The likes of Allerdyce and Pulis just don't get it

Afternoon gooners!

I just can't believe what I'm hearing from the likes of Allerdyce and Pulis - criticising Danny Murphy for coming out and making some genuinely insightful observations about managers sending their teams out to 'play rough'.

You only have to hear some of the pre-match comments these managers make before they play Arsenal to know that this is indeed the case. As Murphy correctly pointed out, players don't go on the pitch to deliberately break someones legs but they do intend to 'ruffle a few feathers'. The hypocrisy is the hardest thing for me to stomach especially given that these managers deem it perfectly legitimate to crticise referees after a poor performance or indeed a bad challenge from opposing teams players. However, for some reason unbeknown to me one cannot dare say a bad word about a manager - ridiculous.

Danny Murphy is a good player and he plays football the right way. In addition, when a pundit on TV he articulates his thoughts far better than most so called experts. The fact that he pulled out of his pundit role for the England game in mid-week suggests that he may think twice about appearing as a pundit in the future which would be a great shame.

So Birmingham up next and although I would usually call it a home banker, I think we need to be cautious given our woeful appearance against West Brom a few weeks ago. One thing that does annoy me is the constant Hleb bashing that has been going on in the Arsenal blogs today. As I wrote in this article, he was a superb footballer who was crucial to our counter attacking style that propelled us to the top of the table in 2007/08. The fact that the season after he left for Barcelona was one of our poorest in many years tells its own story. I for one will not boo him tomorrow, he did Arsenal a great service and was one of the most gifted players I have seen in an Arsenal shirt.

Enjoy the game tomorrow.

Tenz

Why it’s time for the FA to make a stance although the Dutch have ulterior motives…

One has to commend the Dutch FA for dropping Nigel De Jong from the squad for their up and coming Euro 2012 qualifiers. It’s very rare for an international manager to come out and openly criticise one of his players for breaking the leg of an opponent but all credit to him for doing that. Many football writers and fans are of the opinion that tackling in modern day football has gone over the top and that it’s now worse than it’s ever been before. I disagree, players could get away with so much more in the 60s, 70s and 80s – I wasn’t born to see the Don Revie Leeds team but from what I’ve heard and seen, they were a team who deliberately went out to harm other players and what’s more they never saw red for doing so. We of course live in different times, every tackle can be seen from a number of different angles and quite rightly scrutinised to a mass audience. That being said, the FA now has to make a stand by retrospectively punishing those who commit dangerous tackles on an opponent regardless of whether the player gets injured or not. Only a few weeks ago, a player was banned for two games by the Spanish FA for a late challenge on Lionel Messi, the incident had been seen by the referee but the authorities decided that it warranted further punishment. The English FA will no doubt trot out the same line that by punishing a player when the referee has seen it will undermine the referees authority - this argument is totally flawed for the simple fact referees have no authority anymore and haven’t done so for a long time. By bringing in retrospective punishments for incidents seen by a referee, I would argue that the authority of the referee and the FA will actually increase with fans and players alike knowing that at least justice will be done after the game. This would therefore hopefully provide a deterrent to those who deliberately go out to harm their opponents (although there is no chance of eradicating this completely). When you have players like Paul Robinson coming out and saying that his tackle on Diaby was fair, then there is clearly a problem which needs addressing at the highest level especially given that we are talking about players livelihoods here. Furthermore, neither Henry or De Jong have come out and apologised to the players they assaulted which is nothing short of disgraceful. Yes players do earn a lot of money but in one silly moment, their career can be over and this is something we don’t want to see – The FA therefore has a responsibility. The old line spouted by Brian Kidd that De Jong is ‘not that type of player’ is insulting to all football fans and just doesn’t wash anymore. We all know that he IS that sort of player and we’ve seen it time and time again from him as we did with Shawcross and Henry.


Moving on, I think the Dutch are being very clever with the whole De Jong incident and I believe it to be mainly an exercise in PR. Following the world cup, Holland were absolutely vilified by the worlds media and by former Dutch greats such as Johan Cruyff for their tactics throughout the whole tournament but especially against Spain in the final. Earning a reputation for being a dirty side is not want the Dutch FA wants, it goes against their footballing legacy and thus I think they realised they needed to act now before it was too late. My guess is that they weren’t too worried about it until now, as if they cared so much why didn’t they drop De Jong for the last round of internationals? His challenge on Xabi Alonso in the World Cup final was infinitely worse than the one on Ben Arfa. To me it’s provided the wake up call to the Dutch who now recognise that they NEED to restore their legacy and reputation with gesture going some way to doing so.


These are just some thoughts… do you agree with me? Let me know what you think…


Tenz

Same old Arsenal

Another game at Stamford Bridge and another defeat, déjà vu was once again in the air. Beaten 2-0, the game was almost a carbon copy of the game last February where we huffed and puffed, dominated possession for most of the 90 minutes but still came away with nothing. That’s not to say that we haven’t progressed since last season, there is no doubt that we are a better team but we just lack that killer instinct in the final third. Considering the players we had missing it’s hard to be too harsh on the lads and sometimes we just have to accept that we were beaten by a better team. I know it’s said time and time again but if Drogba was in our side yesterday then I have no doubt that we would have run out worthy winners.

