Our New Brazilian – Legend or Liability – A Close Shave

December 1, 2011

Written by chas

Andre Clarindo Dos Santos was born on the 8th March 1983 in São Paulo, Brazil. His early career at Figueirense was as a left winger. After loan spells at Flamengo and Athletico Mineiro, he joined Corinthians and was successfully converted into an attacking left back. Fenerbahce signed Andre in 2009 and he soon took over from his compatriot Roberto Carlos at left back. The Turkish club’s removal from the Champions League for 2011/12 due to a match–fixing scandal helped to convince the Brazilian that his career might be best furthered elsewhere. He joined Arsenal on 31st Aug 2011 and was given the highly appropriate number 11 shirt.

When he joined The Gunners, Andre was quick to make the kind of statement guaranteed to ensure he received a warm welcome from the supporters… “All the Brazilians who came to this club spoke wonders about it and I am delighted to be part of the Arsenal family.” Sylvinho, Edu, Gilberto, Baptista, Denilson and Eduardo formed an impressive line of Brazilian nationals to have played in the famous red and white with varying degrees of success. Would Andre Santos emerge as a flying Sylvinho with a valid passport or a lacklustre Beast with faulty dentures?

It has been reported that our new Brazilian was never without a football as a youngster and once he joined a professional club, his appetite for goals was honed with extra shooting practice before training started.

Our new number 11’s first outing came away at Blackburn and was greeted with mixed reviews (his performance largely hidden away by Arsenal’s abject second half display). Being only slightly taller than Kieran Gibbs but ‘several’ pounds heavier led to accusations of being a little bit of a ‘salad dodger’. It now seems amusing that this first impression has not been dispelled. The way he seems to be completely out of breath about ten minutes into each game but is still straining every sinew to give his all for the team after 94 minutes is a joy to behold. Perhaps fish and chips should be a rare treat rather than the cornerstone of a footballer’s diet! (I believe this was an item for Brazilian TV, by the way)

Santos Fish and Chips

After Arsenal’s 3-0 win over the Baggies, Santos again added to his growing ability to raise a smile from Gooners everywhere by tweeting, “Verry good win gays!!! #GoArsenal”, quickly followed by a profuse apology for his unfortunate misspelling. Goals against Olympiakos and in the magnificent humbling of Chelsea at the Bridge have meant that, in less than a dozen games, Andre has equalled Gael Clichy’s glorious 2 goals in 264 Arsenal games record.

Santos likes to wear his socks Thierry style, leading some to assume he wears white tights. The English climate doesn’t seem to have disturbed his Latin rhythms though, and the transition from Turkey to N5 has been a seamless one so far.

With each game our new Brazilian plays, there seem to be a growing number of converts to the Santos fan club. His ability on the ball is difficult to question; quick feet, superb ball control and a passion for rampaging forward all mean that when Santos gets the ball some entertainment will usually follow. His teammates know he’s confident to receive the ball, even under pressure, and his passing stats are reflecting this confidence. Perhaps, Andre’s positional sense isn’t completely suited to the rigours of Premiership football but his ability to win the ball in one-on-one situations is largely down to his superb skills of anticipation and timing. He always seems to have a smile on his face and genuinely wants to play as part of a team.

I intended this post as a discussion of our new Brazilian’s pros and cons but my growing love for his ability on the football pitch has made this a rather one-sided discussion. After all, his love of large round objects is clear for all to see!

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

£800m Investment vs. Wengerball

November 30, 2011

Written by Total Arsenal

Arsenal 0 – 1 Manchester City: Match Review

 

During the day there was a lot of discussion whether we should take this game seriously or not. Most bloggers felt we should not risk any injuries to our key players and it would not be a disaster if we would be eliminated tonight. After all, it would mean fewer games to play in the crucial and demanding winter months. However, Arsene does not like losing, especially not in front of the home support. The team he put out tonight was a mixture of young talent and experience, but only one of them has been a regular in our first eleven this season: the wonderful Koscielny. Manchester City put out a strong team with the likes of Nasri, Johnson and Dzeko upfront, a decent enough back four and De Jong and Hargreaves in midfield to add experience and steel to their team. After 30 minutes, Kolarov was substituted for Aguero and it became clear that Mancini was very keen to win this match.

