Manu’re Decomposing …….. Jack’s a Diamond

November 6, 2010

Hypothesis…….

Imagine you are a 68 y.o. football manager, a man who without question is the greatest club manager in English football history ( difficult for you Chary 🙂 ), you have recognised your powers are failing and that your legacy is under threat.

You have assembled some very expensive talent, you have 3 players for whom you have paid over  €30m a man, and bought some of the most expensive foreign kids available. Yet the team is ordinary, reliant for it’s imagination upon the fading talents of ageing greats and the mercurial talents of a bully boy who was touted as the future of English football but is now going through a breakdown (perhaps!). Your perennial rivals down the road have suddenly become serious contenders and threaten to be take your throne as England’s glamour club, something you have spent 20 years achieving.  Can you leave the team like this? Is this team going to be your legacy or can you quiclky create  a team that can last another 10 years?

And if you are to do so how can you achieve your aims?

I will tell you, you go out and buy the most talented and expensive kids in the Premiership – as you always have done, and here we come to today’s subject matter. Who is the Premiership’s new young golden boy, the boy/man already lauded as the best prospect since Gascoigne? Yes, our cheeky chappie, our Little Jack. . The best 20 y.o keeper in the World?  Szczesny.

Man Utd are a team in crisis. They need an entire back 5 as Van de Saar picks up his OAP alongside Neville, Rio is 32, Vidic unhappy, Evans crap and Brown/O’Shea not good enough. However, defence is not where SAF will be looking to base his next team. His midfield is a desert of creative talent, take out Scholes/Giggs and you are left with the water carriers that are Carrick, Hargreaves, Fletcher and Anderson. Scholes has been the bedrock of MU’s success for 15 years, a monster of a player and which young PL player plays in a similar vein?  Yes – Jack again.

I think Jack Rodwell will be at United before the start of next season as Ferguson makes his final signings prior to retirement (he will be 70 summer of 2012). Henderson at Sunderland , Bale from Spurs, all young talents who must be on Sir Alex’s wish list. With the new contract for Rooney, the Glazer’s have made clear their intention to spend the Ronaldo money. Expect a huge signing spree over the next year.

And why from the Premiership? Because Ferguson is proud that his teams have always included the best young British talent, from Scholes to Becks to Ferdinand and Rooney. Plus his record of buying expensive foreign talent is less than perfect (Veron 🙂 )

Now, you may say it is ludicrous to imagine Wilshere or Szczesny going to Man Utd and I sincerely hope that to be the case. However, Rooney left Everton, Ronaldo left MU at the very height of his powers. Sol left Spurs (:-D ), Liam left us ( 😦 )  etc etc. Nothing is impossible. That  both players would be  very attractive to Ferguson is beyond question and money talks.

I realise that Jack has just signed a 5 year contract but so has Rooney, and in all honesty do you imagine he will see out the 5 years at Old Trafford?

Would Wenger sell Jack should a fee of €30+ be mentioned? Of course not, but it has been a fun ride thinking about it.

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Are there just too many Arsenal Sites?

November 5, 2010

Written by kelsey

The Internet has seen an explosion of football sites in a comparatively short space of time, and at the last count I see there are  a hundred or more just dedicated to The Arsenal.

This got me thinking, as I am of an age when if one grew up in and around North London, one either followed Arsenal or Spurs. Many families were, and are still divided in their loyalty to one club or the other. There was practically no televised football,  let alone endless replays, multitudes of pundits, video technology or mobile phones and generally one had to attend games. In the main there was honest banter between the two sets of fans and no real hatred. One could sit in a pub and discuss football in a civil manner.

With the arrival of the Internet and the domination of Sky TV over the last twenty years things have changed dramatically, and I put it to you, not always for the better.

On the plus side it has opened up a way for fans from all over the world to log on and express their views about all things (in our case) Arsenal. We all have our favorite blogs, and in most there is a hard core of faithful bloggers who post on a daily basis.

