Grounds for divorce………..what does Arsenal mean to you?

December 9, 2011

Whilst browsing the comments on AA a few days ago I was quite taken by an exchange between FGG and GN5 about the importance of football. How important is football and in particular Arsenal to me I asked myself? Pondering the answer I could only come to one conclusion…. “ A hell of a lot”.

Ray Kennedy heads title winner against Tottenham in 1971

I suppose it all started in the early seventies when as a kid my old man used to take me to Highbury and I would sit on his shoulders. I quickly became intoxicated with the majesty of the stadium, the lush green turf and those glorious red and white shirts. This wasn’t a problem then, after all I was just a kid, and when we lost and I cried (it was the mid seventies and I used to cry a lot in them days), adults would afford me sympathy and a kind word.

My addiction to Arsenal probably bought its first problems when I hit secondary school. My school was mostly West Ham but there was a sprinkling of Arsenal and Tottenham. There was one kid in particular, ‘Andrew’, who was afflicted with the same passion as me, problem was he was Spurs. Needless to say I spent the next 3 years of my life arguing and fighting with this kid at every opportunity (despite the fact that he must have hit puberty aged six or something coz at age eleven he was about a foot taller than me and I swear he was sporting a beard). Subsequently my grades suffered and I was classed as an “under achiever”.

Did I learn any lessons from my fanaticism to Arsenal during my school days? Of course not. In my late teens and early twenties I took my madness to new levels. I discovered the joy of away games and the incredible buzz of going into “foreign territory”. At this time I was known to family and friends as an “Arsenal nut”, and my dad who started my addiction in the first place, would berate me at very opportunity, usually along the lines of “Do you think Arsenal will give you a living you f…..g idiot”. It was during this period that I would routinely miss things like weddings and christenings if they clashed with Arsenal games and am sure that to this day some people have still not forgiven me (I mean come on, who organises such an event knowing that Arsenal have Wolves away on the same day)

By the time I got married in my mid twenties I thought my addiction was over. I had a lovely wife, a good job, stopped going to away games, and if push came to shove would even miss the odd home again. Was I cured? No.

Looking back now I realise my addiction was still there but it was much more subtle. Every time Arsenal was playing, I still needed some form of contact, usually via the radio. I had to have my fix however inappropriate. This need manifested itself rather horribly on one occasion round my in laws, (who had several other guests around at the time), I had sneaked in a radio to listen to the 2nd leg of the semi against PSG in the ECWC and when we scored I suffered the inevitable tourettes  moment “F…..g Kevin Campbell” To say that my wife or in laws were not best pleased, well that would be an understatement.

Yes , she divorced me a few years later, and upon receiving the papers from her solicitors (whilst I was examining the league table and upcoming fixtures to try and work out were we would be if we won our next few games), I was shocked to see that she cited “Arsenal Football Club” as one of the reasons.

All stories should have a happy ending folks and so does this one. I am very happy in my current relationship, have two wonderful daughters (who don’t like football) and a dad who still berates me at every opportunity. My current partner is very understanding of my “Affliction” and we tend to do things around the Arsenal timetable. (She’s an auditor so I would describe our relationship as very “Professional”, hahaha)

I suppose when you ask yourself “How important is Arsenal and Football”? to know the answer you should really ask “How has Arsenal and Football impacted my life”? In my case, probably too much, but what the hell “I love my Arsenal”.

God Bless

Written by Terry Mancini Hair Transplant

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

January – Deal or no deal?

December 8, 2011

Written by FatGingerGooner

With so much grief given out to our esteemed manager during pre season, and with another transfer window just around the corner, I thought it might be a good time to see how Wenger’s apparent ‘panic buys’ have compared to the big money signings of some of our closest league rivals.

There were many comments written on this blog, and loads of others, slating Arsene’s dealings during the last window. Fans were worried that he had lost his touch and  that the likes of Nasri, Fabregas and Clichy were not being sufficiently replaced. But with a good chunk of the season passed, what do we think of these signings now?

First up we have the defenders. Mertersacker, Santos and Jenkinson were drafted in by AW as replacement for the outgoing Clichy and the mistake ridden Squillaci, all for the price of £17m.

In contrast, Chelsea paid £24m for Luiz in January, Man Utd went for Jones for a princely sum of £17m, Liverpool snapped up Coates for £7m and Man City threw £9m the way of Savic.

If we look at the centre backs, none of the above have really set the premier league alight. Mertersacker has been a calming influence for Arsenal but prone to the odd mistake, whilst Jones, Coates and Savic have all been used sparingly by their managers. David Luiz has however become a bit of a joke figure at Chelsea due to his awful defensive displays and his ability to start a fight in an empty room.

On the other hand, Santos and Jenkinson have both proved real bargains for the Gunners. If you think that AW paid just £7m for the pair, compared to the £17m Man City forked out for the inconsistent Kolarov last year, you can see that Arsene’s touch in the market is very much in tact.

For defenders, Wenger has definitely done better than his rival managers.

