arsenal game of the past decade...

Manchester United 0 Arsenal 1 8th May 2002

Simply one of the greatest nights in the history of Arsenal football club and one I'll never forget. Had Jens Lehman not had that moment of madness at White Hart Lane when we won the title in 2004 then I would be writing about that game as being the greatest, but that last minute penalty took the gloss of for me and is something that still causes considerable annoyance 6 years on!

It doesn't get better than winning the title at the home of your fiercest rival and that's exactly what we did that magical evening in Manchester. Having travelled to the majority of away games that season I was abslutely gutted to have applied for a ticket and not get one, I was convinced that I had enough away credits and had to make do watching it on the television instead. We only needed a draw to win the title and we always had the safety net of a home game against Everton on the Sunday if we had lost to Utd. We had already won the FA Cup the Saturday before and we were riding high. Henry was injured, Bergkamp was on the bench and the players were clearly on their last legs. For the first half an hour we were the better side and United resorted to making some disgusting challenges, most notably Scholes and Neville whilst Roy Keane put his size 10 boots through Vieira's chest. United were rattled and relinquished their crown in graceless fashion. Sol Campbell was magnificent, Freddie never stopped running. When Wiltord finally stroked the ball home it was an immense feeling of relief, I knew there was no way were going to let it slip - we simply wanted it more.

When the final whistle blew, jubilation! There had been a lot of speculation that Vieira was going to leave in the summer but as he was celebrating the title triumph the TV cameras focused on the french master just as he kissed the badge, a great moment that bonds a fan with a player - the love of one's club. Too many times you see players kiss the badge, I can remember a certain Mr Adebayor doing it when the whole world knew it was a pathetic attempt to win over the fans he had so disrespected only a few months previously. Vieira kissed the badge because he loved the club, it was just as evident now as it was back then. The night had everything and seeing Wenger walk into Fergies back yard and wave his arms aloft as the manager of the Champions was just about as good as it has ever got as an Arsenal fan.



Let's hope we win at Liverpool on Sunday!

The top 5 Arsenal games of the decade continued

Afternoon all,

I continue to count down my top 5 Arsenal games of the past decade:

3. Arsenal 3 Aston Villa 1 16th October 2004

The game before our 49 game unbeaten run finally came to an end but nevertheless one of the most frightening displays of football I have ever seen. During the unbeaten run there was always that feeling that today would be the day we finally got beaten, however the invincibles always found that little extra from somewhere. Many won't remember this game or only look upon it as the game before the run ended. Time has seemed to have forgotten that this game saw one of the finest displays from an Arsenal side we have probably ever witnessed. The performance had everything, we went a goal down through Lee Hendry but we ran out more than worthy winners in the end. It was sublime, the passing, the speed at which we broke and the quality of football surpasses anything I have seen by the current Arsenal.

Perhaps it was fitting that it was the last unbeaten game in the run as I don't think I saw Arsenal play better in the previous 48 games.

Teams:

Arsenal: Lehmann, Lauren, Campbell, Toure, Cole, Pires (Van Persie 84), Vieira (Flamini 66), Fabregas, Reyes (Pennant 76), Bergkamp, Henry. Subs Not Used: Taylor, Cygan.

Aston Villa: Postma, Delaney, Mellberg, De la Cruz, Samuel, McCann, Hendrie, Hitzlsperger (Davis 45), Barry (Whittingham 8), Cole (Angel 58), Vassell. Subs Not Used: Solano, Henderson.

