The Podolski Puzzle.

January 22, 2014

Let’s start with a basic premise – we all love our Lukas. Top bloke, committed to the club, and a fine player.

I cannot recall a similar player in the Arsenal shirt; immensely strong, a lethal finisher who possesses phenomenal shooting power and in the prime of his career at 28 y.o.. Yet despite having over 100 caps for the German National team he cannot find a set place in the Arsenal side. Why?

More to the point, why  is everyone calling for another striker when we have statistically one of the best strikers in world football in our Polish/German (born in Poland, left as a two year old)?

It is perplexing.

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A few Pod stats: 111 caps, 3rd highest appearances for Germany. 46 international goals, 5th highest for Germany. In 2013 he scored after just 9 seconds vs Ecuador, the second fastest goal of all time (first is a San Marino gaol against England!!.). Winner of the German League and Cup Double.  Since 2010 he has played 115 games and scored 51 times.

Mr Wenger says he is the most lethal finisher at the club. Yet ….

Write down your Arsenal first XI (when all are fit!), is Poldi in it? Why not?

For Germany Prinz Poldi plays on the left with licence to drift towards the centre, just the same as he does for Arsenal but with one major difference, his fullback is Philip Lahm and his defensive MF Schweinsteiger! He doesn’t have the defensive responsibility which a left sided attacker has at Arsenal.

It seems that Poldi plays deeper on the left than he does for his country, he is regularly seen on the edge of our box tracking back. Unlike Theo, he doesn’t have the pace to join Giroud upfront on the breakaways and therefore if he is to be involved the play has to be slower from the back. I would like to see him played much further forward in the Pires role – I don’t recall Bobby crunching into tackles too often – and I think this is what Mr Wenger bought him for. Poldi may not have the artistry and guile of Pires but he is certainly as dangerous.

Then there is the question of his combination play with Giroud. Can they function as an attacking duo? We have yet to see evidence of an understanding between the two (apart from one thunderous volley from a cheeky OG pass) though this will hopefully develop as the season progresses. The lightning fast interplay between JW, Ozil, Cazorla, Ramsey and Giroud is wonderful to behold, can Poldolski combine in the same vein? Perhaps – he can certainly finish off the moves.

When we signed Poldi much was made of his failure at Bayern Munich, critics said it was easy to be Jack the Peanut at FC Koln but quite different at The Arsenal or Bayern. At FC Koln he was loved like no other and remains so, at Arsenal he is admired rather than loved and I think this is because he has yet to cement a place for himself.

Unknown

The early season injury came at the wrong time because he was looking as though he had finally found his position in the team. I recall seeing him pull up as his oak-like thigh twitched and twanged, it was poor timing.

I stated recently that I believe Lukas will leave in summer. Why? For two reasons: Firstly, he is too  good a player to sit on the bench, especially at a time when goal scorers are in such shortage therefore he will be much in demand all over Europe. Secondly, the rumours of Draxler; a left sided MF who is likely to be groomed as a TH14 type player. Mr Wenger will not pay €40m+ to see him sit on the bench, so who loses his place?

That said, it could be Giroud who gets dropped. If Drexler can play in the middle an attack of Podolski, Drexler, Ozil and Walcott is frighteningly good, or drop Theo for Gnabry and have an all-German frontline!

But Drexler may just be paper talk and Podolski may well become an essential member of the team. I certainly hope so but it is clear Mr Wenger is looking for another striker.

Another cloud on his horizon is the return of Oxlade-Chamberlain who is certain to be a fixture in the team (though given the unfortunate timing of his injury,  next season is more likely), plus  the rise of Gnabry and Mr Wenger’s penchant for developing young players by putting them out on the wings.

If one looks at the current squad and the marvellous form of Cazorla and Rosicky plus the return of Ramsey, I just cannot see how Podolski will get a run in the team

It is interesting that Mr Wenger picked 18 y.o. Gnabry to start the last three games when Podolski was fit and on the bench. What must Lukas think about that, especially in a World Cup year? (yes, I know SG plays on the right).

Having Podolski on the bench is a major asset, he is a game changer when he comes on for the final 20 minutes but do you think that is satisfactory to an established German International?

Judging from his activity on social media Podolski seems to be really enjoying his time in London. It is time for us to find out whether he has a future as an Arsenal player. Poldi’s time is now – or is it?.

BigRaddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Easier than Spurs?

January 18, 2014

Fulham, should be a stroll but will it?

BR spends much of the day with his head in the clouds pondering upon imponderables and when I sat to start this post it was the name Fulham which interested me. Why are so many places  named …. ham or Ham …..?  Obvious really to a Danish speaker, Ham originates from the Anglo-Saxon “hjem” meaning home or homestead.  ‘Ful’ (in danish *fugl*-silent g) means bird or fowl, so home of the fowls. If one adds another *m* (hamm) it means water-meadow.  As Fulham is on the low lying banks of the Thames shouldn’t it be Fulhamm? I will write to the new owners.