Moving on to midfield, Arsène had a massive job to fill the huge hole left by Fabregas and the even fatter, I mean bigger, hole left by Nasri. In the end he opted to draft in Arteta for £10m, Gervinho for £10m, Oxlaide-Chamberlain for £12.5m and Benayoun on loan. His rivals on the other hand splashed out on the likes of Nasri (Man City) £22m, Mata (Chelsea) £23.5m, Downing (Liverpool) £20m, Henderson (Liverpool) £16m, Mereiles (Chelsea) £12m and Young (Man U) £16m.

For Arsenal, Arteta and Gervinho started relatively slowly, but after finding their feet they have started to show the quality they possess. Arteta espescially has grown into a real force, oozing class and running games from start to finish. Ox has shown glimpses of the star that he is no doubt going to become, but Benayoun has so far struggled to get playing time.
The stand out players for our rivals have been Mata at Chelsea and Young at United, though neither has yet to live up to their hype. Nasri, Henderson and Mereiles on the other hand have all failed so far at their new homes, espescially the fat Frenchman, whos arse must have more splinters than a joiners finger!

I have no doubt that Mata and Young will prove successful purchases, but I reckon the £20m for Downing and £22m for Nasri just goes to show the value AW has found in his purchases.

For midfielders, I think AW loses points for missing out on Mata, but overall, his signings look like value for money. Espescially Ox, who looks like a future star.

Finally it’s the strikers. With Chamakh misfiring and RvP still prone to injuries, AW needed to strengthen. In the end he paid out £3m for Park and just £1m for Campbell. Other clubs were relatively quiet in the striking department so we have to look back at January for comparison. City paid £38m for Aguero, Liverpool spent £30m on Carroll and £23m on Suarez, whilst Chelsea blew £50m (yes, that’s right, £50m) on Torres.

Wenger opted to send Campbell straight out on loan to earn his stripes and his visa, whilst Park has only really been seen in the Carling Cup. It’s difficult to compare these to the others mentioned as they are not first choice, big money signings.

Looking at our rivals additions, Torres and Carroll have so far been very expensive flops, between them they have been firing £80m worth of blanks. On the other hand, Suarez and Aguero have both lived up to their huge fees. Suarez, though, has been the pick of the bunch. He may be a cheating prick, but the kid can play!

I think the real comparison may be made in January as Arsene needs to dive into the market to find a replacement for Chamakh. Watch this space.

I’m sure you will all have your own view on Arsène’s dealings this season, but for me, he has once again proved his doubters wrong. If you look at the price tags attached to some of the rival players mentioned, you can see that Arsene has lost none of his ability to spot a bargain. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t fall into his old habit of hanging onto sub standard players for too long. If Chamakh and Arshavin can be moved on in January and then adequately replaced, this new look Arsenal squad could be a real force heading into next year.

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Is FFP the solution UEFA?

December 5, 2011

The visit of the sky blues of Abu Dhabi to The Home of Football and the subsequent infiltration of this very blog the day after got me thinking….

It is often stated that the top clubs are set to align themselves with various sponsors (whether related or otherwise) to ensure that they do not get caught by the FFP regulations. That this can be achieved within the regulations is yet to be seen.

Additionally there is another issue that has not been settled. The FFP regulations will prevent those that fall foul of the regulations from competing in the UEFA Champions League, the first measurement period is 2011-2013, from then on it will be three year rolling aggregates. The first competitions clubs can be excluded from are the 2013-14 Champions and Europa League. Here comes the rub….the current agreement between UEFA and ECA (the European Club Association) expires at the end of 2014. Therefore in order to keep Europe’s biggest clubs under their banner UEFA may be forced to tread very softly over FFP enforcement or risk the big guns taking their toys away.

So this moment in time that us Arsenal fans are waiting for and the Board promises us is going to level the playing field is already here, and does anyone see it really working yet? If it is being taken seriously by the top clubs it should really be hurting those teams who are spending the owners money.

So this is the problem, what is the solution? An extension of the homegrown rule could actually help us, and could in light of the above be a more gentle approach by UEFA to addressing concerns of financial doping whilst also forcing the clubs to work for the good of the game.

Currently the Homegrown rule in the Premier League states that 8 of the 25 man squad (over 21) have to have been registered for three years domestically at a club in England or Wales. What if this was extended? What if not only did they have to be registered in England or Wales but actually registered at the club for which they now play and that the maximum number of non home grown was lowered to 13 and of the remaining half had to be home grown at the club.

Surely the clubs have a duty to the game to put emphasis on developing young talent that will succeed.

Ok I admit my suggestions are biased to the current Arsenal setup. Of the current squad Walcott, Djourou, Song, Szczesny, Wilshere, Frimpong, Coquelin, Gibbs, Miquel, Oxlade-Chamberlain (will be three years by the time he is 21) would all be Club homegrown. Then Rambo as homegrown under old rules.

I know Arsène isn’t a fan of the homegrown rules but I think he has overseen the development of a Youth Academy that could flourish under a stricter regime.

So what’s it for you, FFP or a Europe wide Homegrown Rule that will level the playing field?

Written by Gooner in Exile

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Wigan: Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy.