Although Arsene had added some experience to the team in all areas, I felt that our team was not strong enough to deal with Citeh’s embarrassment of riches: after all, their team on the pitch had been purchased for the princely sum of £119m, and that is excluding Aguero’s little price tag! Luckily, I was wrong as Arsene once again showed what Wengerball really means, and it almost was enough to reach the semi-finals of this relatively unimportant cup competition.

First Half

Both teams showed great industry from the start, as they were trying to establish a coherent shape to their play and get a passing game going. The biggest battle was in midfield, but it was our boys: Coquelin and Frimpong, aided by the industrious Benayoun and the supertalented AOC, who took more and more control over that crucial area. In the 11th minute, just after Johnson saw a great effort from distance almost dip into the top-corner, Arsenal had their best chance of the match to score a goal. Chamakh, typically playing with his back towards the opposition’s goal, shields off Citeh’s two central defenders and passes the ball perfectly sideways to Coquelin – the latter does not hesitate and puts a peach of cross in towards Park who, although hindered by a defender, makes decent enough contact to hit the target and score. It was not to be as the beautifully named Pantilimon is able to save the effort with a strong hand. Such a shame, as a goal would undoubtedly have given this unfamiliar team a real boost of confidence and purpose. After that, the game continues as before with a lot of endeavour on both sides and a hungrier Arsenal, but very few changes. Out of nothing, the Ox produces a fantastic shot from distance – pretty similar to the one Johnson produced earlier – that looks bound for the top-corner, but the giant Pantilimon makes a great flying stop to deny him. Both Chamakh and Park are trying hard to get involved but are missing sharpness, cutting edge and football intelligence to find the right runs. It is fair to say though that many chances were neither carved out for them on the night.

Second Half

The second half continues down the same lines as the first. There are very few clear-cut changes, but once again Oxlade-Chamberlain keeps driving our attack by trying to create something – unfortunately without success. The pivotal moment of the game comes seven minutes before the end of the game. In the 83rd minute, Djourou collects the ball from his own box and drives forward, and combining with Gervinho they almost find Benayoun in the box, but the MC defence is there just in time to put the ball out for a corner. The subsequent corner-kick by Oxlade-Chamberlain, once again, does not beat the first man and Citeh are able to break. Dzeko, who had a brilliant game last night, uses his strength and speed to get past a few players and plays the ball to Johnson, who had made a clever run away from Frimpong. Johnson combines a fine first touch with spinning cleverly just outside the box to get the ball to Aguero with the outside of his foot who, from that distance, leaves the keeper with no chance. All night Citeh managed only one shot on target – compared to five by Arsenal – but unfortunately they make that one count. Arsenal keep attacking after that but to no avail.

A Few Conclusions

We missed real cutting edge last night, and that was the only difference with Citeh (although our defence did a great job in keeping them from scoring). Unless Joel Campbell is to join us soon from Lorient, Arsenal really need to do some business in January to fill this obvious gap. Park needs more time, although I cannot see him making it at our club: it is just a gut-feeling but something is missing. Chamakh, for me, tried hard but it was not to be. Just like Arshavin, he seems to have reached such a low in confidence that nothing seems to go for him anymore. It is time to move on for both Chamakh and Arshavin, and buy one or two new wingers/strikers of decent quality.

The real positives have been the performances of the Ox, Frimpong, Coquelin and all of our back-four players. Coquelin reminds me of Gilberto. Such a graceful player with real power and determination, and he just did not show any fear or too much humility on the night: a super prospect. Frimpong is just steel and enthusiasm combined: another great prospect. The Ox was simply phenomenal on the night and that at 18 years of age! What a joy to watch, and tonight he proved for me that he can play in the first team from now onwards. The same goes for Coquelin, and that is the real gain of last night’s match.

We narrowly lost this battle, but we made progress in the war with the club of bottomless pockets and weightless morals: Citeh. Our cheap and cheerful team displayed so much quality on the night, and the potential of our second string team is simply enormous. The margin between them and us was very small: in fact, if Arsenal would have played their first-team strike-force, just like MC did last night, we would have won this game with ease. But Wenger has bigger fish to fry with Arsenal and decided to rather take the risk of losing gallantly on the night (words borrowed from Rasp), than the risk of potential injuries to our first eleven players.

