Saints Preserve Us!

May 8, 2012

This weekend or next we have the opportunity to clinch third place, and to celebrate, each in our own way, the annual pleasure of St Totteringham’s Day.

Although of only recent inception, St Totterigham’s has now become a popular and much anticipated event. Oh how we love it! But it is not the only annual Arsenal celebration, and so I propose that we formally instate another shared feast.

St Invictus Day.

This is the day on which none of Arsenal Premiership competitor’s remain unbeaten. It is the day on which we know that the legend of the Invincibles cannot be besmirched by the upstart over-moneyed Johnny-come-latelys. It is the day when there is a reassuring lack of zeroes in the losses column of the premiership table. And it is a day when the whole of English football is reminded just how incredible the achievement of the Arsenal team was in 2003-04.

It is a day we should celebrate every year.

Historically, there have been eight St Invictus’ Days to date:

Perhaps unsurprisingly, as the years have passed, the media has gradually devalued the Invincibles season. The last remaining unbeaten team of each season suddenly becomes a candidate for equalling their achievement. A quick Google search brings up articles in this vein by TalkSport for both this season and last, some of them as early as October!

But as we can see from the above, in eight attempts only one team managed to get anywhere close, and they were unbeaten for less than two-thirds of the season.

So let us continue to celebrate the Invincibles and the Arsenal when the next St Invictus Day comes around!

Written by MJC

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Brittania Revisited

April 29, 2012

A third trip to the Britannia in three seasons brought with it some mixed emotions. The 2009/10 game was played in February, a month after being beaten by the Stokies in the 4th round of the FA Cup. Ramsey’s leg snapped like a twig but the team responded magnificently to record a fine 3-1 victory.

2010/11 at the Britannia saw Arsenal in end of season free-fall and another defeat ensued. What would 2012 bring? Stoke always raise their game against us, refusing to lie down to superior footballing ability. The touchlines are narrowed, local aircraft given warnings of possible collisions with footballs and Corporal Jones from Dad’s Army gives the pre-match, rabble-rousing speech. Could Arsenal resist the bite of the cold steel? Anxious and expectant, the Arsenal away fans gathered in the Potteries.

(photo courtesy of Stuart MacFarlane)

After an easy drive along the A50 we arrived in plenty of time to find a parking spot at a local bowls club which would enable a smooth getaway at the end of the game. A brief chat with a couple of Stokies in the pub before the game elicited the information that they were pleased not to be in Europe again as it had ruined their season. Mid-table mediocrity seemed to be the height of their ambition…..oh, and beating Wenger’s Arsenal, of course. Arsenal are lacking a player who puts his foot in was their considered opinion whereas none of their players minded being kicked!

We had a fairly good view but were much too close to the inbred hoards and soon realised the aggression between the two sets of supporters was going to colour how we would remember the game.

The first half began and it soon became obvious that only one team had any desire to play any real football. The first booking came in the first couple of minutes as Whitehead fouled Song. The Gunners began the game at a canter and Benayoun should have done better, scuffing a left foot shot after clever interplay with Robin. Then it was the Dutchman himself who drew a fine save from Begovic with a glanced header at the near post.

Stoke scored from their first effort on goal with a pinpoint cross from Etherington which found the head of the Human Pylon. Even with Vermaelen and Koscielny leaping front and back of Crouch, they still stood little chance of stopping the goal. “One Nil to the Rugby team” sang the Stoke crowd. If I was a Rugby player, I would have been offended.

Arsenal quickly responded with another straightforward goal in its simplicity, van Persie slotting home after good work from Rosicky. “He scores when he want” and “By far the greatest team” followed.

The first half petered out from that point onwards. Gervinho had a chance to shoot after a lovely through ball from Sagna but put his effort way over the bar. Another chance nearly came to Gervinho who just failed to get his immense forehead onto a whipped-in cross.

My brother went for a half-time pie and heard the following conversation in the queue in front him. Arsenal supporter, ‘What flavour pies have you got?’ Girl behind the counter, ‘Chicken Balti, Steak and Ale…. Arsenal Supporter, ‘Have you got any Meat and Potato? ‘Yes’ came the reply. Arsenal fan, ‘I had one of those last year and it was farkin horrible’. Cue the laughter from the serving assistants behind the counter. The news that Newcastle were getting thumped certainly improved the atmosphere behind the goal during the half-time break.

