The Best of Ex-Gunners

As we go into the New Year sitting pretty on top of the league table, lets take a moment to commemorate the fallen heroes along the way. The ‘heroes’ who have played a part in the evolution of the team to the current one and who were sold or left us in good or bad terms. Which ones of them (currently still actively playing) will form a strong enough ex-Arsenal team that can still challenge for the premier league title?

Assuming we play a traditional 4-4-2 formation, let’s start from the back. If Jens already left us, he will be a sure no 1 for me. However, at the moment, his future is not decided as yet. With the long tenure of Seaman and Lukic before Jens, there was a lack of outstanding goalies coming through at Arsenal. Between Alex Manninger, Graham Stack and Stuart Taylor, my choice is Manninger. Manninger is cool and very confident with his catch. However, he was just at Arsenal at a wrong time with Seaman playing particularly well. Manninger is playing at Siena currently and has a great chance to represent Austria in Euro 2008.

For my back four, Cashly “Judas” Cole is the undisputed left back. Much as I hate the way he left us, he is really a very good player and is currently performing very well for Chelski. There is really no other choice for this position.

The current batch of right backs are one of the strongest in our history with Justin Hoyte, Eboue, Bakary and Kerrea Gilbert all fighting for a place to start. A great tribute to the legacy left behind by Mr Arsenal right back: Lee Dixon. My selection of ex-Arsenal right backs is filtered down to either Lauren (Pompey) or Moritz Volz (Fulham). Lauren, the ever reliable and solid defender has build a strong reputation with his commitment and tough tackling. In contrast, the fleet-footed and always running Volz was youthful and committed and have developed himself to a first choice regular at Fulham. Choice: Lauren by a whisker due to his age. If he was younger, he will beat Volz by a mile.

For my centerbacks, the first ‘hero’ that comes to mine is Matthew Upson. The ex-Arsenal man is the Captain for West Ham and just recently scored his first goal for his club. The icing on the cake is that his first goal condemned our bitter rivals, man u to a defeat and open up the way for us to regain the lead in the league. Partnering him in defence will be Big Sol. After doing the unthinkable by crossing over to us from Spurs, Sol Campbell served Arsenal for a long and successful period. Although Wenger finally let him go to Pompey, Sol has shown that his ability to preserve clean sheets is still intact. In fact, he and his defensive partners prevented us from scoring in the recent meeting between the Gunners and Pompey.

In midfield, I have a huge array of choices of players which I firmly believe that they still could have made an impact with us. It is just that our current midfield quartet is so magnificent (and our bench includes the Brazilian captain and a French International) that we do not miss them at all. To name a few, Bentley, Pennant, Vieira, Sidwell, Larsson, Pires, Edu, Ljungberg and Reyes. Who will be choice to start in midfield for ex-Arsenal players still actively playing?

In the center of the park, Patrick Vieira will undoubtedly be my midfield general. He will also be my captain with his big display of heart, power and finesse coupled with his determination and leadership. The choice of his partner is a tough choice between Sidwell and Edu. The final vote goes to Edu for his stability and strong partnership with Vieira while Sidwell only really managed to blossom when he went to Reading.

On the wings, Bentley has been in fiery form recently. He has been scoring goals consistently and sending in great crosses for his Blackburn strikers to convert. His form has also led to discussions that he might be the next winger for England. With my other options also being great crossers or dribblers of the ball, it is a really tough decision to firm up the 2 wingers. With no disrespect to the others, my choice will be Bentley for his form and maturity and Reyes for his skills and acceleration. As much as I dislike the crybaby Spanish, he is indeed a talented winger that ever graced the wings of my team. A small note to the Mrs for leaving out Freddie.

Upfront, there can only be a King and no prizes for guessing who the King is. Although his departure was abrupt and heartbreaking, I guess the writing was on the wall for us to part our ways. Although he is at his prime and may even be the top scorer in the upcoming Euro 08, he seems to be jaded after so many years with us. It’s great to see him having a new lease of life at Barcelona and I reckon he is still a force to be feared. Who among the many heroes can be his perfect partner? Henry has once declared that Bergkamp is the one, but as Bergkamp has retired, he cannot be chosen in this team.