Onto the football. Fulham appear to be in free-fall. Jol couldn’t inspire them and this new fellow is struggling. Will they go down? Much depends upon the form of those around them but with Pulis and Poyet beginning to influence their teams it is highly likely.

Who do you think will be relegated? It is usually a couple of the promoted teams but this season it is almost impossible to predict – at the moment there are just 6 points separating the bottom 11 clubs! My guess – West Ham,  Fulham and Palace (I dislike Pulis and Allardyce and less London derbies).

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Cone-Man and The Barbarian

What can Meulensteen do to stop the rot? Well, the return of Hangeland to his porous defence will be hugely beneficial, the Norwegian may be ponderous ( 😀 ) but he is experienced and Fulham’s defensive leader. We welcome back an old boy who has made a fine career for himself – Steve Sidwell who will line up alongside the deeply distasteful Scott Parker (watch him kick lumps out of our lads), possibly TMHT’s fellow countryman and national captain, Karagounis and some fellows called Kasami and Degajah (sound like types of sushi) or perhaps the old but good loanee Dempsey can add some guile. Taarabt is also available but despite his undoubted talent he remains erratic.

Upfront. Darren Bent likes a goal against the club he supports (AFC) – a few years back I saw him as the successor to TH14 – how wrong was I! Will Fulham play two strikers with Berbs and Bent? Highly unlikely, my guess is they will pack the midfield, play deep, look for a set-piece goal and pray to escape a hammering. If we score a couple early it could turn nasty for the Cottagers.

I don’t want to put a bok on us but Fulham have never won away at Arsenal.

Arsenal:  Still lots of injuries but we continue to put out an excellent team, perhaps Mr Wenger is right when he states this is his best ever squad. Is it? We certainly have depth throughout the squad, particularly if Bendtner improves as cover for Giroud.

Can Cazorla and Podolksi start in the same team given Ozil’s automatic start? It assumes Santi will play centrally with Podolski coming in from the left. Is Podolski clever enough to play the great one touch football Ozil, Jack, Santi and OG play? I believe he is but I also expect him to leave in summer (a topic for another day).

My Team:

arse v ful

I know ……. no Pod and no Cazorla but given the balance of the frontline we have to play Gnabry out right with a licence to cut inside his fullback.

Or Cazorla plays left and Gnabry rides the pine. Or Podolski plays in place of Tomas and Santi plays alongside him. Who knows, we could see a few minutes from Park ! Any injury to a CB will result in Sagna playing CB and Jenks getting a run. Let’s hope that with TV out we can keep both Kos and BFG fit.

This may seem presumptuous but if we do not take 3 points today then we can forget the title. Why? Because this is probably our easiest game of the season apart from Spurs away.

Let’s finish with a story of pride coming before a fall but with a considerable silver lining.

There was a young player who learned his trade in the Arsenal youth team and was hailed as the next Liam Brady. He scored for AFC before his 19th birthday but after  just 9 games he was loaned out to Norwich and Blackburn to “beef up”. Returning to Arsenal he put in a transfer request saying he was being denied a first team place ( as attacking MF’s we had Cesc, Bobby, Freddie, Hleb, Reyes & Diaby). His “reward” was a transfer to Blackburn. Two seasons later and in one of the most bizarre signings of modern times he was sold to a team of North London no-hopers for a massive fee and a 6 year contract worth over ￡50k a week!! His career highlight was to come at THOF in the skinny cock shirt when he scored an outrageous and incredibly lucky goal in a 4-4 draw. He played a total of 44 games for the first team and that was it for him. A number of seasons in the reserves, a couple of loan deals, including one to Championship Birmingham who refused to sign him permanently and finally the spanish archer from Spurs.

So, why do I bring up David Bentley? Because it fascinates me how someone who has totally screwed up his career (he earned 7 full England caps as a 23 y.o) can earn  over 15 million quid in the last 6 years AND get a ￡1m loyalty bonus because no-one would sign him – an average wage of ￡360k+ a game for a very average player!! And what now for a man who is still younger than RVP and Mertesacker? I will tell you …. nothing; no team has offered him a contract.

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“What sin have I committed to deserve wearing this awful shirt?

The moral of the story: Sign for Spurs and become mega-wealthy whilst sitting in your Essex home playing with yourself (I mean playing computer games you mucky people!)

Another big game for Arsenal and Mr Wenger. The bookies have us as 2/9 favourites and they are seldom wrong.

Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Revenge is a dish best served cold

January 13, 2014

As I sit beside the frozen icy slopes of Zermatt I am reminded that revenge is a dish best served cold. And a January evening in the Midlands is pretty chilly!

