Can Arsenal sustain the Improvement?

November 24, 2012

Let’s not get carried away. Two wins against very poor opposition does not mean we are going to charge up the table  – or does it? Could a week of 7 goals and a clean sheet be the portents for a massive improvement? We will find out today.

Aston Villa have had a troubled start to the season; they lack confidence, strikers, cohesion and points. What they do not lack is a very good young manager who will be using all his skills to rectify this situation. Lambert has proven he has the ability to take a club with a small budget to PL safety, I expect him to do the same at Villa, though he is banned from the touchline for this fixture thanks to being rightly upset with the officials.

I have always liked Villa; they have a noble history but went into decline 20+ years ago. To those younger fans it should be noted that, unlike us, they have won the European Cup – can anyone remember the name of their manager at the time? (without Google :-)).

Never liked their ground, set amongst motorways, scrubby parkland  and industrial estates – and the scene of that horrible night of the DB missed penalty, and a hairy Giggs goal (BR was there in ’99). But like Liverpool and Everton, Villa are a proper club.

Who is this Man? (clue: he is not Inspector Clouseau)

Villans are not happy, their team are struggling but there are signs of improvement – 2 ahead against MU, doing OK at MC before being shafted by the ref, this will not be an easy game for us. Villa have a young inexperienced squad and are heavily dependent upon Benteke to score, despite having Darren Bent and Abonglohar in the squad. What has happened to Bent? A confirmed Gooner and according to Peaches a very pleasant chap, he has cost his employers over £50m in transfer fees and yet doesn’t feature in a team desperate for goals. He could be a reasonable Chamakh replacement in January.

Stat time; We have not lost against AV for 13 games (6 dr 7 w). In 7 of the last 9 meetings there has been a goal after the 87th minute. AV have won just 2 of their last 18 home PL games. All of this bodes ill for Arsenal who love to buck the trend!

Arsenal: No Theo, some of the team looking jaded, Sagna and JW both being used too often after retuning from long-term injury, Gibbs a risk, Podolski overplayed – is JNYC right that we need some rotation? Most would say Yes, particularly as we are away at Everton mid-week. I think a little tinkering and perhaps some timely substitutions will suffice.

My Team:

I would be happy to se Gervinho if O-C his not fully recovered from his hip injury . Much will depend upon how AW sets up the midfield., he may choose to play Coquelin in place of JW.

Our recent run of form is entirely due to the good luck brought by the two hirsuite brave Englishmen presented in these pre-matches. Today’s explorer is sure to bring us victory:  Edward John Eyre (1815-1901). An English land explorer who was just a touch self-obsessed as witnessed by the names of his discoveries – Lake Eyre, the Eyre Peninsula and the Eyre River (all in South Australia) he walked through South Australia, the Nullabor plains and along the Great Bight – over 2000 miles! Eyre later became Governor of Jamaica.

Why not re-name it The Eyre-Mirates?

I foresee a tough game this evening. Villa will be keen to get their season on track and our lads have yet to play 90 fluent minutes. Our recent habit of starting very slowly needs to be addressed, so I look for fast start, an early goal and a tight defensive display.

COYRRG

Written by Big Raddy

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Why bother with the Champions League?

November 21, 2012

We had a vibrant discussion recently based around Gooner In Exile’s suggestion that the CL should not be prioritized ahead of the Premiership. An interesting and unusual viewpoint but one which has occupied my mind ever since. (please correct me if I misunderstood!) The point being that we will neither win nor get near to winning the cup.

With Aston Villa away followed by Everton we have difficult games ahead, games in which we will need an injury free squad. So should Mr Wenger put out his best team tonight? In my opinion definitely, because Champions League games at home are the pinnacle of Arsenal watching. The opportunity to play the best foreign teams has always excited me and despite many, many seasons of failure to win Big Ears, it still does.

But I see GIE’s point, does anyone really believe we can win the thing?

Are we kidding ourselves?

Last season Man City went out pre-knockout and won the PL, Man Utd went out at the same time and were within 30 seconds of another championship. Could we have done better without playing those extra games? Would the team have been galvanised by the “humiliation” of not progressing further?