The first goal was always going to be vital and after two minutes we really should have had it – quite how Koscielny failed to head in from a few yards is beyond me and it was clear in Wenger’s post match interview that this was a source of major frustration to him. We were doing okay for the first thirty minutes, one Drogba chance aside the centre backs were coping well with the Chelsea threat. We were looking dangerous going forward, Arshavin had a few shots well saved and I thought that if we could get to half time without conceding then we would have a chance. The goal was disappointing, Nasri switched off and allowed Cole to get away from him and then Drogba did the inevitable and scored his 13^th goal in 13 games against us. Once that goal went in, it was fairly obvious that Chelsea would sit back, defend solidly and try and catch us on the break. Although we had plenty of possession in the second half, we never really looked like scoring, against an excellent back line; this was where the absence of Fabregas was all too evident. Whether the game would have turned out differently if the little genius was on the pitch is open to debate but the fact is that when we needed that little bit of extra composure and the ability to pick out a final ball, we just simply didn’t have it.

Having thrown JET on for his debut we had to big strikers up front so I was hopeful that we could nick an equaliser but the second goal came shortly after and the game was over. Nasri played a ball straight to Drogba and Koscielny had no choice but to bring him down, at the time I thought it was a sensible decision and worth taking a yellow for. You have to say it was a wonderful free kick from Alex, even though the wall parted like the red sea; I can’t blame them, as if I saw that ball coming towards me the instinct to avoid it would have been far too strong. Whilst the score flattered Chelsea somewhat, the deficiencies in our squad were there for all to see, Arsenal just simply cannot win when we don’t have Fabregas and one wonders what things will be like when he isn’t there permanently.

In goal, apart from one strange attempt to catch a cross, Fabianski played well and looked solid. Basing my judgement on his last two performances I think he should remain in goal when Almunia is fit to return. The centre backs had a difficult day, Squillaci almost gifting Anelka a goal and Koscielny being easily out muscled by Drogba, but on the whole I thought they did okay and they’ll take comfort in the fact that they don’t have to face Chelsea every week. The real plus for me was the performance of Jack Wilshere, as I have said on countless occasions, I prefer to see Jack as the deepest lying midfielder and that’s exactly where he played yesterday. The young lad was composed on the ball and I thought he was our best player; the 18 year old did himself proud especially considering who he was up against. Once again Arshavin went from the sublime to the ridiculous, he gives the ball away so cheaply mainly because he is lazy and has a rather inflated opinion of himself. It’s time for Wenger to flex his muscles and put the Russian on the bench for the next few games and give Rosicky a chance in his place. Chamakh didn’t have a great game but it’s hard when you’re not getting the service but he put in the effort which is the main thing.

So 7 points behind Chelsea already, whilst it’s still early one can’t help but wonder if we are out of the title race already. With our next away game being at Manchester City, it’s crucial that we beat Birmingham after the international break or things could get very worrying indeed.

It’s not all doom and gloom though…at least we don’t support Liverpool!

Is there hope for Sunday?

Our away fixture at Stamford Bridge on Sunday represents a pivotal moment in our development as team and will give us a good indication of what this season will hold for us. Arsenal are coming into the game on the back of a solid win in the Champions League, but a woeful showing against West Brom last Saturday means that six games into the new season we are under serious pressure. The main issue over the last few seasons is that when we have come up against one of our main rivals, we tend to fall drastically short. If one was being optimistic, it would be easy to write off our past failings as being exactly that – in the past. I worry that this is being too hopeful and thus I keep on asking myself just how much of an impact will last seasons results against Chelsea have on our performance on Sunday? Do the players really believe that they can go to Stamford Bridge and win? Unfortunately only the players and the manager can answer these questions and we can merely speculate. What we do know is that in order to win the game, the team will need to display something that we don’t tend to see from them which is giving 100% and fighting for each other in all areas of the pitch.


Once again injuries are playing havoc with our season, although I have a suspicion that Fabregas will play on Sunday, should he not be available then a lot of responsibility could fall on Jack Wilshere. I felt it took a couple of games for Jack to feel comfortable in the first eleven and to get used to playing for a top team rather a run of the mill club like Bolton. There is no doubting that at the age of 18, Wilshere is already a pivotal figure for our club and one that has to start at Chelsea. As I’ve remarked previously, I much prefer to see him play a deeper lying role where he can get on the ball and influence the play with his excellent range of passing. Having Fabregas alongside him will enable Jack to do this and could swing the game in Arsenal’s favour depending on how Song (or Denilson) deals with the powerhouse that is Michael Essien. Perhaps a key area for hope is the injury to Lampard which will keep him out of Sunday’s game; always a prominent figure against us, his absence does remove one of their major goal threats which can only be a positive. Whilst the midfield battle will be crucial in determining the outcome of the game, Chelsea will also look to play the ball over the top and into the channels for Drogba to use his pace and power. Drogba is a goal scoring machine and a truly fantastic player, 12 goals in 12 games against Arsenal tells its own story and he could well be the difference on Sunday. So how can we stop the inevitable? Although I’m not one of Djourou’s biggest fans, I think he has to start the game ahead of Koscielny based on the fact that he is far more capable to deal with Drogba’s physical strength and has experience of this fixture which could be absolutely vital - he was on the winning side in this encounter two seasons ago (although he scored an own goal, he actually played very well). Failure to deal with Drogba will lead to defeat and although I don’t advocate violence on the football pitch, we need to stop him by all means necessary!