Members of the former Arsenal strikers club includes Francis ‘The Joke’ Jeffers, Sylvain Wiltord, Kanu, Anelka, Aliadiere and Julio “The Beast” Baptista. In my opinion, we are easily forget about The Beast and The Joke. Although Kanu is enjoying an Indian summer with Portsmouth, he and Wiltord are too old to make a strong claim for the other berth. Aliadiere is still an unfinished product. Hence, the logical choice would be Anelka. With his new found maturity and wide experience, he will have a great striking partnership with Henry. In fact, Raymond Domenech is considering the two of them to be his first choice pair for France.

On my bench, I will sit Graham Stack, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Kanu and Volz to balance out the needs of the team. The ex-gunners club will need a manager and who better at that then Mr George Graham. With this squad, I am pretty sure we can be in the top 6 of the BPL with no problem at all. Go Ex-Gunners!

Soccer magazines prices

I just came back from a short holiday in Malaysia. In my relaxing and rotting days, I managed to find some soccer magazines like 4-4-2 and EPL extra among others. Seems like the prices are cheaper in Malaysia.

Though not much, remember to grab your magazines in Malaysia to save some $$$.

For the record, 4-4-2 in December is quite cool with an interview with MR Wenger on his views on many things. It includes a very funny picture of Wenger in his playing days. hahahaahaha...

Portsmouth vs Arsenal

Although we have a tough away game tonight at Portsmouth, we will win and stay on course for our first title in a long while.

Have faith.

Go Gunners!!!

So, what is in the shopping windows for Wenger and the Gunners? There is a long list of players linked with Arsenal. Check out the list below:

(Player - Current Club - Position )
Tresor Mputu - TP Mazembe - Striker
Adriano - Inter Milan - Striker
Nikolay Dimitrov - Levski - Striker
Luka Modric - Dinamo Zagreb - Striker
Miguel Veloso - Sporting Lisbon - Midfielder
Jussi Jaaskelainen - Bolton - Goalkeeper
Samir Nasri - Marseille - Striker
Karim Benzema - Lyon - Striker
John Bostock - Crystal Palace - Midfielder
Daniel Parejo - Real Madrid - Midfielder
Micah Richards - Manchester City - Defender
Ronaldino - Barcelona - Striker
Sébastien Squillaci - Lyon - Defender

As the list is huge, let’s pick a few of the more likely ones. Wenger has categorically stated that there is no more room in attack and midfield for him to bring in any more players. Why then are there so many speculations for strikers and midfielders? The answer is always that scoring a goal is never as boring as defending a goal.

In the list, Mputu heads the list of hopeful as he is considered to be the next Eto’o. At a cheap price of £500,000, Wenger will be tempted to gamble just like how he did with Toure a few years ago. The next youngster we can consider is Nikolay Dimitrov; the 20 yr old left footed Bulgarian is highly rated following his appearance in the Bulgarian Under 21 team. Wenger has also invited him for training sessions with the Arsenal team.

Big names like Adriano and Ronaldino are unlikely to join us as they come with hefty price tags and may not perform up to expectations. In particular, Adriano has been seriously off-form these few months. Ronaldino will probably come with a scary price tag and even scarier baggage of problems. Although always smiling on the field, there have been many rumours of his big ego in the dressing room.

A signing that I think is absolutely necessary in January is a central defender as we will lose Toure to the African Cup for a substantial period of time. Although Gilberto can play there and we have Senderos as cover, the lack of an experienced defender may leak goals unnecessarily. Wenger may choose to recall Djourou (whom have improved tremendously) or dive into the market to fish for another defender. Micah Richards come to mind although he will not come cheap. He is young, strong, and extremely fast and has stated that he would love to play for Arsenal if the opportunity occurs. Of course, being an Englishman, he might help Le Boss deflect some negative comments on the development of English lads by Wenger.

