Theo Bashing Starts Today …….. Integrity Costs Nothing

March 4, 2010

Shortly after the game last night the knives were already out for Theo but if Lampard had converted the chance created  by him in the opening five minutes it could have been an entirely different story.

We’ve seen how Theo is a confidence player and as he started the game intelligently the goal could have changed how he performed the rest of the half.  He faded badly but in his defence he wasn’t included in the game as both Brown and Lampard seemed to forget he was there.  England started to tick when Crouch’s first goal went and sadly Theo had already left the field.

It would seem that Capello likes Theo and is prepared to give him chances in the same way as Wenger does.  For Theo to be included in the World Cup squad he needs now to produce some form for us and I’m sure that he’ll get that chance.

In his pre-match interview, Fabio Capello blamed the off-field problems of some of his England stars on the vast wealth they have accumilated as young men. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would realise that paying  a starting wage of £1k a week at 17 rising to anything from £20k to £160k is going to lead to a lack of judgement and a culture of irresponsibility.

The current  scandal involving  Wayne Bridge and John Terry has undermined the England team spirit. Previous embarrassments caused by Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney and the antics of Ashley Cole have revealed these young men to be selfish and self-indulgent. They think they are untouchable and beyond reproach.

Fabio Capello has urged them to concentrate on their football. To consider whether it’s football or scandal that they want to be remembered for. He wants them to recreate a collective spirit and  to focus on the performance of the team and the style in which they play and not on what happens off the pitch.

I hope the current crop of young lions,  including our Theo Walcott (who reportedly earns £60k per week) are  learning  how to behave. But I have to ask the question – where are the advisors? Capello is clearly unimpressed with how these pampered millionaires handle themselves and cites the same problems in all countries where  football is big business. He has asked the players to be careful in their private lives and to remember they are role models for children and for all fans.

At Arsenal, we have a wage ceiling, but our young players also earn obscene amounts of money.  Luckily we don’t have scandalous behaviour apart from the occassional misdemeanor with cars. Is this due to the guidance of  a team behind the scenes or are our players just more sensible? I would like to think that Arsène Wenger makes sure that his charges get the right advice but maybe hes just lucky.

The agents are only after their own slice of the pie but are they not morally obliged to help manage the wealth that these players with a  8-10 year career are likely to accumulate?

Back to the World Cup, I love the way our country goes nuts when England are in an International competition and if Theo finds his way onto the plane to South Africa and into the squad I’ll be very happy for him. He showed last night that he still knows how to be creative, I feel the criticisms of him are unfair – he hasn’t started a game for England for 8 months and he’s only been fit to start for Arsenal a handful of times. There’s still time time for him to fly the flag for Arsenal – Come on Theo prove them all wrong.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Saint Ryan slain by Satanic Frenchman – and Aarons Road to Recovery

March 3, 2010

Three days on since the events at the Britannia and the debate rages on as to who is the villain and who is the victim. As any Gooner could have predicted, having the experience of Dan Smith and Martin Taylor’s interventions on our players (“Tiny” Taylor’s being especially unequivocal) to draw on, it would take very little time for it to be established by the agenda-driven media hog-pack that the victim was the leg breaker and the villain the manager of the leg breakee.

Chief peddlers of Arsenal hating utter crap being the paragon of virtue Stanley Victor Collymore ably aided and abetted by the likes of Puliss, Lou Macari, Derek McGovern and other sub-species of pond life however this is was not the first thing that occurred to me as soon as I heard of the completion of our grisly hat-trick of leg snaps.

Our young welsh mid-fielder has a long road of rehabilitation in front of him and having been in the position of recovering from major surgery I can empathise with what he will go through in the next six to nine months.

Exactly five years ago I was given what in medical parlance is called a “Cabbage”, a Cardiac Artery Bypass Graft – major surgery of a different quality to that of repairing a double leg break but both instances involve a long period of rehabilitation. In my case it was a solo effort and while Aaron will have a big medical team around him ultimately he will feel equally alone while he works his way back to fitness via hours and hours of rehabilitative exercises and therapies.

Initially major surgery results in a loss of confidence in a number of ways – you may feel too weak to want to exert yourself in any way or to test the part of you that was broken. The doctors can assure that it is acceptable to walk with your repaired leg or, in my case, put weight on you chest, but this loss of confidence meant I would fall asleep on my back for months as I subconsciously felt my chest would cave in.