2. AC Milan 0 Arsenal 2 4th March 2008

An absolutely virtuoso performance by Arsenal in the Champions league away to Milan. Most gooners would no doubt pick our victory against Inter in the same stadium as the stand out champions league win of the decade but I feel the AC Milan game was more impressive. We outclassed Milan at the Emirates but were unable to break them down so coming up to the second leg I was feeling that our best chance to beat them had now gone. We dominated the game in Milan and put in a magnificent performance, although we had to wait until the 84th minute to open the scoring it was never really in any doubt. What made this game particularly special for me was that when I was growing up AC Milan were the greatest team in Europe and I’ll never forget that night they crushed Barcelona 4-0 in the European Cup final, it was a breathtaking performance. I also remember when we played them in the Super Cup in 1994 at Highbury, seeing the likes of Maldini, Beresi and Desailly in their prime was a wonderful experience and at that time I would never have thought that one day we would outplay and outclass Milan in the San Siro. I know this Milan team was very different and not in the same class as their former greats but it didn’t matter, we beat the MIGHTY AC Milan and seeing AC Milan 0 Arsenal 2 really was a dream come true!

Teams:

AC Milan: Kalac, Maldini, Kaladze, Nesta, Oddo, Ambrosini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Alexandre Pato, Kaka, Inzaghi (Gilardino 69). Subs Not Used: Fiori, Emerson, Simic, Favalli, Gourcuff, Bonera.
.
Arsenal: Almunia, Clichy, Senderos, Gallas, Sagna, Diaby, Fabregas, Flamini, Eboue (Walcott 71), Hleb (Silva 89), Adebayor. Subs Not Used: Lehmann, Van Persie, Denilson, Bendtner, Justin Hoyte.

The top five arsenal games of the decade

Hi folks!

I hope you're all having a good week. I haven't posted for a few days mainly because there's been very little of interest going on with Arsenal, I'm not one of those people who bothers to speculate about who we might sign as I see it as a fruitless exercise - Wenger rarely signs players the fans want so I think it's always best to comment after the event (if there is one).

Seeing as we are entering the last few week of the naughties I've suddenly started to feel all nostalgic about the past decade - only really on a footballing level. Let's face it, this past decade has seen countless wars, terrorist attacks, the rise of the minor celebrity and a fairly abysmal music scene. On a lighter note, the first part of the decade did see one of the greatest domestic football teams of all time - Arsenal and this is what I'm going to celebrate today. I've decided to trawl through what's left of my long term memory and pick my top 5 Arsenal games of the last 10 years - I must stress that these are MY top 5 games and probably in no way represents the views of the majority of Arsenal fans!

5. Middlesbrough 0 Arsenal 4 - 18th August 2001

Most people probably won't even remember this game but for some reason it sticks in the memory. In the summer we had signed Sol Campbell and there was a real air of excitement about the new season, especially as Thierry Henry had been on fire the season before. Having finished runners up in 2000-1, most gooners thought we could go one better and we did! It was the first game of the season so me and a few friends decided to drive up there the night before and stay in a really dingy B&B rather than do the drive the morning of the match. The talk before hand was of Campbell's debut but one guy turned round to me and said that Robert Pires was the man to watch this season and sunsequently put a bet on him there and then to finish the season as player of the year (which he did). It was a lovely sunny day and we went in at the break a goal to the good thanks to Henry but then Parlour was dismissed early in the second half and it was a backs against the wall job. We were magnificent, a new steel in the side, Pires was classy and when we won a penalty late on he stepped up to convert it with precision. Bergkamp then added 2 goals in injury time and the away support went wild.

Henry opened scoring

People may ask, what was so wonderful about this game? What made it so special? It was of those rare moments when you see the light, I knew Arsenal would win the league and I knew it after the first 90 minutes of the season! It's a special feeling and one which I have rarely experienced since and that's why I'll always treasure this game over so many others.

Teams:

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Fleming, Cooper, Southgate, Ehiogu, Ince, Mustoe, Greening, Windass, Boksic, Job. Subs: Crossley, Vickers, Okon, Wilson, Ricard.

Arsenal: Seaman, Cole, Adams, Campbell, Vieira, Pires, Ljungberg, Lauren, Parlour, Wiltord, Henry. Subs: Jeffers, Bergkamp, van Bronckhorst, Grimandi, Wright.

