The Spaniard Who Finally Found ‘The Home of Good Football’

April 3, 2012

Mikel Arteta is gradually winning over more and more Gooners as one of their favourite, if not THE favourite, Gunner(s) in the current squad. There is something about Arteta that appeals to most, if not all of us: something that we can easily associate with as supporters of Arsenal. It is difficult to describe what this is in just a few words. The best I can do, is describe him as somebody who plays football as every single fan would like to do: with full conviction and desire to make the very best out of the special chance he has been given.

Arteta is the total professional who always gives everything and enjoys what he does to the maximum. In a way, he is confirming to us – through his career until now and the way he has established himself at Arsenal – that we, as in you and I, can indeed achieve what we want, by working hard and being focussed and enthusiastic about what we do. Arteta is not the most talented midfielder that has ever worn an Arsenal shirt, but he is brilliant at getting the very best out of himself, at maximizing his potential, and I believe that for the very same reason, the likes of Ray Parlour, Gilberto, and Flamini (at least until he left) were loved by many of us too. There is simply something very appealing about these sort of players.

Here is a man, who joined Barcalona at the tender age of 15, where he played alongside the likes of Iniesta and Xavi, but he did not manage to break into the first team, and a two year loan spell followed at Paris St Germain. It must have been hard for him to come so close to playing at the highest level, only to lose out against a number of midfielders of the highest possible standard in Spanish football history.

In 2002, he joined Glasgow Rangers because he wanted to toughen-up and there he established himself as a regular, scoring 14 goals in 68 games over two seasons. Then he returned to the Basque Country, the area where he grew up – to play for his boyhood team: Real Sociedad. But, once again, it did not work out for him in Spain and after only a year he returned to England in 2005, where he joined David Moyes’ Everton for the bargain price of £2m. Under the wings of Moyes, he developed into a fine player and he established himself as a successful attacking midfielder with 35 goals and 41 assists in 209 games, between 2005 and 2011.

Here is a man, who chose to come to Arsenal: The Home Of Football, because of the football that we play and who, apparently, took a pay-cut and was willing to fight for his spot in a strong Arsenal midfield. When he was asked, back in September, what he thought of Wenger, he said:

‘The most important thing is he wants to play good football and then win, and I like that’.

That sequence is important: first play good football and then win – he is driven by football itself, as an art, a treat (the latter being an anagram of his name!).

In an age where some footballers refuge to warm up, fight over who should take a free-kick, conspire against their manager, are almost entirely driven by earning as much as they can put their hands on, and show little or no loyalty to their current clubs, it is just great to hear that Arteta joined Arsenal because he had a longing, a homesickness if you want, to play good football. He had a first taste of good football at Barcelona in the early years of his career, and this taste created a longing that has never gone away.

At Everton, he was loved by the fans and did not have to worry about money or competition, but it was his personal ambition to get the very best out of himself and play football the way it should be played, that made him jump at the opportunity Arsène Wenger offered to him last summer.

His new challenge at Arsenal could not have been much bigger. Inevitably, comparisons were drawn between him – the newly arrived Spaniard – and the last summer departed, genial Spanish maestro, who had us play football of such breathtaking beauty. Fabregas had a strong longing – some called it homesickness – to return to his boyhood club Barcelona, and there is no doubt he left a gap behind. It did not take long for us to see our initial thoughts confirmed: Arteta is not a like-for-like, in terms of quality, replacement for Fabregas. In our current 4-3-3 formation, Arteta is not playing in the advanced midfield position as most of us had expected. Especially with the long term injury to JW, this seemed the most likely position for him.

Arteta has occupied Wilshere’s position last season, instead: the one next to Song as ‘the second DM’, and he has been a revelation. The partnership between him and Song has developed into something special, and the longer they will play together the better it will become. Arteta has shown us defensive qualities that many of us did not think he possessed.