December 4, 2011

That Locomotive called Arsenal was back on track today charging once again towards the top of the table. After frustratingly slowing down at Fulham last weekend it was full steam ahead up north to Wigan to pick up what turned out to be an easy three points.

The players exuded superiority from the moment they stepped onto the pitch. The play was purposeful and decisive, Arsenal were cutting their way through at will with some classy inter play but it was Wigan who were presented with the first serious goal scoring opportunity, watching in the Twelve Pins pub in Finsbury Park they showed the replay three times and I still do not understand how Gomez managed to miss from eight yards out, Match of the Day will clear it up but right now it remains a mystery.

It is obviously wrong to say that if you scratch the surface of Arsenal you will find a fragility lurking just below but it is also wrong to say that the early season fear has completely disappeared, Arsenal were taken aback by that scare and it took a while to regroup and push on forward but forward they went and as quick as doubts started appearing in the mind as to whether this week was going to be our week they were dispelled by Arteta’s determined run and a pile driver of a shot past the out stretched Wigan goal keeper to make it one nil and take the pressure right off.

The gulf in class began to show and it wasn’t long before we doubled our lead: van Persie sent over a corner that cleared the first man (now there is a sentence I haven’t written in a while) passing everyone except for the Lion of Flanders; Vermaelen soared above his marker to powerfully direct a header just inside the post, it really was quite an incredible goal. As he celebrated I remembered how a certain section of Arsenal supporters criticised Wenger for buying him, complaining, before he had even played a game mind you, that at 5’11” he was too short. As this is a headline post I am going with: shame on them but on another day my language would be more agricultural lets say.

The game may now have been over as a competition but there were still a few more thrills to be had. The second half started in the same way as the first with Wigan trying to play football, you have got to admire the refusal of Martinez to turn them into Orcs but unless they adopt that style they will be relegated. Wigan’s attempt at getting back on terms was short lived; the rousing half time team talk that Martinez not doubt gave them evaporated when Gervinho was in the right place at the right time to knock the ball in to make it three. Gervinho’s joy was plain to see and that was no act, he was genuinely elated at getting himself on the score sheet.

The more observant would have noticed that earlier he had missed what some may describe as yet another golden opportunity with a one on one only the goal keeper to beat. To those I say you really have to be in the right place at the right time to get those opportunities and by the shear fact that these situations are starting to stick in the mind they act as evidence that he is getting himself in the right place at the right time. There is no doubt in my mind that many more goals will follow.

What would a big score day be without our captain getting in on the act, I bet there were a few journalists thinking that if van Persie doesn’t score how are they going to try and undermine Arsenal in the future; I mean, if they can’t accuse us of being a one player team what are they going to say? Worry over, van Persie duly obliged and scored his ninety fifth goal of the season, (I don’t know how many it is now) and by doing so the media can continue to call us a one man team.

Four-nil, cue substitutions, we all wanted to see the Ox but Arsene is making us wait a bit longer, nevertheless, I like Benayoun’s energy, I like to see the ever maturing Coquelin and I just laughed when Arshavin made a last man slide tackle to snuff out a Wigan attack down the left wing when Santos had gone AWOL in the Wigan half.

I feel a bit of a fraud writing this report, it is a bit like you guys have worked your hearts out for ninety minutes and in extra time we are awarded a penalty and up I step to knock in this simple match report, still as the saying goes you can only write about the opposition that is put in front of you lol.

Player ratings.

Szczesny: some one has had a word in his ear and told him to stop joking about, gone were the silly attempts at dummying the on rushing opposing forward before clearing the ball, today’s performance was controlled, determined which brings me to the adjective I have been waiting to use…….immaculate. 10

Koscielny: did he do anything wrong? Not that I can remember, he is not as threatening in the final third as Jenkinson and he is not as good a defender at right back as Sagna but hey onwards and upwards for our Kozzer. 8

Mertesacker: when the BFG cocked up against Norwich I wrote to him angrily saying that we all know that if he had been wearing the German national shirt he would not have done that, I suggested that wearing one under his Arsenal shirt might help, he wrote back saying he would, the results were there for all to see today, I thought that was the best performance he has put in to date, calmness personified. 8

Vermaelen: The Lion of Flanders, I suspect many won’t know this but cycling is the national sport of Belgium, in that sport the Italians, as you would imagine, are flamboyant the French are like the English and Wimbledon, cycling is their sport but they never win it; but, in Belgium, especially in Flanders they breed the real tough men of cycling and Vermaelen is straight out of that mould, hard as nails, no one is going to ever push him around. My man of the match. 9.5

Santos: all over the park we have our first choice player and we have his back up, in some positions it is unbalanced such as Van Persie and Chamakh but the combination of Santos and Gibbs seems prefect to me. By Santos playing, Gibbs is not going to feel that he will never get his chance and when Gibbs plays I doubt that Santos will feel aggrieved. In truth he faded today, and had Gibbs been fit I would have expected him to have come on but Santos little by little is getting up to speed with the EPL. I am a big fan but today was not his best. 7