Some sites are welcoming to anyone, whilst others use expletives when one first steps in and tell you in no uncertain way to get lost if your view opposes that of the site.

Others (which is a real pet hate of mine) scream abuse at our players and fairly frequently at our manager when things don’t pan out as expected,or we lose a game,yet when we invariably bounce back with a resounding win,these people magically disappear.

If one was really honest with oneself, would you give some of the posters two minutes of your life if you actually met them face to face? I doubt you would. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but some people try to justify their standpoint by suggesting that they are more intelligent than others, and therefore they are the “Football Managers” and the rest of us are complete idiots.

When you get sixty thousand people together in an environment one will always get differing cultures and different view points and reading some sites it gets rather racist or political that one forgets that the principal purpose is forgotten, that is to see the pros and cons of the team discussed on any given match day, but most importantly to support the club through thick and thin.

Of course it is a free world and everyone can do as they please. Many will disagree with me, but there are just too many Arsenal sites which are not carefully monitored and are only interested in the number of hits they receive.

Quality of post will always outweigh quantity.

This is my own opinion and does not represent everyone else’s feeling on this site.

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Posted by kelsey

Sunk By Our Former Comrade But Its Far From A Disaster

November 4, 2010

So Eduardo scores against us again!

Not as nice a feeling as last time around. Then we were cruising, had the three points in the bag and it was just a weird added bonus that Eduardo scored. Last night his goal meant we lost and failed to secure the win we needed to progress to the knock-out stages with two games in hand.

It was only a minor blip and not a disaster. I said after the game in London that the Ukrainians were a far better side that what they showed when we thrashed them, that it seemed they were willing to lose at the Emirates and go for the win at home, and so it proved. Of course it would have been nice to go through and let the kids out to play in the last two games, but with a stronger team we can go to Braga and win, and we should definitely beat Partizan at home regardless of the players available.

Once again the defensive worries popped up last night. Young Craig Eastmond had a torrid time of it – he never protected the back four and the game passed him by. He’s a game lad and has proven he’s a decent player, but be it lack of match time or just out of his depth, last night was one to forget for him. The much more experienced Eboue and Clichy have just as much blame, if not more, than Eastmond. Willian made a fool of Eboue time and again down the right, and it lead to Eboue giving away the free-kick that they scored from. Then Clichy foolishly played around with the ball instead of hacking it clear and Eduardo scored the second that proved the winner.

We really missed Song and Fabregas, both as a unit and individually. We failed to really get a hold of the ball and Shakhtar really pressured us and closed the spaces last night. We had a few chances to equalize at the end, most of all from Squidgy but he didn’t connect right with the header.

Not a nice feeling to lose but no need to get worked up – I know I won’t be. We have a massive goal difference on the other sides in the group and its still only a matter of winning one of the two games. Look at it this way – if we won tonight we wouldn’t really mind losing the last two games and letting the kids play, instead we just have to give the grown-ups one more run out to finish the job, its hopefully just prolonging the inevitable – we progress.  We are still top – just have to make sure the Ukrainians don’t pip us for first.

Player Ratings

Fabianski (7) – Thought he did well over all. Couldn’t do much for either goal.

Eboue (5) – Oh dear. Got caught out and had to give away a free kick where he got booked and they scored. Not a good night for EE.

Djourou (6) – Did well enough, got in a few timely tackles but too many gaps appeared between him and Squillaci.

Squillaci (6) – Same as Djourou. Should have done better with the free header.

Clichy (5) – Just hoof the blasted thing Gael.

Eastmond (5) – He kept going and is a earnest young man but he needs to start stamping authority on the game.

Wilshere (7) – Good showing again by Jack but again should have done better with his chance. Couple of way ward passes, still feisty in the tackle.

Walcott (7) – Terrified them with his pace for a while and then that avenue was plugged. What a turn of pace for the goal and cool as you like finish.

Rosicky (6) – Did a lot of donkey work and linked as usual but not as effective as we are used to.

Nasri (6) – Involved in all our play and tried to get us moving forward, couple of bad decisions in and around the box though.