What about the rumour on Jussi Jaaskelainen? Do we need another keeper? That will really depend on whether loud mouth is staying or going in January. As Blondie continues to shine as the new No. 1, Lehmann will be more hard pressed to play regular football in order to line up for Germany in Euro 2008. Jussi will be a reliable No.2 until Fabianski matures enough to take over the goalkeeper position. However, will Jussi be contented to be a cover to Almunia. That itself is a big question mark. Yet, all this need not be discussed if Lehmann is willing to work hard and wait for his chance to regain his place.

Who do you think Wenger will sign? Or will he again famously refuse to buy in January?

AUTHOR: RICK CHONG

Arsenal in 2007

Arsenal in 2007

With a blink of an eye, the year of 2007 has almost flown by us. It could be said that this is the year of revolution and awakening by the youngsters of Arsenal Football club.

The first half of the year speaks of the forgettable EPL 06/07 that the Gunners endured. We finally finished 4th in the table and made it through to the Champion League. It was a sign that a revolution is needed and changes have to be effected. First team players like Ljungberg, Muamba, Reyes, Aliadiere, Baptista and Henry left while players on loan like Bentley, Larsson, Stokes and Lupoli also confirmed their departures.

The departure of the talismanic Henry signaled the end of an era and brought on the critics in full force. Every ‘manager’ from the salesman to the CEO to the data entry clerk in the world gave the gunners zero chance. Nobody thought that Arsenal will rise from the ashes this time round. Adding fuel to the fire was the ultra thin squad (we only brought in Sagna, Fabianski, Nordtveit, Eduardo and Bendtner back from loan) and no big name signing after Henry departure. The team was amazingly young with an average age of less than 25 years old.

BUT how we confounded all the critics! As we approached the start of the season, the team was brimming with confidence with two pre-season cup wins in the Emirates Cup and Ajax Cup.
It was a joy to watch the young Gunners string passes together and attack with such speed and venom. The swagger was back and the confidence was overflowing with each passing movement and goal. What a turnaround since the post season when we lost the leader of the team!On the field, the changing of the old guards continued with The Crazy Mouth been overtaken in between the posts by the boring and reliable Almunia. With the young and promising Fabianski, more changes may still be coming.

With Henry gone, Robin Van Persie (RVP) was widely regarded as the natural replacement for him. Although fulfilling the early promise with his amazing runs and equally amazing goals, RVP was soon back at the treatment table. With him down, the new ‘Kanu’, Adebayor was able to step up and pump in the much needed goals for our success.

All in all, it is in midfield that the meteoric rise of influence by Fabregas and Hleb helped shaped our season so far. Fabregas even contributed 11 goals until he was injured last month. With the dynamic duo and the destroyer (Flamini) guarding the heart of the team, the Gunners went on an amazing run at the start of the season, leading the table almost from the start till now. The trio was so in sync that the experience World Cup winner and current Brazilian national team captain, Gilberto Silva, was kept on the bench for almost all matches.

As we reached the end of 2007, the team currently sits pretty at the top of the BPL. Although we have lost our way in the past few weeks due to injuries and fatigue, we have shown there is enough mettle in the team to lead the league and stay there until the end of the season!

Go Gunners to a memorable season!!!

2-1 Win in the Champion League

A slender win of 2-1 over Steanu coupled with a 3-0 win for Sevilla confined us to the second position. This means we do not get seeded and might face one of the big teams left in the CL.

Wenger seems happier though as this means game on and a free flowing game might be advantageous to us.

I was disappointed with the small win as I thgt we will win big. Well, as least RVP got some minutes and should be raring to go this Sunday against Chelski.

Go Gunners!!!

Almunia for England!!!

Amazingly, Almunia could be the ANSWER to England goalkeeping problem!!!
Almunia is 1 year away from getting his British citizenship and has never represented Spain at any level. This will make him eligible to play for England.
At the same time, there are rumours that Spain is interested in bringing the Spaniard to Euro 08 as the 3rd choice keeper.
Suddenly, Almunia is hot property!
:)

The last of the Old-hicans

With Wenger’s emphasis on youth, will we ever see a 30 year old regular in the Arsenal first team?

