Little and Large …….The Perfect Striker Partnership

November 13, 2010

Written by Neamman

Wright, Henry, Van Nistelrooy, Shearer, Drogba, Cole, Owen, Ronaldo, Rooney  ..   all players who you would expect to score more than 20 goals a season when in their prime. We haven’t had a player like that since Henry left.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Chamakh and Van Persie, but a look at their history tells us we will never see more than 15 goals a season from them at best. That’s not a criticism as they both bring so much more to the team but they are superb support strikers and not the main man. They are a Wiltord to Henry, a Skolshar to a Van Nistelrooy, a Sheringham to a Cole. We have not yet found a striker who truly puts fear into our opponents defense.



All is not lost however, I actually think we have them on our books in the shape of NicBendtner and Theo Walcott. Big Nic, in his breakout season two years ago, scored what..14 goals.. but he has struggled for fitness since. In an injury plague season last year he scored 9 goals and started off this year with two goals in his first two appearances.

Theo, after a restful summer, also has been hot knocking in 7 goals plus he has hit the post a couple of times in his last few games.

They are both young and are perhaps a year behind where they should be because of their injury plagued last 18 months. If our fitness gurus can keep them on the field I am quite confident we can see a minimum of 20 goals each from our Little and Large. It may mean a switch back to 4-4-2 so that they can play up front together, one small and lightening fast, one big and strong. I truly believe that they would terrorize most defences and when backed with Chamakh or RVP we will see Arsenal dominate the scoring charts yet again.

Before I close I cannot help but ask… why are players so prone to injuries? If it’s the boots not protecting metatarsals, surely some company can design a better boot??? To be fair it is not just us, more and more clubs are suffering from injuries it seems.

Football clubs are investing a lot of money in their stars and we need to see them on the pitch much more than we do.

Just imagine if Nic and Theo had played all of last season and the beginning of this… I cannot believe we wouldn’t have stuck a few more goals past the Toon and West Ham!!! So lets hope in the FA Cup and the League Cup we start to see our Little and Large starting together and building an understanding that should lead them to dominate the scoring charts for the next 6 or 7 years.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Musings of a true Gooner, banishes doom and gloom

November 12, 2010

Written by RedArse

I fell to musing, in a slough of despondency, after the desperately disappointing results of the recent past, and wondered; why do I feel so desolate, so full of despair?

What was the cause of this aching void in my mind, and in my body, where the act of breathing, of existing from minute to minute was such a struggle? How could simple adverse results; shattering defeats, for my beloved team, Arsenal, cause me such extreme anguish?

I suppose it had its origins many years ago, back in my childhood, when, and I can be precise here, I first heard the word, the fascinatingly military sounding name, “Arsenal”. It was while sitting on my father’s shoulders at my very first visit to watch a game.

He had told me he was going to a match, and asked if I would like to go? I knew nothing about football, indeed, I had never heard of such a thing, but I would go anywhere with my dad, just to be with him. Little did I know that would be the beginning of a lifelong love affair with a club, a team who were to so dominate my very existence?

Ironically, the match he took me to was not played at Highbury, but the pre-Bates Stamford Bridge, to see something called a derby between someone called Chelsea and his arsenal. Young, I may have been, but I knew that word, arsenal. It was a place where guns, ammunition, and weapons of all sorts were made and stored. Oh yes, I was going to like my dad’s arsenal; it was every boy’s dream come true.

The old Stamford Bridge was a huge sprawling, open aired amphitheatre which was desperately in need of renovation, and we seemed miles from what was known as a pitch. Puzzled, and a little confused, surrounded by legions of people, I asked my dad where the arsenal was. At that moment there erupted around us a crescendo of sound, and there in the distance, what seemed to be little men, poured out onto the pitch in a tumultuous wave of red and white, and my dad yelled to me, over the cacophony, “there they are”, and gesticulated delightedly towards them.

My eyes opened wide in amazed comprehension that these were, in fact, the Arsenal, so beloved of my father, and who in turn would become the delight of my life.

Over the many years since then, the increasingly glorious victories, and great feats of derring do were to become the stuff of my footballing dreams. None of the vainglorious nonsense spouted by fans of other clubs, following their empty, meaningless wins, could stop me strutting around as proud as a peacock that I was a gooner and a follower of the greatest team the world had ever seen! It says so in the song even!

What cannot be denied is that those dreams, as a child, were occasionally suffused by both pain and ecstasy almost beyond my ability to bear them. A catharsis so intense, that the experience of Arsenal losing a game left me hopeless, helpless and near to tears, whereas the sterling victories achieved an euphoria impossible to describe.

There then lay the roots of my current misery, the counterbalance to the exquisite sense of well being when we win. No amount of alcohol, in my later years, could ever quench the pain of Arsenal losing.