Everyone will react to post operative trauma differently and perhaps Rambo will have no such fears but the loneliness of training on his own, when he would be with the rest of the squad normally, will be a different challenge that he has to face.

“I am lost to the world

with which I used to waste so much time,

It has heard nothing from me for so long

that it may very well believe that I am dead!

It is of no consequence to me

Whether it thinks me dead;

I cannot deny it,

for I really am dead to the world.

I am dead to the world’s tumult,

And I rest in a quiet realm!”

Based on a text in German by Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866)

I apologise to any students of German poetry but I thought of the above quote when I read comments questioning the wisdom of presenting Eduardo to the crowd at Ashburton Grove as he made his long slow painful recovery to fitness. I was there to see our Crozillian palpably moved by the crowd’s reaction and to my mind that is the type of encouragement that a player needs when he is training alone for long periods. To feel he is still part of the team, the squad and the larger Gooner diaspora is vital and so the same approach is needed for Rambo. When my two sons ran up to my bed in the ward a few days after my chest “cut and shut” it was a lift to the spirits similar to that Aaron will get when he takes his first steps on crutches onto the turf of the Grove.

We can all play some part in getting Aaron’s rehab off to the start it deserves, those of us lucky enough to be going to see the Burnley game can by singing his name out loud and make sure it’s sung every game till he’s back so he knows he’s not been forgotten.

There is the fear that Rambo will never be the same, as Diaby and Eduardo have suffered from a series of niggling injuries un related to the leg breaks but significant enough to hinder their progress. Time will tell just how well these three players of ours recover their abilities, skill and confidence on the pitch.

Sadly, going back to Saturday at the Potteries, we know this could all have been avoided had referee Walton applied the rules regarding dangerous and reckless play, however would we then have got the galvanising effect, admittedly at a potentially unacceptable cost to a teenagers career, on team spirit that resulted?

And that, as they say, is the hell of it.

By Charybdis1966

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Posted by Rasp

Our Way is the Right Way

March 2, 2010

We’ve had 2 days to digest the events of Saturday afternoon. The emotions have calmed and the parties involved have stated their case. Every Tom, Dick and ‘Arry has expressed an opinion. These are simply my conclusions.

The tackle was not malicious if you believe as I do, that Shawcross did not intend to break Ramsey’s leg. He was late, he missed the ball and used excessive force. A combination of over-aggression, lack of ability and poor decision making. The responsibility for the injury lies totally with Shawcross as he chose to enter into a challenge where damage to his opponent was a distinct possibility. In any other walk of life, under current Health and Safety laws, Shawcross could be prosecuted for the act.

A message to the Stan Collymore’s of this world who repeatedly trot out the line that “football is a contact sport”. The rules have changed. Tackles from behind have been outlawed. Two footed tackles are not allowed. Tackles with the studs up are not allowed.

The rules stipulate: – careless tackles are not punished; reckless tackles are a yellow card; excessive force is a red card. Shawcross was correctly given a red card because his ‘tackle’ contravened the rules. Those rules are in place to prevent players from suffering injury.

Football is not a contact sport like boxing. It is a game of skill where a level of physical contact is allowed, but that level should fall below the point where injury occurs. Would the fools who justify breaking the rules of football as a means of combatting more skillful play also advocate shoplifting if someone is short of money? – it’s an equally ridiculous attitude.

Thomas Vermaelen is a tough, physical competitive footballer, I can’t remember a single instance of him jumping in with a two footed, over the ball challenge. In fact I can’t ever remember the likes of Adams, Keown or Bould producing such crude challenges – perfectly timed slide tackles maybe. Defending and tackling are skills which didn’t require the opponent to get injured even in the ‘good old days’ that the Collymore’s of this world refer to.

The post match interviews and subsequent statements by Tony Pulis and Arsène Wenger were pretty much what you’d expect. I don’t think Pulis is a bad manager or a bad man. He sets his sides up to maximise their limited ability by creating a narrow pitch and rehearsing set plays that are hard to defend. He can’t afford to buy players with a high level of skill so he settles for brawn as it means he has a reasonable chance of getting enough points through a more physical approach to keep them in the premiership, but therein lies the problem. Arsène has built this squad on an equally low budget but managed to put the emphasis on skill by virtue of his ability and vision.

Arsène feels a huge sense of responsibility for his players and to see one of ‘his boys’ receive a career threatening injury for the third time in five years was extremely upsetting for him. I’m sure he is disappointed that football in England seems to have gone backwards rather than aspiring to the more sophisticated approach at the highest level on the continent. He must see the extreme irony in the view that some correspondents have expressed actually blaming him for the injury because he has made his players vulnerable by concentrating too much on skill.