The second half began with the boys kicking towards us. Surely things would improve and we would earn the crucial three points. As far as the football is concerned, I thought the second forty five was pretty poor. Arsenal probed and prodded. Shots were blocked. Robin slipped on a couple of occasions when he might have sneaked a shot on goal. There were a few decent looking free-kick opportunities for the good guys but none really troubled the Stoke keeper.

At the other end Szczesny made a fine blocking save from a vicious drive and a long throw header was cleared close to the Arsenal goal line. There was a brief rendition of ‘We can’t spell his name, we can’t spell his name, Wojciech Szczęsny, we can’t spell his name’.

The other dominant impression from standing behind the goal in the second half was how hideous the Stoke fans were. They finally found their voice after Shawcross lunged in on Benayoun. They sang ‘He breaks things when he wants, he breaks things when he wants, Ryan Shawcross, he breaks things when he wants’. (It could have been ‘legs’ rather than ‘things’, it was difficult to understand the accent). Looking across at their fans there were gestures of breaking a stick in two hands which I found quite sickening. Hideous miscreants.

Yossi had a good shout for a penalty ignored by Foy who looked across at his linesman to see a totally blank expression and so he waved play on. The last twenty minutes were a pantomime starring Arsene Wenger. He began waving his arms in the air at the injustice of the penalty decision and other decisions which followed. The Stoke crowd began to imitate him by waving their arms in the air at every opportunity while singing, ‘ Let’s all do the Wenger’ and if an Arsenal player committed a foul singing, ‘He didn’t see a thing, he didn’t see a thing , Arsene Wenger, he didn’t see a thing.’

Arsène needed someone to tell him to sit down as he may as well have been the Stoke cheerleader, such was his influence in stirring the Stoke crowd to generate more noise.

At the final whistle, I felt disappointed that we hadn’t been able to rise above the overall poor quality of the game and produce a few moments of real class to win us the three points. A hard-fought point would have to suffice, a point which looks better in the light of Newcastle’s zero points. Whether it’ll look so good after Sunday’s fixtures, only time will tell.

Ratings

I don’t really do ratings but I’d say that Benayoun and Rosicky seemed to have decent first halves. The defence were resolute throughout, Sagna looking dangerous assisting the attack in the first half, too. Szczesny couldn’t do much about the goal. Sometimes I wish he would catch instead of punch, especially in the second half when the aerial bombardment was in full force. I’d probably give them all a 7, with Tomas, Yossi and Bacary 7.5.

P.S. The Man of the Match was announced over the tannoy as Dean Whitehead. Sums it all up really!

Written by chas

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Sex and Drugs and Robin van Persie, Sex and Drugs and Robin van Persie

April 23, 2012

Ian Dury and The Blockheads’ famous song ‘Sex and Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll’ is often on my mind when something exciting happens in my life. The lyrics of this song are rubbish, but the title is very strong as it captures in a few words those diversions that provide us with a lot of pleasure in our lives – that help us to relieve our worries, fears and occasional boredom, a lot.

In a season when Arsenal had to play a more conventional, less sexy, style of football in order to reclaim a top-four spot, Robin van Persie has provided us with the rock ‘n’ roll in our lives. He treats us to the sort of sexy football that intoxicates us, that makes us proud to be a Gooner, and that makes us happy to be alive.

Robin is the kind of football player that makes people want to go to football matches, just like his Arsenal ‘PFA Player of the Year’ winning predecessors, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry (2x), did/do.

He scores the sort of goals that we fantasize about when we are bored in a meeting, in a class room, at home whilst doing the washing up, or when we are stuck in a traffic jam. His technical brilliance and spatial awareness are of the highest level, and the sheer quality of his performances this season has enriched our lives tremendously. He has scored many beautiful goals this season, but the ones against Everton (home), Liverpool (away) and Newcastle United (home) will stay in our minds forever, just as Bergkamps’ goals against Leicester and Newcastle United, and many others, do.