In this fixture last season we dominated play but just couldn’t find a way through, I expect a similar sort of pattern to develop this time and thus it’s crucial that the likes of Arshavin and Nasri make the most of the chances that come their way. The importance of Sunday cannot be overestimated; a win would give us an enormous confidence boost going into an important part of the season and give the team the belief that they can mix it with the very best. Although I’m feeling pessimistic about our chances, it’s definitely a game that we can win and a draw would be by no means a bad result in the grand scheme of things. Let’s not forget that we went to the Bridge a couple of seasons ago in a game no one gave us much hope in and won thanks to an RVP double albeit the first goal was about 5 yards offside!




I think the team should line up something like this:

Almunia
Sagna
Djourou
Squillaci
Gibbs
Denilson
Fabregas
Wilshere
Arshavin
Nasri
Chamakh


All we can ask is that they fight for each other and put in a performance to make us proud.


Come on you gunners!


You can also follow me on Twitter

Relief in Belgrade

Arsenal produced a steady performance in Belgrade last night to gain an important win that keeps us top of our Champions League group…

It wasn’t a surprise to see the gaffer ring the changes for this one and he clearly had one eye on the game at Chelsea on the weekend. I was a little disappointed that Nasri started on the bench as he’s been in fine form recently, but it was the right decision. I didn’t think much of the home team and after the first goal we always looked like running out eventual winners. It was interesting to see Wishere in a more advanced role, when he’s been playing with Fabregas he’s been slightly more withdrawn to allow the Spaniard to get forward. I prefer to see Jack playing a more holding role as it gives him a chance to get on the ball and dictate play which he wasn’t able to do playing behind the front man. That being said, he still had a very good game and his contribution to the first goal was sensational – he is clearly a natural talent, you just can’t coach that sort of awareness.

Arshavin put in a good stint last night but will be disappointed with the penalty especially as he’s taken a few for us in the past few years and not missed any. I was also glad to see Gibbs get the nod over Clichy, I think the Frenchman needs a stint out of the team as he’s clearly been underperforming for a couple of seasons. A sign of my increasing nervousness is that I was actually worried when he came on against Tottenham and again last night, the guy is somewhat of a disaster waiting to happen and much like Cole with Sylvinho it’s time to allow Gibbs to cement his place as our regular left back. The penalty aside, I thought Gibbs looked solid and offered more of a threat going forward and what’s more he is clearly hungry to do well for the team. Djourou also came into the side last night and performed okay but I still have serious concerns about him, he was caught out very easily in the first half and still looks a yard off the pace but in all fairness he has missed a year through injury so it’s a case of let’s wait and see before making a final judgement. Once again Chamakh was superb and ran his socks off – he’s fast becoming one of my favourite players. What does frustrate me is people like Paul Merson saying that Arsenal wouldn’t have scored Chamakh’s goal last season which is utter rubbish. This is doing a disservice to the big Dane, as for all his flaws, one thing he is good at is scoring with his head and he scored some vital goals such as a superb header away at Stoke. Chamakh though gives so much more to the team in and outside the penalty area; his work rate is fantastic and fits into our style of play seamlessly.

My major concern from observing Arsenal in the past few weeks is the form of Alex Song, who once again put in a poor performance last night. It seems to me that he’s playing without any discipline whatsoever and his passing has been absolutely woeful. As one of his biggest fans, I am hoping that this is just a temporary blip but I do feel (I can’t believe I’m saying this) that Denilson should start in his place at the Bridge.

And onto the goalkeeper… like most gooners I don’t rate Fabianski and I almost thought it inevitable that he would make a major mistake last night but it’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised! I was genuinely chuffed for him when he saved that penalty and you could see the relief flowing out during his post penalty celebration. Another good save towards the end and hopefully this could be a turning point in his Arsenal career even though I personally think it’s unlikely. If he does have to play at Chelsea then its better that he should go into the game feeling confident and that can only be a good thing for him and the team.

Looking ahead to the weekend and the boss confirmed that Vermaelen will miss the game and that Cesc has a small chance of playing. I have a sneaky suspicion that Fabregas will play, hopefully I’m right!

Tenz

You can also follow me on Twitter

Ritual humiliation

I have to admit that much like Wenger, I was fairly certain that it wasn’t going to be our day after the first five minutes. Straight from the kick off we were sloppy and looked well of the pace, needlessly conceding possession. It was also clear that West Brom were up for it, one has to say that it makes a refreshing change to see a lower league team come to the Emirates and try and play football. Let’s be honest here, they played us off the park for most of the match and fully deserved their victory.

Frustratingly most of the Arsenal blogs are already predicting doom for our season but I think it’s a tad premature to suggest that Arsenal will just be playing for fourth place this season. It’s a typical knee jerk reaction and one without perspective, however I have to admit that there were a few worrying signs that do need to be addressed if we are going to push on this season.