Cesc said it all when being presented with the MotM award….

“You could ask yourself, we are not protected enough – I think so. You speak to the referee, ‘play on, play on’, I know it is England, I know it’s a great game, I know we all love this kind of play, but sometimes there is a top you cannot pass and we are sometimes victims”

– actually, a bit of an understatement I’d say!

Cesc has been systematically targeted by opposition ‘hard men’ all season. The horror tackle on Ramsey could just as easily have been against him. He has not been protected by referees and has received cards himself for seemingly innocuous tackles.

This debate must not be allowed to subside. It is a shame that so much focus is being placed on Stoke since it is actually the referees who have the power to avoid such situations by applying the rules fairly and consistently. Some referees seem to subscribe to the theory that it is OK to kick Arsenal players otherwise we have an unfair advantage due to the greater technical ability. The referee’s job is to protect the players. On many ocassions, they have failed to carry out that duty when officiating games involving Arsenal.

The players have learned from the experience of two years ago. They showed a resilience and determination after the injury that they lacked in 2008. That was due in no small part to the immense character and leadership of Campbell and Vermaelen as well as Cesc.

Every supporter would have traded the win for Ramsey escaping injury, but somehow the injustice has created an energy and will to succeed that has made even the most hardened sceptic believe we really can win the league. Justice for the good guys, for football and for a club that places the important values above winning trophies.

With the exception of our London rivals and fans of the other top four clubs, Arsenal is the team most supporters want to see win the league. We’ll win it our way or we’ll just keep trying because our way is what makes Arsenal unique and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Posted by Rasp

Unshaken hand to broken leg – how Ramsey can win us the title

March 1, 2010
An extraordinary weekend of contrasts that reminded us all why we love football so much and how cruel a game it can be. Two days ago we were six points off the lead, hanging on to the front runners, sustained by a cocktail of faith, hope and comparisons with Usain Bolt. Charity wasn’t an issue, partly because we announced record profits while Portsmouth became the first top flight club to go into administration.
Now we are one big win away from the top, with the certainty that either Chelsea or Man U or both will drop points when they play each other. A draw in that game would likely see us one point from the top. Our ‘easy’ run in is a myth, but with odds now of 3/1 for Arsenal to win the title, we are not just back in the race but coming up on the rails.

The weekend started with the biggest question in sport – would Bridge and Terry shake hands? Resisting the temptation to offer his hand then humiliate Terry by holding it up to his nose and waggling it, Bridge piled on the mental pressure by eyeballing Terry then walking straight past. The significance become obvious when Terry, for the third match in a row, utterly choked and allowed Tevez to score. Chelsea crumbled in exactly the way that many pundits thought Arsenal would later in the day. Maybe a missed handshake could turn out to hit harder than a mistimed tackle.

The scenes of Carvalho with his head in his hands while Hilario flapped at the ball slowly rolling into the net were so reminiscent of Sol and Fabianski’s efforts against Porto that I started to wonder if the footballing gods had decided that a bit of role reversal would liven the weekend up. City’s 4-2 thumping of Chelsea, every bit as humiliating for the home fans as Chelsea’s visit to the Emirates, had me starting to believe.

By the time Gooners around the world settled down to the main event, faith and hope had been replaced by optimism, belief and fear that Stoke would trip us just as we were starting our sprint for home. Within 7 minutes the famous Stoke ’12th Man’ – I mean the towel, not the home fans – had conspired with some panicked defending to put us behind. And then the gods decided to make their move. Sol started shouting, Cesc clenched his fists and Song took his iPod out of his ears. Nikki B scored a sublime goal and we started to play like a team destined to be winners. London’s classic post is worth a second read just to enjoy the match again. What we had forgotten though, is that sometimes the gods demand a sacrifice, and so it came to pass.

Aaron Ramsey’s injury has been confirmed as a fracture to the tibia and fibula, which has been successfully operated on. The injury may be a little less complex than Dudu’s but will still keep him out for the rest of the season and likely much longer. Much was made of the contrition and distress of Ryan Shawcross as he left the pitch, but his track record (3 similar injuries to Arsenal and ex-Arsenal players in 3 years) suggests that there will be no redemption for Shawcross any time soon.