Despite an eye-watering investment of £800m in the last few years, MC are no better than Arsene’s sustainable Wengerball, and I am now more than ever confident that Arsenal will show who is boss in a few weeks time at the Citeh of Oil stadium.

Player Ratings:

Fabianski: 7

Back-Four: 7.5, Koscielny 8: all had a good game and worked well together to my surprise. Miquel had a nervy start but really improved after that.

Benayoun: 6.5: had some good spells, but was not consistent/dominant enough.

Coquelin: 8: what a prospect: an absolute joy to watch.

Frimpong: 7.5: another great prospect – has improved a lot since the start of the season.

Park and Chamakh: 6: tried hard enough, but just not enough quality/end product.

The Ox: 8.5: he drove our attack last night. Fearless and never gave up: top-quality performance. Man Of The Match.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Sad Times and Glad Times

November 28, 2011

The death of Gary Speed has in my opinion put the trials and tribulations of supporting a football team into some sort of perspective.

Look back over our posts since the CC final fiasco and see how many AA subscribers were tearing their hair out, demanding immediate changes of all kinds as though the fate of our football team was a matter of life and death. It was not of course and never has been for the average supporter or fan. Football is a game, nothing more, nothing less.

Sure it may be your passion an interest that transcends the everyday dross of a working life, to others it becomes the driving force in their lives, the only intellectual interest they truly have, but nevertheless it remains a game.

Yes there are those who have been driven to suicide by the bounce of an inflated ball that appears to have the capacity to remove logic and reason from minds that would in other circumstances, I am sure, be far more dispassionate about such obvious misfortune.

One only has to read the vitriol that flowed through our: for want of a better word respectable site: to understand the lengths that those supporters would go to enhance their bragging rights.

Some other blogs of course, defy reason and in doing so become a cess pit full of swearing, cursing deluded would be activist, demanding the implementation of bans, marches and strikes. Whilst calling down all manner of disasters, curses and sackings on all and sundry connected with the club who come with in the compass of their hatred.

We know not what activated Gary Speeds decision to end it all. But that a man so respected, liked and admired throughout the game could come to such a decision is a warning to us all, that we must treat the game as the game it is and recognise that life has many more severe challenges than winning football matches.

Read yesterday’s blog, having dropped two points in the evening game, to a team we were actively forecasting we would, figuratively speaking, have for breakfast in the pre-game comments. We greeted the result both then and today with equanimity and calm discussion. Why? Because the position that we find ourselves in today, would have been touted as a miracle in the despair that was the aftermath of the Blackburn game, just a few short weeks ago.

Is it too much to hope that in the light of the changes these few weeks have brought, that we continue to support our super club in so grown up a manner, criticise by all means for without that there would be no discussion. But leave the soul searching and tub thumping to those whose lives revolve solely around footballing success and nothing else.

Written by dandan

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Posted by dandan

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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Goetze hurts as Song too strong!

November 24, 2011
Written by FatGingerGooner
 

Champions League week 5 and ze Germans were the visitors to London town in the form of Borussia Dortmund. Fresh from a fantastic 1-0 win against league rivals Bayern, they came into the game full of confidence and looking for the win that would put them right back in Group F contention. Arsenal, however, were looking for the victory that would see them qualify for the knockout stages.

 
No real suprises in either line up and the game started as expected. BD were pushing high up the pitch and pressing the home midfield at every opportunity. The Arsenal defence were seeing plenty of the ball but were finding it difficult to get the ball forward,  opting for patience as they knocked the ball from side to side.
 
The pattern of the game then changed due to a couple of BD injuries. First, the fantastically named Bender was caught by a stray boot and had to be stretchered from the field of play, shortly after, the boy wonder Goetze, who many were looking forward to seeing, was subbed with what appeared to be a dead leg. Unfortunate for BD and the game, but I wasn’t really complaining as he looked threatening early on!
 