4. Arsenal 2 Chelsea 0 - 4th May 2002

Up until 2005 I always felt like Cardiff was Arsenal's second home as we were there so regularly. Having lost to Liverpool the year before in the FA Cup final in a game I still to this day don't know how and why - we played Chelsea to secure the first half of our historic double. Once again it was a beautifully sunny day and the atmosphere inside and outside the ground was electric. The game itself was fairly uneventful, those were the days when we expected to beat Chelsea. Although much has been said of Ray Parlour's goal, for me the stand out memory was just after Ljunberg scored the all important second goal. Seeing Henry slide to his knees right in front of us (not caught on camera unfortunately) rather than celebrating with Freddy showed me that there was a bond between the player and the fans and just how much he loved Arsenal Football Club. For some reason this was a special moment, one of those I can still see in slow motion.

Henry just before he slid to his knees

I was due to head back to Birmingham after the game (where I was studying at the time) and I was actually walking with the guy that was giving me a lift but upon hearing all the Arsenal fans celebrating and singing in the distance I decided to turn back, suffice to say I headed back to university the next day!

Teams:

Arsenal: Seaman, Lauren, Campbell, Adams, Cole, Wiltord (Keown 90), Parlour, Vieira, Ljungberg, Bergkamp (Edu 72), Henry (Kanu 81).
Subs Not Used: Dixon, Wright.

Chelsea: Cudicini, Melchiot (Zenden 76), Gallas, Desailly, Babayaro (Terry 45), Gronkjaer, Lampard, Petit, Le Saux, Gudjohnsen, Hasselbaink (Zola 68).
Subs Not Used: de Goey, Jokanovic.

That's all for now folks, my top 3 will revealed in the next few days!

Have a good one.

Post match thoughts - Arsenal 2 Stoke 0

Arsenal bounced back from two defeats to comfortably dispose of Stoke City today.

I was a bit surprised that Wenger had opted to play Arshavin as the lone striker but it turned out to be the correct decision as the little Russian was much more influential through the middle as he usually is on the wing. I was a bit concerned that we would stuggle against a physical Stoke but these concerns were unfounded as they didn't really offer much going forward even with Delap's long throws.

I think the scoreline flattered Stoke a little bit as we could easily have been two up in the first 15 minutes but for poor control by Arshavin when he was through on goal. Our movement in the first half was good and when Arshavin was brought down in the area it looked like we would break the deadlock, however Fabregas's penalty was well saved by Thomas Sorenson. Thankfully Arshavin didn't miss when presented with his next chance which he tucked away superbly. Febregas was very unlucky to have a goal bound shot cleared of the line by our very own Eboue! The spaniard didn't have a great game today but this was a result of not having a target man to aim for which meant he had to be especially intricate in his passing which was a little off.

Second half was a bit of a stroll and Arshavin had a shot defelcted onto the bar when it seemed almost certain that he would score. Arsenal finally put the game to bed when Aaron Ramsey who was on for the injured Eboue strolled through the Stoke defence and hit a good shot from the edge of the area. The remainder of the match was a non-event and I was personally pleased that we managed to keep a much needed morale boosting clean sheet.

Next up is Liverpool next Sunday which I'm sure will be a much tougher game all round.

Player Ratings

Almunia 5 - looked uncomfortable every time Delap launched one of his long throws, clearly not good enough and Wenger needs to buy a top quality goal keeper in January.

Sagna 8 - Mr reliable, another solid game and did well going forward.

Gallas 8 - Coped well today and didn't put a foot wrong.

Vermaelen 8 - Was solid today.

Traore 8 - Best performance I've seen from the frenchman in Arsenal shirt, looked good going forward.

Denilson 6 - Just doesn't do enough for me and gave the ball away too many times.

Fabregas 6 - Not one of his better games but still laid on some lovely passes.

Rosicky 7 - Thought he played well and was a shame we didn't see him in the second half.

Nasir 8 - One of our better performers today, ran at the Stoke defence with purpose and was very difficult to shake off the ball.