Song: we need competition for his position, I mean real competition, Frimpong and Coquelin are snapping at his heels but they are not there yet. Today we didn’t have Songinho but we did have a solid shield for our defence. 7

Arteta: if you can’t play for your national team then the Champions League has got to be the next best thing; he clearly loves wearing the glorious red and white and long may it continue. Great goal. 8

Walcott: some sterling work down the wing again, I don’t care what anyone says he has been a different player since the Ox arrived on the scene. 7

Van Persie: The Dogs. 8

Gervinho: before today our Ivorian friend gave me the impression that he wasn’t sure if he belonged that’s to say he looked nervous as to whether he had been accepted as one of the team……look closely at his celebrations after his goal and you will learn all you need to know about this player. 8

Written by LB (London)

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Not The End of the World, But The End For Arshavin? (plus Player Ratings)

November 27, 2011

There was something poignant about the moment, mid way through the second half, when Arsène Wenger made his first two substitutions.

Gervinho and Abou Diaby were bouncing on the touchline: primed, eager and ready while the fourth official fiddled with his number board.

Three yards away from them, on the pitch, a small Russian man was standing on his own, looking downcast and waiting for the inevitable appearance of the number 23 on the official’s board.

After an evening in which pretty much everything he tried had failed, you could see that Andrei Arshavin was not just expecting to be hauled off: he WANTED to be hauled off.

When the numbers flashed and it turned out that he was not one of the two players being substituted (Ramsey and Mertesacker ended up making way) he looked genuinely shocked. And disappointed.

It is heartbreaking to see what has happened to our pocket Russki.

Once upon a time (in an earlier life, it sometimes feels), he scored four goals against Liverpool in one of the most devastating individual attacking displays I’ve ever seen.

You could never say he was 100% consistent, but he always had the potential of doing something brilliant.

Yes, his tracking back was somewhere in the hinterland between rare and nonexistent; yes, his demeanour was often doleful; yes, his arse seemed large enough to make him as tall lying on his side as when he’s standing; but when he did fire into life he could ghost past players like they weren’t there and put his goals away with venom.

Yesterday he was a shadow of the player who terrorised Liverpool. He just looked absolutely shorn of confidence and ability. Towards the end of the game I thought he was drifting infield to hide among groups of Fulham players in order to not receive the ball.

I, for one, was left with the distinct impression that this could be the end of the Russian’s career at Arsenal. I might be wrong. I hope I’m wrong. Maybe our genius manager can get him firing again. But he seems to be in a dark place and it may well take a fresh start somewhere else to drag him out of it.

The game itself was a bit of a come-down after the high of beating Dortmund midweek and becoming the first English club to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions’ League.

Arsene Wenger blamed physical and mental tiredness and he had a point, but the Cottagers deserve credit too for playing a good defensive game designed to smother our movement between midfield and attack.

However, we also had a familiar dollop of bad luck: shots cleared off the line (again); gifting the opposition an own goal (again); a rival ‘keeper in inspired form (again).

Despite Fulham’s obduracy we carved them open enough times to have won the game. Twice in the first 10 minutes Arshavin was involved in penetrating attacks down our left (unfortunately that was more or less the end of any positive contribution from him).

Theo was ripping them open down the opposite flank and driving into their box at will.

But overall there was a bit of a lacklustre feel to our team performance. Both Ramsey and Arteta had industrious displays but both seemed to find that their touch was off, resulting in a lot of misplaced passes and being caught in possession.

We were also standing off the Fulham players too much and not pressing the way we had done against the Germans on Wednesday. The pressing game has been a big part of our revival this season and at times against Fulham it was notable by its absence.

By the time Fulham scored I had come to the conclusion that it was just going to be one of those days. And when we did put them ahead with a Tommy Vermaelen own goal (I would need to see it again to judge how culpable he was), I feared the loss of all three points.

As several AA commenters have already pointed out, you would have expected last season’s Arsenal to end up losing from that position. But this year’s crop has some real bottle. It was just a shame that it took us going behind to spark the team into life.

Suddenly we had a real urgency about us. Arsène’s attacking substitutions (including taking off Mertesacker and dropping Song back into CB) helped galvanise the team and we launched a series of frenetic onslaughts on the Fulham goal.

The equaliser was a fine glancing header from Vermaelen, making amends for the own goal.

Theo and Gervinho (showing Arshavin how it should be done) continued to torment the opposition defence from their respective wings, Prince Robin twisted and turned and peppered their goal and we went close numerous times. But, with Schwarzer eking out the time like a dying man the clock eventually ran down.

Final score 1-1. No doubt some of the nay-sayers will leap on the performance and result as evidence that we have not really progressed from last season. But they would be wrong. Even when we were winning Doubles we would get the occasional draw against weaker, but resolute, opposition. It happens to everyone.

And the positives were plain: we showed character to come back from a goal down, our unbeaten run continues and we made numerous chances to score and win the game.

A minor disappointment, but project New Arsenal is still very much on track.