To those who cannot recall the first day of the season, we got royally *****ed, a more polite way of saying this would be the the referee on the day had a poor afternoon. As I have little access to the internet, I cannot say who tonight’s ref will be but he will surely do a better job.

Nor can I say who will be in our opponents team tonight but given their recent record I expect the Arsenal to be confident. You chaps will no doubt be able to discuss who will be the cause for concern in their line-up; Benteke may be back on form etc etc.

But ultimately, it will be how AFC perform tonight. Top of the Table, in good form after a brilliant December and on the back of a stunning win over the miscreants (who are no doubt giving it large after beating a relegation threatened Palace), if we play to our potential we should regain our position at the top.

Third just doesn’t feel right does it?

Losing Theo was painful and it will be interesting to see how Mr Wenger copes with his loss.  I think we have enough in the squad should he not be able to buy a top quality fox-in-the-box.

My team (with no injury info)

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Someone has to miss out and for an away fixture it has to be Santi, TR has been superb this season and deserves an automatic start, plus he is more defensively aware when Pod ventures forward.

No jokes today, sorry. Just a brief intro to tonight’s match (maybe someone can add something to the post)

May the Footballing Gods bring good fortune down upon the Arsenal.

Big Raddy

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The Magic of the Cup? And Spurs/Arsenal Combined Team

January 4, 2014

I am at a loss. We are about to play our local rivals in an FA Cup game at our home ground and yet ….. look at this face …… Is it bothered? Be honest …. are you as tense as you would expect?

So what is this lack of enthusiasm?  Is it the belittling of the FA Cup? I loved it as a child when everything was focussed on the “most important Cup in world team football”, but the Champions League has dulled my passion. Even more worrying is that we are playing Spurs and  …. I had better stop – I am boring myself.

Any visit from the miscreants who leak their way through the primordial slime of Tottenham into the magnificent arena that is the Emirates is a chance to retain bragging rights. Today is no exception. And perhaps here is the rub ….. I don’t consider Spurs as rivals, and haven’t for a number of years. Yes, they have done well in the recent past and almost achieved something significant, but the fact is that they haven’t. They are Forever in our Shadow.

Not surprisingly Spurs fans see things differently; when they beat us last season my mail inbox was full, I had phone calls from all around the world, I had over 20 text messages within 15 minutes of the final whistle – every man jack Spurs fan whom I had ever met felt the need to crow, “The worm had turned, Arsenal were doomed, Spurs were on the march to London domination. AVB is a genius ( 😀  ), Wenger has lost it, etc etc”.

Do Gooners respond to an Arsenal win in the same manner? Of course not and for many reasons, primarily because we know that we support a bigger club: Not just in terms of trophies, fans, stadium, history but also in every single aspect of a football club.

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Spurs are very confident going into the game – so they should be after beating MU – it was a fine victory. Ade is playing his 6 decent games a season and we all know he scores at the Emirates, Eriksen looks like the creative player they have been missing, the central defence has improved with the signing of  Chiriches and as ever they have strong attacking FB’s.

And …. we have an injury list as long as a whale’s todger.

We are none of us particularly interested in the ever-so-dull Spurs, so lets move onto the men who matter ……

Arsenal: Who knows whether Mr Wenger will prioritise the FAC?  This is  another opportunity to get the trophy monkey off his back but given the injury list and his focus on the CL and PL, Mr Wenger may choose to play a weakened team. I don’t believe he will as he knows how important beating Spurs is to the fans and winning is a habit. As such, and given there is a week until our next game, I expect to see us line up with a strong team.

Ramsey, NB, Gibbs,  probably Giroud, maybe Ozil and the usual suspects are out.

If OG is out we have little choice but to continue with Theo and Podolski in a 4-4-2, it didn’t work vs Cardiff but to be fair the Welshman defended very well and there was no space for our attackers. Today should be different , especially if Özil is fit; he knows Podolski’s game and is starting to find Walcott’s runs.

I don’t like the Arteta/Flamini combo, and would much rather see Rosicky start alongside Arteta but AW will play safe.

My Team

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Our problems may arise should we be losing with 20 mins to go and need some attacking thrust off the bench – there is none. We can hope for something special from Gnabry or Ryo but this puts quite  some weight on very young shoulders .

Expect Spurs to play the entire game on the counter-attack. Both their goals at Old Trafford came from breakaways and it will come as no surprise to see Sherwood park the bus, pack midfield and look for the pace of Soldado and Lemon to set up Ade.

Combined Team: Not as easy as I first thought.

GK: Two excellent young keepers, both prone to silly mistakes, both first choice for their countries, both highly thought of by their team’s fans. Having done some research as to which GK made the least mistakes leading to goals in 2013 I was surprised to find it was our TPIG!

Defence: Our defence works as a unit, individually there may be some question as to whether Sagna is better than Walker or if Rose is the equal of Gibbs but our CB’s are the best in the PL as is our goals against record.