Eboue 8 - Excellent today, so good on the ball and always gives 100%.

Arshavin 9 - Star man, his best performance of the season - he's much more influential in the middle, scored a lovely goal and could have scored more.

Have a great Saturday evening folks.

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Big game tomorrow, a bit worrying where the goals are going to come from (funny saying that considering the amount of goals we've scored this season). I'll have analysis of the match and player ratings as soon as I return from the Emirates.

If you're going enjoy the game...

The great Wenger experiment is coming to an end

Has Arsene's eyes finally opened?

Recently I have noticed a change in Arsene Wenger, a look of sadness and at times a look of desperation.

Since we won the title in 2004, Wenger seemingly decided that he would take a different approach to achieving success. Arsene wanted to build a team of young technically gifted players who would stay together for years and sweep all before them. Our great manager knew that a transition period would take place, a period where we wouldn't be challanging for the title but would still have enough to qualify for the champions league. In the past few seasons Wenger has been telling everybody to keep the faith, inisting that this team would come of age and even asked Arsenal fans to judge him at the end of this season.

The resigned look on the face of the manager after our defeat at Sunderland was unusual, I'm not used to seeing him like that. I feel it was the look of a man slowly coming to terms with the realisation that his youth experiment has finally failed and for a stubborn perfectionist such a moment of clarity will be especially hard to take. Wenger's post match rant about the disallowed goal against Chelsea stank of desperation, trying to defend the indefensible especially when the goal was rightly ruled out. The game against Chelsea was men against boys and Wenger knows it and his reaction by not shaking Mark Hughes hand after the City game was a strange one.

I always liked the fact that Wenger was a bad loser, it shows his desire and passion but sometimes you have to put your hands up and say we were well beaten. What's to get annoyed about with the City game? Wenger played a youth team against one of the most expensively assembled team in the world and we lost - not really unexpected (and we were well beaten). If he cared that much then why didn't he pick a team that could win the game?

The media is much to blame, putting Wenger on a pedestal and lauding his youth policy whenever they can but then criticising it when it doesn't work.

The experiment has lasted for 5 years and is now coming to an end, Wenger knows this but is he big enough to say so and rescue our season by signing some top quality players in January? I hope so.

Oh dear Stan Collymore

Hi all,

I'm not going to dwell on the result of the Man City game tonight, we fielded a weakened team against a strong City line up and as such the result was inevitable. It will be a good experience for the younger players even though at this stage of the competition I think we should have sent out a stronger team and when it comes to Wenger, you knew he would be stubborn and stick with the kids.

I want to focus on the absolute nonsense I heard from Stan Collymore earlier this week when I decided to tune in to Talk Sport. Collymore was actually comparing this current Chelsea team to the invincibles! What really annoys me is when I hear pundits and fans saying that going a whole sason or 49 games unbeaten is not that great an achievement - if it was that easy then surely every team could do it! The fact is that it's unlikely we'll see a team do that in the near future or if at all.

Collymore mused that this Chelsea team and the invincibles were like for like in players... if you'll indulge me.

Goalkeeper:

Collymore was right in this respect, there is very little to choose between Lehman and Cech - both world class on their day but prone to the odd mistake. However, Lehman definitely wins on the madness scale!

Full backs:

Ashley Cole - fair enough! The guy was quality for Arsenal and quality for Chelsea, not much more that can be said.

Lauren and Botswinga - Lauren in his day was a fantastic player, calm, reassured on the ball and proven at the top level. Botswinga? Is he really that good? I'm not so sure...

Centre Halfs:

Campbell and Terry - this is a no brainer for me, in 2004 Campbell was one of the best if not the best centre half in the world. Terry is a dirty player with a slow turn of pace. A good defender and no more, he gets shown up on the international stage.

Toure and Carvalho - little to choose between them, I'd still rather have had the 2004 Toure - great pace and excellent skill on the ball.