Dortmund had looked dangerous but the loss of 2 key players seemed to effect their game and Arsenal were starting to find a little more space. Walcott, in particular, was starting to look lively. First, he had a goal correctly ruled out for offside, and then some neat play saw him latch onto a through ball but fail to round the onrushing keeper. Then came the most incisive action of the first half as Theo dazzled the full back with a beautiful dummy before collecting the return pass and whipping a delightful cross towards RvP, only for the keeper to stick out a paw and diffuse the situation. It was the best move of a tactical first 45 which saw neither keeper troubled. Surely the second half would see more goalmouth action with both teams needing a win?
 
No more changes at the break and Dortmund started brightly. Some slick passing down the right resulted in a deflected cross which rolled agonisingly across a packed area but fortunately for the Gunners, straight to the BFG who knocked it out for a corner. A scare, but nothing more. This kicked Arsenal into life. Some neat passing down the left eventually fell to the feet of Song, who showed his strength to hold off one tackle before twirling through 2 more tackles with moves that Robbie Savage would have been proud of, before finally floating a beautiful ball to the back post where captain fantastic did brilliantly well to not only generate power, but also head the ball down and beyond a disappointed keeper. 1-0 to the Arsenal.
 
The game had finally come to life, and with Dortmund looking a little dejected and tired from their earlier hard work, space was starting to open up for the Arsenal midfield. Song and Ramsey were starting to control the game and it was the later who found Gervinho’s perfectly timed run with a defence splitting pass, and suddenly the Ivorian was clean through on goal. He jinked past the keeper with a fantastic sidestep but should really have been more aware of the defenders getting back, one of which nicked the ball away for a corner just as he was about to pass the ball into the net. Gervinho once again showing little urgency in front of goal, something reminiscent of Kanu and something that will need to change if he is to be an Arsenal great.
 
More chances followed for the home side with Walcott firing wide and substitute Benayoun just unable to find Walcott at the end of another flowing move. Song was everywhere, Vermaelen was dominant at the back and my new favourite Santos was showing more tricks than David Blain as Arsenal took control. Then, with around 10 minutes left, the brilliant home fans were given a treat as Diaby made his way onto the field for his first appearance of the season. Its great to have him back. Seconds later the Gooners were cheering again as a corner routine reminiscent of Bould and co saw RvP all alone 2 yards out. Game over.
 
For the last 5 minutes, Djourou replaced Koscielny, and it was his mix up with Song that allowed Dortmund in for a consolation goal, Kagawa tapping in from close range. Szscesny was rightly furious that his clean sheet was taken away at the last, but it meant very little as Arsenal finished the night as group winners.
 
Overall, Arsenal were excellent. They found it difficult in the first half to find space but that was due to great organisation from Dortmund rather than poor Arsenal play. The second half was a different game and with the tempo of the passing increased, the gunners midfield proved too strong for their German counterparts. A great result against a very capable German outfit.
 
Oh, and Chelsea lost!
 
Player ratings:
 
Szscesny-didn’t have a great deal to do. Made a pretty routine stop at the beginning of the second half and kicking was good throughout 7
 
Koscielny-saw loads of the ball first half but played a couple of sloppy passes. Looked awkward going forward but solid as always in his defensive work 7
 
Mertersacker-won a lot of headers, as you would expect, and was his usual calm self. Never looked like making a mistake which is good to see 7
 
Vermaelen-what else can you say about this fella? Outstanding and commanding. Flicked on for RvP second 8
 
Santos-he’s dangerous, but my god is he fun! All the tricks you would expect from a Brazilian striker and solid one on one. love him 7.5
 
Song-outstanding display, espescially second half. His skill for the first goal was class. Would have been full marks had he not gifted Dortmund a consolation goal. MOTM 9
 
Arteta-along with most of the team he struggled to find space first half, but showed his class and experience in the second. Great corner routine. 7
 
Ramsey-excellent second half when more space was available. Playing well at the moment and appreciated by his team mates 7.5
 
Walcott-liveliest player in the first half and caused the Germans problems. solid performance. Great cross in first half 7.5
 
Gervinho-should have scored when clean through. Goes round people for fun but final ball/finish must improve 7
 
RvP-2 goals, smart performance rather than outstanding. Linked up well and knows where to be in the box. 8
 
Subs
 
Benayoun-worked hard as always but showed a bit more of his attacking ability. Great player to have in the squad 7
 
Djourou-didn’t have much to do and was sold a bit short by Song for the BD goal. Will get slated for the goal but Song should have got rid 6
 
Diaby-great to have him back. Could be a top player if can get through a season or two without injury 6 
 

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Arsène Does The Hokey Cokey

November 21, 2011

“You put your whole self in,
You put your whole self out,
In out, in out,
Fill us all with doubt…”

What’s going on with Arsène Wenger?