Ratings

Szczesny: No chance for the goal and made one fantastic save from a powerful shot. His kicking was better than usual, but overall he didn’t have much to do. 7

Djourou: Came in at right back and had a super game. Made some great last-ditch tackles and nicked the ball from the opposition all game long. 8

Mertesacker: Another top performance by the Mert. I didn’t see him put a foot wrong and his reading of the game is so good that it often means he snuffs out attacks before they’re dangerous. It’s not as spectacular as the last-ditch scramble, but a lot better for my heart rate. Also came close to scoring with a good header. 7.5

Vermaelen: Powerful and dynamic as always. One point off for the og. One point added for scoring the equaliser. 7.5

Santos: His best game yet. Our new Brazilian is fast becoming a crowd favourite and yesterday he looked composed, skillful and dynamic. He drifted out of position occasionally, but usually because he was trying to push us forward. Got no help from Arshavin. 8.5 MoTM

Song: Good work screening the back four – and he was called on to clear up more than he ought to have been because of the way his MF team mates were giving away possession. Unfortunately could not tap his alter ego Songinho to inspire another goal for us. 7.5

Arteta: Did a lot of his usual good work helping to screen the defence and keeping the ball moving. His touch went off badly in the second half and, uncharacteristically, he lost the ball several times. Tired, perhaps. 6.5

Ramsey: Always driving, moving, tackling, trying to make things happen. But yesterday it just wasn’t coming off for young Aaron. Not his best game, but he never hid and never stopped trying and after years of Denilsonitis I’ll take that any day. 6.5

Walcott: Brilliant and direct in the first half and unlucky not to score or get an assist. Faded a bit in third quarter but came back strongly as we pushed for an equaliser and then a winner (that sadly never came). Surely his critics must shut up now? He is one of the best wide players in England and is demonstrating it on a weekly basis. 8

Arshavin: Nothing to add to what I said above. A bad – and sad – day for the Russian. 5

Van Persie: Exuded class all game, but for once the magic touch was off by a smidgen and he didn’t get on the score sheet. Fulham defended well, denying him space in the areas he normally likes to exploit between defence and midfield. 7.5

Subs
Gervinho: Outstanding when he came on. Was unlucky not to inspire us to victory. His brilliance made Arshavin’s performance look even worse. 8

Diaby: Nice to see him back. He showed some of what he can do (but also a little bit of his old failing of holding onto the ball for too long). 7

Chamakh: Didn’t have much chance to get in the game, but he tried. 6.5

Manager: His decision to start with Arshavin and leave the electrifying Gervinho on the bench may well have been what cost us all three points. His attacking substitutions helped make for an exciting finish, but it was still two points lost. 6

RockyLives

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One Man Team?

November 25, 2011

Another game for Arsenal, another win, another two goals, and who scored them? Of course our one man team Robin Van Persie, or at least that’s what the Fleet Street Scribes, Football Pundits and Broadcast Hacks will have you believe. And judging by the Emirates faithfuls reaction of silence then rapturous applause when Robin at first went down nursing a limb and then got back to his feet dusted himself down and walked back to the head of our attack Arsenal fans also subscribe to the theory.

What is it to be a one man team? For me it’s a team that relies on one player for creativity, and that everything goes through. Whilst Robin is playing very well at the moment the ball moves from back to front without him. If I could pick a player in a European club that is more important to his team than Robin is for Arsenal I look North to Salford and see Rooney. A player who as is always pointed out on highlight shows has such a huge bearing on the outcome of United games. Defensive tackles, dropping deep to create from midfield, and finally getting on the end of moves he starts.

Whilst if necessary Robin can do all this (well maybe not the tackling) he has concentrated this year on being in the box and doing the job centre forwards are paid to do….scoring goals. Long have we Gooners bemoaned the lack of a 30 goal a season striker, some seasons 20 would have been nice. Somehow we’ve found ourselves a 40 goal a season player at current rate and now we think others should be contributing.

Look at the 17 goals he has scored so far this campaign (I know 17 goals and we’re not out of November!). Anyway have a think back about the goals….how many have been close range tap ins from good wide play, or on a plate from a good through ball, by my reckoning I’d say 13-14 goals this season have come from the work of others or John Terry being shit. The exceptions are the free kick against Sunderland, the dribble and shot against Bolton and his hattrick goal against Chelsea.

Don’t get me wrong any injury to Robin right now is going to hurt him and us fans but the way the team is playing any centre forward worth a place in a Premier League squad should convert at least half of the chances the skipper has been handed this year (if not more).

I think Vermaelen, Song or Szczesny would be a bigger loss to the team as a whole for the platform they provide for the players in front of them, Robin by default is the focal point of attacks and in the form he is in teammates are looking for him with crosses and passes does that make us a one man team? I don’t think so, if it did the Liverpool with Rush were a one man team, Arsenal with Wright were a one man team, Barca with Messi are a one man team…..I could go on.

Robin is doing what strikers should do and long may it continue but if we miss him for a few games I’ll still back this team to score goals, because I see how many chances they are creating.

