Don’t FAC(it)up

January 6, 2012

We are still a few days away from the Leeds game and I don’t want to step on what will surely be another (auto paste here) splendid pre match from the master himself. But without wishing to step on toes I want to get some thoughts off my chest.

Having spent most of Christmas and New Year struggling to find the back of net I have started to change my mind about the importance of this game and who should be playing. Up until Monday I had reasonably assumed (and accepted the fact) that we would probably be giving opportunities to youngsters and squad players to get some game time.

But after 5 games in which we have only mustered 5 goals, the drought is concerning and could cause the green shoots of recovery seen since 1 September to wilt away again. Actually goals have dried up before this recent spell, since Wigan away we have only scored two goals on one occasion.

After Leeds we face a trip to Swansea who have the joint best home defence of all Premier League teams. Not the place to visit when we are misfiring.

Because of the above I am starting to think that maybe Monday is not the best time to play the youngsters and the squad, perhaps its time to send out the first team and tell them to fill their boots against what should be a very beatable opposition. If they can’t or don’t then it adds further weight to any arguments Wenger may or may not be having with the board about the need for some new signings.

I know there will be some who say we are approaching red zone and that the players cannot play every game and maybe that is true, but when a team is winning and playing well fitness becomes far less concerning. In January we have only 4 games including the FA Cup game, is it really a step too far to imagine that a player cannot play 4 games in 22 days. (Admittedly if we beat Leeds there will be another game to squeeze in).

So lets put the first eleven out especially Theo and AA or the Ox  (Gervinho is unavailable due to the ACN)  and tell them to run riot and grab as many goals as they can. Treat it like the first team game it should be. I know we have a lot of games this season, but their is something about the FA Cup that I don’t think we should dismiss too lightly, who knows maybe its this cup this year that helps us kick on, and at least with the final at the arse end of the season it means we can’t suffer a slump like we did last season from 1 March onwards if anything untoward happens in the final.

Written by Gooner in Exile

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Posted by Gööner In Exile

Twelve wishes for the ‘New Arsenal’ in 2012

January 5, 2012

If it had not been for such a difficult start to the season, Arsenal would now be fighting for the title.

And, that includes the loss of points against Wolves at home (unfortunate) and Fulham away (well deserved). The last few games have been disappointing, but Arsenal have gathered 29 points in their last 13 games and during the process it was able to pre-qualify for the CL against a very good Udinese, and win their CL-group against strong opposition with style and dominance.

Yet, it appears to be hard for so many fans to see the bigger picture, to let the past go and lower expectations a bit, to see the progress made, to accept that this is a forced-upon transitional year for us, and to be a bit more philosophical and grateful for what has been achieved since the start of October. Now there is a bit of time for the team to take stock and to re-focus again on the rest of the season. Soon, Arsenal will get back to winning ways, because all the ingredients are there, and Wenger is building another team that can go all the way.

So, how can Arsenal make the next step up in the New Year?

Twelve wishes for 2012 (in no particular order):

Full return to fitness of Wilshere: I love our midfield of Arteta, Ramsey and Song (ARS), but Wilshere offers additional skills that we are missing at times.

He is a born leader and fighter and, most importantly, he can pick a pass anytime, anywhere. The others are not bad at this either, in fact they are pretty good, but Jack is the young master. After Fabregas’ and Nasri’s departures, it was very cruel to lose him as well to a long-term injury. His imminent return will add a much needed other dimension to our football.

The return to fitness of our first choice FB’s: These are sorely missed at the moment, and it is just such bad luck that all four of our FB’s obtained long lasting injuries at the same time. As soon as Sagna and Santos are back in our team, Arsenal will become significantly stronger. Arsenal really struggle without proper FB’s and it is one of the main reasons we got so few points out of the festive season games.

The assimilation of the ‘mini-teams’: I have written before about the ‘New Arsenal’ consisting of three mini-teams at the moment: GK + defence, Midfield (ARS) and Attack: The Gerv, RvP and Theo. All three teams have stuck to their tasks well, but it is now time for some fluidity between the lines. I like the midfield to get more involved in supporting the attack by claiming ‘the hole’ area back and scoring more goals in the process. The return of our first choice FB’s will also help us to get more fluidity and diversity in our attacking play, which can only lead to more assists and goals.

More goals per game: our overreliance on RvP scoring the majority of our goals has to be reviewed and mitigated. We have been here before with Thierry Henry during his last few seasons. Arsenal has been a tad unlucky with strikers since the departure of Henry. Eduardo looked so promising for us, but THAT injury meant we never saw the best of him. Adebayor got carried away at a young age and it appeared he did not fit into our team as he clashed with too many fellow players. We got good money for him, and I believe he had to go, but we lost a very decent number two to RvP in the process. Bendtner got almost everybody fooled with his promise that at 24-25 years of age he will be the best in the world, and Chamakh, after such a promising start in 2010, has totally lost his confidence, and it seems almost impossible for him to find a way back now. A real shame.

But goals do not just come from strikers, they need to come for our wingers and midfielders, and defenders, as well. One of my biggest wishes is to see the whole team make a step-up this year, by taking more of the chances that we create. Theo, The Gerv, Ramsey, Arteta, Song, Wilshire, The Ox, and many others as well, all have the potential to become more lethal in front of goal. The Ox has only just joined us, but I hope all the others will improve significantly this year.