Midfield. OK. Sandro is a decent player, so is Dembele. Eriksen has potential. Capoue is a player I hoped we would sign but instead we got Flamini. Let’s be honest all our MFs are better, even our B team midfield would get a gig at WHL.

Attack. Giroud or Soldado?  Lemon or Walcott?  Ozil or Townsend/Ade or whoever else Spurs have who can play as an attacker?

so ….. here it is the combined Arsenal/Spurs team:

combined 11

I know what you Spurs fans are thinking ….. where are Wilshere, Rosicky, Podolski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Monreal, and Vermaelen (all internationals)?  And you are right. sadly there are only 11 places up for grabs.

The bookies have us as favourites and they are seldom wrong. Given a fair performance from referee Mark Clattenberg, the 4th round awaits.

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Can I have some more, please. Cardiff again.

January 1, 2014

A long night’s partying means that the opportunity of lying supine on the couch and enjoying an afternoon’s football is very attractive, an Arsenal victory would make it doubly so. Given the condition of the man writing this post it will be short and to the point …

What stands between us and 3 points? A host of injuries, a stubborn Cardiff side and  ….. well, nothing really, we should beat a managerless team who are in disarray. We beat Cardiff just a few weeks ago with another superb display from Ramsey but little can be predicted as Cardiff will be playing a very different Arsenal.

I watched the recent Cardiff vs Sunderland game and Cardiff for most of the game were strong and well-organised; expect the same today.

A domestic dialogue from earlier this morning …..

“BR: I am really interested in seeing our B team

Mrs BR: Oh, come on Big Raddy, you know that isn’t strictly true – a B team doesn’t have BFG etc in it.

BR: You don’t understand, Ozil, Ramsey, and a host of others are crocked.

Mrs. BR: Doesn’t that give the excellent squad members a chance to shine? You may even see that little fellow Gnabry whom you speak of so often. And  I will have a chance to see my mad countryman Big Nik start a game.

BR: Exactly, doesn’t fill me with confidence. Hopefully Podolski will score a brace and Santi will return to scoring ways.

Mrs BR. See, you are already feeling more confident as our “B Team” is still made up of 11 internationals who have easily enough talent and experience to beat a team likely to be relegated.

BR: You are right as always , my Dearest.”

My Team (assuming the injury rumours are true):

arse v cardiff

The bench should be interesting!!

2013 was an excellent year in the development of this team, in particular it was a good year for Mr Wenger who once again has shown himself to be a manager of the very highest order. Hard to believe that he has worked as AFC manager for longer than all the other PL managers have managed their teams added together. We have been blessed.

It was another trophy-less year (though in any just world there would be a trophy for the  team which wins the PL in the calendar year 🙂  ) and many will say we have once again not achieved anything solid, but I beg to differ, we have seen some outstanding football, lots of goals, the founding of an excellent defence and the development of real world class talents; much is made of Ramsey’s improvement but what of Cazorla, Gibbs, Koscielny and BFG?

My personal year highlight has been sharing many hours with my friends on Arsenal Arsenal. Thank you all (except the troll)

Happy New Year

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Arsenal face a stern test to end a very good year

December 29, 2013

When listening to the TV pundits raving about the wonders of Man City, the genius of Suarez and Liverpoool, the calculating charm (?) of Chelsea and Mourinho and the magnificence of the current champions, one may be surprised to learn that the team who picked up the most points in 2013 was none other than our beloved Arsenal. Has anyone praised the magnificent job done by Mr. Wenger? Through the summer there were daily reports (also from so-called Arsenal fans) about Our Leader losing the plot. Has he hell – he remains the best manager in the PL and probably Europe. As Terry says “the ghosts of the thirties are stirring” 😀

Can we repeat the magical final day win of just 6 months ago? On that wonderful day we defended like lions and had the inspirational Laurent Koscielny to thank for the victory. It also gave me my funniest moment of the year when the feckless Spurs fans mistakenly celebrated what they thought was a Newcastle goal …. click here to relive the moment.

Newcastle have moved forward since then, primarily thanks to two of their glut of Frenchmen, Remy and Cabaye. Would Remy have been an ideal fit as striking partner for Giroud? Would we have signed Ozil had the bids for Cabaye been successful? Either one of them would look good in the red and white but whether either would be starters is open to question.

Looking at the Newcastle side there is every reason for the Geordies to be optimistic about their chances this afternoon. The return of Tiote (the battle with Flamini could be explosive!) will add steel to a decent midfield. Sissoko and the wingman Gouffran (who has scored in his last 5 appearances at home) make up the numbers – it should be an interesting battle for control of the middle of St. James’ Park.