Many gooners, I am sure, can identify with these sentiments, which helps explain the gloom evident in the Arsenal blogs of late. So let me leave you with this crumb of comfort.

Over the years, every Arsenal setback has been more than matched by a thrilling win, and the emptiness of losing has swiftly been consigned to the dustbin of history.

I would love to hear your own stories of how you treat those two imposters, defeat and victory, because whichever of them are currently in the ascendancy, our love of Arsenal will over-ride all.

We will always be Gunners!

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Posted by Rasp

Fabulous Fabianski – at least for now – and three points in the bag.

November 11, 2010

Football never ceases to amaze me.  Last night, many supporters were full of trepidation to see if we could bounce back after two disappointing and lack lustre performances and while it wasn’t exactly a bounce it was a hard fought three points.

We didn’t have to wait long as within the first minute an exquisite cross from Song found Chamakh and he powered the ball into the back of the net.  I would argue that was the best header of the season by any of our players.

Within five minutes, Arshavin should have wrapped the game up with a one on one with Hahnemann but as is so often the case, it wasn’t to be, and that gave Wolves renewed confidence and they slowly but surely came more into the game.

We showed defensively that we could give as good as we got. The back four, notably Sagna and Squillaci, seem vastly improved in recent weeks and although Djourou showed why he is fourth choice with some errors of judgement in the first half, he improved as the game progressed.

It was a great game to watch (possession 50% each) and showed not for the first time this season that on any given day there is not much difference between the sides at the top and the bottom of the premiership. The hope is that while we are not at our most fluent we are right in the mix and still have key players to regain full fitness and form to return to the side.

I would say that the save Fabianski made in the 90th minute was world class and overall he had a truly excellent game, all credit to him for showing “mental strength” after last Sunday.

Fabregas was sadly not at the races and hopefully it is just that he is ring rusty and not thinking elsewhere. His tackle will be discussed by many, but the tackle on Arshavin was worse and has not received the same level of scrutiny by the media.

If there has to be a man of the match it has to go to Fabianski for a near faultless performance and a close second to Chamakh for his brace. He may have drifted in and out of the game but he did what I had hoped he would do, take the opportunities when presented, as a striker should.

Next up Everton, and hopefully with Nasri, Walcott and RVP thrown into the mix, the omens are promising.

Written by kelsey

Rasp’s player ratings for you to disagree with….

Fabianski 9

Sagna 7

Squillaci 8

Djourou 7

Clichy 6

Song 6

Fabregas 6

Wilshere 7

Arshavin 6

Rosicky 6

Chamakh 8

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Posted by kelsey

No howlers at Wolves …….. please?

November 10, 2010

We have been through a miserable few games and tonight we have an opportunity to get back on track. Few will fancy us to defeat a team who appear to have transformed themselves from thug tactics to one that played Man Utd off the park at Old Trafford. Let there be no mistake, United were lucky to take the points and had Wolves taken their chances, they would have won, plus  (DanDan) United scored  on the stroke of halftime and in the 94th minute.

Perhaps it was the criticism of Murphy or the wise words from our Leader but whatever it was Wolves have become a team that plays football, admittedly with a physical dimension but not one that is beyond the rules.

In Matt Jarvis Wolves have one of the in-form players in the PL, a hard working tricky winger with a touch of the Freddie about him. Much has been written about Henry, a robust player and Wolves Captain, Hunt has returned to the team and the two wingers will cause our wayward full backs to concentrate fully on defending. Hopefully the referee (Mark Halsey) will have a good day and keep the game clean.

We have almost a full squad to pick from and are strong everywhere except at Centre Back where Djourou will continue his rehabilitation,  I have the greatest faith in JD having been a supporter of his since he showed so much promise as a youngster and still believe he has all the attributes to become our first choie CB alongside either TV or Kos.  JD has the physique and the pace to become a major player for us, what needs to improve, and improve rapidly, is his positional sense. The long term injury to Vermaelen has caused all our CB’s to play more games than expected and I assume AW would have chosen JD to restart his career in the CC team and from the bench.

Another conundrum is whether to play Cesc. He is a vital cog in the team, our heartbeat, but his performance against WHU was so poor that he apologised in the programme and he was even worse on Sunday with a pass completion of only 67% (the worst in his career.) Is he really unfit? Is he on drugs? Judging by his inability to judge the pace of play I would assume he had a crafty joint in the dressing room (or being very anti-smoking, a hash brownie!!). Whatever it is, he needs to recover form before our title challenge disappears before Xmas. I would rest him tonight and hope he is fit for the weekend game.

Thankfully we can play a midfield of Song, Denilson (Nasri, if fit), JW and Rosicky, who really ought to dominate.