Buy a very decent no.2 striker, ideally in January: Campbell and Park are future prospects, but are not available or ready to be the first replacement for RvP in case of injury, suspension or fatigue. Chamakh does not seem to be able to claim this role anymore. TH2012 is a very good short-term option, but it would be great if Arsène can find us another gem of a nr.2 striker as soon as possible.

Keep our phenomenal spine together: our spine of Szczesny – Koz/TV/BFG – Song/Arteta – Wilshere/Ramsey – RvP can compete with any team in the PL and Europe. It is really important that Arsenal get all of these players on long-term contracts. As far as I know, the contracts of Szczesny, Song and RvP need to be renegotiated as soon as possible, so we can have some stability in our team for years to come.

THOF to become a fortress: I still can get so disappointed when I think that the Mancs won the PL last season whilst only winning four games away all season. Our away record was fantastic but our home record was not. It takes a long time for a new stadium to become a proper home, to become a fortress where visiting teams fear to play and three points are almost a given. The club needs to develop a strategy to increase the noise levels: it’s not easy but very necessary.

Finish in the top-four in 2012 and go all the way in the 2012-2013 season: I have every confidence that Arsene will guide this new team into a top-four spot again by the end of the season. We had a bad start, but since then Arsenal has done very well and we are now only one point away from the top-four. With Arsène’s experience and a lot of players returning from injury, and all the big teams having to come to us, I am confident we can do it again. And it would be quite an achievement after our horrible start. I expect us to start the 2012-2013 PL campaign as title contenders from the start.

A good cup run, and maybe win something this season: as we are going through a transitional year, I am not too confident we can win the FA-Cup or the CL-Cup. But, on the day, when most of our key players are fit, we can beat any team, and with a bit of luck we could get far this season.

More youngsters to make the grade now (words copied from GiE’s post on 3 Jan): We have a great Youth-Academy and it’s bearing fruit now with the likes of Wilshere, Frimpong, Bartley, Lansbury, Miquel, Coquelin. I don’t really think we should be investing too much in squad players from now on (these roles can be filled by youngsters) and instead focus on players to improve the first team.

Arsène to sign a new long-term contract: I would like Wenger to be given another three years to develop this new team into something special. Wenger has his mistakes, but he is the best match for the role of manager at Arsenal and we are so luck to have him. My biggest worry is that Real Madrid won’t win anything important again this year under Mourinho and they will try to lure Wenger away from Arsenal.

The return of Dennis Bergkamp, as an Assistant Manager: all is not well at Ajax, and Dennis is witnessing ugly political infighting between many of the greats of this fantastic club. There is quite a chance that the Iceman will end up on the losing side, or will simply decide to quit his role altogether at Ajax. If this were to be the case, Arsene should act and get the now fully qualified Bergkamp back to where he really belongs: the mighty Arse!

Most of the above wishes are realistic and achievable, and I am sure you’ll allow me the indulgent dream of DB’s return to our club!

Keep believing fellow Gooners and a very happy New Year to you all!

Total Arsenal

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

“Lies, damned lies, and statistics”

January 4, 2012

This is a phrase describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments.

It is also sometimes colloquially used to cast doubt upon statistics used to prove an opponent’s point.

The term was popularised in the United States by Mark Twain who attributed it to the 19th-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881):

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” However, the phrase is not found in any of Disraeli’s works and the earliest known appearances were years after his death.

Mark Twain popularized the saying in “Chapters from My Autobiography”, published in the North American Review in 1906. “Figures often beguile me,” he wrote, “particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.’

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I’m a person who enjoys using statistical data, especially factual/actual data. In football I use it to gain a better understanding of  “what, if” scenarios.

The chart below shows our actual statistics through the first twenty games of each of our Premier League seasons.

To avoid any controversy I will not  reach any personal conclusions in this post  – but I’ll be only to happy to dialogue, later in the day.

Here are some actual facts from the data

1. The most goals scored was 53 in 2009/10 and we finished 3rd.

2. The least goals against was 11 in 1993/4 and we finished 4th and then again in 1998/9 when we finished 2nd.

3. The greatest goal difference was 30 in 2009/10 and we finished 3rd.

4. The most points won was 47 in 2007/8 when we finished 3rd.

(It’s interesting to note that we did not win the league in any of these instances).

5. With the same or less points we’ve finished 1st once, 2nd once, 4th four times, 5th once, 10th once and 12th once.

6. With the same or less goals for we’ve finished 1st once, 2nd four times, 4th three times, 10th once and 12th once.

It should also be noted that our current goals against of 28 is the worst in our PL history.

The years 1992/3, 1993/4 and 1994/5 were all 42 game seasons.

Written by GunnerN5


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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

New Year Resolution?

January 3, 2012

I’m not feeling at all witty this morning and the things I have to say are mostly obvious and not earth shatteringly different. What I want to know most of all is what on earth happened in our dressing room at half-time yesterday? We had played a very acceptable game up until then, we were good for our lead and yet we didn’t come onto the pitch with any belief that we were going to win the game.