Upfront are Remy and Ameobi, pace and power but nothing that our defence cannot contain if they remain as cohesive as usual. Mr Wenger has talked about his admiration of Remy and it would not be a total surprise to see us make a bid for a man not CL cup-tied in January (not that I expect another expensive signing).

Defensively they have improved but it must be recalled that we are very strong on the road.

Newcastle are on a fine run having won 7, drawn one and lost one of their last 9 games.

Arsenal: I must start by going against the flow – following the WHU game many said we are better without Ramsey because it allows Podolski into the team and Santi to play centrally. No, No, NO. OK, he isn’t scoring as freely as a couple of months ago but Aaron is a top, top player and currently the beating heart of the team. Sure he needs a break but one or two games not the long layoff his injury could cause.

Random thought. Where the hell is Oxlade-Chamberlain?

Vermaelen or Koscielny? Rumour has it that Kos is fit to play. I wouldn’t take the risk, we have many battles ahead and TV has played well in Kos’s absence.

Monreal or Gibbs? Given the pace and trickery of both Gouffran and Ben Arfa I feel we have to start with Gibbs.

Should Giroud start? In my opinion definitely. He looks a bit leggy but Podolski is not a central striker and quite frankly Bendtner, though a starter against Hull is not in the same class.

The next question is whether Podolski should start or whether he needs more recuperation ? I have a feeling Mr Wenger is looking to ease the German back and use him as an impact sub for the next few games.

So, my team:

toon v arse

It pains me to leave out Cazorla after his excellent game at the Boleyn and perhaps Ozil will be rested but I can’t see it. Given that we are away Wilshere or Rosicky give more defensive security.

Go on …… argue your case for including either Cazorla or Podolski.

Today’s referee will be important in a game where midfield dominance is key. Unfortunately the ref is Lee Probert, a man who has a dreadful record with Arsenal. (see Untold Arsenal for details http://blog.emiratesstadium.info/archives/33337? ).

We have suffered at St. James from diabolical decisions in the past as the Geordies put pressure on the ref (4-4 Phil Dowd) and if ever there were a “homer” it is Probert. GN5, after the shabby work of Mike Dean vs Chelsea, said that if we score then we take the opportunity to derail us away from the referee, it is a point well made, but there must come a time when the refs are able to use technology to correct their mistakes because Dean’s (and others) failures could cost us dear.

This will be a tight game as once again we face a side who are at the top of their game – playing away in front of a packed and enthusiastic crowd, with a referee who is known to be poor, without Ramsey & Kos, with a tired Ozil and Giroud – would you take the draw? No, neither would I.

Another nail-biter in prospect.

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

He is the Walrus, Is Arsene an Eggman? Plus Combined Arsenal/West Ham Team

December 26, 2013

Form is temporary, class is permanent. Think about it, it explains why AFC have been in the top league longer than any club. 94 years and counting …..

No real reason for starting with this fact except it is yet another to throw at a Spurs fan when they get uppity!

West Ham have done well under Fat Sam in terms of points and promotion but imagine having to watch SamBall every week, – difficult for us Gooners who are spoiled by Mr Wenger’s brand of free-flowing attacking football. Wenger’s tactics may not always work but he does understand that football is first and foremost entertainment.

Most people of my generation have a soft spot for the Hammers primarily because for many years they were known as the Academy. West Ham have a history of producing fine footballers and playing attractive football – no more thanks to Allardyce. People talk of MU’s golden generation of Becks, Scholes, Giggs etc but what of WHU’s – Carrick, Rio Ferdinand (and his brother), Jermaine Defoe, Frank Lampard, and Joe Cole (what a team they could have been!), since then who have West Ham brought through? …… I don’t know either 🙂

What does ￡52 million buy?  66 games in 3 years and a pile of trouble. Who does one feel sorry for the clubs who have wasted huge sums of money or the player whose career has been blighted by controversy and injury? I am of course writing about Andy Carroll. Not my favourite player but one whom I have a grudging admiration for, he is still young and has the physique and talent to be an outstanding CF but who really believes he will  reach his potential? I wish him a speedy recovery as he would be very useful in Brazil.

Carroll’s absence has led to WHU playing much of the season without a CF though Maiga has taken that role recently.

You know what to expect from WHU today, they are a team in Allardyce’s image. Big, fat and very ugly.

Unknown

A midfield of Noble, Nolan, Diame and Taylor  and two CB’s like Collins and Tomkins. These are not men renowned for their skill and technicality, they are bruisers who look to bully opposition – thankfully it is not working very well and a loss today could see West Ham in the relegation zone.

Arsenal: A win today is important, in recent weeks we have played 3 of our top 4 rivals and lost just once but we all know that is not good enough – we should have taken at least 2 more points. A confidence boosting win at the Boleyn would set us up for a tough trip to Newcastle and a relatively easy ride through January.