Last night’s announcement that Robin van Persie has won the PFA Player of the Year award is fantastic news for Arsenal supporters, in more ways than one. Firstly, it is a well deserved recognition for what he has brought to the English game, something in which we can all take pride. Secondly, it is the sort of recognition that will make him feel appreciated and, most importantly, fully at home in England. The latter is very important as I feel strongly it will help him decide to stay in England and with Arsenal for the rest of his career. Those Dutchmen who decide to work and live in England become very often anglophiles, and I am convinced it means a lot to Robin to get this prestigious award in England. It will make him feel he belongs here.

Judging from his comments last night, it did indeed mean a lot to him. He said: “If other people are saying it, it is special, but it is even more special if your opponents are saying it….”If they make up their minds that I’m the best player it is a big honour.” Winning this award might well lift his performance once more, and see him get back to scoring goals again in the final three games of the season. And we need him to as well!

Robin has been a great captain this season and he has done wonders in motivating the players around him. Even when he received the award he had time to praise his teammates: “Without them I could not have achieved it – for example Theo Walcott, he has given me more than 12 assists and I do really appreciate that”.

Robin, well done for winning the PFA Player of the Year award: you totally deserve it! Many thanks for the fantastic football and the great leadership of our beloved Arsenal this season. You belong at The Home Of Football, and you know what you have to do next: sign a new contract and lead our team to the title next year! Your reward would surely be Arsenal immortality.

TotalArsenal.

I would like to invite you to tell us what you think is so special about our captain, the PFA Player of the Year, Robin van Persie.

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HAKUNA MATATA

April 18, 2012

Before we begin, may I firstly explain for the benefit of those of you not fluent in Swahili, that the title of todays’ post translates as: “No more worries”. The reason is simple. I have unearthed the solution to all our problems.

Let’s crack on. Right now we are third, but frankly it’s an only just, and that is because we have not been stretched by long runs in other tournaments and we have had an injury free season from our star pupil. To improve on this situation using the same formation, I believe we need more effective wide boys, and an improved back-up striker. This poses a number of problems. The back-up striker cannot be better than Robin, and while he must be an improvement on the current benchers, he still needs to be good enough to challenge Europe’s best defences in the event of a Robin injury. Improved wide boys will cost and present the same pecking order issues.

As if this is not enough of a headache, I would like us to play two strikers. Bad news: I say 4-4-2 not sexy enough. Good news: we can now buy a world class striker to play alongside Robin and this will make Robin happy while we the fans will see more goals.

Even better news, I know how we can adapt the system AND afford the new personnel. We invade Spain and grab a striker, then switch to 3-5-2.

Oh do stop rolling your sodding eyes and hear me out. I’m the bleeding expert here. Jeepers.

Look, due to the financial turmoil in Spain, the Telly Companies are offering 50% (tops) of the current fee they pay for Football Rights, and to make this situation even better for us, the top rate of tax is about to go through the roof. This means wages are going to be a massive problem for clubs. So, we get Benzema. Simple.

Now the 3-5-2. Brazil and Argentina won World Cups using it. Juventus are top of Serie A using it. And if that’s not convincing, Wigan use a version also.

Here’s the really good news. It will be a whole lot cheaper than bringing our current system up to scratch. Mert looks crocked, so my guess is he’ll be off. There is talk of Vertonghen. Guess what, the missing piece in our super footbally back three. He’s six foot, two and half inches. So he plays in the middle.

We no longer need new wide boys, and we certainly don’t need your M’Vila’s, as the DM role goes out of the window. Hooray for that.

(Changing tack for a moment, I’m watching the Bayern Madrid game as I write this. If I was the Ref, then before I blew the starting whistle, I’d jog on over to Ramos and show him a straight red. Save time. Just saying.)

Interestingly, I think all our Full Backs (Gibbs, Santos, Sagna and Jenks) are all better wide boys than our wide boys. They are also all better attacking full backs than defensive ones. In other words, they are perfectly suited to the 3-5-2.

Now the middle men. Again we are perfectly suited for this system. No more DM’s, just two good tackling/intercepting/footballing sorts and their back-ups. Jack, Arteta, Song, Ramsey and Coquelin. All completely interchangeable.

(Just back to this Madrid game. As the Ref, how about stopping the game in full flow. Walking up to Ronaldo and giving him a Red. “Ooooo, Weffewee” she’d say “what did I do?”. You could then just shrug your shoulders, roll your eyes about a bit and say “Dunno really. Just bored”.)