It’s glaringly obvious that goals win games and until we start converting our early chances the burden of being only 1 up is going to weigh heavily on the team and the manager, but what on earth was Arsène doing getting out of his seat to glare at Theo for taking a shot???? Other managers applaud their players for a shot that doesn’t get converted.

The bad luck that we’ve had this season with injuries to our full-backs has affected our game more than we could have imagined. We rely on attacking using our wide players and those who worried early in the season that Santos wasn’t up to defending should eat their words now. We’ve tried to struggle on using our spare centre-backs (not like us to usually have spare centre-backs) but we’re not ticking as a team and now we’re down to the bare bones. Thank goodness there is a week until the next game.

Many players let themselves down in the 2nd half yesterday but some of the manager’s decision making was also strange. He claimed after the game that Djourou was being targetted by Fulham players after his yellow card. Surely it would have been sensible to take him off before he got the 2nd yellow, we were well prepared with both Miquel and Squillacci on the bench.

However, weren’t the team falling apart before the sending off? Where was our mid-field? Our reliable ARS had gone missing. Arteta must be exhausted, Song’s ability to shield the ball and come away with it after a tackle has disappeared completely, although I did think that Ramsey was having his best game for a while.

Too many games in such a small space of time are bound to take their toll on such a small squad already ravaged by injuries and we now have Djourou banned from the next game.

Szczesny told the world on twitter that he was at fault for the first goal and hadn’t had a good game. It was unusual to see him flapping and it goes to show how important an unflappable goalie is.

Would we have been stronger with Vermaelen on the pitch? His leadership qualities were what we missed, I hope his ‘three weeks’ doesn’t turn into more than that.

This Arsenal team has done very well at protecting a 1 goal lead but you have to ask why were they sitting so deep for more than 25 minutes. Where is the get up and go? Was it just that they were too tired to do anything else?

Many of us have wondered why Arsène doesn’t learn from previous mistakes. It’s not his fault that we have so many injuries but it is his fault that we have signed players to score goals that just don’t seem to be able to.

The blur of these last four games should disappear quickly if we return to form after a much needed rest but a repeat of last night’s second half is never far away.

Arsène, if you want this Arsenal team to be successful, let them shoot. We have a great defence now, solid centre-backs but they can’t win games by themselves. We need to score goals, if you’re not going to buy someone then at least release the players we have from their straight jackets and find their shooting boots.

peachesgooner

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Reason to Believe: Match Preview.

January 2, 2012

What a couple of days of football! Who could have predicted such calamity for the top 4 teams? Can we take advantage tonight?

Fulham showed how good they can be a few weeks ago at THOF, a game we dominated but were relieved to get a point. Of course, the man who scored both goals will be missing and he leaves a big hole. Can young Coquelin deputise or will it be Miquel? Having seen the 20 mins Le Coq played on Saturday he would get my vote; he was tidy, showed some superb skills, and was energetic, my fears are that his positional sense will let him down. – JD still hasn’t become accustomed to his new role and has 4 years more PL experience. From his brief showings Le Coq has a big future and I hope it can be at Arsenal

Fulham: I like Martin Jol; as he did at Spurs, Jol has shown he has the knack of taking a poor team and improving them – Fulham are no longer a pushover, they are organized, solid in defence and very strong in midfield. It is good to see Swiss Phil finally get a run of games and alongside Hangeland he has developed into a decent PL CB, but these two are surely the type of CB partnership who should be meat and drink to a fast attacking team like ours. We shall see.

A repeat of poor finishing v QPR will cost us in a game like today – we will not get a chance every few minutes as we did on Saturday and we need to be lethal in front of goal. For this reason I would give Theo a rest and bring him on as an impact sub on the hour. With Leeds in the Cup next Monday, a warm-up outing for Oxlade-Chamberlain could be the way to go though knowing AW he will play him in the Cup game. With TV out and an inexperienced LB we cannot take the risk of playing AA whose defensive attributes leave much to be desired, I would start Benayoun who has shown much promise.

My team:

.

Hopefully we will be ahead early and allow Chamakh to get on the pitch for more than a 10 minute cameo, RvP needs a rest but currently he is so vital such luxury is out of the question, particularly when 3 points are essential if we are to cement our Top 4 position.

Fulham has had many famous residents, one of whom is Willam Spooner, the man who “invented” Spoonerisms –  which are plays on words switching consonants and vowels. e.g. Soap in your Hole (Hope in your Soul). Mr. Spooner was a Divinity Fellow at Oxford and his lectures became hugely polar due to his unfortunate but happy habit of mixing his words. Enough of this, I must go and boil my icicle!

 

Mr. Spooner, who I am sure you will agree bears a remarkable resemblance to Martin Jol

 A big game today and one which we cannot afford to lose. Come on Boys, start the year with a win and the World is your Lobster !

COYRRG

Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Hello 4th – Happy New Year

January 1, 2012

Football on New Years Eve!? Do the FA not give any thought to the bloggers having to write match reports?

Anyhow, QPR were the latest visitors to the Emirates during this crazy Christmas period. With Liverpool already picking up 3 points a day earlier against Newcastle, and with United, Chelsea and Spurs all expected to win against relegation fodder (see what I done! He he), it was imperative that Arsenal return to winning ways and pick up maximum points against Neil Warnocks men.