Bendtner (5) – Not match fit. Didn’t play much of a part.

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Posted by criochnaithe

Big Night for Theo

November 3, 2010

Still feeling that warm glow from the fairy tale ending to the home tie? Me too. The Eduardo goal was the icing on an excellent cake. Think that we will achieve the same scintillating performance tonight? No? Me neither !

It’s not the warning signs emanating from Wenger’s press statements, nor is it the absence of Cesc, Song, Diaby, Arshavin and perhaps Denilson. No, it is the fact that a decent team like Shakhtar cannot possibly play so poorly at home. We overwhelmed Shakhtar at the Emirates with a performance of staggering efficiency and panache; with 4 goals coming from our midfield Donetsk were left bamboozled. Yet Shakhtar are a side dominating their League and will almost certainly accompany Arsenal into the final 16.

The Shakhtar coach has been entertaining the press with his opinion that Shakhtar were the equal of Arsenal at the Emirates. Apparently the main difference was the referee – we were clearly watching different games. Their recent record is excellent with only 2 defeats in 30 games (one to us) and 18 wins out of their last 20.

It was my fervent hope that Mr. Wenger would send out our first choice 11 with the aim of taking the three points, thus negating the need to use his first team in the remaining League ties, however a few of the team need a week off.

Wilshere is back, much to the delight of Mr Capello, and I expect to see Theo start alongside Bendtner. Rosicky will almost certainly play in what will be his 5th CL game against Shakhtar, having played them with both Dortmund and Sparta. Who plays alongside Jack and Mozart is anyone’s guess, but here is mine …

Fabianski

Sagna  Squillaci  Koscielny   Clichy

Eboue  Nasri  Wilshere  Rosicky

Walcott  Bendtner

It must be admitted that we do not travel well in Europe, particularly to the frozen East. The win in Belgrade was our first in some time. However, with the above team I believe we can get a result in Donetsk. We must continue our defensive solidarity and rely on Theo’s speed to create chances for the Dane. Mr Wenger has been talking up Walcott in the press, saying that he is ahead of TH14 at the same age, one can only hope he develops in the same manner. Games like tonight are made for Walcott, and his early season form suggests he is ready to step up to the plate and become the player we all so fervently wish him to be (if only to shut up Hansen). Nasri will once again have to show his new found brilliance. Can Eboue play as a midfield enforcer, does he have the discipline or will Mr Wenger use young Eastmond?

Donetsk has had a short but troubled history, established  in 1869, it has been overrun by both Communist Russia and Nazi Germany. Prior to World War 2 there was a large Jewish congregation which was murdered when a concentration camp opened outside the city. Following the war the city was rebuilt using forced labour from the surrounding Communist held countries during which thousands died of malnutrition. The city remains an almost even split of  Ukranians and ethnic Russians (wiki).

Can we win? This will be more difficult than the home leg. Will we win? Depends upon Theo

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

Arsenal celebrate failure on the pitch ……

November 2, 2010

…but off it, the football world celebrates complete incompetence and negligence.

Following the defeat at Chelsea I decided to give myself a little time to mull things over. A chance to let the hysteria die down. Losing the last game before the international break gives everyone two weeks to dwell on the shortcomings – in our case that we’re still unable to rough it against tough tacklers, that we flatter to deceive against the Mancs and Chelsea, and that Wenger’s refusal to ‘buy big’ means we haven’t won a trophy in five seasons, obviously.

I don’t mind that criticism so much. In fact, I don’t even mind the media ignoring that we took to the field against Chelsea like Christopher Reeve – with our entire spine missing (the loss of Almunia, Vermaelen, Fabregas and van Persie hardly got a mention).

And I can just about handle Mr know-everything-about-management (despite never being a manager) Andy Gray gleaming: “You have to ask how long the Arsenal fans and players will put up with this? How long can Arsene Wenger keep persuading them this is the right way?” – while ignoring what the fans of Liverpool, Everton, Middlesboro, Newcastle, Sunderland (and all those other clubs that have spent more than us over the past five years) are currently putting up with.