Ask Arsène. I believe he really enjoys these games and given the choice of Schalke or Sunderland away and I know which he will choose!

A win tonight puts us in the box seat for qualification with the tricky trip to Greece as our final game. We beat Montpelier away but quite frankly a draw would have been a fairer result with our defence standing firm against a tide of French attacks. Losing to Schalke was a shock, not so much the result but the manner of the loss – we were undone, stripped naked, spanked and left embarrassed. Pride was regained in the recent draw but anyone watching would be foolish to bet on Arsenal progressing very far in the CL.

Yet you have to be in it to win it and a win tonight is a must.

Montpelier are in average form and feeling the loss of our new Wonder-Striker. They are 14th in La Ligue and have drawn their last 3  games plus they lost away at Olimpiakos. We have seen the dangers of Belhanda and Camara is their top scorer but we really should beat them.

My team:

The return of GIbbs is timely, Tommy is not a left back – he doesn’t have the spatial awareness nor the attacking ability for the position but is Gibbs fit enough to play tonight and Saturday?  I hope so. Gervinho is also fit and could well play as Theo is out. I would prefer to see Ox start – he hasn’t played enough this season and needs a run of games.

Captain James Cook brought us a handsome victory at the weekend over the subterranean ghouls. Let us see if today’s hero can do the same.Thomas Blakiston 1832- 1891. This brave fellow spent much of his life tramping over the world in search of wealth, fame, animals and plants. He was the first Eurpopean to travel the length of the Yangtse in China and then spent many years in Japan. Prior to this Blakiston explored Wetsern Canada. He died in Columbus Ohio of pneumonia.

I discovered the Blakiston Fish Owl in Japan. What have you done? (& I do NOT look like Scott Parker)

An early goal to settle the nerves and a composed defensive display will set us up for the next round.

Written by Big Raddy

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Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners ……..

November 17, 2012

Let’s start the day with a bit of word association. What is the first word which comes to your mind when you read the following….?

Highbury

Tony Adams

Arsenal

Thierry Henry

Tottenham

Gareth Bale

My guess is that the last two was less than complimentary! And that is all we need to know about the importance of today’s game.

I have been steeped in an irrational dislike of all everything associated with N.17 since childhood; the dreadful smell, the slime trails on the pavement, the hairy backed inhabitants, the guttural grunting noises and, above all else, the shower of excrement which purports to play football at SHL.

Most of my life the cave dwellers have been in our shadow. This is no accident., it is natural way of the world; anything else would be an aberration. There have been rare occasions when the fates have turned against us and the Miscreants somehow found themselves above us in the table but these were due to crass bad management of the resources at Highbury – nothing else.

My keyboard is set not to write this word but it must be over-ridden for the sake of this post – Spurs. OK it’s done. Spurs have spent a squillion over the years trying to finish above us in the table. During that time we have a new stadium – they play in a little shed; we have won Doubles, PL titles, Cups, they have won  doodlysquat.

Spurs have gambled on a manager who had a wonderful record before coming to England but is now struggling. One can only assume AVB had no knowledge of the rotten core in N.17  because he sure didn’t need the aggravation of having deluded fans telling him he is shite. I have sullied myself by going to THFC website’s, (needless to say the spelling and grammar is appalling) and the gist is this :- “AVB is an idiot because he plays Defoe instead of Adebayor,” the next day, “AVB is an idiot because he plays Adbeayor and NOT Defoe” ….. same blog! Spurs fans do not like AVB, they liked Harry, who was a crook and stupid (even if he is a dog-lover) – he fitted the club like a silk glove. AVB with his suits and his tactics and his intelligence does not.

We know their players … Cumberstone, MonkeyBoy, Ade, Lemon, WG, Conker etc etc. Dull, dull, dull. We know what to expect – a hard fought midfield battle with plenty of running and long balls to Lemon who cuts inside or crosses. They will not allow us the space we got last season. Should they lose today Spurs will continue their fine run of losses and prove their fans right – Let it be so.