Is he in? (staying with us until his dotage, when he can emerge from the Emirates elevators like Young Mr Grace and say “you’ve all done very well” to mystified tea ladies and reserve team kit assistants)?

Or is he out, sulking off to Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City like your common or garden Mourinho?

In an interview with a French magazine (L’Equipe) Le Boss stated very clearly that he would be considering his Arsenal future at the end of the current season:

“Will I be there next season? I will be looking at the situation at the end of this season.”

He has not denied the comments or claimed he was misquoted.

So he’s on his way out then?

Well, not necessarily.

After the Norwich game he gave the following quotes to Arsenal.com:

“I wanted just to say that this is the Club of my life. I have a contract that I will honour and the only way I would one day consider [leaving] is if I feel I have not done well enough for the Club.
 There is no mixed message in there. My commitment and love for this Club is total. The only way I would consider [my future] is if I was not doing well enough for the Club.”

Great! He’s staying with us for life!

Er, not necessarily that, either.

What seems clear is that the best manager Arsenal has ever had has been badly spooked by the failure of the ‘Fabregas Team’ to win any silverware.

In his French magazine article he said:

“For the first time I lost young players who were reaching maturity. I suffered. It’s painful to lose key men you have invested a lot in”.

“What is hard is the feeling something is finishing. For me, we’re now talking short term.”

I suspect that Arsène has had a crisis of faith: both in himself, and in the nature of the modern player.

For five years, like an architect, he constructed a team that he felt would conquer all. Despite the constraints of the stadium move he convinced himself he could produce a squad that would be even better than the Invincibles.

He was wrong. In the end that team let him (and us) down.

It wasn’t all their fault – if Arsène had added two or three experienced professionals to the mix I suspect they would have at least won some cups, but it wasn’t to be.

Then, like a slap in the face, some of his most treasured assets upped sticks and left: Fabregas went to Barcelona ostensibly with Wenger’s blessing, but I believe that AW secretly thought he could persuade him to stay.

Clichy and Na$ri decamped to Abu Dhabi City – the former for a new challenge, the latter for a new Ferrari (every week).

The Na$ri case was a first for Arsène: a player who turned down his arguments about being part of a beautiful team playing the beautiful game in favour of bucket loads of filthy lucre.

For the first time Arsène was faced with losing prized assets when THEY wanted to go, not when HE wanted them to go.

Which brings us to now.

If you deconstruct Arsène’s quotes to L’Equipe and Arsenal.com, some things are clear: he will honour his contract with Arsenal (which means a minimum of two more years). But he will walk if he feels he can’t build success for us again.

Saying that he will be considering his position “at the end of the season” is not the same as saying he is thinking of leaving then. It means that next summer, he will give thought to whether he wants to extend his contract beyond its current bounds.

But by the same token, saying that Arsenal is “the Club of my life” is not the same as saying that “I will be at this Club for life”. Arsenal has undoubtedly been the “Club of my life” for Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, but that does not mean they didn’t play for other teams subsequently.

The well-respected French journalist Philippe Auclair believes there are difficulties between AW and the Arsenal Board. If that’s right, it would further explain why Arsene is prepared to reconsider his position when his contract runs out.

But I have a funny feeling that necessity may be the mother of retention: that we may retain Arsene’s services beyond his current contract because of the love he will develop for the New Arsenal.

For all the sweat, blood, tears and hope he poured into the Fabregas Team, he may well find that the new team that has been forced upon him by circumstances touches his heart in a purer and simpler way.

When you look at how he has turned this 11th Hour Eleven into one of the best form teams in the EPL despite an appalling start, you can only stand back and say that the man is a genius.