Rotation. Who gets a rest? The team had a 9 day break ahead of the Chelsea game so fatigue should not be an issue but we have players who need pitch time in order to regain match sharpness, as such I would start Cazorla and rest Ozil today, the LFG (Little Fabulous German) is used to an Xmas break and Mr Wenger can give him one. Giroud, who has started all our PL games could ride the pine, but are Podolski or Bendtner strong enough to lead the line against a team of Orcs?

The only other area of contention is at full back. Monreal will be pushing for a January move unless he gets games pre-World Cup and I would play him today. Sagna or Jenks? Not so simple. What do you think?

My Team:

wham v arse

Podolski to get on the pitch midway through the second half. I would like to see more of Gnabry as well.

Combined Team. Looking at the Hammers it is difficult to find a single player who would get into a combined side – plus there are at least 6 AFC players who will not start who would walk into WHU’s first team. I looked at Jarvis who is a decent winger and can certainly cross better than Theo but, be honest, if we signed him would you be happy? Similarly with Nolan – a good player but not top,top or even top.

It is some time since we lost at the Boleyn but that means nothing at 15.00 GMT. We need to win to go top as L’pool will surely drop points today.

Over the years I have had some horrible experiences as a Gooner at The Boleyn (the only ground I have ever been to which had no washing facilities in the toilets!!), it would give me great satisfaction to see our boys give the Hammers fans a sad trudge home as they languish in the Bottom Three.

Let it be So …..

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

One Team in London & How Many Chelsea players would get in our team?

December 23, 2013

Today is not just about the 3 points, it is also about regaining our position as top London club. As everyone in the world knows (yes, even those without access to TV/Radio/Internet) Chelsea bought our natural place as the Capital’s Premier club.

This is no jest made by a biased Arsenal fan – it is a fact.

Arsenal have been London’s finest since the Days of Yore. It is seldom stated but in the Magna Carta (1215), under the section Amendment to The Charter of Liberties, King John is instructed to commit the then Mayor of London  – a fellow called Serlo Le Mercer (I kid you not) – to enforce legislation that there should henceforth be but “One Team in London,” and that this club should be The Arsenal.

Much water has flowed under London Bridge since those days and the Charter has been consigned to the dusty confines of the British Museum but nonetheless it exists.

As in any legend the time of Yore is followed by a time of Chaos. It took an outsider to usurp King John’s edict and that man was a Russian by the name of Abramovich. His arrival with buckets full of gold and supported by the Forces of Evil in the shape of John Terry etc  led to a temporary change of who held the title of “The One Team”, this has to be resolved.

I ask you ….. is there any right-minded person who would prefer a financially doped team of  cloggers managed by a man whose main claim to fame is he won the CL with the worst team in recent memory (Inter)  to be London’s No.1 club? Of course not.

Chelsea. Can there be any doubt that Abramovich  went down to The Crossroads and sold his soul to the devil? How else can anyone explain the unbelievable run of good luck and dreadful refereeing decisions which led to their winning the CL and Europa Cups?

Mourinho: I have to admit to having a grudging respect for the man. The mere fact that Mr Wenger has yet to beat him is proof of his managerial abilities, but unfortunately it is the circus he brings with him which I object so strongly to. It is never the team who wins, it is The Chosen One – not surprisingly when they lose it is the team who lost!

What would any football fan rather watch – a Mourinho or a Wenger team?

Chelsea come into the game full of confidence and good form. In Hazard they have a young Belgian who will surely be one of the stars of the World Cup in Brazil – a fantastic ball-player. Add in Mata, FatLamps etc and we have a tough evening ahead. As with any Moaninho team they are set up to defend first and to counter-attack. I wonder if Ashley will start or if the chap with the unpronounceable name will try to stop Theo.

As usual for a tactical or statistical analysis …. look elsewhere.

Arsenal. This time round there can be no “tired legs” excuse, 9 days of rest should allow the team to play a hard running 90+ minutes. We lose Jack to the usual FA witch-hunt of Arsenal players. Koscielny is out which could prove costly, but we have a more than adequate replacement.

Should Rosicky or Cazorla start or neither? Would we be better playing both Flamini and Arteta and allowing Arteta to play further forward? Tough decisions and we still miss Podolski and The Ox!

My Team:

aabb

As always the attacking MF’s have lease to roam at will, Flamster must be disciplined in his role as cover to the defence as we are lacking Kos’s covering pace. Our bench remains strong and it would not surprise me to see  Rosicky on for Cazorla on 70 mins. If we are in front we will surely see Monreal.

Combined Team:

As you know, I write this page primarily for my own enjoyment and in the last post I wrote about a combined AFC/MC team. It was fun researching the opposition players and weighing them against our heroes. I have to admit that had I written the team post our defeat it would have been different!! But I will give it another go.