He tidies up in front of the defensive and in midfield tirelessly, and links defence with attack seamlessly. His passing is incredibly accurate and efficient and his ball winning skills are very impressive too. Some have called him the ‘engine room’ (Ade David on AA recently) or the ‘perfect anchor’ (Rasp on AA yesterday), and these names sum up perfectly what most of us think of Arteta’s contributions to our team.

Personally, he reminds me more and more of one my all-time favourite Dutch players: Edgar Davids (such a shame he decided to play for the Spuds at the end of his career, though). Davids was known as ‘De Stofzuiger’: the Vacuum Cleaner. He used to work tirelessly to own the area between defence and attack and he made an art of performing the simple things to perfection. His partnership with Zidane at Juventus in the last decade was an absolute joy to behold.

Arteta is currently performing a similar role, albeit in a different formation. And, just the way Davids allowed the likes of Litmanen, Zidane, Seedorf, Bergkamp (national team) to shine in previous teams, Mikel is allowing Song, and whoever plays in the more advanced midfield role, to shine for Arsenal. Next season, Wilshere is likely to be our main man in the advanced midfield role and boy will he benefit from the service he will be getting then from Arteta (and Song).

So, there you have it. Arteta has made a long and beautiful European journey from the Basque Country to Catalonia, from Paris to Glasgow, and from the Basque Country to Merseyside, but only now he has arrived at The Home Of Football. His longing is over; he is no longer homesick for good football, as he now plays with a broad smile on his face, and wears the shirt of Wengerball-football with the greatest pride.

Welcome home, Mikel!

TotalArsenal.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Don’t Panic! All Is Well At Arsenal

April 2, 2012

Here are some results to put the fear of God up you:

  • Losing 2-3 at home to Blackburn Rovers.
  • Losing 0-3 away at Newcastle.
  • Losing 0-1 at Everton.
  • Losing 0-1 at Sunderland.
  • Losing 0-1 at Everton (again).
  • Losing 1-2 at Stoke.

The good news is that none of them are Arsenal results.

The first two defeats belong to Manchester (Surrey) United; the second pair were secured by the Abu Dhabi Oilers and the final two results were achieved by the Neanderthals from N17.

My point being that, in the context of the above results (which are all from this season), a 1-2 defeat away at QPR does not look so bad. Every top club this season has had embarrassing defeats and there will surely be more before this season is done.

The EPL is a competitive league and – literally – anyone is capable of beating anyone on a given day.

Arsenal losing at QPR is now a fact and a statistic, but it does not need to be a milestone. Reading through the comments on AA and elsewhere I feel there has been too much criticism following Saturday’s defeat.

On the day, Rangers played to the best of their ability and we played to 75% of ours. Somewhere in that gap, QPR found the room to win the game and take all three points.

But if you need to know anything about the current Arsenal squad it is that it has repeatedly proved its ability to bounce back from disappointment to confound the critics.

I am delighted that we have the Oilers up next. If we had a park-the-bus team battling against relegation I would doubt our ability to break them down. But a title-challenging Manchester City is exactly what we need.

The Spuds, meanwhile, are away at a confident Sunderland. I fully expect us to win and the Rioters to lose, courtesy of a Nik Bendtner brace, putting us back to a three point lead over the enemy.

QPR?

It was sh*t.

Now we move on.

We are The Arsenal…

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Arsenal: back to earth with a jolt.

April 1, 2012

Few people have wanted to write about our losses this season – there have been too many sadly – and yesterday was no exception. Watching the game on a good stream it was difficult to draw any positives from a lacklustre performance that was more reminiscent of the dark days in January than the recent exciting football we have witnessed.

There were a few shocks. The team selection was strange for a start. It seems that Arsene hasn’t noticed that the team is unbalanced when he starts with Song, Arteta, Rosicky and Ramsey, who out of that four is supposed to run the left wing? Yesterday it was pretty clear that none of them were going to be, which meant that we only had an attacking outlet with Theo on the right.