What I find absolutely infuriating is the reaction to Almunia’s mistake from the home fans, cheering sarcastically every time he touched the ball towards the end was shameful and embarrassing. Yes the Spaniard is useless and a number two at best but he was picked by Wenger and we’re stuck with him at least until January and thus denting his confidence even further is not going to do him or Arsenal football club any good. This is just another example of what our fan base has become since we moved to the Emirates; an expectation of perfection 100% of the time is just not realistic. Sometimes you have to go through the bad to appreciate the good, I don’t recall Arsenal fans ever booing the likes of Hillier, Morrow and Selly even though they were three of the worst footballers ever to play for the club and made up our midfield on many occasions in the early 90s. The reason we didn’t boo was because they played for the Arsenal and as true fans we didn’t boo those who wear the red and white.

Back to the game itself, the back four had an absolute shocker and when Gibbs is fit he has to replace Clichy as the left back has become a liability. What I find frustrating is that I’d thought Wenger had got over his playing Eboue in midfield, an excellent right back; he looks lost when he plays in right midfield. Though not Denilson’s biggest fan, I was surprised that he didn’t start with him instead of Diaby as he just didn’t look fit to me and inevitably had an absolute shocker. I understand Wenger’s decision not to start with Wilshere as he is still young and we don’t want to burn him out but the writing was the on the wall early and I felt that he should have been brought on at half time – we looked much better when he finally did make it on to the pitch.

The only player to come out with any real credit was Nasri who I thought was the only player that looked like he really cared, I suppose that’s the most worrying thing really – how can only one player out of 11 care if they lose or not? I still don’t think we should panic – unfortunately it was a VERY off day at the office and these things happen. West Brom played superbly and we happen to put in possibly our worst performance at the Emirates. Such a result is not without precedent for a title winning Arsenal team – I can remember us losing 4-2 at home to Charlton early on in the double winning season of 2001/02 and at one point we were 4-1 down!

So moving onto the Champions League game on Tuesday, the news is that Almunia has an injury and will not play which is alarming as however bad he is, Fabianksi is much worse. Therefore we will need to score a minimum of two tomorrow night to win the game as we all know that Flapianski WILL make a mistake which will lead to a goal. Having lost on the weekend, I think having a game a few days later is a positive as I’m sure the players will want to put in a decent performance and regain some of the credibility they are currently lacking. That being said, I don’t think anyone would be too upset with a draw tomorrow night…

Keep the faith.

Tenz

The new season

Hi gooners!

Firstly I must apologise for not having written anything this season, I have no excuse other than laziness. Sometimes it’s just better to take a step back and let others do the talking. I am going to try and update on a regular basis but I cannot promise that lethargy won’t sink in again and there will be another similar gap before my next post!

The start to the season

Given that we already have as many injuries as we did towards the final weeks of the season, I think we have had a great start to the campaign. The Liverpool game was probably the poorest we’ve played as the boys just couldn’t get going. I was really concerned about our trip to Blackburn but we passed that with flying colours and it was at that point that I started to realise that things just might be different this season. Whilst I’m disappointed that we gave away a last minute goal at Sunderland, there was clearly a new resilience within the side.

I’ve no doubt that we now have the strongest squad we have had since the days of the invincibles. Pivotal to this strength is the three players that Wenger has signed over the summer.

Chamakh:

Having watched Chamakh in every game he has played since arriving at the club, I am convinced he will go on to become an Arsenal great. Whilst I don’t think he will bang in 20 goals a season, what he brings to the team is far greater. What I really like about him is his effort; he gives 100% in every match he plays regardless of the opponent. His hold up play is first rate; he creates space for others, is a real threat in the air and above all he is an intelligent player. When I think back to players like Adebayor who was a good player but clearly didn’t have the intelligence that gives you that little extra in and around the penalty area. I’m of the opinion that Chamakh is the perfect lone front man and thus RVP is going to have to fight to earn back his place in the team or he might have to play as an attacking left midfielder, either way this competition is perfect for the squad.

Koscielny:

Like everyone, I had my doubts about the signing and whether he would be able to cut it at the highest level. Those doubts are beginning to evaporate, especially after his performance at Sunderland and Spurs. His start hasn’t been perfect, the goal we conceded at Blackburn was his mistake but I would put that down to experience as I’m sure the next time he’s faced with that situation he will slide in and put the ball out for a throw. The Bolton goal was also a poorly placed header but these things do happen, even Tony Adams and Sol Campbell had dodgy starts to their Arsenal careers. Having said that, his positional play is excellent and he takes the ball of opposing players with ease. His performance at Spurs in the week was outstanding and I really do think he has a great future with the club.

Squillaci:

Its early days but the guy looks like a great signing and his first two performances have been very assured. When I was watching the Sunderland game I found myself thinking ‘is he on the pitch?’ which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned as he goes about his role quietly and efficiently and can withstand anything that’s thrown at him.

For the first time in a long time, we have three centre backs fighting for two places which can only be a good thing. You may ask why I don’t include Djourou but in my opinion he is a fourth choice type of player, he can do a job 7 or 8 games a season but I would be concerned if he were needed on a consistent basis.