Again, on a day of contrasts, the ironies of football were highlighted by Shawcross’s elevation to the Englad squad a few hours after the game. Maybe if John Terry had broken Wayne Bridge’s leg rather than sleeping with his ex, he might still have the England captain’s job.

The spectre of Birmingham two years ago hovered over us, but this is a different team and a different time. This time the horror of the injury, instead of causing the team to choke, brought out the very best fighting spirit. For me the best moment of the match was when Cesc was jogging back past a ranting and gesticulating Pulis. Cesc held his finger to his mouth and told him to shush and that’s what every manager and every fan of every club is going to have to do when we storm our way to the top of the table and win the league.

On a weekend where even Craig Bellamy felt able to criticise a fellow professional’s off-field behaviour (‘we all know what  John Terry is like’), contrasts and role reversals were the order of the day. A missed handshake caused the league leaders to choke and a tragic injury allowed our young team to show what they are truly made of.

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Posted by Alfa

Very Nearly A Perfect Day.

February 28, 2010

I cannot remember the last time I felt so proud of an Arsenal performance.  A fantastic day in which we clawed ourselves back to within three points of Chelsea after a dogged, determined display against Stoke, marred only by the tragic injury to Ramsey.

Rumour has it that we had been training all week in preparation for Stoke’s predictable aerial threat — and it showed. I am not talking about the goal we gave away after only seven minutes; I am talking about preparing ourselves for a determined fight back in the event that we went behind. And boy did they respond well, led notably by the team’s paternal leader, Sol Campbell, who may not be the armband wearer but he certainly is Arsenal’s proud standard bearer.

Stoke’s goal came predictably from a throw in conceded by Song who should have known better and given away a corner rather than a far more advantageous throw in but instinct kicked in. Delap sent the ball in with predictable menace which bounced off one of a cluster of heads and fell kindly for Puke, or what ever his name is, to head home. The commentators pointed the finger of blame at Eboue who certainly deserves his share of it but where was Sagna and who had been designated to protect that post during all the supposed mid-week preparation?

Stoke’s tails were up; they were fighting for every ball as if their lives depended on it and I for one feared the worst but there was one man who was not going to say lie down and role over: Sol Campbell was determination personified. Fabrégas may rightly get the man of the match award but it was Campbell maturity that shone through when the chips were down to rally the rest of the team when they needed it most. His infectious determination to throw himself at fifty-fifty waist high headers lifted the team to drive forward in search of the equaliser.

Arsenal poured forward using the most potent weapon we have available: our quick passing game. The interplay between Fabregas, Nasri and Ramsey was impressive; the problem was that the ball, having been thread through the eye of a needle, found its way to Bendtner who compared to world class Cesc does not have the ability to control it, the result being that the ball would pop up and we would lose possession.

It is a mark of Fabrégas’s own determination that he did not let that put him off and simply switched to using the Dane’s aerial ability. Our Catalan Captain sent in a superb cross for Bendtner who somehow managed to out jump three tall Stoke defenders to send the ball over Sorenson and into the net. The goal took the wind out of Stokes sails, their mid-week exertions started to take their toll and it was now Arsenal who with renewed belief were chasing everything down as if their lives depended on it.

The break enabled Stoke to catch their breath but that didn’t last long there was now only going to be one winner. Arsenal came out with all guns blazing, pouring forward with images of Premier League medals in their minds and then it happened. I am going to make clear that when Eduardo had his leg broken I didn’t think it was a red card offence, I thought it was a hanging offence, so I am no liberal, but having the use of Sky plus I have replayed the incident ten times and I do not think that it was intentional. Ramsey was unlucky, that break was a result of his commitment to the cause of Arsenal winning the league and boy I want to see him lift that trophy.

Many of the Arsenal players were understandably distraught by the sight of one of their friends groaning in agony on the floor and I for one wondered if they were capable of lifting themselves up. This job fell to Clichy: the image of the Frenchman determinedly encouraging the players to refocus will stay with me for a long time. The introduction of Rosicky and his experience helped; he led by example, driving forward in search of a winner but nagging thoughts started to enter my mind and I wondered if it was going to be one of those days when everything goes against us. Enter Nikki, his quick thinking changed all that, aiming a clever little chip at Puke’s hand, the referee decided we deserved a bit of luck and awarded a penalty, could you watch?