Upfront we have started to stutter. After a superb opening to the season our strikers have forgotten where the goals are, though it has to be said that the service to them has been dreadful. We have two strikers who are formidable in the air and yet they have not received one decent cross in 3 games. Theo is sure to be double teamed at Wolves and he has looked our best attacking option, I fancy him to score when he gets on as sub. The recovery of RvP is very exciting, if only to give Chamakh a rest. In the absence of Nasri I would expect Arshavin to start.

We need these points, the complacency we witnessed on Sunday will garner nothing. It is certain that Wolves will give everything to gain another scalp and we have to show the same sense of purpose.

Come on Boys, show us that it means as much to you as it does to us.

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

The Last Time We Were This Bad We Won The Double

November 9, 2010

So how upset were you when the full time whistle sounded at the Grove on Sunday?

Were you saddened in the way you would be at the death of an aunt you vaguely remember but didn’t really know?

Were you fist-clenching angry, like when you find yourself in the wrong queue at the supermarket checkout (the one where the Vicky Pollard lookalike is chatting to her mate at the next till and checking through the purchases with all the speed of a Tai Chi master)?

Or did you do the full ‘man totally loses it in a hotel lobby’ thing? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGlNzV0thGY

Me, I went outside and shouted at a squirrel.

It took no notice.

Since then I haven’t really been bothered to look at anything on the internet. The caterwauling of the doom-mongers has, I’m sure, been a sound to behold. No doubt we have all been urged to sack Wenger, sell nine-tenths of the team and declare Ashburton Grove a natural disaster area.

Haiti? Earthquakes? Tropical storms? Cholera? That’s nothing mate. We lost at home to Newcastle – now that’s what you call a tragedy.

Or is it?

Take a look at this sequence of results, produced by an Arsenal team in a season not too distant from now:

October 20: Blackburn Rovers, EPL (H):            3-3

October 24: Real Mallorca, CL (H):                     3-1

October 27: Sunderland, EPL (A):                       1-1

October 30: FC Schalke, CL (A):                          1-3

November 4: Charlton Athletic, EPL (H):           2-4

November 8: Manchester Utd, CC (H):               4-0

November 17: Sp*rs, EPL (A):                              1-1

November 21: Deportivo, CL (A):                        0-2

You have to agree that it’s a dreadful run of form. If we counted all of the fixtures as three-point games (including the Carling Cup match) our tally would be 9 points out of a possible 24. A mighty 15 points dropped in all competitions.

It looks familiar, doesn’t it?

In fact it looks very much like the run of results we have just had: some dodgy draws, home and away; a comfortable home win in the CL, but also a bad away defeat in the same competition; an easy Carling Cup win; an embarrassing home league defeat against humble opposition.

All the above results happened in the season 2001-2002.

Any team that could be so inconsistent and flaky must surely have been full of players without a winning mentality, right? Or players unable to concentrate? Or players managed by someone who just couldn’t motivate them? And look at the goals conceded – 15 in 8 games – clearly a team who can’t defend?

Well, that team included Seaman, Campbell, Cole, Lauren, Keown, Adams, Vieira, Pires, Ljungberg, Henry, Wiltord and Bergkamp. And of course, they went on to win The Double that very same season.

So why am I telling you this?

Because we need a reminder that a bad spell does not mean that our team is doomed. A run of negative results does not make good players into bad ones. A poor points return does not transform a champion manager into a chump. A trophy-winning team can have a period when it looks more like relegation-fodder.

We have been here before, fellow Gooners. We may have moaned and groaned in 2001 but we were no way as disillusioned then as many seem to be in 2010. We supported our team and we kept the faith.

It’s time to dampen down the hysteria.

It’s time to look away from the most neurotic web sites, the ones who want to cry wolf at every passing poodle.

It’s time to tell the “Wenger Out” brigade to shut the fudge up and learn some perspective.

This Arsenal team will finish first or second in the league this season and will win a cup. And they’ll do it in style.

COYRRG

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Arsenal – a real firework display or just a damp squib

November 8, 2010

Written by dandan

It is Firework night as I sit here, bangs and flashes illuminate the sky, through the window behind me, the dog lies under the desk ,coming out occasionally to challenge the noisy night with a tirade of her own, before returning and spreading herself at my feet with a sigh.

Bit like the Arsenal really, they too on specific days illuminate the state of the art stadium they call home with the beautiful football that the world admires and knows as Wengerball. Next time out, the passes are a less than perfect the ball continually sent behind the intended target instead of into their stride,  shots are scuffed or  half-hit, crosses fail to clear the first man.  The whole process appearing a chore to these pampered athletes, who though paid a kings ransom from an early age, to hone just such basic skills, lack the motivation or desire it would seem on occasions to display them.

How then do we the long-suffering fans reconcile this, we who would pay for the privilege to wear the Cannon on our chest, even if it is the wrong way round and adorns a different shirt every year?