The middle man. Strangely this role becomes less pivotal than in the 4-3-3. In my little layout, I’ve put Ox centre. That’s because I like him and I’m in charge. However, here again, we have options. Rosicky and Diaby.

Up top, we have back up in Theo and anyone we can’t flog out of Bendy, Cham, AA and Gerv. We like our books to balance, Benzema won’t be free, and Robin needs a fatter envelope. Sorry, that’s life.

Finally, the great thing about this system is that it’s brilliant.

Written by MickyDidIt89

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2 Prizes; 4 Teams; 5 Games; 29 Days

April 15, 2012

– 2 CL places up for grabs

– 4 teams in contention

– 5 games to play

– 29 days left of the season

Well it all comes down to a nervous final month of the EPL season.

Given our awful start to the season we find ourselves in a far more favourable position then we could have realistically hoped for, Arsène has almost pulled another rabbit out of his hat.

It’s (almost) a given that the 1st and 2nd places will go to Manchester so lets concentrate on the 3rd and 4th positions.

Arsenal’s run in:

Wigan (h)

Chelsea (h)

Stoke (a)

Norwich (h)

WBA (a)

Spurs’ run in:

Bolton (a)

QPR (a)

Blackburn (h)

Aston Villa (a)

Fulham (h)

Newcastle’s run in:

Chelsea (a)

Stoke (h)

Wigan (a)

Man C (h)

Everton (a)

Chelsea’s run in:

Newcastle (h)

Arsenal (a)

QPR (h)

Liverpool (a)

Blackburn (h)

Currently we have:

3rd Arsenal 64 pts.

4th Spurs 59 pts.

5th Newcastle 59 pts.

6th Chelsea 57 pts.

Only 7 points between the four teams with 15 points left to play for.

On paper Spurs have the easiest run in but QPR away will not be easy (as we found out) and Aston Villa away may prove to be a handful.

In their last 8 games Spurs have managed to win only  6 out of the 24 points – so let’s hope the rot has started to set in.

Newcastle has an onerous looking run in and may be fortunate to get  6/7 points out of 20.

Chelsea have by far the toughest remaining schedule and with FA and CL Cup commitments complicating things they may end up 5th.

That leaves the Gunners – last but never least – we should finish in a CL position and my earnest hope is that it’s the automatic 3rd spot.

What are your thoughts??

Written by GunnerN5

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Arsenal – testing your loyalty

April 7, 2012

I’m hoping the long gap between games isn’t causing the players to lose focus as badly as it has me – although it is a concern after our last performance!

This is just a bit of interactive fun to fill the time before we take on city tomorrow.

One object of the exercise is to test whether your loyalty to Arsenal might just possibly cloud your judgement in matters concerning by far the greatest team the world has ever seen……..

Try to answer the following questions honestly. It may be that your choices would be the same either way – but I doubt it.

So are you a dyed in the wool Arsenal supporter (in which case you lied in some answers) or are you one of the new breed of fan who prefers to stay seated, doesn’t sing and thinks the ref is a jolly good chap 😕

Feel free to debate the questions and your choices in Comments, or maybe you can suggest similar questions that could have had you battling with your Arsenal conscience.

Written by Rasp

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Au Revoir Arsène

March 30, 2012

On 28th August 20011 we lost to Manchester United 8-2. It was the heaviest defeat in our 125 year history. Two of our best players wanted out. We were 17th in the league with 1 point and heading for our worst start in years

The press were scathing

Ollie Holt from the mirror said:

“Liverpool have strengthened while Arsenal have gone backwards”

On Talkshite Adrian Durham started using this slogan when referring to Wenger:

“he used to be good, now he’s rubbish”

The press were unanimous that Wenger had lost the plot

The blogs were worse.

Why did we only buy Gervinho?

Why do we have so much ‘deadwood’?

Why did we waste £16m on Oxlade- Chamberlain from Southampton? We need ‘ready made’s’ not more kids.

Some on here (including me) were beginning to question him.

Most people agreed we had no chance of top 4.

Arsène Wenger had lost the fans, the press and allegedly the dressing room. The board acted swiftly and he was sacked.

Au Revoir Arsene

In a parallel universe, the Board acts swiftly and appointed a new manager. The new man was young and unknown. He acted decisively, and in the little time available, he is busy in the transfer market.