The emergence of Jack Wilshere

To be honest, I was a little surprised that Wenger threw him into the first team at the beginning of the season because on the occasions he has played for us in the past, I didn’t think he’d ever put in a performance to live up to his hype. This season he has been employed in a slightly withdrawn role and he looks the real deal. Jack was poor at Liverpool but has grown in stature, superb against Bolton and Braga and simply sensational at the Lane. I can’t remember Fabregas giving a performance like that when he was 18 (correct me if I’m wrong) but we know that Jack has a long way to go before he can be compared to the great man but there’s no doubt that the signs are promising. We all know that Cesc will probably be heading to Barca next summer but I wouldn’t be too downbeat about it as the prospect of a midfield three of Song, Wilshere and Ramsey doesn’t sound too bad!

There is no doubt that we have a future Arsenal and England great on our hands and clearly Wenger is the best man to nurture his considerable talent.

Prospects for the season

We always start the season well so I’m not reading too much into it, I’d much rather reserve judgement until after we go to Stamford Bridge next week but so far so good.

West Brom at home tomorrow and I fully expect three points, even though we have our fare share of injuries we should still have more than enough to beat them.

That’s all folks, enjoy the game and I’ll post some thoughts on the game either on Sunday or Monday.

Until then…

Summer thoughts

Hi all,

I know it’s been a very long time since I’ve written and I can only apologise for that. There are a few reasons why I became so lazy in the last few months of the season, namely having issues with my old job and then starting a new one meant that I had very little time to indulge in blog writing. Secondly, I became VERY disillusioned with Arsenal in the last few weeks of the season – we were in with a real shout for the title and then just capitulated in a manner I am not accustomed to seeing. I can take being beaten as long as every player on the pitch puts in 100% effort; this sadly was not the case.

Here are a few thoughts:

The last few months of the season

Whilst I always thought that we would fall short in the title race, I found the manner of our defeats to Wigan and Blackburn absolutely disgusting. You know things are bad when you’re watching Arsenal leading 2-0 at Wigan and you’re still expecting Arsenal to mess it up. These two games summed up everything about the current Arsenal squad – lack of depth, lack of effort and total immaturity. I do not deny that we were decimated by injury; in fact, we were missing 5 or 6 of our first team players which would be a problem for any team. Looking at the positives, not many teams could cope with our injuries and still finish third but something does need to be addressed as it’s gone beyond coincidence now – there must be something inherently wrong with the set-up at our club. The only player who came out with any credit from the last few months of the season was the oldest player in our squad – Sol Campbell. His drive, passion and commitment put the other players to shame. I thought his performance at Spurs was outstanding and I still maintain that he was the best player on the pitch that night. An honourable mention must also go to Gael Clichy who I thought began to show glimpses of his best form when he returned from injury and let’s hope he carries that into next season.

Players who just aren’t up to the job

There are a few players that clearly are not good enough and don’t even deserve to wear the shirt – as I said, if you don’t want to give 100% the go to a club where you will. I’ve identified a few players I feel we should sell on this summer:

Denilson – An absolute waste of space

Silvestre – No comment necessary

Arshavin – A mercenary, I don’t mind as long as he gives it his all but he clearly doesn’t. The great players are those that combine their immense talent and skill with a work ethic that very few can match, the simple fact is he’s lazy and therefore will NEVER be a great player. Let’s sell him now whilst we can still command a big fee and try and recoup some of the money we spent.

Walcott – I have to agree with Chris Waddle, the guy has absolutely no football brain whatsoever. Walcott is a victim of his own hype, he’s 21 and thinks he’s a top class player, sadly he isn’t. I genuinely think that he’s a championship player at best and I for one fully back Capello’s decision not to take him to South Africa.

Eduardo – Tragically, that broken leg at Birmingham ended his career as a top class player – it’s just a case of what might have been but what we know is that he is no longer good enough for Arsenal - time for him to move on.

Players who need to raise their game

There are also some players who have one last season to prove their worth to the club:

Nasri – Whilst the guy has lots of talent, he just doesn’t perform on a consistent basis. I want to see him play like he did against Porto, we know he has it in him but he just doesn’t do it often enough. Samir rarely has what you would call a ‘shocker’ but he still needs to move up to the next level or I don’t see him having much of a future at the club.

Rosicky – Last chance saloon comes to mind… I don’t blame Rosicky, we can’t expect a player to come back from two years out and be at the same level. He showed glimpses last season but needs to show more, I do like him as a player and I think he could be valuable for the squad.

Diaby – One of the most infuriating players I have ever seen in an Arsenal shirt with the unique ability to look a world beater and a conference player all in one move! What concerns me is his minimal work ethic, if he can improve that then I think he still has a future at the club but he will have to prove it next season.

Cesc Fabregas saga

We knew it was inevitable and I think the way Barcelona outplayed us at the Emirates was a key factor in him deciding that he wants to go back to his boyhood club. The way Barcelona has behaved in all of this is an absolute disgrace however I don’t think any of us are all that surprised. Once again Arsenal has behaved in a dignified manner and I thought the statement they made yesterday was classy and was exactly what I wanted to hear. That being said, I still think the move will go through, we are playing hard ball. I for one would not accept a penny less than £60 million for him and whilst I would be sad to see him go, no player is bigger than the club. That sort of money could enable us to buy the type of players we badly need such as a new goalkeeper, a couple of centre halfs and a midfielder. We might not have our star player but it’s about the team and I’ve no doubt if invested wisely we could be a genuine force next season. If he does stay, then I think it’s based on assurances from Wenger that he will be reinforcing the squad heavily this summer and I do hope that’s the case. I’m sure this will drag on over the whole of pre-season so we’re in it for the long haul although I hope we don’t make the mistake of selling him on the last day of the transfer window without having a suitable replacement already in place.