Written by Gooner In Exile

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Posted by Rasp

Prince Robin saves the Big F****** German

November 20, 2011

Written by Gooner in Exile

After two weeks of interlull we could once again enjoy proper meaningful football with a trip to the Fine City of Norwich to take on Paul Lambert’s promoted Canaries.

The only selection problem facing Wenger was whether to field Koscielny, Djourou or Yennaris at right back. In fairness it was a no brainier, Koscielny is one of the first names on the team sheet on current form and out of our relative plethora of centre backs probably most adept at playing right back having had experience there in the lower French leagues.

The team started brightly with Walcott using his pace to scare Tierney and Gervinho causing problems on the left. The skipper was showing why he is the most feared attacker in the Premier League right now with movement and sublime touches that the Norwich defence could not cope with.

One of the early chances fell to van Persie, to the shock of Arsenal fans everywhere he failed to convert it. The team was carving out opportunities and controlling possession so easily that it was only a matter of time before the deadlock would be broken.

The best chance of the opening fifteen minutes came as Gervinho found Walcott arriving in the box he cleverly stopped and curled the ball past Ruddy with his left foot, Martin lunged towards the goal and somehow managed to clear the ball over the cross bar to prevent the opener.

It was Norwich however who took the lead against the run of play, Mertesacker came over all charitable (perhaps a Children in Need Hangover and a confusion of Pudsey with a Canary) and became the Big Friendly German, unnecessarily allowing the ball to bounce when playing it early or just clearing the ball into Row Z would have been the better option. Morrison bundled past the German and slotted the ball under the advancing Szczesny.

Szczesny’s look at Per summed up how we were all feeling about him at that moment.

However this is the new Arsenal, goals given away are just another obstacle to overcome, there was no ten minute spell where we felt we could go more goals down, the team instead set about getting the equaliser.

After another period of more spurned chances we equalised, Gervinho advancing down the wing brought the ball inside and fed van Persie he turned and found Walcott, he pushed it past Tierney, sprinted onto it, looked up and drove the ball towards the centre of the goal and Gervinho. The Ivorian managed an air kick back heel when a simple tap in would have sufficed, thankfully Robin couldn’t miss the opportunity to add to the seasons tally and he had ghosted into the box unmarked to tap in from two yards.

The half played out with more opportunities for Arsenal to take the lead but unfortunately they could not make any of them count.

The second half started well with more fine attacking play. Vermaelen breaking forward and managing to deliver a cross which found Gervinho but he could only head weakly at Ruddy. Soon after Gervinho had another chance to break the deadlock, played in by a beautiful reverse pass from van Persie he rounded the keeper but did not have the composure to pass in to the empty net.

It started to feel like we would not find a deadlock, and some legs were looking heavy from International duties. Then Ramsey disposed Martin and was immediately brought down, Song collected the loose ball and drove forward, Gervinho broke left, and Robin broke right, Song took his time and played in van Persie, it looked like he may have forced him to wide on his right foot, Ruddy came to narrow the angle and but Van Persie calmly lifted it over him with the chocolate leg and the ball nestled in the net.

The rest of the ninety played out with little incident, our new found maturity and responsibility meant that our attacks were limited to three or four players rather than five, six and seven of last season, and the defence rarely looked exposed or troubled.

All in all a job well done, three points were much needed to continue the form we have been showing in the last few weeks and to keep the momentum five Premier League wins on the bounce 15 goals for 6 against.

Undoubtedly there will be more people saying we rely on van Persie too heavily and calling us a one man team after another brace to get us over the final hurdle. Well here’s the thing, thats the laziest punditry I currently hear. Robin van Persie is a centre forward, you expect him to score the bulk of the goals. He does not score all goals by picking the ball up on the half way line and running past everyone, he scores goals by finding good positions and being played in by one of his talented teammates, that nearly every chance he has goes in means the team look to find him with the final ball more often.

Ratings:

Szczesny 8 – Goalkeepers union speaking here but i dislike a keeper getting a 7 just because he didn’t have a lot to do, everything that was asked of him he did well, no chance for Norwich goal, if he had saved it he would have got a 9.

Koscielny 7 – Strong defensively and Norwich did not get a look in on our right flank. However judged as a full back he did not get forward enough to support Walcott.

Mertesacker 6.5 – I know most will expect him to get a lower score because of the mistake that led to the goal, but in all honesty it was the only mistake he made al day, unfortunately he was punished for it. Other than that he swept up and closed down well and looked comfortable.

Vermaelen 8 – Won everything in the air, solid in the tackle and offers an alternative when bringing the ball out of the back line.

Santos 7 – This guy is marmite you either love him or hate him, I think I love him, he is an under-rated tackler and does well going forward. Has a tendency to give me kittens every now and again with a relaxed pass, he just plays the game he knows, pass the ball and trust the receiver.

Arteta 7 – Seemed to suffer really from two weeks off, once up to speed set about providing a useful screen to break up attacks and kept the ball moving in the right direction.

Song 7.5 – Comfortably dealt with all Norwich could chuck at him, filled in at centre back when Vermaelen went wandering forward, and good work to seize on the opportunity to set up the winner.