Arsenal: What links Rosicky, Szeczesy, RvP, Gibbs, Song and  Benayoun? That’s right, they all started this fixture last year. So, we have over half the team replaced in a year. How can we achieve consistency with this type of turnover? Plus we have major injury concerns following the Interlull. After finding his form Giroud is struggling for fitness, as is Walcott, Sagna, and Ox. Gibbs is out which is bad news considering the speed of MB and Lemon.

My Team:

Let us assume Arteta, OG and TW are not fit, we could play

I really hope Arshavin gets some pitch time, he can be our super-sub.

Today’s Explorer. James Cook (1728-1779). Without doubt the world’s most famous beardless explorer and an absolutely top bloke. His list of achievements will never be surpassed. Just imagine it, you are on a little boat just 100 foot long with 93 others. That’s right, almost 100 men on a 100 foot boat. And then you go away through uncharted seas for years at a time, Cook not only did this but chose to do so many times. He led an expedition to map Newfoundland, then took the Endeavour to “discover” New Zealand and Australia (and Bora Bora) . The list of places he surveyed for the first time is too long to write here, but take it from a man who passed  Geography A Level (B grade) that it is impressive. Unfortunately Cook died in Hawaii at the hands of a rowdy group of inbreeds from the Paxton Rd End.

4-3-3  or  4-4-2  or  3-5-2?

This is a massive game for both teams who for different reasons are struggling (AFC because we are out of form and crippled by injuries, Spurs because they are rubbish). We need to win, we don’t need to score 5, though it would be nice, we just need to show this team has the potential to progress.

Lose and it will be Mugabe Lock Down for all Gooners.

Written by Big Raddy

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Fulham. Mannone’s Last Stand?

November 10, 2012

A skimpy one today…

We are not firing on all cylinders and as such need to dig in to get a result.

Martin Jol is a decent bloke who got shafted by those fools down the road. A man you would want on your side in a scrap.

Fulham are a good team who play decent football. Berbs plays with a Gitane hanging from his lip and is a craftsman. They are strong in defence and have a decent record against us – drawing at The Ems last season. Expect a tough game.

Fulham have the same number of points as us.

Arsenal are suffering from injuries particularly in midfield.
 We need some players back. In attack Podolksi wants to play centrally, so does, Giroud, so does Theo and Mr Wenger wants to play Gervinho there. Insoluble problem? Not with the number of injuries we pick up.

Vito has done sterling work in Szczesny’s absence. With TPIG’s return to fitness what will AW do? Based upon Mannone’s Schalke performance I would say he is our Number One for the time being. TPIG will have to work for his shirt

My team:

My concerns are the attacking possibilities of such a midfield and perhaps Mr Wenger will go with Arshavin who has been on fine form this season. Having Walcott out wide will give Fulham problems.

I would love to see us play 4-4-2 with Podolski further forward but know it will not happen.

Todays explorer: Thomas Cavendish (1560-1592). Circumnavigated the globe. Plundered Spanish shipping wherever he found it. Generally a top bloke who brought silk and spices from East Asia to the court of Queen Elisabeth. Cavendish was knighted at the age of 28. Rumour has it that Cavendish was personally acquainted with Elisabeth’s crown jewels. Sadly, he died on his second voyage (32 y.o) off the coast of Ascension Isles. His ship went on to discover the Falklands Islands in 1592. As many know there is a square in London named after him .

A Ladies Man

We need these points more than Fulham. With the cave dwellers coming next Saturday, a confidence booster would be great. Please Arsenal score early – even better score two early. The fans are restless.

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Get on the Good Foot

November 6, 2012

Hands up who thinks we will win tonight?  Mmmmmm seems I am in the minority. OK, Schalke dominated the game at The Emirates and were deserving winners, but tonight is a chance to rectify those mistakes and continue on our path to winning the Champions League  ….. And before you start to say BR is 3 sheets to the wind, may I remind you of who is the current CL Champions and how they won Big Ears?