Why does Ramsey have to start? Why can’t Gervihno or Oxlade-Chamberlain play for 60 minutes and then bring on Ramsey? If Ramsey starts then surely one of Arteta or Rosicky has to be dropped and Ramsey play in their role but Arteta and Rosicky are pretty undroppable at the moment so what’s the answer? Clearly Arsene needs more time to decide but we struggled against Everton away precisely because the aforementioned four started and yesterday the same problem occurred.

Wenger’s post match pretty much laid the blame at the players feet

It is very frustrating because they left us the ball and waited for our mistakes. We took the ball, did not do a lot with it and made the mistakes. At the end of the day that made the result.

Our performance was not good enough to win this kind of game, especially in the duels. They had a little bit of extra special commitment that took advantage of us in some specific positions defensively. Overall we can only congratulate QPR for their attitude and be unhappy with our own performance.

Playing teams that are fighting to stay in the Premier League are always going to be extra difficult to play against but it looked liked one of our senior players had decided to take control of the game all by himself. What was up with Vermaelen? He deserted Koscielny early on in the first half, was culpable for QPR taking the lead and seemed to not want to be a centre-back. In addition Song was finding it difficult to make his Fabregas-like passes find an Arsenal player. I don’t have a problem with Song or indeed any Arsenal player looking to play an eye of the needle pass except when a simpler pass would have done the trick and yesterday there were a few occasions when just passing the ball would have worked better.

Anyway, moaning apart, we started well, but after 5 minutes of not scoring we allowed QPR to get into the game and they went ahead in the 22nd minute. In the 37th minute Robin was fouled just outside the box but the ref allowed the play to continue and luckily Theo was alert and managed a shot that hit the post and rebounded into his path for him to slot home. I always like it when we come from behind but could we push on and actually craft out a win?

We started the second half brightly but were hampered by not really being able to find the right ball for Robin who seemed to be limping. At around the hour mark Robin hit a great free-kick that was pushed away by Kenny and in the next minute Robin is through again but Paddy Kenny makes a great save. The pressure had been building and it did look like we would score but in the 66th minute Mackie skips past Vermaelen and squares a ball to Diakite to score. 2-1.

There was a change in the 69th minute with Gervihno coming on for Ramsey but QPR were happy to dig in and make it even harder for us to play through them. When that change didn’t achieve anything Chamakh and The Ox were brought on for Gibbs and Arteta in the 82nd minute. I’d like to see changes made earlier when we’re chasing a goal, I can’t see how either Chamakh or The Ox really had time to change the game.

And so it came to pass that we lost our 9th game of the season. We didn’t play very well, we certainly didn’t create enough and probably didn’t deserve to get anything from the game. Was it complacency that led to this, certainly I didn’t think that we would falter in west London. We are still in third though and hopefully will see the weekend out there. The chavs won, the oily chavs dropped points and the scum play today. Seven games to go and still I think there’ll be  some twists and turns on the road to staying in the top four.

I’m optimistic that we’ll return to winning ways next Sunday against the oily ones.

Written by peachesgooner

And the following was written by LB

Yet another one of those infuriating games in which on paper we start as favourites but as the reality of the game dawns we are left with the very same paper embarrassingly crumpled in our hands.

Damn that was frustrating, made even worse by the fact that I have at least ten good friends who support that team, I am going to have to suffer smug knowing looks every time I see one of them. And believe me they have memories like elephants I still find myself from time to time in ear shot of them telling that silly story of oh I was there when John Jenson scored and Impey and blah, blah, blah they won three one if you didn’t know; still, at least they will have a new story to bang on about.

What? You want me to talk about the game? Are you sure? Well, we were crap but some players played more crap than others and I am not going to do the polite thing and just say oh well that was just a bad day at the office and we should all move on and focus our attention on the next game. That my friends makes for a very, very boring blog. Match reports are supposed to be about the opinion of the author, it has to be surely because if it was just about describing the game we could all just go and read far more articulate reports from the likes of Henry Winter.