I can handle all of that… just.

But what I don’t understand is the media constantly waxing lyrical about Chelsea and all they achieve.

It’s true that Arsenal haven’t won a trophy for five years. And it’s true that, in that time, Chelsea won the Premier League in 2006 and last season; three FA Cups; and a League Cup.

Ignore the League Cup because it doesn’t count. Add in that Chelsea have spent more than £300m over the past five years, failed to win the league for three successive seasons between 2006-09, and still haven’t won the Champions League – and I’d suggest it’s not a great return. But you don’t hear that said in the media.

What you also don’t hear is criticism of, and this is my main point, is how Chelsea have achieved their success – and just how bad it is for football.

Chelsea’s business plan since Abramovic came in has simply been to “achieve world domination” – which doesn’t appear to be happening – and relies solely on the hope that Roman Abramovic won’t walk away.

If he does, Chelsea are dead. Chelsea say the loans given to them by Abramovic have now been turned into shares, and that the club is effectively running as a profit-making business. The truth, however, is very different.

It is true that the loans from the holding company to Chelsea FC plc were fully converted to shares. However, Abramovich’s loan to Chelsea Limited, the holding company which owns Chelsea FC plc, was not. That loan remains owing. In fact, it increased in the previous financial year because Abramovich loaned another £25m for extravagant spending and to cover the dismissal of Luiz Felipe Scolari and his coaching team – all of which produced losses of £47m.

The result is that the accounts of Chelsea Limited (whose name was changed during the year to Fordstam Limited), show the loan to Abramovic still outstanding. The total figure owed? Wait for it… £726m. The good news for Chelsea fans is the loan is interest free. The bad news is that it is repayable if Abramovich gives 18 months’ notice.

So if the Roman gets bored; or fed up that they still can’t win the Champions League; or if they do win the Champions League and then he feels he’s achieved all he can with that toy, what will happen to Chelsea? Do you think the club will attract a buyer willing to pay off a three-quarters-of-a-billion-pound debt to take the helm? Looking at the debacle at Anfield this past couple of weeks, I would say not.

Those activities at Anfield have finally started to persuade fans that winning silver cups in the immediate future is not all football is about. Supporters are taking an interest in the long-term futures of their clubs, and seeing that the Arsenal way – while painful for half a dozen years or so on the pitch – is putting the club in good stead off the pitch for generations to come. Online discussions like this one on BBC this week are now riddled with praise for what has become known as “the Arsenal model”.

I just hope that now the fans are seeing the light, the media might follow. I suspect Andy Gray and co will just continue to focus on the one measure of success they care about – titles and trophies. Don’t get me wrong. I would love Arsenal to have won the silverware Chelsea have since 2005. But not at their price.

I know that in ten years I will still be watching my team from where I watch it now. I wonder if Chelsea fans will be watching some re-formed non-league version of their club because they wanted ten years of success but then Abramovic walked away – and took their history with him?

Written by redandwhiteviews

The author of this article has his own site redandwhiteviews.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Vermaelen’s Place in Jeopardy

November 1, 2010

Thomas Vermaelen’s outstanding first season at Arsenal has left most of us assuming that he will be an automatic starter when he recovers from his achilles injury.

But maybe it’s time to reconsider that assumption.

In his absence, Squillacci and Koscielny are starting to form a partnership with a real air of quality to it.

The Squid (or Squidgy, Squelchy or Squilly if you prefer – notice how he has already been given a bunch of affectionate nicknames by the Gooner faithful) has started to display a calm authority as the ‘big man’ in our central defence. His positioning, strength and ability in the air are all commendable.

Kozzer meanwhile (note, too, his instant nickname) has been my man of the match in our last two games, barely putting a foot wrong. He tackles beautifully when he needs to, but is also expert at shepherding opponents away from the danger area without diving in. Contrast his handling of a tricky runner with Alex “Tom Daley” Song.