We can win and here is why ……

First and foremost, Mr Jack Wilshere. We are unquestionably better with him in the side. I guess that under normal circumstances AW would rest Wilshere for tonight but given his coming enforced rest, Jack must start. I would like to linger on Jack for a moment. How did he escape media and fans rebuke for getting sent off? How could it be that it was Mr Wenger who took all the brickbats for JW’s stupidity? Wilshere is an established International, he has played over 60 games for Arsenal, yet at Old Trafford he was on a yellow, had been warned by the referee as to his future conduct and still committed a foul that in the ref’s view deserved a yellow. Why was he so reckless? To say AW should have taken him off is unreasonable – should every player on a yellow get subbed?  No, of course not. A great player needs to be on the pitch to assist his team and JW let us down, tonight he will make amends.

Another plus:  Bacary Sagna:  At least BS should get some decent crosses into Giroud who I predict will score tonight.

The second Leg: Mr Wenger  will address the way Schalke double teamed Santos. Gibbs remains unavailable so a different solution must be found – perhaps playing Coquelin in place of Podolski?). Much mooted is the idea of playing Vermaelen at LB and bringing back Koscielny. My concern with this tactic is the pace of the Schalke’s wingers. TV  is a fine player in a poor run of form and works best as a CB. I would prefer to continue with Santos and make TV aware of his covering responsibilities.

Schalke are good, very good but we should remember that for the first 20 minutes of the last game Arsenal were well on top, we looked comfortable and the following hour remains a shock . That Affellay, Farfan and Huntelaar  are quality players should come as no shock.

The injury list is just so annoying – Ox, Gibbs, Szczesny, Diaby , Gervinho – all fine players, all would be vying for a start tonight. And that is without important squad members Rosicky, Fabianski, Ramsey etc. Will there ever be a time when we can choose from an injury-free squad ?

My team: …. I was asked whether this my ideal choice or those I anticipate AW will make – it is the latter.

The news that Walcott is doubtful due to sickness came after this post was written, your guess as to his replacement is as good as anyone’s

We have to be more attacking than we have been in the last few weeks. I understand the need to secure the defensive side of our game and in the absence of both Ox and Theo there were few alternatives but the team has been dreadfully short of creativity.

The Schalke fans were superb at The Emirates and they are fervent at home, 60,000+ will be willing their team on. We almost silenced the German fans at Borussia Dortmund, we can do the same tonight.

Today’s explorer:  John Rae (1813-1893). Rae’s speciality was ice – lots of it. He tried to find the Northwest Passage – some say he did find it –  once walking 1200 miles through forest in two months during a Canadian winter. He learned Inuit and explored Greenland and Iceland .

Dr Rae anticipating a good performance tonight

Schalke have only kept one home clean sheet  in 14 games in Europe. As another great Scot  Dave Mackay once said “Attack is the best form of defence ” (Charles Buchan Football Monthly Feb 1964).

COYRRG

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Virgin Sacrifice: I presume

November 2, 2012

There are games one anticipates with hope rather than confidence. You know the ones, the top 3 away and of late the trip to the Cave Dwellers. I have never enjoyed our games at the Old Toilet, we rarely do well and when we do it comes as a surprise – yes, we have had some wonderful wins and some sterling performances but on the whole we struggle. We have won once at OT in 10 years (PL) and just 3 times in 20 years.

Then there was last season’s freak humiliation. And before you Kent United fans get uppity, the 8 goals came from 14 shots on target. we had 9, you had 3 corners, AFC 5. A freak result which owed much to good fortune and a dreadful defensive performance from a patched up Arsenal – Traore and Jenks were our FB’s (CJ’s first PL game).

All football fans know that SAF signed a pact with the devil – the percentage of dodgy refereeing decisions and decades of outrageous good fortune are testament to his trip down to the Crossroads but last season the Oil money bought his luck. The Chavs shameful CL victory and MC’s last-second PL win must have shaken The Gorbals  Guzzler down to the tip of his steel toed boots. Having already sold his soul Ferguson is surely looking at other avenues to ensure his team’s dominance over the fickle fates….. see below

Sir Alex prepares for the game

Let’s get the unpleasant stuff out of the way early. Brave Sir Robin. An inspired purchase by SAF, a purchase which could win them the title. For us, a shambles of Titanic proportions. To BSR we are the lover scorned and he will pay the price whatever Mr Wenger says.