Ok the game; there were two clear managerial strategies in play: QPR’s was to sit back and wait for us to make mistakes and ours was to play a close, tight, quick passing game in the hope of finding a way round them. The result says all we need to know as to whose strategy turned out to be the most effective.

For long periods we moved the ball around the half way line with all the penetrative thrust of a two month old banana. QPR just waited until we made mistakes and picked us off. And that is the fixture and the match report consigned to the dustbin after one sentence.

Szczesny: starting to believe his own hype, he is taking more and more risks and because of that he will not go the whole season without one major embarrassment. Should have held onto the ball and calmed play down just before QPR’s winning goal. 5

Sagna: a shinning light in a sea of mediocrity. 7

Koscielny: just when I was sitting back smugly thinking, well TA do you still prefer Mertasacker’s slow, giraffe-like style to the lightning mobility of the Frole and the Belgiun, Kozzer goes and puts in a scatter brained performance like that. 6

Vermaelen: Tom you were all over the place mate. 4

Gibbs: time for a change, I expect Santos to start in the next game, we needed attacking nous today and Gibbs left us wanting. 5

Song: you can’t blame him for the lack of chances created, well I can’t anyway. I wish he would be a bit greedier and have a shot when he gets the chance. 6

Arteta: The Spaniard gets my MOTM if one has to be awarded; he at least looked as though it really mattered to him. 7.5

Rosicky: went back to his ineffectual dreadful self, missed placed passes, running into dead ends, poor tackles. 4

Walcott: now you would think that I of all people would save the bulk of my wrath for Theo but even though there was very little space to operate in and his control still leaves a lot to be desired he was not bad, the goal obviously helped but all in all I liked Theo’s attitude. 7.25

Van Persie: service, what service? Isolated for most of the game, not at his majestical best when he got the ball it must be said. 6

Ramsey: we have a problem here, young Aaron is too good to be left on the bench and not good enough to be playing. Wenger knows he would never accept being on the bench for any length of time, he would be off, so the Welshman is shoe-horned into the left wing which as we all saw was no good for him and no good for the team. Yes, I know he is young and yes I know he will improve but this comment is about his performance against QPR. 4.5

I have gone from not caring one way or the other as to whether QPR go down to yelling: open the trap door now and let the bunch of banned words drop.

Written by LB (Not a happy bunny).

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Join Together: Match Preview

March 31, 2012

Tough assignment writing about QPR.  Why? Because I have a real soft spot for Rangers, but and this is such a huge but, there is hardly a bigger but in the Western World  – not even J-Lo has a but this big. You know what I am referring to …. yes ….. two of the most unpleasant men ever to grace a football field,  Mark Hughes and Joey Barton. A match made in the deepest fires of perdition.

How can a fan of a proper club, a real family club accept the arrival of such odious men?

Imagine them arriving at Arsenal;  it would be enough to stop supporting the Gunners and return to watching park football. How many thousands of season tickets would be returned? Thankfully, it is a situation we will never have to face.

I really feel for QPR fans. End of last season they are deliriously happy with their return to the top flight after a long gap  (15 years ??).   New signings are made – big names, Wright Phillips, Armand Traore (good bit of business Arsene) , DJ Campbell, Anton Ferdinand . As a fan you think “OK, decent signings, nothing special but could be good”, then Barton is signed., and you think , “No, not to my club – we have values, we have principles”, but you also think Barton will add the fire needed to get mid-table (you are going to be sorely disappointed).

An OK start but Warnock is sacked despite winning over 40% of his games, could it get worse? Yes, the idiots sign Mark Hughes who left Fulham stating the Cottagers (now there’s a nickname ) were not capable of matching Sparky’s ambitions! The Fulham Chairman must be laughing loudest as Hughes sits in his sinking ship.