After three clean sheets on the bounce (admittedly involving Djourou as well as Koscielny and Squillaci) you have to wonder whether a fit Vermaelen would get his place back in our starting line-up. Right now I don’t think he would.

Yes, Kozzer made some costly mistakes in his first few games (being barged off the ball by El Hadji Diouf and missing a sitter of a header from two yards out against Chelsea spring to mind).

But it always takes time to adjust to a new league and the EPL is less forgiving than most, with its non-stop physical battles week-in, week-out.

We could hardly have expected him to hit top form the moment he started playing in a new country with new team mates.

And likewise I know many felt the jury was out on Squillaci in the first part of the season. But both are settling in to Arsenal and England and are helping to put to bed the daft myth that Arsene Wenger can’t buy defenders (Grimandi, Campbell, Toure, Gallas, Lauren, Sagna, Clichy, Vermaelen, Squidgy and Kozzer all give the lie to that one).

No doubt the idea of TV5 having to wait in line behind the two newbies sounds like heresy to many.

We have all come to love Thomas’s total commitment to the cause, his bravery and determination, his willingness to attack dangerous situations before they get us into trouble.

But his tendency to get dragged up the pitch also cost us dearly on several occasions last season, leading directly to at least three goals I can think of.

This, coupled with the simple argument that you should not drop players when they’re in form, means he may have to warm the bench for a while when he finally gets back.

It will be a wonderful problem for Arsène to have: three outstanding centre backs all raring to go with a fourth, in Djourou, who will also come good the more playing time he gets.

Anyway, with the number of games we play and the fact that our injury record is of the long-playing variety, I’m sure TV will be back in the first eleven not long after he recovers fitness. It’s just that it won’t be the automatic step it might have been a few weeks ago.

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

One Nil to The Arsenal

October 31, 2010

League positions usually go out of the window when there is a local derby, and West Ham who had fared quite well against us in recent years came with the obvious intention of not losing. Expectations were high amongst the home supporters after seemingly scoring for fun whoever we played in the last few weeks,yet it soon became apparent this was going to be in the main an all out attack against a resilient defence. I don’t think I am being too harsh in saying that this wasn’t one of our most fluent performances as unusually Cesc and co weren’t on top of their game yet others who had been criticised lately, mainly Clichy and Sagna both had outstanding games. Koscienly is performing better with every game and his partnership with Squillaci looked solid. Fabianski had little to do, but he is reborn,oozing confidence and commanded his area well. Long may that continue.

Arshavin is just totally out of form and should have been substituted earlier and Denilson didn’t have the best of games. Chamakh is only human, and he too found it difficult to impose himself.

Nevertheless as the game progressed Nasri started to control the game and the surge continued, and he blasted a free kick from a full 35 yards which hit the crossbar. Song,who obviously enjoys his role as an attacking/defending centre back or is it midfielder kept moving forward more and more. Eventually Walcott was introduced and within minutes was unfortunate not to score, hitting the angle of the post which rebounded to the excellent Green. Green made several other outstanding saves, primarily from Fabregas and Walcott and many watching felt resigned to us drawing against our East London neighbours.

Everyone was on edge and the clock was ticking down, when Clichy cut inside from the left flank and sent in a curling ball and there was our unsung hero  Song to head the ball into the net.That is three goals in three games for the much maligned Alex.

The final minutes were a master class of possession by the lads and as the final whistle blew there were smiles all round and a huge sigh of relief.

1-0 to The Arsenal 🙂

Player ratings courtesy of RockyLives:

Fabianski: Not a lot to do, but when he had to do it he was composed and sure. His confidence is growing visibly and there was a wonderful moment when he was literally dragging Cesc onto position in the box as we defended a free kick or corner. (I gave him an extra half mark for that). 7.5

Sagna: some misplaced passes in the final third but excellent defensively. 7

Koscielny: didn’t put a foot wrong. His tackling and positional play were first rate and he’s brilliant at staying on his feet and steering opponents away from danger without diving in. MoTM: 8