What can we expect of today? None of the MU players who conceded 5 (as we did!) midweek will start, as such, Scholes, Cleverly and Carrick will be doing their best to cripple Santi and Jack.  Their defence is said to be shaky but whose wouldn’t given their injuries at CB ? We can but hope that SAF has a meltdown and includes Wooton.

It goes without saying that MU sport some of the most odious men playing today. Evra, Rooney, Nani, Rafael, Ferdinand , Anderson, Fletcher, Young – all  beetle headed baculum (look it up!). I hesitate to put Ashley Young amongst these miscreants but despite being a Gooner, if the cap fits…..

I expect Mr Wenger to take a conservative view; he will not want his team humiliated again – if last season was tough for us, imagine how it was for him.

My Team:

I fully expect to see both Arshavin and Walcott at some point, especially Theo after his fine performance at Reading. But today we will need solidity, should we reach the hour point on level terms I hope AW will bolster the attack.

Much focus will be upon the performance of Jack Wilshire. So much riding upon his stocky frame and the strength of his ankles. If he returns to the form of two seasons ago this Arsenal team will be very, very strong. It is one thing to close down Cazorla with 2 players but having another creative genius allows Arsenal to continue to threaten. We must pray that the referee (Mike Dean – the world is watching) will protect him because you know SAF will be telling his miscreants to kick two colours out of young Jack

It is a great shame Diaby is not fit as this would be his type of game, we will miss Gibbs as well because it is inevitable SAF will target Santos.

This is a game which George Graham would have relished; put the Famous 5 in place of the current back 5 and we would stand a much better chance. Actually, scratch that ….. put Seaman into this team and it would be transformed. The stats show we have conceded just 6 PL goals which is astonishing given our goalkeeping frailty; it is a testament to a team ethic. But and this is a huge BUT, no team wins things without a top goalkeeper and we are lacking. Let us pray to Dennis that AW has a proper GK in his sights this January – watching Julio Cesar perform heroics for QPR last week made me wonder why he wasn’t in our goal.

Today’s Top Man:  I promised you David Livingstone (1813 – 1873) and here he is in all his pomp and glory:

No Beard – Not Knighted

A Scottish Protestant Missionary, he was the first white man to cross Africa. He also tried to find the source of the Zambezi, a 6 year expedition during which he “discovered”/named Victoria Falls and Lake Malawi. He then traveled into the East African jungle where he got “lost” for 4 years. Such was Livingstone’s fame that the New York Herald sent out Henry Stanley to find him. They met on the shores of Lake Tanganyika with Stanley humorously greeting him with the famous words “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.”  Livingstone died in Africa (malaria), his heart was buried in Zambia, and his body brought back to England where it was buried in Westminster Cathedral

BR doesn’t make predictions but he would be thrilled with a point and promises to buy Mrs Raddy something expensive should when we win.

Written by Big Raddy

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Into Silicon Valley in search of Silverware

October 30, 2012

My expectations for tonight are not great. Away to PL opposition is always difficult with a reserve side, but on the other hand these are the type of games when we really see how our lads perform under pressure.

Will Reading prioritise the League Cup (or whatever it is called this season)?  Their next two PL games are QPR away and Norwich at home, both games against direct relegation rivals which will surely have an effect upon McDermott’s selections.

Reading’s last game was an exciting 3-3 draw with Fulham, scoring in the final minute through Robson-Kanu who had trials at Arsenal (no relation to the great man). The manager, Brian Mcdermott was of course a Gooner – probably still is. In ’84/5 he played 45 games under Don Howe. Sadly, George Graham didn’t appreciate his talents and he fell from grace, but he was at AFC for 7 years. McDermott recently called Arsenal Football Club “world class” which shows he is a keen and astute football man.

Another ex-Gunner is Stuart Taylor who also had 7 years at Highbury winning a league title, FA Cup and two League Cup medals – almost all from the bench (like Nasri). He may play tonight. Pogrebyak is a Russia regular and a friend of Arshavin, should he play, he will be a handful for our  CB’s.