Arsene have built a team around youthful players with boundless energy and amazing recovery abilities. His focus on speed can be seen with the likes of Overmars, Henry, Toure, Eboue, Van Persie and Walcott. There were exceptions like Berkamp and Gilberto (not forgetting our favourite sons fo Cygan and Senderos), it was in no doubt that the majority of the team can run the 100 m in sub 11 seconds category.

The current team has been removed of ‘oldies’ with the departures of Berkamp (retirement), Henry and Ljungberg as the latest casualties. Barring the goalkeeping department of Lehmann and Almunia, the squad consists of 2 old men: Gilberto Silva (31) and William Gallas (30). After them, the next oldest outfield player will be 27 year old Rosicky.

Gilberto and Gallas have more World Cup Winners medals than the whole team, but they are not guaranteed starting berths in the team. At their age of 31 and 30, they should be at their peak of their game and leading the team with their performance. However, the captain of the Brazilian national team has not even started most of Arsenal games in the premiership due to the flaming form of Flamini.

As Wenger stubbornly refuse to hand out longer contracts to players over 30, will Dennis be the only exception of players willing to sign on a yearly basis? Bear in mind that Berkamp is a legend and extraordinarily talented players, what will lesser capable players think about when they hit the big three-O.

With the increasing speed in the game and faster counter attacking emphasis, the starting age of a career in soccer has shifted gradually down to startling extend. While Rooney was an emerging star at 18, Fabregas was declared a future captain of Arsenal at the tender age of 16. Beating them to bigger accolades, Freddy Agu was designated as the future leader of America soccer when he was only 13!

I digressed. With the next World cup in mind, will Gilberto endure the painful bench treatment from Wenger any longer than this season? Is the future for Arsenal really just youth exuberance? Will we ever see a 30 year old regular in the Arsenal first team? What do you think?

Wenger top 5 signings

Dear Friends,

I have read some very good articles recently on the top signings of Arsene Wenger ever since his arrival at Arsenal. There have been claustrophic, ordinary, good and exceptional signings since he first step in more than 10 years ago. Who do you think is his best signing till date? I am not sure, but these are my top 5.

No 5: Kolo Toure (2002- )

Kolo was signed from Ivory Coast club ASEC Mimosas for ONLY £150, 000 in February 2002. He was a total unknown to all Arsenal fans but his boundless energy introduced himself to the masses in a very fast way. At first view of him, I was wondering if he was one big mistake of Wenger's. In my mind, I quickly christianed Toure as 'The Clown'.

For a while, 'The Clown' lived up to his name. Listed as a utility man, his versatility prevented him from holding down a regular first-team spot. Most of the time, he would be running around the field like a headless chicken. Energy? Yes. Directions. No.

Fortunately for the Ivorian, fate intervened and injuries to Sol Campbell and the ageing Martin Keown made him an automatic choice at center back. Although forced into the postion, it proved once again of Wenger's masterstroke. Toure’s contribution in Arsenal’s unbeaten season was immense; he missed only one league game. Slowly, 'The Clown' was turning into 'The Captain' in my brain.

His first European goal - the last ever at Highbury - proved to be crucial, taking the club to its first European Cup final. The opportunity to improve his skills at the World Cup in Germany increased his standing. He is now considered to be one of Europe’s best central defenders.

No 4: Marc Overmars (1997-2000)

Marc is short at only a mere five foot eight inches tall but for what he lacked in height, he made up with his ferocious pace. Marc was like speedy Gonzales, his legs moving so quickly until they looked like a blur in the eye. He could be ruthlessly direct on the counterattack - collecting the ball in space and charging at the heart of the opposition defence.

Marc demostrated his talent by scoring the pivotal goal in Arsenal’s double winning season in 1997/98 against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Running onto an Anelka flick-on, he nodded the ball past his marker before finishing through the legs of the onrushing Peter Schmeichel. It was the only goal of the encounter and along with the opening goal of that year’s FA cup final, he scored 34 times for Arsenal. A phenomenon return for a winger!