Squillaci: another good game for The Squid, who is forming a solid partnership with Kozzer. He made some strong tackles when needed, always looks calm and is a threat in the opposition’s box from set pieces. 7

Clichy: comes in for a lot of stick for his positional play but he was good today (partly helped by West Ham’s lack of ambition). And a rare assist for the vital goal. 7

Song: worked his socks off playing box to box and scored the late winner. West Ham’s lack of threat in attack meant you never felt too worried about any potential holes he was leaving. Got his customary first-half yellow for diving in in a non-crucial area. 7.5

Denilson: Tidy, if unspectacular. Nevertheless with Song charging forward his conservative positioning was important. 6.5

Fabregas: Not one of his better games. His touch was off and he misplaced a third of his passes, which is very uncharacteristic. On the plus side he kept trying to make things happen and had a couple of attempts on goal. 6

Arshavin: what’s happened to the player who single-handedly destroyed Liverpool? Nothing worked for him and it was painful to watch at times. Sadly the time has come to take him out of the spotlight for a few games. 4

Nasri: not as influential as he has been in other recent games (partly because Cesc and Arsh were misfiring, so our rhythm was never properly established). But he still did well and was driving us forward at the end. 7

Chamakh: some have criticised him for yesterday’s performance but in truth he was a victim of our general lack of fluidity and West Ham’s packed defence. It’s not as if he missed a hatful of sitters, it’s just that he couldn’t get in the game. 6.5

Subs

Walcott: continued his good recent form and was unlucky not to score. 7

Bendtner: didn’t have time to make much of an impact but definitely added to our threat as we chased the winner. 7

Eboue: a typical Eboue cameo: 6

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Posted by kelsey

The Academy in Free Fall

October 30, 2010

Written by Big Raddy

West Ham United at home. I love this fixture, a love going back to the ‘60’s when the East Enders brought a frisson of passion and violence both on and off the pitch.

West Ham. Take a moment, what do they mean to you? To me, the name evokes a different era – The Academy, The Famous Three, The Chicken Run, Ron Greenwood, The Inner City Firm (hooligans), I’m forever Blowing Bubbles, Trevor Brooking’s header in the 1980 FA Cup Final. And my mate Fat Bob, who has endured 40 years of hurt.

The current Hammers are in trouble; no money, a poor team held together by the excellent Scott Parker, and a likeable but hands-tied  manager. I fully expect them to be relegated this season in the wake of the financial meltdown of the club. No money means a poor squad, and the young talent developed in the Academy has yet to have an impact upon the team. “And like my dreams they fade and die” ….. because this afternoon we will assist in West Ham’s decent towards the Championship

We go into the game on a fine run of form. Clean sheets, loads of goals from a variety of scorers, playing superb football and yet with that traditional Arsenal fragility that has you biting your nails until we get at least a 2 goal cushion. And (whisper it) we have a goalkeeper in form. – make that 2 goalkeepers in form. Chesney was superb at Newcastle and staked his claim, but Fabiansky has been very solid and finally deserves his starting place. Could Almunia have played his last game for us? I doubt it, AW is a very loyal man and Almunia, despite being in my opinion a poor GK, has done little wrong this season (little, not nothing !!)

No Jack today. Nor the unlucky Gibbs. It is a hard team to pick. With the return of Koscielny, will JD return to the bench or the older Squillaci? And who will play upfront? Two goals in two games for Bendtner, Theo looking very dangerous and confident after his brace at Toon, Chamakh consistently scoring. It is difficult to imagine all 3 starting, thoough AW will have a good idea as to whether NB can play with Chamakh. Could Chamakh play left side and NB in the middle with Theo on the right? And what happens when RvP returns?

In midfield despite no Jack, we are so strong. Denilson has played very well in his last two appearances and is pushing for a starting place. I expect Rosicky to get a rest after Weds, and Arshavin to start following his rest.

My team:

We have an embarrassment of riches 🙂

Barak Obama is a confirmed West Ham fan (wiki) having been a supporter since 2003. And according to the Daily Mirror, so is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.  Not sure how many games they go to !