Line ups were as expected with a fully rested Arteta and Ramsey returning in place of Rosicky and Benayoun. The only real shock being the return of Arshavin to the starting berth in place of Gervinho.

Arsenal started a little slowly and it was QPR who had the first shot in anger with Bothroyd forcing an easy save from Szscesny. It was QPR again looking threatening moments later as Wright Phillips and Taarabt combined well to produce another good stop from the Gunners keeper.

QPR, despite their bright start, were expected to park the bus, however, it soon became apparent that they had brought the minibus as Arsenal, and in particular Van Persie, started to find space. The first Gunners chance came when Van Persie twisted Connelly inside out before firing with his left straight at Cerny. Minutes later it was RvP with another chance from a beautiful Ramsey cross which the Dutchmen did well to stretch and direct just wide of the far post. Arsenal were moving up the gears.

Then came a crazy few minutes where the home side should have gone at least 1 up. Djourou dribbled from right to left before feeding RvP in the box, who in a flash turned Young into old before firing over with the keeper diving at his feet. Seconds later Arsenal were awarded a free kick when the enemy, Barton, was booked for a late lunge on Arteta. Robin fired the free kick deep towards Koscielny who managed to direct a header down to the feet of Walcott who could only volley a difficult chance back across goal when he could’ve, and maybe shouldve, done better. Arsenal were beginning to turn the screw, but the best chance of the half ended in frustration again as Vermaelen floated a beautiful ball over the top of the static QPR defence to find an onrushing Van Persie, who could only fire over from 15 yards with his right foot volley. Unlucky.

As the first half drew to a close, the referee decided to get involved in the game. First of all he decided that it was no penalty when Young handled from a Koscielny volley. 50/50 if I’m honest. Then, bizarrely, it was a question of mistaken identity as Vermaelen was booked for a challenge made by Koscielny! I think Atkinson had started the NYE drinking early!

Just before the half time whistle Arsenal had another great chance as Ramsey’s volley was cleared off the line by Barton. It was starting to feel like one of those days!

Into the second half and QPR again started strongly. Old boys Traore and Bothroyd linking well down the left before the latter fired a great ball across the 6 yard box that Szscesny did well to parry before grabbing a weak follow-up from Faurlin. The poor start to the half was then made worse when Vermaelen (still on a yellow, as apparently they couldn’t change it!) had to be replaced by Coquelin after picking up a knock. 2-3 weeks out apparently and a loanee defender needed, though with the way Coquelin played we may have enough cover.

Arsenal may have started the second half a little shaky, but it wasn’t long before QPR were being ripped apart again. This time it was the lively Ramsey with a defence splitter that found Theo sprinting through on his own. Unfortunately, Walcotts legs seemed to take him to the goal quicker than his brain wanted and by the time he had thought about where he was going to place it his right boot had already struck the ball 4 yards wide! Henry, looking on, must’ve wondered why they didnt retire the number 14 shirt. Poor effort.

Arsenal had been wasteful thus far, but, as they say, If you create enough chances then eventually you will score, and so it proved. Ironically, after so much good play from the home side, it was a QPR mistake that lead to the goal. A loose pass from SWP fell straight to the feet of the much improved Arshavin, who, for all his faults, still knows how to make a perfectly weighted through ball look simple. RvP had nothing to do except slide the ball past the onrushing keeper to make it 35 goals for 2011 and beat Henry’s record. 1-0 to the Arsenal. Easy.

Arsenal could finally relax, and the football that followed reflected the change in atmosphere. Firstly, Arshavin was denied by a fantastic, last ditch tackle from the evergreen Young. Then, moments later, Ramsey couldn’t quite find RvP in the box when maybe a shot was the better option. QPR, however, were still in the game at 1-0 and Taarabt forced a fine save from the Arsenal number one at the other end as the away side pressed for an equaliser. Arsenal had to be careful.

QPR were starting to push forward, but with Koscielny and BFG looking solid, the nearest they came to an equaliser was when Taarabt decided to audition for his Olympic diving team in the Gunners box. He would’ve qualified!

In the latter stages, Ramsey and especially Gervinho, a replacement for Walcott, were responsible for keeping the score at just one. Firstly, Gerv decided to try and dribble through a crowded box when a left foot strike would have been the better option. Then seconds later RvP shrugged off SWP in the box to cut back for Gervinho who should really have scored with his left from 3 yards, but he somehow put it wide (maybe that’s why he didn’t shoot earlier with his left!).

The last 5 minutes would usually be squeaky bum time for an Arsene Wenger side, but with Kozzer and BFG looking solid, this Arsenal team never looked like conceding.

A solid NYE performance from the Gunners but they were definitely guilty of some poor finishing. Hopefully, the return of Henry will see that rectified, but based on the build up play, it’s only a matter of time before others in addition to RvP start finding the net.

MoTM for me was RvP, I thought his control at times was outstanding and he gave the defenders a nightmare, could’ve had 3 or 4 but only because he created so many chances for himself, especially first half.

Great results elsewhere means Arsenal ended the day in 4th and on the heels of the other CL pretenders.