He bought:

Per Mertesaker from Werder Bremen

Andre Santos from Fenerbahce

Park Chu-Young from Monaco

Mikel Arteta from Everton

And took Yossi Benayoun on loan from Chelsea.

He also shipped out Denilson, Bendtner and some other “deadwood” that the fans didn’t want

The fans and press weren’t entirely convinced…..

“who are Park and Santos?”

“Is Mertesaker is a crock?” (Even though some fans had been crying out for him 2 years ago)

“Arteta is not good enough to clean Fabregas’ boots”

But because he was a new manager most were prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt (and some time) and because he was young and British the press heralded him as the man to lead Arsenal.

In the first game we got lucky and beat Swansea 1 nil at home with a goal gifted by their keeper.

The next result was a disaster, we lost 3-4 at Blackburn after leading 2 nil. The press and the fans said it was Wenger’s fault as it was mostly his team.

We then beat Bolton and lost away to the spuds courtesy of a handball by Van Der Vaart.

But then we had a run of 8 games unbeaten including the 5-3 demolition of the chavs at the bus stop in Fulham. The press and the fans were now heaping praise on our new manager. “He’s finally got Arsenal playing as a team”. Something Wenger was no longer able to achieve.

Things changed when we lost all 4 full backs and had to start utilising players out of position. The press and fans agreed this was bad luck and anyone would have problems trying to cope with so many injuries.

After a bad spell including 3 losses on the bounce we started to get our players back and results improved. We are now on a 7 match winning streak only matched in Europe by the Catalan diving club.

We’ve set a new Premiere league record by winning 4 matches from a goal down proving our “mental strength”, something Wenger talked about but couldn’t deliver. The fans are now more vocal and the Emirates is becoming the home it promised.

We sit third in the table, 8 points ahead of the chavs and 3 ahead of the swamp dwellers. The fans and press agree; we must not get complacent. We need to stay focused for the rest of the season to make sure we get at least 4th but hopefully 3rd and we need to persuade RVP to sign a new contract.

With a couple of new players in the summer and Jack coming back we may even challenge for the big prizes next season.

Everyone is agreed, signing a new manager was a masterstroke by the Board. He’s rejuvenated the club, the team and the supporters.

The future looks bright.

What a shame that senile old Frenchman couldn’t have done it.

Written by goonermichael

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Missing Na$ri like a hole in the bench

March 29, 2012

How much is Arsenal missing Na$ri?

The departure of Nasri at the end of August last year was used by many journalists, and plenty of fellow Gooners, as evidence that Arsenal had become a selling-club and was no longer ambitious enough to compete for the top prices. Seven months on, after a rollercoaster ride of a transitional season so far, it is becoming apparent the sale of Nasri was actually very good business for Arsenal after all.

Wenger was desperate to keep hold of Nasri last summer: losing Fabregas and Nasri at the same time, was far from ideal. Nasri had shown glimpses of his potential at Arsenal, but it was clear to most of us he was no replacement for the Spanish Maestro. The vacant role of advanced midfielder – the one who orchestrates our attacks and dictates play – was meant to be filled by Wilshere or Ramsey, with Rosicky and Diaby as suitable back-up. Wilshere suffered a long-term injury, and it is gradually becoming clear that Ramsey would fit better in a deeper role – the one currently occupied by our new Spanish hero: Arteta. Rosicky has recently found his best form again and has played a big part in our resurgence into the top-4 since February. Diaby…same old story, I am afraid.

The few times Nasri had played in this pivotal position at Arsenal, he had been ok, but not more than that. Yes, he had some fantastic games in the first part of the 2010-2011 season, but mostly in a wide position.

Having watched a few Citeh games this season in which Nasri made an appearance, it’s becoming clear to me that he has not made any progress since he left us. It looks like Nasri will remain a player with a few good games per season, who will operate mainly at the periphery of his new club – that is, mainly on the bench. He is simply not good enough to play centrally and is likely to be played on the wing for most of the rest of his career: would he have stayed at Arsenal, it would not have been any different.

Nasri joined a settled team with plenty of top quality in the squad. Mancini has played him centrally and on the wing, but in both areas he has been pretty ineffective. And there are no excuses for him: he is used to play in the PL, he has got the right age to perform at the required level and he has been fit since he joined the Etihad Oil Refinery (courtesy of Rocky Lives).