Ramsey 7 – Worked hard to get in good positions, but wasn’t always found by his teammates. Pounced on the poor touch by Martin to allow Song to break forward for the winner.

Gervinho 7.5 – Getting better all the time, movement good, dribbling good, passing good, finishing must do better, but I’m sure it will come with time.

Walcott 8 – Purple patch time for this young man, finding a way to beat his man every time, and using the ball to good effect. Unlucky not to have scored but a fantastic all round performance.

van Persie 8 – Great movement to be on the end of the first, sublime finish for the second. Good link up play and leadership.

MOTM – Walcott, constant threat and end product.

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Posted by Gööner In Exile

On the Road Again: Norwich Preview

November 19, 2011

An ice age ago Arsenal played their last game, would I be correct in thinking we beat WBA?  And our last away fixture was  …. remind me?

Before the Interlull

Very excited to see us back playing Norwich. Lovely town, good beer and pubs, beautiful countryside. They have been doing unexpectedly well under Paul Lambert –  may their success continue after this afternoon’s drubbing (we can but hope) when Norwich go Man City in 2 weeks.

What can we expect today?  The Arsenal team appear to have returned from their travels in one piece, they have had 5 days to relax and re-focus and they must be hungry to build upon their excellent run of form. We may not be the fluent Arsenal of old and we may have problems which will be exposed by better teams but for the moment this team is developing the handy habit of winning ( last 11 games: W9 D1 L1). Norwich, who were everyone’s bet to go straight back down have done well playing expansive attacking football, 9th spot is a fantastic start for them. It should be a good game.

Stat time. Norwich have scored 38% of their goals from headers, (PL highest). In the last 3 games v Norwich AFC have scored at least 4 times. AFC have lost only one of their last 20 games v Norwich. AFC have conceded the PL’s most goals on the road  (17) and have scored in all but one of their last 15 away games. Norwich are the 3rd hardest working team in terms of yards run in the PL.

Injuries. We are down by 3 fullbacks, 2 MF’s and 2 forwards. Norwich have a full squad (BBC)

My team:

Mr Wenger has been hinting that Koscielny will start at RB, he would definitely be my choice. Chamakh is fit again and we have to find a way to get him back scoring, we know he has the talent and with just a bit of luck he could come good; I would like to see him on the hour. If Norwich persist in playing a high line Theo will fill his boots. Thinking about the first scorer? Santos is due a goal, as is Gervinho.

Fine article in The Independent by Lee Dixon talking about his arrival at THOF.

Sadly no inventors from Norwich, perhaps those windy flatlands prohibit such work but plenty of interesting notables. With today’s inditement of Tumbling John Terry, may I bring Mr. Pablo Fanque to your attention. Mr Fanque is mentioned on the Beatles song “For the benefit of Mr. Kite” and is known as the first black circus proprietor. He also sported a fine moustache

Another pioneering black man died today. Basil D’Oliveira was one of my childhood heroes. I dedicate this post to his memory.

Written by BigRaddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

The New Arsenal

November 18, 2011

The new Arsenal: focus, enthusiasm, togetherness, and a mixture of raw talent and calm experience

The interlull is almost over. Although it has been a boring period – from a footballing point of view – at least we did not have to endure again the spectacle of recent interlulls: in-fighting of fellow Arsenal fans. No, quietly the fans have gained considerable trust in this Arsenal team again and are more united now. And this makes a big difference on how an interlull period is experienced. Football is funny like that.

The reason for this renewed optimism is not only down to a run of good games/results. There is something within this new Arsenal team that makes it easy to indentify with again, to really love again, something that makes us feel good to support and believe in this team again with all our heart. It is like having a new girlfriend: she might be not as stunning as the previous one, and not everybody talks about you anymore, but she is surprisingly pleasant and enthusiastic and you feel you are getting somewhere again – a sense of hope and progress. And we can definitely say Arsenal is getting somewhere again.

So what are the key ingredients of this new Arsenal team? For me, they can be summarised with the word: FEETT. On a personal/work related level I have always felt that people with a lot of FEETT get furthest in work/life, and I believe this also goes for whole teams, or even organisations.

F is for Focus:

There is a new focus in this team, mixed with a healthy dose of humility. For a big part this is due to our awful start to the season. The sweet uses of adversity (Shakespeare) have been on display once again. Arsenal is well below from where it belongs in the league table, and the aim is to simply focus on one game at a time and win as many as possible, so we can climb the table and end in the top-4 at least.

The same goes for the cup competitions. This will sound a bit bizarre, but I have not seen Arsenal being this focussed as it has been this year, for a long time. Nobody believes anymore that we are special – at the moment – based on our recent history of superior, title & cup-winning football: no, for the first time there appears to be a strong realisation among the fans and the players that we need to regain that status through hard work and focussing on winning game after game. Wenger has also recognised this, as he stated recently that we need to be a bit humble and just concentrate on winning the next game (rather than talking about winning the title this year). Combine that with Gazidis’ announcement that not finishing in the top-4 would not be a disaster and you can see Arsenal’s tactics to release the tension a bit, and allow time to build another Wengerball super-team.