Will Mr Wenger play any of the players returning from injury? If Gibbs is approaching fitness I would give him 45 mins to sharpen up ahead of MU. With Szczesny approaching a return it may be a last hurrah for Mannone but can AW take the risk of an injury? Of course not so Martinez will get another chance to show us why he is considered so promising.

My Team:

As you can tell I have little idea of the team. Mr Wenger has to make decisions about whether to risk any first team players in what will be a feisty game, though the above team appears too defensive and there is no real left back,

Chamakh needs to start if he is to find a club in January (assuming he hasn’t already done so). Either that or Walcott could be given his chance as central striker. Who would you pick?

Today’s top man:  Sir George Everest  (1790- 1866) . An explorer and surveyor who spent much of his life in India. Surveying was extremely important in those days  because people had no maps and no real idea of the correlation between places, and without maps people didn’t know where there were. Imagine how grateful the natives must have been when they could say “I live 42 miles North West of  Faizabad”. Couldn’t have been done without surveying and the British surveyed the world. Knighted in 1861 there is a mountain named after him.

Sir Everest in his Sunday suit

Tough game tonight but one we can win. We are sure to be solid in defence with Martinez given a chance to shine. As Reading are scoring freely and porous in defence we should see an attacking game.

It’s a Cup, we need silverware.

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Quo Vadis Arsenal v QPR

October 27, 2012

It is rare that Big Raddy struggles to raise enthusiasm for a post but this week has been just so disappointing. Two hard defeats, a dull AGM and another plucky  MU victory, all horribly depressing. Apart from our neighbours scraping a draw with a team of chicken farmers and the losses of MC and the Chavs, it has been unremitting pain.

BR on Thursday morning

But we Arsenal fans aren’t going to let a few disappointments mar our season are we? We are going to get back in the saddle and ride out to face the massing hordes of the enemy. And today we face one of football’s most craven villains. Not the team – everyone has a soft spot for QPR, but their manager, the odious frog -faced Mark Hughes. It is well documented that I have a problem with this miscreant; many detest SAF, others Pulis or Fat Sam, but for me Hughes is the arch villain – he is Lex Luther to Arsene’s Superman.

Just look at his record. This fool has destroyed club after club, admittedly he doesn’t cause the economic ruin that *Arry does, No, what Hughes does is more insidious. He teaches players to perform as he did, with touches of panache which disguise a petty violence – he is the ankle tapper, the achilles tendon breaker as opposed to the leg breaking of Allardyce. At least Allardyce stands up for his crimes to football, Sparky just blames others.

Unfortunately, Rangers have started to improve. The tens of millions spent on new players may not have been wasted as the team starts to gel. I watched their performance last weekend in the draw with Everton and QPR looked good – they could and should have won. Decent ball players, the creativity of Taraabt, some pace and stout defenders…. you know their assets as well as I do. But…..

This game will revolve entirely around Arsenal’s performance. My prayer is that we score early and stop the ill-humour which will inevitably grow should the team struggle. Get the fans onboard, start playing the football we know we can and get back to winning ways.

The signs are that Wilshere will get some pitch-time which is a huge fillip to the fans. So much expectation is resting upon his very young shoulders, but should he be the player we all think he is, then the future is rosy.

My team:

Much depends upon who is fit. What is clear is that somehow we have to create chances for the forwards. In the last two game we haven’t had a sniff at goal. We don’t have the type of strikers who can create their own chances, ours are finishers. The Gervinho in the middle ploy worked for a couple of games but (and I hesitate to say this) he is not intelligent enough to play the role being asked of him – he is no Thierry. We have an expensive CF, play him and let him show what he can do, let Giroud play 90 minutes. Podolski has been subbed in almost every game which makes me question his fitness, so why not give him a 2 week rest?

As to Santos. I feel he has been vilified in the same way that Ramsey, Song, Eboue etc etc have been. Santos is a good player working his way back into the team after a long lay-off through injury, that said, his lack of match fitness is costing us goals, both Norwich and Schalke’s first were as a direct result of Santos not keeping the defensive line; if Gibbs is fit he must start.