Despite of all this, he has had a mediocre season so far. In fact, compared to our three wingers at the club: Walcott, Gervinho and the The Ox, he is performing worst of all of them. In the end, that is where he left a vacancy: on the wing, and in order to answer the question of this post, he needs to be compared to our current wingers:

  Games played this season Goals Scored Assists Goals/Assists per game this season Career average per game
Theo 40 9 13 0.55 0.37
Gervinho 31 4 8 0.39 0.4
The Ox 20 4 3 0.35 0.4
Na$ri 36 5 7 0.33 0.29

Nasri was sold for £22m.Gervinho (£10.6m) and the Ox (£12m) were bought in return. Despite the fact that Gervinho and the Ox are playing their first season in the PL, and have had to find their way in an unsettled team that is going through a major transition this year, they are both currently outperforming Na$ri with a better average of goals and assists per game. Theo has had a significantly better season than Nasri as well. Surprisingly, all our wingers have a better career average of goals/assists per game than Nasri too, which to me is further proof that Arsenal did very good business in selling him last summer, rather than let him run out his contract, hold back the development of the Ox and others, and poison the atmosphere at our club. Two players for the price of one, and they are both better!

So, are we missing Na$ri? Like a hole in the bench! Good riddance and good business all round.

TotalArsenal.

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What does ARSENAL stand for?

March 27, 2012

The art of Arsetrology

With days to go before our next ‘must win game’ I thought I’d pass the time by examining the factors that have combined to deliver us to where we stand today in this rollercoaster of a season. Since karma is definitely involved, and the footballing gods have stepped in to restore the natural order of things, I have decided to use the mystic power of Arsetrology (the ancient art of using an acronym to explain events) to reveal those factors that have guided our fate so far this season.

Bonkers you may say, but just think about it….. Arsenal, Arsène, Arteta, Arshavin (OK, he’s not everyone’s favourite), its no coincidence, the answers lie in ARSENAL.

A is for Arteta

I have made no secret of my appreciation of the vital role Mikel plays in the team. I am certain that had we not secured his services in the final hour, we would be several positions lower in the league table as it stands today. His reading of the game, work rate, range and accuracy in passing have all combined to make him the lynchpin of our midfield. On top of that, he seems to be having the time of his life and has chipped in with important goals. He took a pay cut to join us – watch and learn Na$ri, this guy has real class.

R is for Robin van Persie – who else?

Apart from the small matter of the 33 goals he has scored for us so far this season, the main and somewhat surprising bonus is that he is an excellent captain and has galvanised the players in a way few thought possible. Mr. Wenger’s habit of making the star player (or should it be wantaway player) captain hasn’t always been a success. Robin has been a much better captain than either Henry or Fabregas. His first thought after scoring is always to seek the player who provided the pass as he knows (and he wants those watching to know) that we are not a one man team. His support of Theo Walcott in particular has been unwavering and probably has a lot to do with Theo’s rich vein of form at the moment.

S is for Simple

Football is essentially a simple game. The technically gifted players we’ve had in recent years have engendered a style that often sacrificed incisive attacking play for clever possession. The new players and dare I say, the departure of some ‘stars’ has encouraged a return to basics. The effect has been to make us more solid at the back, to use width and pace down the wings, to move the ball quickly through the midfield (forwards) and to take a risk once in a while and have a shot instead of looking for the clever pass.

E is for the Emirates Stadium

Gradually Ashburton Grove is beginning to feel like home. I think I’ll always be awestruck whenever I walk up those stairs and emerge to see the perfectly manicured pitch, the sea of red and white and to be reminded that we have the best stadium in the Premier League. What many don’t realise is that without the extra £30-40m income the Emirates generates more than  Highbury, we would be struggling financially. But more than that, the Emirates has played host to some wonderful games recently and the memory of those games is now ingrained in the fabric of the stadium. Visiting teams are beginning be intimidated by the power and stature of the Emirates and as a by-product of that, our supporters have sensed the change and begun to find their voices at last.

N is for No Surrender

Some of us will have found the repeated trotting out of phrases like ‘team spirit’, ‘belief’, ‘mental strength’ etc hard to stomach in seasons when we have capitulated too easily at the vital time. We all now know the reasons for those past failings, but we also know that this crop of players, led by RvP really does have those attributes in abundance. Coming from behind 4 games in a row is testament to the strength of character and the harmony that now exists in the squad. Goal celebrations tell you a lot about a team, and ours this season have been the most inclusive and joyous I’ve seen.