Fabrégas stepped up and in the face of what must have been incredible pressure slotted the ball into the corner, we were ahead. It was time for a bit of keep ball. The icing on the cake came in injury time when Rosicky drove a low rasping shot towards the Stoke goal, Fabrégas anticipating the rebound was there to knock it calmly across the goal to  our fox in the box Eduardo to score one of his trade mark tap ins. Cue unbridled celebration and relief to finish off what was very nearly a perfect day.

Player ratings:

Almunia: it has to be said that he had a good game, ok there was one flap but in that kind of game if it doesn’t lead to a goal then I reckon it is forgivable. I have been trying to work out where his new found confidence has come from and the only thing I can come up with is that being dropped for the Porto game and assuming his days at Arsenal were numbered he then watched Fabianski and said to himself: I may be crap but I am not that crap. 7

Sagna: another warrior like performance from our Bacari, I reckon he has been practising his crosses because they were a darn site better today, not great, but better. 7

Campbell: inspirational performance from the paternal captain his job is to get the team past the winning post at the end of the season. Take a look at his celebration after the Vermaelen goal, committed to the cause or what. 8

Vermaelen: has learned how to play with Campbell now and because of it gave a very commanding performance, what was he doing on the goal line four minutes into injury time? 8

Clichy: back to his absolute best today, he ran tirelessly down that left flank, was always available and had the best right foot low pile driver I have ever seen him send in. 8

Ramsey: he drove forward as hard as any other player on the field; the thing I noticed today that was different was how he had gained the respect of Fabrégas; our Captain won’t pass to anyone, for instance he will pass to Walcott as a last resort but today Ramsey was as good as anyone in the mid field. I obviously hope he recovers quickly. 8

Song: ridiculous yellow card, totally undeserved, we will miss his commanding presence in the midfield. 8

Fabregas: world class performance from a world class player.9

Eboue: sadly not as influential as I hoped, his job was to run with the ball into Stoke’s area, he was slightly better when he came out in the second half but still no where near as good as he needs to be to keep his place on the right mid; I expect him to be replaced by Walcott next week. 5

Bendtner: if he was half as good as he thinks he is he would be brilliant, still that was a fine header for the equaliser so credit where credit is due. 7

Nasri: put in the kind of performance he usually saves for the Emirates, skilful and determined. 7.5

I don’t know how you are going to believe us; we are going to win the league.

By London

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Posted by LB

Gunners MUST Rule Brittania …. or throw in the towel!

February 27, 2010

I was a young football mad Gooner in 1970, a home and away supporter, overcoming the vagaries of British Rail and the highly unpleasant attacks of Northern football hooligans to watch my heroes. Stoke away was one such journey and  will remain with me for a long time.

Most people think of the season 70/71 as a stroll to the Double (the first after the ’61 Spuds wonder team), but I can assure you it wasn’t. The drama went right to the wire and Stoke played a major role. The lowpoint of our season was a 5-0 drubbing for the lads at the Potteries, resulting in  a severe dressing down of the team by McLintock, Howe and Mee, which set us on the road to Silverware.

In addition  it was Stoke with the great Gordon Banks who would oppose us in the FAC Semi Final.  We drew the first game at Hillsborough with Peter Storey scoring a 90th minute penalty against Banks.  I stood there praying that he would score but convinced Banks would save it.  Banksy failed and we went onto the replay which we won 2-0 at a canter,  sending us to Wembley and the historic double winning victory over the Dippers.

To bring us up to date, last November we smashed Stoke (2-0!) at the Emirates with Sorensen playing his usual inspired game, and Fab missing a penalty.  Stoke go into the game  on the back of an 11 game unbeaten run and unbeaten in 2010.  They have just beaten City in the Cup, and Arsenal have yet to beat them at the Britannia. That said, we are learning to play the more physical teams and have a decent record ‘Up North’ this season.  One advantage could be the referee,  Peter Walton,  Stoke have never won with him officiating!  Surprisingly (at least to me) Stoke have garnered 12 points from their last 6 games and will go into the match very confident of continuing their fine run.

Tactically it will be the same old same old with Stoke.  Big men trying to kick lumps out of our frail, waspy wonders.  The Towel and Delap.  A highly charged and aggressive midfield.  Fuller on the breakaway, and lots of long ball over our midfield.  The fact that Robert Huth is Stoke’s top goalscorer tells us all we need to know about Stoke’s tactics!

I dismiss our 3-1 defeat in the FAC.  We played with half a team which was reflected in our performance.