No ratings from me due to having to watch the game on a terrible stream! Feel free to add your own.

Written by FatGingerGooner

Belated Ratings from Harry:
Szczesny: 7.5; Oozed Confidence, positionally sound, loved the way he closed down SWP early doors. His distribution was sound and in keeping with his improvement, he looks to move it quick but is more considered, rather than rash.
Djourou: 7; Much better, not a favourite of mine at the moment, like TV he is slightly out of his comfort zone, but he is getting better. Still drifts to middle and lets wide players in behind, lacks confidence, when in tight situations with pressure been applied.
BFG: 8; Reads the game so well, made 3 or 4 telling interceptions. He mops up the loose and distributes well, with bumpy passes!!
Kozzer: 9; This guy is unreal, tackles, blocks and reads danger with his eyes closed, for me he is the French Keown! MoTM by a Kilometre, RVP rightlty gets the plaudits for been able to score the goals, but behind every genius you need the Grafters and boy does Laurent do that, at the moment, 1st name on the team sheet with Szcz and RVP. Please stay fit………..
Vermaelen: 7.5; Our Belgique Warrior, steady and determined as always, tracked players well and let no one in behind. Incorrectly booked due to mistaken identity.
Song. 7; Did his job, but not at his usual imperious best, some wayward passing at times. Was strong in the tackles and broke up play.
Arteta.7; Again did his job with minimal fuss, kept the ball well and picked out some great passes, but seemed not quite as sharp as usual and for me it slowed us down on the break, plays game in game out. Was hacked down by the 8th Archangel JoeyHades.
Ramsey. 8.5; This boy is more energetic than a duracel bunny, he must have a rolls royce engine under that rib cage. He ran, he closed, he delivered some great crosses. The occasional pass failed the odd audacious back heel came off. Unlucky with a delightful volley on the edge of the area, which deflected wide. Pushed Kozzer for MotM. By the way some of the abuse this lad gets from the fans is unreal
Arshavin. 4; Gets the 4 for the key assist for RVP, 1 or 2 tackles and a 2min spell where he seemed interested, apart from that, he was shocking, something is not right.
Van Persie: 8.5; Outstanding game and will be some peoples choice for Man of the match. Took his goal well, he bamboozled QPR defenders with his nimble footwork, unlucky not to score 2 or 3 others, the volley in the 1st half by his majestic standards was a surprising miss, did everything right, but was just slightly leaning back as he struck it.
Walcott: 7; Worked hard and got forward well, won us most of our corners, ok lets get to it, in the 2nd half he went through one on one and fluffed his lines, for that I wont defend him, he needs to to take these chances or at least let the keeper make a world class save. The abuse he gets is vile and unjust, he wont stay at our club, which will please some people, it wont me.
Subs:
Coquelin: 7: On for TV, did ok in yet another position for the young french prodigy. Although an attempted Kung Fu Clearance near the end was a tad naive.
Rosicky. 7: Added much needed urgency and gets involved everywhere, just wished he could last 90mins, he would be in the 1st 11 everyweek.
Gervinho. 6: Shocking miss, had 2 or 3 chances to help wrap the game up, one immediately after coming on, was unlucky with that, but then on he made some poor decisions.
Manager 7.5:
I thought the team had a better balance than against wolves, but some players were tired, I thought he should have brought on Ox as did everyone else!! But did subs at right time, for him!, I would have subbed AA at  Half time.
Overall:
3 points were vital, before the scores of others were known, with them scores in, the 3 points felt like 6, winning ugly hasnt been in our make up, so its good we have that again now, but I wouldnt mind a pretty win once in a while, need to play at pace………
Happy New Year, into 4th and into the Transfer Window, surely????

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Auld Lang Syne: Match Preview.

December 31, 2011

With the warm glow of a trip to the Emirates still pervading the senses I am back at the pre-match keyboard though having read the excellent work done by my substitutes I have much to live up to.

Before discussing today’s Derby, I would like to look back to the Wolves game. I feel we dropped two points through a mixture of bad luck and poor management. The bad luck is symptomatic of this season (4 FB’s out for min. 3 months??), a deflected shot hits an unknowing Fletcher who diverts it into the only part of the goal not covered by Wn1; he couldn’t repeat that header in a month of Sundays. The poor management is another matter; it was a mistake to rest Ramsey because we were already missing Theo on the right which resulted in having no balance in the team. JD is no RB, a decent defender perhaps, but as an attacking force he is useless. Switching The Gerv from wing to wing just caused him to fade from the game. It was no co-incidence that we looked so much better once AA and AR came on.

Onto today: QPR are one of my favourite teams, always have been, BUT this season they have plummeted in my estimation because any team that employs Joey Barton deserves relegation at the very least. And to make him Captain –  The Lunatics have taken over the asylum! I know Evonne likes him (which is beyond understanding) and as such I shall stop here except to say I hope Gervinho tears him a new one.

On the plus side SWP is an exciting but hugely frustrating player who is a bullet dodged. I have to admit I was hopeful he would sign for us prior to his Chelsea stint and even when he went to The Oilers, in fact I was furious with his Dad who encouraged him to go up North. In retrospect I am deeply grateful Wrighty!