This is another must-win game for us. We cannot afford to drop points at home against relegation fodder.

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

It’s like George Graham never existed

October 29, 2010

In the light of all the positivity following two excellent performances, 7 goals scored and none conceded, it would seem odd to publish this article submitted by Carlito 11, but I think it serves to show how quickly things can change in football. The piece was written after two pretty poor performances and our customary loss to chelski. We are on a high now and everyone is fired with optimism and expectation – but the concerns aired will inevitably be just below the surface waiting to be voiced again should we fail to land a trophy this season……

Written by Carlito 11

I used to be in love with all things new, but especially our team as it got ever more exciting and first signed, then developed ever more exciting players. But I am rapidly becoming a nostalgist when I think about the development of our beloved Arsenal.

A lot has been said on here of late about the lack of a tough mentality and strong defensive tactics at the back. Can it be true that the manager has forgotten what those winning teams consisted of?

I believe that this cannot be the case in such a thoughtful man, and that AW has been influenced by a desire to win the Champions league in getting ever faster, more skilful players with more flexibility and eschewing defensive shape and rigour for a free flowing “total-footballesque” way of playing. It’s all a bit like Chelski before Mourinho turned up, or (and this is my point) like an Arsenal who had never had George Graham as a manager.

We play brilliantly against the big boys and then get turned over by lower mid-table teams. We lack defensive co-ordination, and God knows, we can’t defend a one-nil lead! Now I’m not advocating a return to 442 long-ball football, but the gk, back four and central midfield need to return to the impenetrable shield that won us the League in 91 (just 18 against all season) or the Cup Winners Cup in ’94 (repelling wave after wave of attack in both the semi and the final). With that kind of solidity and attitude- the ability to suck up pressure and bring teams on to us- we have the players to counter-attack with precision, just as we have always had during the Wenger reign.

But it’s not only positioning and how the teams line up, it’s also attitude and mental strength. AW is rightly credited with revolutionising the game with his training regime, players’ diets and emphasis on sports psychology- but it seems that his emphasis on players’ mental strengths has actually produced a pretty fragile crop who can’t be subbed off when underperforming lest it damage their confidence. Where are the Ian Wrights or Paul Mersons of this team who would be so angry at being subbed off they’d play an absolute blinder in the next match to prove the manager wrong?

So, to my mind, when Wenger came in he liberated the attack whilst the defence (mainly) took care of itself. Now we need a manager to bring back the discipline in defence (we have the personnel except gk) and the attack can take care of itself. I never believed I’d write such a seditious blog so, in mitigation, I hope that manager can be Arsène!

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Wenger’s U-Turn? Do Me A Favour (and Player Ratings)

October 28, 2010

So, according to the newspapers, this was the game where Arsène Wenger would show his desperation for silverware by fielding a significant contingent of his first team against the Barcodes.

It was a U-Turn they said, a departure from his tried and tested policy of playing kids in the Mickey Mouse Cup. An admission of defeat. Caving in to his critics. Going against his principles.

What utter rubbish. What putrid balderdash.

By my reckoning NONE of last night’s starting eleven would feature in Arsenal’s first team if our squad was fully fit.

Last night’s team:

Our ideal first team (if the treatment tables are empty):

So the idea that Wenger was lacing his Carling Cup team with first-choicers is plain wrong. Not that you can really blame the media. After all, Arsene himself said he was taking the CC more seriously than before.

But I think that was just mind games. It was his way of saying to the players who started for us that he didn’t think of them as second stringers – he saw them as part of a large Arsenal first team squad from whom he expected great things this year.

The average age of our starting line-up was just 23 (and that’s with a 30-year-old Tomas Rosicky bumping up the average). Admittedly only one of the eleven (Eastmond) came from the reserves squad, but it was still a very long way from our strongest starting team.

And so to the game.

It was a lively match, which we bossed from beginning to end. By my reckoning there were five attempts on goal in the first two minutes (including one for them).