GK. Not easy. Cech is not as good as he once was, but he was exceptional. I expected him to fade to grey this season but he has been very good. TPIG let in 6 last week – none were really his fault but I have to give this to Cech, he has been the standout GK over the past decade.

FB’s.  Ivanovic is a beast. Sagna is good but this fellow is IMO Chelsea’s best defender. On the left there is Ashley or the other chap vs Gibbs. I have to take our boy who has improved hugely this year and if emotion were not in play would go to Brazil ahead of Cole.

CB’s. BFG /Kos/Vermaelen/Terry/ Luiz/Cahill. We don’t want Terry anywhere near this team and he is not as good as BFG, though he may have been in the past. A more interesting comparison is Cahill and Koscielny. I was hugely disappointed when we failed to sign Cahill – he is a Wenger player, but I was wrong to doubt the Great Man because Koscielny is becoming a world class CB – pacy, intuitive and strong, though still subject to lapses of concentration. Luiz should and could be a brilliant player, he is yet another example of a player ruining his career by being attracted to the money and not what is best for him.

Midfield DM. In an attacking team we should look at Ramires, Flamini, Arteta,and Mikel. Ramires just shades it, he is all-action, can score (unfortunately) and is younger.

Midfield Attack(ish). Ramsey is an automatic starter in any PL team, so is Mata. So out of Cazorla , Rosicky, Hazard, Wilshere, who gets the last MF place? Heart says Santi, head says Hazard – the Frenchie is a very good wideman.

Ozil or any of the Chelsea playmakers/attackers? Even Mourinho admires our German. I like their German (Schurrle) and predict he will have a fine PL career but Ozil is undroppable.

CF. Eto’o, Theo, Podolsi, Ba, Torres or Giroud? Torres loves a goal against us (as does Mata) but OG is the best frontman in a team needing a back to goal CF.

so ….

aacc

5 of theirs and 6 of ours which may show my AFC bias! This team would easily win the title – perhaps a little attack focussed but what the heck ….

Can we win today and regain our TOTL? Yes, says a quietly confident Raddy.

Why?

Because the Forces of Good and The Righteous always overcome the DarkSide.

written by Big Raddy who wishes each and every one of you a Merry Xmas

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Posted by Erik the Red

How many Man City players would get into the Arsenal team? + Match preview.

December 14, 2013

Should be a superb game this afternoon. The best away side in the PL against the best home team.  If the world was a just and fair place we would leave with the 3 points but sadly, it isn’t.

And why do I say that? Because the recent history of the Northern Oilers has besmirched their past. I guess for their supporters all they care about is that City have been re-born, but to those teams who have chosen to take another route it is galling to say the least. But enough of that, this is the status quo and we must live with it. Actually, No, before leaving this subject I need to say one thing – Arsenal are a team with tradition who have found a way to compete without selling it’s soul. Hurray for us!!

In summer when asked who would win the title this season I replied City. To me they have the best squad, the most complete first team and the greatest resources. They disappointed last season, primarily because of a manger who had little empathy with his players.

Let’s look at their squad. Hart remains a terrific player and without question the best English keeper yet he is on the bench. Is it a similar situation to Szczesny’s benching last season ? Only City fans know whether they have more faith in Big Pants.

Across defence their only “weak” spot seems to be who partners Kompany. Any team which can bench Lescott, Richards, etc etc is strong. Same in midfield …. when one has limitless purchasing power a team can take a punt with big money – Rodwell? Here is a lad who looked as though he would be an England regular by now but instead he hardly gets to ride the pine! We know the other chaps, Yaya, Samir, Fernandinho (over €30m!!), Garcia – all fine players and yet in this area we can match them.

Where we are nowhere near as good is in attack. Aguero is the best forward in the PL. Suarez is good but this fellow is tops. No silly stuff just does his job with startling efficiency. We should have bid €50m (plus one) for him. Then there is Dzeko, a player who would be an automatic starter at THOF and yet struggles to get a start thanks to the fine start from Negredo. Negredo cost €20m (ish), Soldado cost €27m (:-D :-D), both Spanish , one has flourished the other looks like a complete waste of money . Another City signing who impresses is Jesus Nava – a Spanish Theo.

Then there is Jovetic, and here I have to apologise because I have to go back to the subject I said I wouldn’t in the second para ….. money. The media stated categorically that we were trying to sign this lad to play alongside Giroud (who knows if it was true) but City signed him specifically to stop him improving our side – no other reason. (they did the same when they cherry-picked Samir, Ade, Gael and Kolo). How many times has Jovetic played?  Three.  22 million of her majesty’s for what?  Perhaps we can buy him in January at a discount. I know Chelsea did the same with Willian but I do not expect a quality club like Man City to stoop to Chav-dom. Do you?