Islington lad and huge Gooner Jay Bothroyd should start upfront for Rangers, I was there the day he threw his shirt at Don Howe and was one of those who gave him serious abuse for such a disrespectful act, but fairplay to him, he has worked hard and created a fine career.

Another ex-Gunner is Armand Traore who is best remembered for taking a knuckle duster to WHL which is evidence of his intelligence – a yoyo career at AFC ended following our blip at OT. Had he stayed he would undoubtedly be playing in red and white this afternoon.

Managed by Warnock, QPR have done well. He is the right manager to get a team into the Prem and keep them up. Warnock’s tactics will be predictable and we can expect a very large bus to be brought onto the perfect Emirates bus for the duration of the game but he has some creative players capable of turning a game in seconds – they even have their own Nik Bendtner in Taraabt, a player who believes he is World Class and very (very) occasionally proves it. We will have to be on our guard this afternoon.

As to our lads. I was shocked to see both TR and Benayoun start against Wolves and would be surprised to see a repeat. The ARS has worked very well for us and unless there is an injury we should play them every time until the return of Wilshere. Theo is fit, The Gerv has at last scored, RvP is a cert and the defence, though creaky, picks itself. I would like to see everyone shift across one place to the left and play Kos at RB with TV back at CB and Miquel continue his development at LB, but I expect Mr Wenger to take no risks.

My team:

We have such an experienced bench and yet no-one who can really threaten in attack a problem solved with the arrival of Thierry. I have to say that unlike some of our bloggers I am very, very excited by his return – my man love for TH holds no bounds, to have him back at THOF is my  best Xmas gift.

In a year when Royalty has been so much to the fore it is fitting to end the year with a Royal Gooner. Not surprisingly there are many to choose from but I have chosen a man who started the Royal Gooner tradition, King George V. A fine man who regularly attended games between the wars.

KGV wearing the Home Kit @ 1930

This is the final Arsenal Arsenal post of the year. 2011 has brought us both joy and pain, from the beating of Barca to that awful Wembley afternoon but above all it has been a year of great banter, heated discussion, abundant laughter and heart-warming camaraderie on this the best blogsite on the web. Thank you all who have joined in the fun and thank you all for reading.

Big Raddy wishes you a very Happy New Year and a 2012 filled with adventure and silverware.

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

Arsenal vintage, 2011: Gunshot memories (or oxidised cordite clouds)

December 30, 2011

In looking back at 2011, in my capacity as a particularly grizzled campaigner of many seasons, I’ve decided to pick out some highs and lows that have stuck in my Peroni-soaked mind, Arsenalistically speaking.

We started 2011 very much in the title race and in contention for all four trophies and early on that year my favourite goal of the season was scored.

The winning goal against the Catalan Diving Association at Ashburton Grove scored by my favourite player, set up by my least favourite player/bench-warmer, was my highlight of the year. The flowing counter attack that led to this goal was a sensational end to the first leg of the game shown on ITV, although they had to spoil it by damming us with faint praise from Clive I-love-ManU Tyldesley, thusly:

“A Barcelona goal scored against Barcelona.”

The media can be so far up another team’s sphincter at times that all rationality is lost.

Another so called defining moment a lazy media decided to pick up on was the late defeat at Wembley at the hands of Brum FC, then managed by the purple nosed alchy mini-me, McLeish, one of many of the evil Glaswegians acolytes plying their trade in the Premier League.

Who can forget (actually who is trying to forget?) Ferguson cuffing Kozzer on the head after his clanger allowed old man Martins to hand Brum FC their first trophy in an age?

Classy stuff from another Ferguson (surely must be related to the dark overlord of Govan?).

A painful moment and one I was reminded of when a group of Brum FC fans began to goad my younger son, who was wearing his Arsenal 2010-11 home shirt, while on holiday in the south west the following month.

Brum FC’s subsequent relegation and the arrest of their owner on money laundering charges proved that football isn’t always a justice free zone.

The agony didn’t stop as the next day Bolton scored a 90th minute winner to finish off our title hopes at the Reebok as apparently in the hotel lobby all the other holidayers(deep in the Bolton territory of Burnham-on-sea) were Trotters as they celebrated our demise with glee.

The path of a Gooner is, as we all know, strewn with strife and scorn from jealous unknowing rival supporters.

A case in point being Tony Pu(gil)lis’s team of hoofers and hyperthyroid Carlton Palmer type players who compounded our misery with a 3-1 trouncing at the S*itannia a fortnight later.

By then our season had petered out (culminating in the last home game featuring a protest march before a defeat to Aston Villa) and only the good start to that season prevented our loss of a top 4 spot.
The manner of our late season collapse was cause enough for gooner melancholy yet the summer transfer window continued the travails.

The late(ish) exit of the homesick Spaniard left a gaping creative hole in the first team which has either not been filled or was filled late depending whether Arteta is seen as a direct replacement or not, an argument for another day however of the new arrivals he is my favourite.

In the way that a new girlfriend may have something about her that reminds you of a previous girlfriend you have good memories of, Arteta was like a reprise of the homesick Spaniard that made moving on from our ex number 4 a bit easier.