Today’s man is just a taster for one of Britain’s great heroes; David Livingstone was an extraordinary man who needs more time than I have today. Instead I will leave you with a picture of his father-in-law, a missionary who established a South African church in 1820.

Three  points is a must today. Not just to stop the rot but to condemn Mr Hughes to a P45 (if they exist anymore)

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Schalke: Speke’s Fighting Spirit

October 24, 2012

Schalke. An enchanting name, like a lover’s whisper on a hot summer night.

To be honest,  I know next to nothing about Schalke and from yesterday’s lack of response it seems none of you do either. Yes, we know that they beat Borussia Dortmund last weekend and that they finished 3rd in the Bundesliga last season ( a season in which we beat their  current Champions) but apart from Huntelaaar , their players, history and town are unknown. So following some research here is a short resume:

Managed by  Huub Stevens, Schalke play their home games in the 62k capacity Veltins Arena (Veltins is a brewer). They have over 100k members. The last time they won the Bundesliga was in Black and White (1957). Schalke have won the UEFA Cup (1997), twice won the Inter-Toto and in 2011 reached the CL semi-Final only to be knocked out by MU, who happily got hammered in the final. They have some fine players including a wunderkid – Draxler, a couple of old Arsenal targets, Metzelder, recently returned from Real Madrid  and Affelay, who is on loan from Barca. A player to watch (should he be fit) is Lewis Holtby, a young MF who has represented Germany at all levels despite having an English father. Schalke  (like BD) have a very fervent support – it is unlikely The Emirates will be quiet tonight.

No, not Chelsea …. Schalke Fans

Reports say that Schalke beat BD by playing on the break – this is not especially good news for Arsenal. That said, they are averaging two goals a game and clearly have attacking intent.

Podolski who knows a thing or two about German football states that Schalke will be our toughest opposition in the group. They rarely lose at home so tonight we must maximize our home advantage.

Arsenal go into the game under pressure to perform. We were pants at Carrow Rd and the team has taken a media battering. They deserved it. I don’t go along with those who say the team lacked effort or passion, what they lacked was team work, cohesion, inspiration and luck. Norwich’s goal was lucky –  a fellow takes a pot shot from 35 yards, the ball swerves unexpectedly, Don Vito is surprised. Holt who should be offside is onside because Santos isn’t concentrating, BFG couldn’t get back because he was doing his job of taking out the defence and we went 1-0 down. Norwich got lucky. But, there was no excuse for the total lack of inspiration in the next 70 minutes and tonight we must see a return to form or the knives will be out.

Let us look at the possible forward combinations. We have a choice of Pod, Gerv and Giroud. Podolski has a minor injury and in ideal circumstances would be rested, but can we go into the game with just OG and The Swerve upfront? We could if we had a potent midfield ….. but we don’t. Could Chamakh make a comeback?  No –  that isn’t a joke! And what of Arshavin who will surely get some pitch time tonight?

Rosicky, Sagna, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Diaby, Szczesny, Gibbs and Koscielny. That is some team and every one is injured. – 9 top players out which  may be part of the reason for Norwich.

My Team:

Which is exactly the same team that started at Norwich. Apart from Coquelin or Arshavin there are few alternatives. There is a possibility that Koscielny will be fit but I wouldn’t start him ahead of TV and BFG.

Enough of football and onto Raddy’s current interest which is those intrepid English explorers. Today’s great man is John Speke seen looking lovely and tidy in a portrait below ….

John Hanning Speke

Speke discovered the source of the Nile which had been a mystery for over 2000 years, he called it Lake Victoria (known by locals as Nyanza Ukerewa). To cross through Central Africa in those days was a major undertaking with over 80% of the explorers dying from illness or attack, it took not only great courage but lots of money – Speke had both. Speke fought in the British Army in India, he explored the Himalayas and even tried to climb Everest. He died in a shooting accident in 1864.

Would a man who was captured by Somalian tribesmen and stabbed several times before freeing himself and his friends go belly-up because of a crap result at Norwich? Would he hell, and neither will The Arsenal.

3 points tonight and we are almost assured a place in the next round. You know it will not be easy, it isn’t the Arsenal Way but ….. Victoria Concordia Crescit

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Narch. Letsbe Avingham.