Truth to tell we should have been two or three up by half time (indecision and poor shooting by Bendtner and Vela being the main reasons for our blank), but a comedy effort from Newcastle sent us in to the break a goal to the good. Eastmond managed to get a header on target from inside the six yard box, the Toon defender made a hash of it on the line and the ball ended up being Fabianskied into the Newcastle net off the back of the keeper’s head.  You’d need a heart of stone not to have cried laughing at that one.

We had shown some lapses in concentration in the first half and, as you would expect, lacked the fluidity of our normal play, but overall we were doing pretty well and always looked threatening when we attacked.

In the second half the Toon made a concerted effort to get back into it but, despite some wobbly moments, our defence held firm. Koscielny was always there to pick up the pieces and Djourou made some vital interceptions and tackles (but was also muscled off the ball a little too easily on occasion).

When we broke away and scored the second (a calm finish from Theo) you sensed there was no way back for Newcastle, even after they threw on Carroll, Barton and Gutierrez.

The hard working Nicklas Bendtner added a third with a positively Bergkampesque finish, a peach of shot from the inside left position, and Theo sealed the win with his second goal late on.

All in all a job very well done against an admittedly weakened Newcastle side who were, nevertheless, good enough to put the Chavs out in the last round.

Ratings

Szczesny: He’s talked the talk and now he’s starting to walk the walk. One misjudged charge out of his area early on could have ended up embarrassing him. But there were at least two top class saves and a general sense of competence. I also liked his quick distribution, which reminded me of Lehmann. 7

Eboue: Started at right back, shifted to left after Gibbs went off. Some good defensive play. Some excellent attacking runs with the ball. Some falling-over-when-hardly-touched. Some getting into great positions and choosing the wrong option. In other words, a vintage Eboue performance. 6

Koscielny: Hardly put a foot wrong. Was always there to break up the Newcastle attacks and made countless great tackles. MoTM 8

Djourou: The critics are too harsh on this lad. He was out for a year with injury and is finding his way back. He made several mistakes which would have been costly had Kozzer not been there sweeping up behind him, but at other times he showed great skill and determination. He has to learn that, as a defender, it’s no good going to ground and hoping the ref gives you a free kick, because if he doesn’t your whole back line is undermined. 6.5

Gibbs: Looked to be really in the groove, both offensively and defensively, before yet another unlucky injury saw him have to go off. Someone please send him a black cat with a horseshoe round its neck and a rabbit’s foot tied to its tail. 6.5

Sagna: Came on for Gibbs and went to right back. Typical Bacary performance – defensively strong, some good attacking runs and some overhit crosses. 7

Eastmond: A good effort from the lad. Puts himself about and is always available for the ball. Lost possession with some casual passes but it’s part of the learning curve. Is he a Gooner legend of the future? Hard to tell, but he’s worth persevering with. 6

Denilson:  I’ve been critical of Den in the past but last night he was the metronome in our midfield. I thought he had an excellent game, both covering our back four and being progressive.  He seems finally to be dealing with the concentration issues which affected him last season. His pass completion rate is excellent. If he carries on playing like this he will be hard to leave out. 7.5

Rosicky: Every time he starts a game we win handsomely. He was a bit less effective than I would have expected tonight, but his intelligence and composure were crucial to our overall play. 7

Walcott: Two goals, always a threat, this boy’s in form. Something has switched on in his brain, because he now exudes a maturity that wasn’t there before. His body language is different from a year ago and he has the potential to have a memorable season for us. 7.5

Bendtner: Stunning finish for third goal. Always looking for the ball and always direct but, in typical fashion, his touch and finishing let him down once or twice. What’s great about our Striking Viking is that he will never hide, shirk or give up the ghost. 7.5

Vela: A really bad night for Carlos. I want him to succeed, but something is not quite right with our young Mexican. Right now, his Arsenal career is not heading for a happy ending. His touch, finishing and decision-making were all off. 5

Subs:

Sagna (see above); Fabregas 7; Emmanuel-Thomas 6.

RockyLives

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