The acrimonious departure of the world class bench warmer referred to earlier was less a cause for sadness and more a sign of the times, in my opinion.

The late flurry of arrivals into London Colney was preceded by the slaughter at Old Toilet(a week after a painful home defeat at the hands of the ‘dippers) where a decimated Arsenal team travelled north west and lost 8-2, a coincidence that many of the phone hackers (journalists) proved Wenger was panic buying. An example of lazy, simplistic thinking from writers with an agenda to adhere to, regardless of facts or the application of intelligence.

By then our year had well and truly bottomed out and while the subsequent recovery has given cause for optimism it is tinged with the caveat of recent draws against lower ranked teams. The leadership style and sensational form of our present Captain Robin and our improved resilience will need to serve us well at the business end of the season as the days begin to lengthen and things hot up on and off the pitch.

A highlight of the season has to be the elimination of the teams from the so called power house of English football, Manchester, from the elite European competition, and the subsequent schadenfreude. Whilst most supporters of other teams would be ecstatic at this being gooners I sensed we then indulged in a bout of, if I may borrow from the Rose the Sage-Stalker from Two and a Half Men, “Glaukenschtoken” – guilt at enjoying the schadenfreude.

The sight of Fergie of Red Nose flouncing out of a Champions League press conference where a rogue member of the Press pack suggested maybe the Old Toilet crew were struggling in Europe was comedy gold when viewed in the context of their subsequent exit into the teams that populate the Channel 5 trophy.

Due to results for Abu Dhabi FC preceding the last group game their exit was more expected yet the Old Toilet team’s departure was the cherry on the top of a tasty Mancunian cake.

The Robin hatrick at the bus top in Fulham is also something to cheer us up in the bleak midwinter we find ourselves in now, especially the swerve and arc which Robin imparted onto his third goal.
The image of him kneeling in front of the always magnificent away support, arms perpendicular in supplication it seemed, was a memorable and vivid image encapsulating our slow and painful recuperation from the early season traumas.

As 2011 draws to a close I’ll not be too sorry to see it go, from an Arsenal point of view, and I look ahead to 2012 for better times.

Charybdis1966

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Posted by ChärybdÏß1966

Thierry Henry – The Gunner Galactico

December 29, 2011

Written by Jamie

When Thierry Henry scored in Madrid in 2005, the ITV commentator, Peter Drury, I think, called him “the gunner galactico” and since we have now given our record scorer a statue, it seems a fair representation of his greatness.

In April 2004 I stood in the lower east stand, just over an hour before kickoff. The gates were open for a morning kick off against Liverpool. A game which after losing and FA Cup Semi Final to Manchester United and a Champions League quarter final to Chelsea only days before had taken on increased significance.

If Arsenal were to fail now, that would surely be the end.

There were probably only a hundred gooners in the ground. Henry was making a joke of the fitness test Gary Lewin was asking him to perform.

Jogging round cones with all the enthusiasm of a teenage boy doing the washing up. Gary Lewin shakes his head with a wry smile. As the five/ ten minute session ends on the sundrenched Highbury pitch both Lewin and Henry walk for the tunnel, Henry seeming to plead like a kid who had not done enough to earn his pocket money.

Henry started the game with a back injury and had an awful first half but did manage to lob Dudek. Arsenal ended the half 1-2 down.

Months later the players were asked what Wenger said at half time and they replied that the only instruction was to keep passing.

Suddenly Ljungberg and Pires where everywhere and pretty soon Pires had levelled the score from close range.

Then it happened, Thierry Henry picked the ball up just inside the Liverpool half. Faced with a wall of white shirts he first jogged then sprinted, faced with Carragher a change of feet was enough. Each row in the East and West stands rising as Henry went passed.

Then faced with Dudek, Henry side footed the ball to the corner of the net. You often hear the phrase, that lifted the roof, well that doesn’t do it justice.

After a week of torture, everybody convinced we would blow it, we came back from the dead and blew Liverpool away.

Henry often recalls this to be his favourite goal, largely I assume because of the significance to the team. You see, that is what great players do, they take a bad day, they take fear and panic and they blow it away in the blink of an eye.

Henry went on to score a lucky third and Arsenal went on to win the League and become the first English team since football became a serious game to go a season unbeaten.

That moment changed the course of football history.

Arsenal had other great players, gladiators like Campbell and Vieira, the extraordinary Bergkamp, First goal Freddie and Thierry Henry’s delightful sidekick Robert Pires.

As Bergkamp was in his earlier career, Thierry Henry was now Prima Ballerina, the star turn, and elegant mix of dexterity and finesse. The perfect first touch, pace, poise and technique.

Henry had his moments though, he sat in tears after the 2001 FA Cup Final defeat against Liverpool. Henry among others missed a hatful in a game that Arsenal dominated and lost. He was out of sorts in Copenhagen 12 months earlier as Arsenal lost the UEFA cup final to Galatasaray.

Henry would lead the Arsenal’s scoring charts again in 2001/2 as the Gunners went on to lift the double. Henry and Pires were telepathic by now and the first two thirds of the season swept all before them.

The following year Arsenal were to throw away the league title after having held a big lead over Manchester United.