Player of the season

Fabregas – He had an awesome season carrying the team for much of it. The fact is if he stays, he needs some help as he can’t always do it alone. Had he stayed fit we might have taken the title race down to the last day.

Most improved player of the season

Song – Just superb, I think he is one of the best midfielders in the Premiership. What impresses me so much is his close control and magnificent technique, he has that great ability to get himself out of tight situations with ease – the bar has been raised so expectation will be high next season.

Young player of the season

Ramsey – Was just beginning to establish himself as a first team player when that animal broke his ankle. Ramsey is the heir to Fabregas and if Ramsey was not out until November (or longer) I think Wenger would have been more comfortable in selling the Spaniard. Whilst he still has areas to improve, he is clearly an exciting player. There is some concern that he might not be the same player when he returns from injury, I disagree, as I don’t think his injury was anywhere near as bad as Eduardo’s so I think he’ll be alright.

That’s all folks, if anything interesting happens over the summer then I’ll blog about it – much the same as Arsenal, I do not comment on transfer speculation. I’m not going to blog about the World Cup either as I’d rather be watching it than writing about it!

Enjoy the sun!

Post Porto thoughts

Evening all.

I must first apologise for my lack of posting in the last few weeks, my new job has got the better of me but I do promise to post a bit more regularly from now to the end of the season.

What a win against Porto, had we not conceded such silly goals in Portugal I'm sure that we would have been home and dry before the second leg. I thought we were excellent against Porto, our passing was superb and more importantly, the players who needed to stand up and be counted did so. Campbell started a little nervously but settled into the game and had Hulk in his back pocket for the majority of the game. Hulk may be big and strong but he is no match for Campbell and that was clearly evident on Tuesday night. Nasri had a superb game, he is clearly suited to the Fabregas role and makes me feel confident when our captain is unable to play. The truth is that Nasri will only play that position when Fabregas is injured but should the Spaniard decide to head back to Barcelona in the summer we can at least feel comfortable in the knowledge that we have a ready made replacement willing to take his place. I had been disappointed with Nasri this season, however maybe I have been a little harsh as he clearly isn't a winger.

A word must go out to Bendtner, I have always maintained that he can be a top player for us. The fact is that he gives us a presence up front that has been severely lacking since Van Persie was injured. Yes he may miss easy chances but he is full of confidence and doesn't let bad performances put him down, he will have a big role to play for us for the rest of the season. The fact is that he was the only player in our entire squad that could have scored the equaliser at Stoke and he is a vital player. I also have to hand full credit to Eboue, last season I was sitting in the Emirates absolutely disgusted at the booing my fellow fans gave him - I will never boo an Arsenal player and never will. Eboue has done himself immense credit and makes me proud as an Arsenal fan, he is someone who has knuckled down and proved his worth to the club and clearly has a special relationship with the fans. His cameo against Porto was magnificent and for me his goal was the best of the night. In a football world full of ego's, I think it's refreshing to have Eboue has a part of our wonderful football club.

Next up is away at Hull, a difficult game but one I expect us to win and if we want to win the title then we have no choice - 3 points is a must.

I'm also delighted to announce that I've been selected to attend an audience with Ray Parlour at the Emirates on Monday, which I'll be attending with my father. Hopefully I'll be asking a question so make sure you have a look at the recording when it's available on Arsenal Online. What's so funny is the countless hours I listened to my dad complaining about Parlour throughout the Graham and Rioch years only to hear nothing but praise when Wenger turned him into a true Arsenal legend. Every team needs a Ray Parlour and thankfully for us we had him and for that I'm eternally grateful.

Winning comes at a price

Poor Aaron Ramsey, I have to say I was sickened by the injury on so many levels. To see a player lying on the floor with his ankle hanging off is a terrible sight and something I wish on no footballer. The fact that it's happened to us again almost two years to the day that Eduardo suffered a similar injury is very hard to take. In some respects I think the Eduardo tackle was different, Martin Taylor's tackle was absolutely disgusting whereas although a very late challenge by Shawcross in this instance I don't think there was any intent to break his leg. That being said, it was a late tackle that most of the time a player will get up from but unfortunately for Aaron his foot was in an awkward position before the tackle went in and because of the that the leg was broken. Make no mistake, it was a red card and I just hope and prey that the Welshman will play football again. Ramsey was superb up until he got injured today and was clearly becoming a first team regular, the fact that Denilson didn't even make the bench today said it all. I wish Aaron a speedy recovery and let's hope he will come back stronger and have a magnificent career with Arsenal football club. It also puts into perspective the whole John Terry, Wayne Bridge handshake which is really beginning to bore me.