We are missing Diaby, Gallas and Arshavin, but welcome back Eduardo.  I believe Bendtner will have a big game, though he will be up against Shawcross and Huth, both very tough CB’s.  This is Theo’s type of game IF we can entice Stoke to get forward and leave spaces for him to run into.  Please Arsene play Sol in place of Silvestre at CB,  he is such a strong presence in the box, and will be vital against the long throw.  I prefer Eboue to Ramsey or Denilson, purely for his height and pace, but we will need a disciplined performance from him.

My team would be:

A Goalkeeper

Sagna Campbell TV Clichy

Eboue Song Cesc Nasri

Walcott Bendtner

Subs Gk, Ramsey, Rosicky, Vela, Silvestre, Eduardo

Nigel Winterburn says, “You know what you are going to get at Stoke, there will be no time to get the ball down and play as Arsenal like to do. But they HAVE to get that passing game going”. I agree with him, if we can hold onto possession and play pass and run, we will exhaust a team that went 120 minutes at full throttle on Wednesday night. This is a very important game for us, perhaps not a must-win, but very close to it. It would be wonderful to see us score early, a gambit we seem to have lost the ability to perform. I go for a hard won 3 points.

Stoke, is famous for it’s potteries – Wedgwood, Spode, Royal Doulton and Minton. Wedgwood was the favourite china of Elvis Presley, who as we all know was a renowned Gooner  😉

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Posted by Erik the Red

RED ‘Salvation’ ARMY!

February 26, 2010

By ryandanielwood

Being an Arsenal fan at this moment, is a lot like visiting the Salvation Army. Ultimately we are relying on the charity of others. “Others” in our case being that poaching, mega-bucks, team of dollar chasers. Manchester City.

Now, I’m not about to go out on a limb and suggest that Man City can alone decide the fate of the league trophy this season. It is of course down to all the eligible teams in the race. It is down to the performances of Manchester United, Chelsea and the squad of unequalled Red and White geniuses in North London, as to whom undisputedly go the spoils.

My point however is that with the upcoming Chelsea fixture this weekend at Stamford Bridge, Roberto Mancini’s team of millionaire misfits might pose the best threat of ramming the league leaders off course. Take into consideration Chelsea’s trip to Inter, a match that put them a little more to the test and maybe, hopefully, weakened their resolve. Anyone left doubting the jetlag and overall weight of a champion’s league fixture should stretch their minds back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s account of why Everton overpowered his side recently. Let’s face it, at this point any Arsenal fan will be left wishing to the god’s of the beautiful game to transport us back to pole position. I know, because I witnessed such desperation and mild lunacy last weekend in a local newsagent.

The shopkeeper is a keen Gooner. He plays coverage of the matches on a small TV by his till while serving his customers. I entered the shop around 6pm last Saturday, all football coverage had finished. I made friendly conversation, mentioning the Everton victory over Man United earlier in the day. Expecting a positive reply, and hopefully a response of how Arsenal can manipulate the scenario to their advantage. He was totally disconcerted by that. His mind was literally somewhere else.

“You know, if we had beaten United and Chelsea, we’d be six points clear right now…SIX CLEAR!” he frenetically jaunted at me. He even counted it on his fingers, just in case I hadn’t heard. I assure you I and the rest of the formed queue behind me, had heard.  He went on:

“I’ve drawn up the premier league table as if we had won.” He wanted to produce the false statistics for me, but now very un-nerved, I made a mental note to shop elsewhere in future and passed on the offer leaving the shop.

But his passion and unquestionable belief that we should be Barclaycards Champions this year sparked a fuse inside me. I wanted to construct my own chart of statistics and formulate my own belief behind a strong set of factors. Though mine are at least loosely based on fact.

Other than the crucial over-riding factor that Chelsea lost at the San Siro, we will all no doubt have taken a larger interest in the pretty serious looking injury that had Petr Cech carried off the pitch. With a bit of good fortune he’ll be unable to appear again before the title has been decided, and if Ancelotti is reckoning on Hilario to produce an adequate stand in role for the following eleven premier league games, he’ll surely pay the price. Let’s be honest here, I’ve seen bladder poisoned incontinence victims keep cleaner sheets.

This unfortunately isn’t a guaranteed occurrence to bring the premiership back to the Emirates. None of it is. Manchester City for all their worth, were undone by a plucky Stoke side in the F.A cup (sounds familiar) and since checking out Hilario’s Wikipedia I’ve discovered he does retain a half decent record between the sticks. Still that’s what makes it all the more likely for everything to change. Football, it’s a funny old game.

By ryandanielwood

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

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