How does Hughes respond to QPR’s lowly postion? He keeps Barton as Club Captain, and signs Bobby Zamora and Djibril Cisse! Does this man have no shame? Or is he trying to be funny? Or could it be that he is one of the worst managers ever to litter the sidelines of the Premier League?

I have stated my opinion of this Welshman before, his record speaks for itself: 4 seasons at Blackburn –  4 times PL’s dirtiest team. Man City – 2 seasons. Spent over £150m on Robinho, Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Wayne Bridge, Wright Phillips,  Ben Haim and Jo ++  – finishes 10th and then loses 9 out of 11 games before getting sacked. Fulham – ruins a decent footballing team. And yet this hate filled, spiteful man keeps getting work!

We need a strong referee today because  judging from previous games against Hughes’s teams, our boys are in a for a physical battle, QPR cannot beat us with skill and Sparky knows that. My guess is he will tell Barton to concentrate on Song and Gervinho …. hopefully they have learned from their meeting with the little scrote at THOF.

OK …. enough of that. As I said I have a soft spot for QPR who will almost certainly get relegated thanks to investing in players and management who have no feeling whatsoever for the club.

Arsenal on the other hand have discovered a sense of unity.; the old fashioned “one for all, all for one” which is essential for our future success. We have superb individuals all over the pitch but Arsenal can be so much more than the sum of their parts – and we have started to show it. In my opinion the man to spark this remarkable turnaround is the most surprising – the ageing and crocked Tomacz Rosicky.  He has been magnificent over the past few weeks and reminded us of what we lost with his recurrent injuries.

My team:

I have a sneaky feeling Gervinho will score today; he needs a goal. Recently, Mr Wenger has opted for a more defensive left sided attacker (Benayoun/OC) when playing away from home but I hope he takes the game to QPR and attacks from the off. An early goal for the good guys will surely lead to 3 points.

Inventor from Shepherds Bush?  The stonemason George Wimpey who developed cheap house and road building methods resulting in ownership of the largest construction company in Britain.

Mr. Wimpey. Earned more a week than YaYa Toure.

And  …. 3 of the 4 members of The Who were born within a mile of Loftus Rd,( hence today’s song title)

We are in a great run of form, the atmosphere around the club is better than it has been for many a month, players other than Van Persie are scoring goals,  we have a dangerous frontline, we have a solid defence, at last we have 2 proper full backs, we have what could be the best midfielder in the country  in a midfield that is working superbly and we have a fine young keeper.

Worrying isn’t it?

COYRRG

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

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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Posted by Rasp

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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Posted by Rasp

Arsenal’s new manager

March 28, 2012

Times change, as do football supporters, what was gloom and depression for many fans a month ago, is bright and confident today.

What’s caused this change, have we shipped in all those superstars that were deemed necessary to our survival? Has that awful know nothing, worn out manager left the club, and the vital new assistant manager, you know the defensive coach we couldn’t possibly survive without, has he somehow slotted in seamlessly without me noticing it?

How come the best Tot’s team in years and their shoe in England manager, haven’t built on that ten point lead after having our shower of bargain basement panic signings for breakfast? It had to happen, just had to, didn’t the mega mouthed all-knowing football soothsayer Piers Morgan decree it. Likewise where have the ‘In Arsène we rust’ brigade disappeared to?

Nothing of course has physically changed, it’s just this team of potential has come of age. Uplifted by key players returning from Injury and showing a previously hidden capacity for resilience, they staged a remarkable turnaround  against the self-same Spuds, who when 2 goals ahead on our own pitch in our famously un-atmospheric new stadium, thought it’s all over, it was. 0 – 2 down  became a 5 -2 victory, as the team roared on by supporters who also came of age and finally transferred their pent-up passion to our new home and showed the watching TV world and cynical pundits that Arsène was right all along.