A is for Arsène Wenger

What can you say about the man that hasn’t already been said? He’s been under pressure on and off the pitch more this season than ever before. No-one knows what goes on behind the scenes, but what we do know is that if he can keep the team playing as it is now, he will once again have confounded his critics. Arguably finishing in the top four this season would rank as one of his greatest achievements.

L is for Lady Luck

Well I don’t want to upset the old girl just as she is finally smiling upon us, but we’ve had some dreadful luck in the last few years. I wonder what odds would you have got for a top 4 finish from the bookies last summer if it had been known that we would be selling our best two midfielders and the rising star destined to take their place (Wilshere) would be out for the season, not to mention the loss of all our fullbacks for a large part of the campaign? The balance is slowly being redressed. We’ve had a slice of well earned luck recently in games we’ve won when not playing our best. Key players are finally returning from injury and the squad looks strong, unified and focused, maybe luck is no longer needed, we have the quality.

That’s my quickly assembled ARSENAL list – the challenge now is to come up with one of your own using the letters of our name to reflect the way you have viewed our changing fortunes this season. The theory also works when applied to the names of our rivals but strangely the associated definitions are less flattering …. I’m thinking particularly of the team that starts with S!

Written by Rasp

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Alex Songinho, He Assists When He Wants: Match Report

March 25, 2012

Having endured the first 60 minutes of the Chavs’ vs. Spuds’ collective attempt to discover the best cure for insomnia, I was extremely pleased to find a half-decent stream to watch the mighty Red & White take on the Villains. I expected AV to put in a performance, partly based on their half decent effort during our last encounter with them in January (FA-cup), and partly on the fact that they have nothing really to play for anymore, which makes these sorts of games a bit of a bonus for them.

Arsenal has build up a phenomenal momentum since the dark PL days in January, mainly based on grit, togetherness, perseverance, and an occasional sprinkling of quality. It is fair to say that the encounters with Pool, NU, and Everton were not the most beautiful games of football Arsenal has ever played, but, at this stage of the season, we don’t care one iota!

However, our game against Villa was very different from our recent incredible achievements as a result of blood, sweat and thunder: there were periods of free-flowing football and, on more than a few occasions, of individual brilliance. In fact, I felt I was watching a game of the Fabregas-era yesterday; you know, one of those where we were in total control from the start, as a result of an early goal. This probably was our easiest game of the season and it is fair to say that the Villains’ lacklustre performance, combined with the early ‘easy’ goal, helped us a long way.

First Half

Arsenal suffered a mini-blow when, unexpectedly, Koscielny could not start as a result of a knee-problem. However, Djourou was ready and fit to take his place, and his mind was instantly taken off any nerves he might have felt, when Heskey planted inadvertently the back of his arm firmly in Johan’s face. Another great example of Johan Cruijff’s fantastically simple quote: ‘Every disadvantage has an advantage, and every advantage has a disadvantage’! JD never looked back and had a fine performance during the entire game.

Both teams started with a formation of 4-2-3-1, with an aim to press early on the opposition’s goalkeeper and defenders. This led to an open start in which Arsenal dominated and created a number of chances. However, AV had a few half-chances themselves as a result of quick breaks, mainly from the right, through their promising – yet disappointing on the day – young talent of Albrighton.

On the 9th minute, Arsenal produced a great move on the right by the almost telepathically aligned duo of Theo and Sagna, and goal scoring machine RvP. The latter’s lay-off reaches Theo who shoots at goal from close range but straight at Shay Given, who is able to parry his effort, albeit straight in the path of Sagna, who then fluffs his shot with his weaker left foot. Arsenal keeps up the pressure and it does not take long before we score.

Most of the pressure had been coming form the right, but it was Gibbs and Gervinho who were able to breach the Villains’ defence first. In the 16th minute, Gervinho, who played quite centrally during the first period of the game, picked out a good run by Gibbs and the latter found himself in the box with a half decent shooting opportunity. I expected him to pass sideways to another player, but he decided to take a shot himself and was richly rewarded for it: 1-0! The goalkeeper should have done better, but one should not look a Given-horse in the mouth, and I am sure Gibbs won’t do that either: his first PL goal, so early in the game, was just what we needed.