He must be loving the intelligence and commitment of players like Arteta, van Persie, Santos, Vermaelen and Koscielny: players who (you feel) have a humility about them that their immediate predecessors lacked.

Frankly I can’t see how he will not come to love them.

I certainly hope so, because if he does decide to leave at the end of his current contract it will be a dark day for our club.

It has been a long time since anyone has trolled onto the Arsenal Arsenal site and appended “In Arsène We Rust” to the end of their ill-thought-out (and usually illiterate) comment.

On other sites, the “Arsène Out” noises are strangely muted.

After five years working with gold, Arsène has started working with iron – and against all the odds, the results are proving more robust and just as beautiful.

When his new creation comes fully to fruition I can’t see him walking away.

Which should mean he’ll extend his contract for five more years.

Thank the Good Lord Dennis.

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

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

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

The Best Interlull Story of All

November 14, 2011

God this Interlull is boring.

For us supporters, Arsenal news is as vital to our souls as water is to our bodies.

Like a thirsty man crawling through a desert we are on our knees, parched and desperate.

And like that thirsty man we are prone to seeing mirages: images that might be an oasis (or, in our case, a genuine Arsenal news story) but turn out instead to be no more than a trick of the Sun.

 

Recent mirages have included:

• “Andrei Arshavin has had enough of sitting on the bench and will demand a move if not played more often”. Cue much outrage from Arsenal supporters less than impressed by the size of his arse, sorry, contribution so far this season. But of course this story turned out to be only a partial interpretation of his quotes, which also included the admission that he had been playing below par and could not expect a first team berth unless it was merited.

• “Francis Coquelin has had enough of sitting on the bench etc etc”. Cue yet more outrage from some Arsenal supporters, perplexed as to why a little-known French kid named after a popular shellfish snack should expect to be displacing Alex Song in our first team. A story on Arsenal.com quickly put the record straight, with the Cockle eagerly pointing out that he was happy to fight for a place.

• “Arsenal have been trialling a young American lad called Shrek or something (related to Rooney, perhaps?)”. He plays in the MLS (North America’s equivalent of the EPL, but with a playing level closer to the League of Ireland). He could be the next big thing. Or he could be the next big thing to try and sell more shirts in the US. Anyway, if he wasn’t American he would be just another youngster trying out for the Gunners, which would be exactly 0.00001% of a story.

• “Peter Hill Wood says that Prince Robin van Persie used to be a naughty boy at Feyenoord but isn’t now”. Again, cue the outrage of certain Arsenal supporters: how dare that silly Old Fartonian make a disparaging comment about one of our players. In fact, what right has he to make ANY comment about Arsenal? So what if he’s the third generation of his family to be chairman of the club? So what that he has been a serving army officer and a successful banker. Blithering, know-nothing idiot.

• The usual array of “Arsenal to sign Player X in the January window” stories. I started counting the number of players we were going to sign and lost count at 19. No wonder they have extended the medical centre at London Colney.

But if we ignore the mirage stories (the ones that, when you get up close and have a proper look, shimmer away into nothing), then it’s possible to find the one really uplifting story of this Interlull (by the way, well played Arseblog for inventing a word that had truly entered the language. I have even seen “interlull” used on other teams’ blog sites).

The uplifting story I’m thinking of is that the Dutch national coach, Bert van Marwijk, has agreed that Prince Robin does not need to play in the friendly against Germany this week.

With Robin’s injury history and his current importance to Arsenal in this oh-so important season of transition, it is a wise and reasonable gesture on van Marwijk’s part.

He would have been perfectly within his right to insist on Prince Robin playing against his country’s bitterest rivals, but chose not to.

He’s now my favourite ‘Burt’, overtaking the Burts Bacharach and Reynolds (and don’t go throwing Mr Mee at me – he was always very definitely a BertIE, not a Burt).

Anyway, contrast Bert’s approach to that taken by successive England managers (and by Stuart Pearce at Under 21 level).

As a brief moment of sanity in a sport corrupted by out-of-control egos and pointless willy-waving, that decision makes it the story of the Interlull for me. What’s yours?

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

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