The paradox is that by saying we are not focussed on winning the title (at the moment) and not qualifying for the CL is not a disaster, we are far more likely to do well this season. This team is on a mission – it knows what it needs to do.

E is for Energy & Enthusiasm:

We have the right balance now between talent, technique and energy levels, and with the likes of Arteta, Jenkinson, Koz, RvP, Ramsey, Song, Szzesny and Vermaelen in our team we have plenty of stamina. The team works a lot harder now – collectively – and with a considerable amount of enthusiasm as well. Energy and enthusiasm are paramount for success, as it will help us to get over the difficult moments easier and faster (recent second half performances against Udinese, Sunderland, Marseille, and Chelsea especially, spring to mind).

E is for Experience:

For me, this is probably the biggest, and most positive, change from last year. The way the BFG and Santos recovered in the second half, from their disappointing first half performances against Chelsea, was very telling. With Vermaelen, the BFG, Sanya and Santos there is plenty of experience in our defence and the likes of Jenkinson, Szczesny, JD and Gibbs will all benefit from this tremendously as well.

In midfield, we now have the ‘arrived’ Song, Arteta, Rosicky, Arshavin and Benny who are all experienced enough to make a difference and the likes of Jack, Rambo, Frimmpong. Diaby and Coquelin will all benefit from this. Upfront we have the experience of RvP, our captain, Theo, Gervinho and Chamakh – on whom I refuse to give up on, at least for the time being. The likes of Ryo, the Ox and Park can all benefit from playing with our more experienced players, especially the Dutch Master. It is this combination of youth and experience throughout the positions which makes me so hopeful of the (near) future.

T is for Talent:

This Arsenal squad is bursting at it seams with talent in all four areas of the team. Szczesny and Fabianski are both fabulous goalkeepers and Manone is nor far off either. Gibbs and Jenkinson are very promising propests and so is Miquel. The midfield is overdosed with talent, and this is after the departure of Cesc and ‘the other one’. In attack, we have representatives from four continents and I cannot wait to see Joel Campbell play for us. He looks like a great prospect and so does Park, who needs a bit more time to settle in properly.

The final T is for Teamwork or Togetherness:

This new Arsenal Team really is becoming a solid, cohesive group of players who are ready to fight for each other and make things happen. There is a great spine from Szczesny – Vermaelen/Mertesacker/Koscielny – Song/Arteta – Ramsey/Wilshere/ Rosicky – RvP. These players, together with the FB’s and Wingers, and aided by a great reserve bench in most games now, looks more ‘together’ and resilient than ever: a proper team where everybody wants to work for each other and for the club, and with plenty of quality to make the difference when required. As many have pointed out, the recent, collective team celebrations have been a joy to watch and tell us a lot about the levels of togetherness within this new team.

So there is plenty of reason to be optimistic for the future. Clearly, we are not there yet and things could still go against us again, but this team is on a mission and all the basic components are there for a successful season.

COYRRG!

TotalArsenal.

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Posted by Rasp

Fight for your Life

November 17, 2011

It feels right and proper to take some time in the Interlull (arseblog TM) to slag off our rivals. Unbelievably we have to include the N17 bottom feeders this season as they prove themselves to be genuine contenders. How could this be? It is unnatural,  a twist of the correct order, an aberration and a perversion of all that is right and proper.

Managed by a man who should be wearing a red striped baggy pair of daks held up by enormous yellow braces and sporting a comedy relief nose, Spurs have become entertainers! Yes, you read that right, Entertainers. Not the usual Chas and Dave or Keystone Cops but proper engaging entertainers …. like a quality Dog act or a Chimp Party. Unnatural but engrossing.

THFC Squad Photo 2011/12

I know – you cannot believe that BR can compliment the miscreants but credit where credit is due. They are playing some lovely football and look to have a team and worse a squad that can compete to season’s end.

True, Spurs have been smacked by MC but have ground out lucky victories over us, the Scousers and most recently Fulham. I watched the Fulham game and was very impressed. Only 4 shots on target scoring 3 goals. 23 shots for Fulham resulting in just the one. This is Top 3 form, perhaps even Top 2.

Just kidding …. we all know they will collapse by New Year .

Arsenal news. ….. erm …….. Jack’s twittering. ….. Tony Adams has resigned as manager of Azerbaijani Gabala citing family reasons  …… AW insists all his signings are “top quality” (yawn) ……… Park says he is fit (yawn) ……. Berk Shea (21 yo American) has ended his AFC trial and gone home (asleep).

Today’s query. Who do you think would win in a fist fight at AFC?

Clearly the BFG would have a reach advantage and a good defence but so would Chezzer, I would expect Gervino to bob and weave; TV looks to have a solid chin, and Arshavin has a fine centre of gravity (?). Sagna looks a bit tasty as does Alex Song. Then we have the lightweights, Theo, Ramsey, Rosicky, Bennie – probably decent in an amateur 3 rounder but not for the pro fight.

Last man standing? My money is on Bacary.

p.s headline song by these fine upstanding gentlemen …….

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

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