AV kept pressing high up the pitch, forcing Szczesny to demonstrate to us the one skill he still needs to improve on: kicking the ball out with some precision. Arsenal, though, managed to pass itself with relative ease out of the Villians’ inconsistent pressing, and a few quick attacks made sure we kept the pressure on our opponent. TV found Theo with a fine diagonal cross and our right-winger demonstrated once again that he possesses a fine first touch, leaving Warnock for dead in a fraction of a second. This time though, it was not to be, as his second touch pushed the ball just a bit too far so Cueller could clear it at the last moment.

The first of three top-quality moments of the game materialised at the 25th minute. Alex Song, who probably has the most complete skills-set in the PL – he can play as a CB, DM, AM; he might even be good as a nr9 or a goalkeeper! – produced once more one of his trademark lofted balls over the top. This time, it was not aimed at RvP but at Theo, who made another clever horizontal run towards the box. His first touch was excellent again and he finished clinically past Given: 2-0!! Some will argue the Villa defence should have done better, but the sheer quality of a) Song’s lofted ball, b) Theo’s first touch and c) his controlled finish were a joy to behold: football at it’s very best!

The second top-quality moment happened on the 39th minute. Song and RvP combined through the middle to reach into the box: RvP seemed to have lost the ball but somehow drags it back from the defender with his left leg, moving it swiftly onto his right, but his shot somehow hit the head of Warnock: it could so easily have been the third goal. It was a brilliant piece of skill by our captain.

Second Half

AV started the second half with a low tempo and similar tactics. Arsenal was able to pass the ball round with relative ease but we lacked a bit of urgency and focus in our attacking endeavours. Gervinho was involved in a few attacks but was no longer able to deliver a precise final ball for his teammates. But the damage was done in the first half, and with the Villains lacking the spirit to start a fight-back, the sun shining nicely, Arsenal enjoying the ‘easiness’ of the game and the supporters singing in unison, we allowed the game to peter out a bit in the second half.

There were still some noticeable moments though. Rosicky had a decent effort on target in the 65th minute, and Santos, who had just come on for Gibbs, gave the ball away clumsily in his first minute on the pitch, which could easily have led to a Villa goal. He can be forgiven though as he, naturally, will have been a bit rusty after such a long lay-off. In the 73rd minute, RvP takes a cheeky free-kick from the left, only for Given to just tip it over the bar. In the 82nd minute, the newly-on Ox makes a blistering run on the right into the box, but a last-minute, great tackle by Ireland just keeps the young Englishman from pulling the trigger. I think Ireland just had enough of the ball for it not to be a penalty, so Dowd called it well imo.

The third top-quality moment of the match was left to the very last minute of the game. In extra time, Arsenal were rewarded a free-kick well outside the area, after a foul on Song. Arteta stepped up once again and this time he was successful with a thunderous bullet to the top right corner of the goal.

A magnificent effort and thoroughly deserved: 3-0!!! You won’t see a better free-kick this season.

Finally

Seven wins on the spin, another clean-sheet, a fitter than ever squad, and a real belief our team can go all the way and finish in the top-3 in May. Happy times!

We are in the driving seat and ahead of us are the Manc teams – the new Oilers and Old Bacon Face’s bunch of scrapers – and they are lucky there are most probably not enough games left to catch up with them anymore. In the rear-mirror we can see the sorry-Spuds and if we narrow our eyes with a bit of effort, we can see the old Oilers, the Chavs, catching their breath whilst desperately looking around who they can put the blame on this time. In the far, far distance we can see some ant-like spots that can only be Dalglish’s darlings. Ooh the virtues of momentum!

We are not there yet though – let’s be careful not to become complacent – but if we can keep this good run of form up, then soon we’ll be firmly positioned in third spot. Not only would this make us the top team in London once more, it would also provide a perfect platform for a firing-on-all-cylinders team for next season. It has been a year of transition, with some tough moments and big disappointment, but the road ahead is full of promise and potential, based on a sound foundation of all the things that matter in football: a great squad, a great manager, a financially healthy club with money for one or two more quality players, a great stadium, fantastic support, and a football philosophy based on total football. Class is permanent – long may it continue!

TotalArsenal.

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