October 20, 2012

Thank Dennis for that – it’s over .Two weeks of unrelenting football withdrawal. Cold turkey is over and we get our fix this afternoon.

Last time we played the Canaries it was  a roller coaster game at THOF in May; we went one up after 65 seconds, 2-1 down after 30 minutes, 3-2 up and finally allowed Norwich to equalise in the 85th minute. Some bloke scored two for us. Narch played very well but times have changed for the East Anglians, they sit just one point above the dismal QPR having a minus 12 goal difference and only 3 points from 7 games. They have yet to win at home.

History shows we have not lost at Carrow Rd since 1984, however 7 of the last 12 games have been draws.

Norwich: Let us start with their manager. People say (and this includes many Arsenal people) that Chris Hughton is a decent bloke. ……. . Decent Bloke? Which decent bloke plays 300 times for the blue-bellied sheep biters? The man is devil-spawn and guaranteed to take this lovely family club down with the Rangers.  Hughton is so average that Alan Pardew took his job! Nothing more needs saying. Don’t believe me? Check out his record since leaving Newcastle ….. Played 12  won none. And he has a carrot shaped head.

What of his team of flatlanders? Are they a bunch of decent pro’s doing the best for their families and playing honest, open football? 5 goals scored in 7 games tells a story. With just two yellow cards all season it must be said that Norwich are not a team who intimidate their opponents.

Ugly as a Dropped Pie

Who plays for the lovely historic town of Norwich? Well, there is a smattering of ex-miscreants – Bassong & Kane, England’s 3rd choice Mr Ruddy, the hideous but dangerous Grant Holt (sounds like a train station …. two returns to Grant Holt, please). Steve Morison is Holt’s forward partner, born in Enfield plays for Wales and  has a boy named Fenton . The defender Russell Martin was born in Brighton and represents Scotland.  Alan Smith says Wes Hoolahan is a player to watch – if he plays he is a second striker.

Arsenal: We are unbeaten away, scoring freely and defending well (apart from a few set play blips). 7th doesn’t reflect how well we are playing  or how the new boys are adapting to life in the PL.

We have 5 ever present players in the league. Can you guess who they are (without checking)?

The Internationals cost us 2 players, both Theo and Kos are out. Fabianski is out for a few more months. The defence picks itself.

My Team:

Once again, we have a strong bench though Coquelin is out.

Gervinho will be important this afternoon as he seeks to continue his scoring run; his pace and trickery will be of great concern to the Norwich defence. Let us hope he has not been too traumatised by the events in Senegal. I include Ramsey but if Diaby is available he would be the first choice.

Podolski has been a revelation in his attitude to hard work; he has a Mercedes Diesel engine. His ability to drop back and bolster the the left side of defence has allowed us to be very strong in midfield and it is here that we will win the game. I expect Norwich to try and flood the midfield – perhaps not zaparkowac autobus – but nonetheless defend deep. They are at home and surely have to try to entertain and take 3 points.

Further to my shock revelation that there is no way Jack Wilshere will play even a minute today, there is rumour he is in the squad. To play him would be a mistake. AW says he is only 80%, so what is the point?

Whilst you are munching through your cornflakes, let me tell you about the chap below because we like a British hero and fellow certainly fits the bill.

Sir Samuel Baker (great grandfather to Arsenal’s Joe).What this chap did in his lifetime is astonishing. He discovered  Uganda and named Lake Albert, searched for the source of the Nile, was a big game hunter, a fellow of every society known to man, explored on all the continents, was a friend of Edward v11, became Pasha of Egypt, and was a fervent anti-slavery campaigner. He would surely have been a Gooner but died too early.  All this and a fine Beardsman.

An important 3 points today (Yes – I know – they all are). We have to punish teams at the opposite end of the table , we didn’t last season and almost paid the price. There can be little question that Arsenal are the better team, there is only one Norwich player who would get in our squad, let alone our first team (Ruddy). The bookies are expecting us to win at Carrow Rd (odds 4/7)  and as they say, you never see a poor bookie.

COYRRG

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

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