That resilience has stayed as has the belief of those doubting fans, now a mood of optimism pervades the Arsenal world, of course nothing has been won yet, except self-respect. But the pendulum has swung enormously to our advantage. True Man city and Chelsea  both feature in our run in, meaning spurs  probably on paper has the easier ride. But this new Arsenal with a fan base and team that has collectively found itself, are  a match for anyone, third place is in our own hands and I shall be surprised if we don’t take it.

Automatic qualification for the CL will allow Arsène to settle his transfer business in and out, without the distraction of an early start to next year’s European adventure.

Financial fair play awaits, our youth and reserve teams are awash with talent,  the odds are stacked in our favour.IMHO a new golden era is imminent and hopefully that goby Piers Morgan, will choke on his own bile after being banned sin die from the home of football.

Written by dandan

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Posted by dandan

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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Yossi Benayoun – the Anti-Na$ri

March 26, 2012

It may seem odd after Saturday’s trouncing of Aston Villa to focus on an unused substitute from that game.

But Arteta’s wonder strike, Theo’s returning confidence, Songinho’s transformation into the new Liam Brady and even Johan Djourou’s unexpected solidity have all been well covered.

I want to focus on our on-loan Israeli international because I caught a glimpse of him during the game as the camera tracked along our bench. He was smiling with the other substitutes and seemed fully engaged in the squad and the game.

It struck me what a model professional he is.

Talent-wise I don’t see him as being too far behind a certain fat French benchwarmer. Both players are capable of defence-sundering dribbles, both have an eye for goal and both are nippy, one-touch players.

Obviously Benny is older, but a more significant difference is that only one of them is a greedy, grasping, ungrateful pillock. And I’m not referring to the one who lights candles at Hannukah.

While Samir Na$ri would rather have money than game time (and if you think I’m joking, you should read his quotes from last week, whining about how he played too many games at Arsenal and prefers being on the bench at Manchester City), Benayoun is exactly the opposite.

Yossi said recently that he did not know where he would be playing next season, but would like to join a mid table side so he could play more regularly.

It would almost certainly mean a pay cut, but Yossi doesn’t mind that. He’s 31 years old and just wants to play top flight football for as long as his skinny little legs will let him.

For Arsenal he has been no more than a bit part player this year and we are unlikely to see him in our famous strip next season. But the importance of bit part players is not to be overlooked and Yossi has certainly contributed in a positive way to our season.

For a start, without his 87th minute header to win the away game at Villa we would be two points worse off in the table. He has scored three goals in nine starts for us in all competitions (not a bad return) and has made 10 additional appearances as substitute – usually coming in games with about 15 minutes to go.

Whenever he plays he does a good job and his terrier-like hard work has earned the respect of supporters who, let’s be honest, undoubtedly raised an eyebrow or two when he joined us as a loanee from Chelsea on the last day of the transfer window.

Now that we have most of our squad fit his opportunities are likely to be limited, but earlier in the season, when our usual injury blight was wreaking havoc, we were fortunate to have someone of his ability and Premier League experience to bring on in games.

He even got to wear the armband in one game – our unlucky Carling Cup defeat at the hands of Na$ri and his fellow oil workers – and he made a fine contribution as one of the starting 11 in our 5-2 hammering of the Tiny Totts (he played until the 88th minute).

By all accounts he is a popular figure in the dressing room and has been generous with help and advice for the younger players.

In short, as I said earlier, he is a model professional and if his humility and sense of good fortune at being a professional footballer rub off on some of our up-and-coming young stars that can only be a good thing.

We certainly don’t want the likes of Wilshere, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain and others following the Na$ri path of greed and ingratitude.

In the horrible mess of last summer’s transfer business Benayoun attracted criticism from some supporters simply for not being Eden Hazard or Juan Mata or whichever marquee signing was flavor of the month.

But as a reliable squad player who has played at the top level in the EPL and was happy to do a job for us mostly from the bench, we could hardly have done better.

If he does get the move he hopes for this summer, I sincerely hope all true Gunner will wish him well.

RockyLives

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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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