The midfield:

Vieira and Essien - Essien is a fantastic player but not in Vieira's league, Vieira in 2004 was the best central midfielder in the world. Vieira could take on teams on his own, he was a fighter with the skill to match.

Gilberto and Mikel - Do I really need to explain myself here?!

Pires and Joe Cole - Can you believe Collymore compared Joe Cole to Pires??! Pires is one of the greatest players to grace the Premier League - elegent, classy and scored a hatful of goals. Can you say the same about Cole? I don't think so.


Ljunberg and Lampard - different players so hard to compare, Lampard scores goals but adds little else whereas the Swede scored goals and added a pace and threat that Lampard could only dream of.

Henry and Drogba - Droba is a magnificent player but how can you compare him to a player that scored 226 goals for Arsenal? Henry had flair, every goal he scored was special and he would win games on his own. Henry 2004 or Drogba 2009, it's quite a simple choice really.

Bergkamp and Henry - How dare Collymore compare these 2 players! Bergkamp is the GREATEST footballer I have EVER had the pleasure of seeing. Not only the best foreign player to play in the premiership but in my opinion he is in the top 20 footballers of all time and I'm sure there aren't many gooners who would disagree with me.

So there you have it Collymore, you are an idiot (I've been wanting to say that for so long).

Does anyone disagree with my analysis? If so, then please leave a comment.

Stoke on Saturday - turning into a really big game now, 3 defeats in a row and no goals scored. I'll write a preview of the game on Friday.

Enjoy the rest of your week gooners!

In the meantime here's some classic action to tide you over:

It's been a bad few days...

Evening all.

I've been an Arsenal season ticket holder since 1992 and having read a lot of rubbish written about my great club over the past few years I've decided to put down in words my thoughts about everything Arsenal (for what it's worth).

I was at the Emirates on Sunday to see us being outplayed and outclassed by Chelsea. It certainly was not an easy game to watch, although it was made slightly easier by the inevitability of what was likely to unfold. Both my dad and I had already come to the conclusion that we would find it very difficult to get anything out of the game and from the first few minutes it was plain to see that with no height or physical presence up front we were not likely to trouble the Chelsea defence.

Moving away slightly from the match there are a few things that have become increasingly frustrating for me this season:

The attitude of Arshavin

Last season I was so excited when we signed the little Russian and his performances were superb. This season has been a different story, too often he has looked disinterested and frankly lazy. All this talk of comparing Arshavin to Bergkamp is wrong, the fact is that whilst Arshavin may have the skill and the guile to match the Iceman, he just doesn't have the fight. What makes great players is not just their ability but their willingness to fight for the cause and fight for the right to play their football. Bergkamp gave 100% and genuinely loved the club whereas the same can't be said about Arshavin and I can see him leaving the club in the summer. I hope he proves me wrong but I just can't see that happening.

The Goalkeeper

Manual Almunia is just not good enough, I realise that most Arsenal fans feel the same but I feel I have to get it off my chest! I just can't understand how Wenger persists with him, I am hoping the Wenger goes out and buys a top class goalkeeper in January. Talk of winning the title in the last few months have been futile as far as I'm concerned as you CANNOT win a title without a great goalkeeper.

In my opinion we have learned little from last season and it looks like we'll face a struggle to maintain a champions league spot this season.

What really annoyed me about Sunday was all the booing aimed at Ashley Cole, the best thing we as Arsenal fans could do is act like we don't care - all the fans are doing is paying him a back handed compliment. I dislike him as much as anybody else but the fact is that he was and is still a fantastic player and I think it's a real shame that he no longer wears the red and white of Arsenal.

So what now...? My approach to the transfer window has always been more in hope than expectation that we would sign players but I feel this January may be different. We face stiffer competition for a champions league spot than we ever have before and therefore I think Wenger will buy if the right player(s) are available - let's hope they are!

That's all for now, I've hope you've enjoyed reading my thoughts.