Henry had been incredible at times including a stunning hat-trick in Rome and a monumental performance against Spurs at Highbury in a game where for the last ten minutes Henry and Pires continually humiliated Spurs’ Stephen Carr after Carr had flattened Pires in the first few minutes of the game.

From 2001-5 he and Arsenal got there rewards for the work the team had put in since Henry’s arrival in 1999 as a replacement for Nicolas Anelka. The trophies flooded in.

Dennis Bergkamp played a role in Henry’s development, Henry spent the first two years of his Arsenal career trying to bend shots around the keeper. The Bergkamp-esque curler, something which he eventually mastered and made his own.

Bergkamp taught him where to run. Pires taught him how to hang out on the left and let the game come to him. Like Cruyff’s theory of creating space by standing still.

Late in a game Henry would stand, hands on hip on the half way line, usually on the left. Arsenal defending a lead, only to spring to lightning paced action should the ball be fed to him on the counter attack.

  • The trademark dummy and drag back,
  • the blind runs to the by-line only for him to wriggle a way out,
  • the explosive one on one finisher,
  • the frustrated whack from outside the box,
  • the corner flag showman in the dying minutes,
  • the pumped match winner in Madrid.

Whatever you remember King Henry for I am sure you will be recalling it now with a smile on your face.

It is also time to dispel a few myths about the great man.

Idiots might tell you that Henry didn’t score in the big games, He scored great goals against Manchester United, Real Madrid, Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea, Roma, Inter Milan and Juventus.

He didn’t score against Barcelona in Arsenal’s the 2006 Champions League final defeat.

He did go on to play for them though.

Henry scored his final Arsenal home goal to win a tight game with Manchester United.  As Sky’s Martin Tyler remarked, “a great moment from the great man”.

Henry was excellent for Barcelona and won everything he hadn’t already won with England and France. He might not of recaptured his Arsenal form but he did edge Ronaldinho out of the left side of Barcelona’s attack.

My favourite memory of the great man is probably this.

In 2003 I travelled to Milan to see the second group stage game against Inter. The first a 3-0 home defeat fell like an axe.

In the San Siro, minus key players Arsenal won 5-1. Late in the game Henry picked up a ball on the break and sprinted towards the box. He stopped, waited for the Inter defender to catch up, teasing,  only to shift the ball past him and smash a left for shot in to the bottom corner. The away end went bananas and I got very drunk in one of Milan’s Irish bars.

Arsenal had been slated for the first Inter game and the Old Trafford brawl which followed but as Henry’s shot smashed the net it was all consigned to history.

Thierry Henry, The Gunner Galactico.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Arsenal – Wolves: Let’s Keep Things in Perspective

December 28, 2011

So we lost two valuable home-points today against lowly placed Wolves, and now we are all feeling down?

Man City drew against West Brom and Liverpool could not kill off Blackburn yesterday, and neither could Chelsea see-off Fulham. I am as disappointed as anybody for dropping two points against Wolves at home. But the boys gave everything yesterday and it was not to be: 23 attempts on goal, 17 on target and only one goal showing for it (according to the BBC website). When Arsenal play at home and  concede such an unfortunate equaliser the most important thing is to find a balance between a calm/focussed approach to find good scoring opportunities on the one hand, and to develop a real sense of urgency on the other hand. The longer the game took the more we lost that balance, as our sense of urgency took more and more control, at the cost of quality.

This can happen. At least our players never gave up but kept believing. I am absolutely convinced that playing 5 games in the space of 15 days will mean that the teams who are closely competing against each other will, more or less, end up with the same points tally at the end of that period.

There are just too many games in succession for any team to make a bigger leap forward than its direct competitors. At the moment, our direct competitors are Liverpool, Newcastle United, The Spuds and the Chavs. Don’t be totally surprised if by the 4th of January all these teams, as well as Arsenal, will have gathered a similar number of points over the five PL games during the Christmas/New Year period.

Last year, most of us leaped to big conclusions when Arsenal did not manage to beat Wigan away at this stage. We had just beaten the Chavs at home and expectations were sky-high. Arsene was criticised for resting too many players back then, and he will probably now be criticised for not making enough changes, or making the wrong changes in yesterday’s game. The masters of hindsight will now start discussing all the things Wenger should have done, and criticising the choices he made before and during the game. But, I say it again: 17 shots on target and only one went in. Wolves scored a fortuitous goal and we just missed a bit of composure and a bit of luck to win this game. We totally deserved it, but it just was not to be. Did we deserve three points against Aston Villa, a few days ago? Possibly not, but we got them anyway. It’s swings and roundabouts.

In a busy footie-fixtures period like this, we need to move on to the next game and try to win that one. And then move on again and try to win the next one. This is a period of getting as many points as possible and to not have too high expectations of catching up with our most direct competitors. We made great progress in the last few months, and we are now consolidating this. Over the next few months, Arsenal will start working towards 3rd and 4th spot in the PL, and to do well in the CL and FA cup rounds. If we can manage our expectations a bit, and I am talking to myself as well here, the second part of the season can become a very enjoyable one.

Let’s keep the faith: the New Arsenal has all the ingredients for success – it just might take a bit longer than we want it to take.

TotalArsenal

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

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