On to the game... the first 20 minutes we were awful, when Stoke went one nil up it was a case of 'here we go again'. Once we got back into the game we were simply magnificent, the hunger, the passion and the fight was all there in one of our best displays of the season. We all want this Arsenal team to stand up and be counted, when the pressure was on we delivered. Our equaliser was a fantastic header, the jury's still out on Bendtner but the fact is that he's the only player in our squad that can score a goal like that. Second half we came out of the blocks like Usain Bolt, we were full of energy and I was sure that we would go onto win the game. When I was watching the Arsenal players reactions after the Ramsey incident I was certain that we would have the Birmingham scenario all over again. It must be so awful to see a team mate in so much pain and for 5 or 6 minutes we were shaken and we couldn't get our rhythm at all. When these things happen, you really see what a team is made of and that's why I'm so proud of the Arsenal. Seeing the celebrations for the third goal showed me the solidarity in the team, the will and desire to win is there and we have given ourselves a fighting chance to win the league.

The positives - for me Campbell was imperious, a lot of eyebrows were raised when Wenger resigned him but the old timer has proved what a magnificent defender he is. Yes his pace has gone but great defenders don't need pace. A word too for Clichy who I thought gave his best performance in an Arsenal shirt for at least two seasons. This was the Clichy of old, first into the tackle, great going forward and full of energy - I hope he can continue in this vain as there still may be a place for him at the club come next season.

The negatives - The booking for Song was an outrage, if anything it was a foul on him but now he misses the next two games. Luckily we don't have what we would call difficult games coming up but with the injury to Ramsey we will have to play Denilson which is a worry. I hear Diaby might be back for next weekend, I hope so because we need him. My solution is simple, providing Gallas returns, play him with Campbell at the back and push Vermaelan into the holding role.

So a vital 3 points marred by Ramsey's injury BUT tonight showed me that we have it in us to go and win the title and what a tribute that would be to our little Welsh wizard.

Come on you gunners!

Post Sunderland thoughts

A vital 3 points gained against Sunderland on Saturday, I suppose it didn't really matter how we performed as already knowing that Utd had lost at Everton it was crucial we picked up maximum points. We outplayed Sunderland without being overly convincing, the killer instinct was missing but that wasn't a surprise without Arshavin and Diaby. Although I'm not convinced by Samir Nasri, I thought he had his best game of the season and hopefully will push us on in the title run in. I've always been a fan of Eboue and thought he was excellent on Saturday, whilst he isn't as solid defensively as Sagna, the fact is that going forward he offers us so much. It's an enigma for Wenger as Sagna is a superb defender but that is only half the job of a full back, let us not forget that Eboue was our right back in the year we got to the Champions League final when we only conceded two goals and that was in a game we were playing Barcelona and down to ten men for 80 minutes. The simple truth is that Eboue is simply superb going forward and he can actually cross a ball which Sagna is literally unable to do. I would stick with Eboue at right back for now and see what happens, should he weaken our defence significantly then Wenger can bring Sagna back in with little fuss.

Although we gifted a few clear cut chances to Sunderland it was down to one man and that was Sylvester. An absolutely dreadful defender who should not be playing for a club like Arsenal, I understand that Sol was tired after Porto but the guy is a solid defender and has proved that he is still the unbeatable force he once was, albeit a slower one! Not every great defender needs pace, first and foremost they need to be able to defend and Sol can do that whereas Sylvester can't.

An interesting piece on Walcott by ArsenalVision, citing Sven Goran Eriksson as the main reason why he hasn't fulfilled his potential. I agree 100% and funnily enough I said the same thing to my father last week. As I've said many times here, I'm not a fan of Walcott and do not believe he will make it at Arsenal. Much to my amusement, after the game I saw links on Newsnow; 'Walcott inspires Arsenal" etc. Why read those articles, clearly written by someone who wasn't at the match. Walcott was dreadful, I don't think I've seen a footballer with so little intelligence and awareness of what's around him.

So it's Stoke next Saturday, have we learnt from the cup defeat a month ago? I would hope so but something tells me it might be the same old story. I see the game as one of the trickiest in our run in, should we win then I might just start to believe that we might finish second (There's no way we will win the title, we simply aren't good enough) which would be an excellent achievement in my eyes.

Until then...

Why Wenger hasn't bought a new goalkeeper

Evening all.

I firstly must apologise for not having written for a while, the reason is simple - there hasn't been anything worth writing about! It's painful when Arsenal are on a break, we just have to make do with the Arsenal blogs that write for the sake of writing even when there is nothing to say.

Wednesday night is a big night, Porto will be a tough game and one I would be happy if we came away with a score draw. We have lost at Porto before but these were games when we were already through in our group so I wouldn't read too much into it. It looks like Arshavin and Song will miss out, quite how much we will miss them remains to be seen but unfortunately no Song means the return of the ultimate water carrier Denilson. It seems that Wenger has realised that Denilson should not be part of a full strength midfield but needs must and as long as the Brazilian at least puts in the effort then he might be alright.

The main reason for this post is regarding the number one jersey at the club. As regular readers will know, I think Manuel Almunia is the worst goalkeeper I have ever seen at Arsenal and I would pick every other Premier League goalkeeper ahead of him. I believe there is a reason why Wenger has not made a big money signing in goal and his name is Wojciech Szczesny. The young Polish goalkeeper is at Brentford where he is earning rave reviews. I've seen him play a couple of times and he really is the real thing. Brentford fans say that he's the best goalkeeper they've seen at the club in over 30 years and even Wenger said that he has been identified as someone going to the very top. Why would Wenger sign a long term goalkeeper when he has someone ready to take the number one spot next season? Even if the Sorenson reports were true, that was only going to be a very short term solution.