You may be a little concerned having read the above BUT …. we are TOTL and despite a bit a silliness in Naples are in good form. We drew at the Etihad last season in a dour 0-0, and we have much more attacking threat this time round. We are just the sort of team to trouble City due to the pace and intelligence of our attacking midfield.  Much has been made of the absence of Walcott and we must hope he has been rested to be fully fit this afternoon. There is little doubt MC will have the bulk of possession and a counter-attack seems the most likely weapon.

My Team:

city v arse

I have benched Wilshire but the fact he was rested in Italy points to him starting, perhaps with Flamster being rested. Ozil looks tired but has to play, or does he? Santi is so much better playing in the hole. We are starting to have a seriously strong bench and can actually improve the side with substitutions – it has been some time since we could say that.

Just for fun I thought I would see what a combined MC/AFC team might look like. What do you think?

arsecity

So…. in my team there are 7 Gooners and just 4 Blues. Surprising but then I might be biased 😀

Is Negredo better than Giroud? I don’t think so and a frontline of OG and Aguero would be very potent. I do not know enough about the City full-backs to make a fair comparison so I went with my heart and a bit of logic – Gibbs is better than Clichy, and Sagna is top quality. The CB pairing would be the best in the PL  and though Koscielny is not far off Kompany, the Belgian is the best CB and Captain in the league. Goalkeeper is also an area of doubt, all three in contention are fine keepers but TPIG takes it thanks to his form this season. Ozil or Silva/Nasri? Come on …..   DM’s – Yaya is a monster and it was a sad day when he decided to sign for MC instead of us, he is almost as good as PV4. Fernandinho has youth, agility and being Brazilian on his side, as much as I admire Arteta and Flamini they are simply not as good. No place in the team for Jack or Santi or Theo but none are automatic first choice for AFC let alone this team.

So, for the first time this season we go into a game as under-dogs. Can we win? Of course we can, we won in Dortmund. The betting is very much in favour of a home win which given MC’s 100% home record is understandable. Pre-game I would be delighted to take a point.

COYRRG

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Twist or Stick? Is Mr Wenger a Gambling Man?

December 11, 2013

Crunch time and given the group who would have thought we would be a neck in front with the finishing line in sight? It took ages to work out the permutations after the Marseilles game but now we know – lose by less than 3 goals and we are through.

But ….. we also know the pitfalls of finishing second in a group. A draw or win will result in our avoiding some difficult ties.

I stated during the summer that finishing 4th was fine and dandy for the balance sheet but as we had no chance of winning Big Ears, it would be better to have a tough group and go out early. My reasoning being that less games would allow us to have more “puff” come season’s end. Well, I now think my opinion is a pile of doodlysquat, we can and probably will win the thing.

It would be expecting too much for a repeat of the first 25 minutes at The Emirates – Napoli were doomed from the first kick and we could afford to cruise through the second half. If we score early the tie is over although Napoli can still go through if they win. Is this the best scenario? It would dispose of a brilliant Dortmund team who could prove a difficult hurdle later in the tournament.

ar v na

Napoli are without Hamsik but have quality throughout their team. Any team with Inler, Pandev, Higuian and ex-Real Madrid star Callejon is a threat.

Benitez is back tinkering which is causing ructions amongst the Napoli fans. He has played 14 different line-ups in their first 15  Serie A games! Napoli were booed off the pitch at the weekend after squandering a 2 goal lead at home to Udinese but perhaps their minds were focussed upon tonight. They also lost their previous home game against Parma.

Arsenal:  It will be of huge interest to see how Mr Wenger sets up the team tonight. Twist or stick? Attack, or defend and play on the counter? My preference is for 5 minutes of all out attack followed by containment through the first half and the first 20 minutes of the second, then stick it to the Neapolitans for outbidding us on Higuian.

The midfield axis of Flamster and Arteta must start as should Theo, though Mr Wenger has shown a reluctance to start our speedster – perhaps he is not 100% yet.

My Team:

n v a

Ramsey needs a break, his performance on Sunday was poor compared to his early season work and could be rested ahead of the MC game. Same with Wilshere, and as such I would be tempted to bench them both. TR or Cazorla? Santi is not back to his best and Tomas is the better defender so I would go with him but either will do an excellent job.

Should we rest Özil whom I thought he was excellent vs Everton? He is accustomed to a winter break and has played almost every game since his signing but if we are to get a result tonight his presence is essential. Mr Wenger has been playing him primarily on the right and if Theo starts Mesut can influence play in a different way. I can’t wait for their understanding to develop but then I think the same of Ozil and Cazorla – it hasn’t happened yet but we know it will.

So …. can we get a result tonight? Will the referee be biased in a town renowned for it’s – how shall I put it without causing offence – “perversity”. Huge money has been thrown into this Napoli side and they are a fine team who are desperate to show their mettle. They have beaten Dortmund at home, which we failed to do, and are playing in front of their very vocal fans. It will be tough but I think we have enough.

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

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