After all it is us who annually buy those same expensive shirts in huge quantities, from salaries that bear no relationship to those of our Heroes. Why do we do it?

Easy: It is simply because they ARE our heroes, living the dream we have nurtured since junior school, even if many of them are bits of kids themselves, and we are grown men and in many cases like my own, have grandchildren of their generation. Who through our influence probably support them too

How sad then that we feel cheated on these occasions when the team doesn’t perform. How angry are we allowed to be when our manager accuses our millionaire superstars of apathy as he did after Wednesdays European game? a game we should have won with ease, would we have been so laid back in our reaction if  it had been the spuds we were playing?

I am in many ways Arsene’s biggest fan and find the constant moaning that we have not won a trophy for 6 years petty, irritating and irrational, given what he has achieved along the way.

But to find us fielding a team, that to quote Arsene in his after match interview, was complacent, causes me to question whether these young men have the intelligence to understand the real world at all, or the important role they play in the well-being of so many people’s lives, outside the confines of their privileged circle?

If they don’t it is time they were made aware of the facts. Complacency has no place in a team that has promised much,but failed thus far to deliver at the highest level, potential is one thing success quite another.

It is now Sunday and we have just lost to Newcastle, another flat lacklustre performance against a team who in all seriousness shouldn’t get within three goals of us, it wouldn’t be so bad if we had an excuse,  but we don’t. We had the most experienced bench we have had in ages with only three Squad members missing. Sure we had a European game midweek and Flappy let in a bad goal but  one goal at home should never be enough, the truth is we were bullied out of it again, our first touches in many instances, were as the great George Best once observed “further than I can kick it”.

High balls constantly pumped in against that defence were never going to work as the ease with which they dealt with our corners showed. From the moment they doubled up on Walcott and blocked his every move, it was obvious that we were going to have to run and pass our way through middle, but Fab was only firing on two cylinders and the man marking on him was ultra effective. Song tried hard and Jack battled but apart from that we were ineffective and lethargic again.

So yet again the spectre of another  title costing  November rears its ugly head, that prospect at least as real  now, as last nights spent rockets, that litter my garden on this drab depressingly damp day.  But they unlike the Arsenal at least had their moment and reached the heights they promised.

Mr Wenger please take note we need more fireworks and less damp squibs.

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Posted by dandan

Another drop of Newcastle Brown …

November 7, 2010

Three vital points on offer tody, 3 points which have to won. Anyone imagining Newcastle will roll over as they did at St James Pk will be sorely mistaken, Newcastle’s first team have power, skill, and a brutal presence. Any team with Nolan, Barton and Carroll are not going to be lilly livered nor will they shirk the need to play football. We will have to be on top form today to get a result after ourmidweek disappointment.

Before carrying on with the post let us all take a moment to laugh at Tottenham ……

I have been impressed with Newcastle this season, their early displays have been a surprise. Any team coming into the PL needs adjustment time, yet all three sides are doing excellently and perhaps this year could be the first when all three stay up. Newcastle are full of confidence having absolutely demolished a strong Sunderland side last week, a feat that we couldn’t accomplish! I watched the game and Sunderland were fortunate to concede only 5. Barton was his usual snarling self but it has to be admitted he can play football as well as jump on people.

In Nolan they have a real leader. Strong, committed, passionate, occasionally dirty but above all else effective. Add in Alan Smith (a dirty little sod) and Steven Taylor and it is obvious that we have to be strong and expect a physical battle. It will be a day for cool heads and girded loins. But the Barcodes have creative talent, Guitierrez may not have the skills of Messi or Tevez but anyone picked to play for Argentina is a decent player, Carroll is a fine frontman who is bang in form and Amoebi has a wealth of experience.

It is a sadness that we will not be able to enjoy the talents of Ben Arfa whose season was so sadly curtailed by another player who was “just going for the ball”. Ben Arfa was on AW’s radar but he signed Samir and I believe we got the best player

As to our team, the return of the midfield four and Koscielny mean that  we almost have the pick of our squad. There will be changes from the team who travelled to Donetsk, Cesc is sure to start as will Song. It is a shame that Diaby is unfit because we are certain to have to endure an aerial bombardment – we will need Chamakh to defend well at set pieces.

My team:

Yes, I know …. no Arshavin. I am sure AW will play him but I believe he needs a rest. Nor young Jack – I am a great admirer of his but believe Denilson will be better suited to the rigour of today’s battle. The problem with this team is that it forces Nasri to play on the left which is not ideal.

Many of England’s finest musical talents hail from Newcastle – The Animals, The Shadows, Dire Straits, the Pet Shop Boys (big Gooners), Sting etc etc.  I wonder how many of those successful musicians still live within the “Toon”

Can we win? Definitely.  Will we win? It will be a hard fought victory.

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

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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