Just watch this video and you'll see what I mean.

I'm convinced he is going to have a great future at our club, we just have to see out the rest of the season with that clown in goal...

Same old Arsenal

Once again we were undone by the brilliant Drogba, in the end he was the difference between the two teams. I actually thought we played fairly well today and after losing two early goals we responded well with a bit of fight that was lacking last week. Our defending was poor for both goals, the sad thing is that we learnt nothing from the Utd defeat. The second goal was a carbon copy of the Rooney strike last week, the way he cut inside to shoot was just too easy and we left ourselves a mountain to climb for the remaining 70 minutes.

The fact is that we dominated the match, the midfield played well but were let down by a lack of killer instinct up front. Even when we did break through the Chelsea defence, Nasri wasted a golden opportunity. The football was nice but there was no end product, if Drogba was in our side, we would have won the game. We have now gone three games without scoring which is a bit of concern, if only Wenger had reinforced in the transfer window then we would have had a real shot at winning the title. Sadly, our premiership season is now more about retaining our place in the top 4, we need to be looking over our shoulder as should we lose against Liverpool on Wednesday then things are wide open in a bad way. The game is a crucial one, Liverpool are not Utd or Chelsea so I would expect us to beat them. It's hard to criticise the boys as they did play well, we are close to having a great team with just a few players short of something special. After Wednesday we go into a period of games where we shouldn't drop points so anything is possible.

One thing that did get on my nerves today was Sky's coverage of John Terry, it was disgusting the way they talked about him as a victim rather than someone who cheated on his wife with his best mates girlfriend. Sky really need to take a good look at themselves as I thought they were a disgrace.

Player Ratings:

Almunia 5 - Didn't do much wrong but once again he concedes with the first attempt against his goal, kicking was his usual poor standard.

Sagna 7 - solid but can't cross, let's give him a rest and play Eboue who is much better going forward.

Vermaelen 6 - Never gave up and made some decent challenges, has to take some of the blame for the two goals.

Gallas 6 - Did okay, tried to drive the team forward.

Clichy 5 - Poor for both goals, did better going forward today.

Song 7 - Good performance, used the ball well.

Diaby 7 - Thought he had a good game, was commanding in the middle even though not fully fit.

Fabregas 7 - Tried but lacks quality ahead of him.

Nasri 7 - Did play well today but should have scored.

Walcott 4 - I've never seen a player with so little awareness of what's around him, Theo your time is up - a career in the championship beckons.

Arshavin 5 - Should have scored in the first half, too easily muscled off the ball - not a central striker.

Subs:

Bendtner 5 - Gave us something different, still doesn't look fit.

Eboue 7- Did well when he came on, was good going forward - should start on Wednesday.

Rosicky - 6 - Did okay, should have had a free kick when he was bundled over by Cole.

The player that got away

Evening all.

I've been doing a lot of thinking in the last few days, name me an Arsenal fan who hasn't. Having read some pathetic over reactions by many of the blogs since our humiliation to Utd, I think we need to put things into perspective. Chelsea's draw at Hull last night has made things wide open again at the top, if and it's a big 'if' we beat Chelsea on Sunday then we're right back in the race. We're a wounded animal at the moment and I fully expect us to put in a better performance at the weekend. Will that be enough? It's impossible to say, if Denilson is on the team sheet then we might as well go home. I'll be really disappointed with Wenger if the Brazilian starts, Ramsey is a much better option or if Diaby is fit he must play.

I've been thinking about the player that left Arsenal in the last few years who I genuinely feel we miss the most of any that has moved on in recent times - his name is Alex Hleb. After an indifferent first few seasons at the club, Hleb was instrumental in our title challenge back in 2007/8. Something I'll always maintain is that Hleb was one of the most skillful players I have ever seen in an Arsenal shirt, his ability was unlike any other. Absolutely vital to our attacking play, he was able to beat players at will and often hold on to the ball when it looked impossible to do so. One of the criticisms of Hleb was that he didn't score enough goals, it's true to say that he wasn't a goal scoring midfielder but then he didn't need to be. Hleb made so many goals for other players and was crucial to our counter attacking play and I don't think we've ever been the same as counter attacking unit since he left the club. Samir Nasri was bought as his replacement but has always flattered to deceive, I for one am worried that he just isn't what we need, I hope he proves me wrong but he's done little to suggest that he's going to be a world beater. Hleb in our current team would be absolutely fantastic, Arsenal was the right club for him and it's a shame he had to leave to realise it. Who can forget that wonderful goal Fabregas scored at Anfield in 2007? Hleb waited and waited to release the ball to his best mate and we got our equaliser.

I'm sad that he never made it at Barcelona but then again the odds were stacked against him when in order to play he had to get into the team instead of Lionel Messi - Hleb was good but he's wasn 't the best player in the world.

I hope this article makes you think, Hleb WAS a great player and one we miss more than you think.