After two years at Highbury, he was sold to Barcelona for £25m in the summer of 2000, to this day a record transfer fee for a Dutch footballer. Overmars won 86 caps for Holland in total and was bought at a modest price of £7m from Ajax in June 1997He retired after Euro 2004 when Holland did not win the tournament.

No 3: Cesc Fabregas (2003- )

The skillful Spaniard has been a revelation for Arsenal since Wenger plucked him from Barcelona on a free transfer. He was the designated replacement for Vieira after the former Captain left. It would have been a formidable task for anyone but Cesc made it look easy.

When the two came face-to-face in the Champions League quarterfinal in March 2006, the Catalan left his former midfield partner shell-shocked with a dominant performance. If Vieira was surprised by Cesc’s maturity, Arsene Wenger was not. He had already tipped the youngster to be the best in his position by the age of 20, and in truth, Fabregas began breaking records the moment he walked through the marbled halls of Highbury. In addition, a first cap for Spain in the same year of 2006 made him the youngest Spain national player in eighty years.

This season (06/07), Cesc single-handedly filled the lost of Henry with dominant displays in the middle of the park. While spraying crosses all over the field, he has also contributed 11 goals in all competitions. With him bringing the swagger back into the team, Arsenal are sitting comfortably at the top of the table. The only reason Cesc is not number 1 on this list is just because he still has to win the titles and cups to prove his capabilities.


No 2: Patrick Viera (1996-2005)

Born a Senegal but played as a Frenchman, Vieira was bought by Wenger from AC Milan for only £3.5m in August 1996. Milan’s loss was Arsenal’s huge gain and officials from the Italian club later stated that letting the midfielder go was the biggest mistake of the club.

Patrick was Wenger’s first signing at the club and there were a few raised eyebrows on his arrival. Fans need not have worried though. Vieira quickly established himself and for nine long years he was the heartbeat of Wenger’s Arsenal team. Eventually, he would even captained the side for a historical unbeaten run in a season; winning the double along the way.

As a centre-midfielder he had it all. He was strong and lightning quick for a big man. Many of Arsenal’s famed counter-attacks went through him, his ability to win possession and quickly release another player was critical to the flow of the Gunner's game. Above all, he was Arsenal’s captain and a great leader. Sadly, Vieira joined Juventus last year for £13.7m and it was with a heavy heart that Arsenal fans let him go.


No 1: Thierry Henry (1999 - 2006)

Who else but the King? Three times Football Writer’s Association Footballer of the Year, twice PFA Player’s Player of the Year, twice runner-up in FIFA’s World Player of the Year award and Arsenal’s top goal scorer for every one of the seven seasons he has been at the club.

Henry presence in the team lifted his team mates' spirt whenever the chips are down and frightened the opposition defenders. A striker that score goals for fun and has since become our club's record goal scorers.

He was bought with merely £10.5m from Juventus and was the fulcrum of the team that Wenger built a side worthy of challenging for any honour. Need I add more?

From however you looked at it, The Professor really has a keen eye for great players!

boring boring...

i survived my first week in the harsh cold conditions of Germany.

Looking unforward to the boring boring weekend that is coming my way. boring, cold and nothing much to do... wish i was back in Singapore or in some food wonderland in Hongkong or Taiwan or even Malaysia.

Oh, its my MUM's Birthday today. 16 nov!!!

HEY MUM!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! YOU ROCK, MUM!!!

:0

heheehee...

Cold, very cold, SI BEI COLD

As I am sent once again overseas to complete my job, I relunctantly packed extra clothings expecting the cold to freeze my butt out.

BOY was i UNREADY for the cold!
its not just cold, its not very cold, its SI BEI COLD!!!...

The view is majestic at times when I stand in the warm building of my hotel room admiring the falling snow flakes. And yet, it is freezingly scary while walking outside to office or for food. The 5 mins brisk walk to the office from the hotel have also become increasingly difficult with the harsh weather conditions.

I finally understand why Ang Mohs like to sit in the sun like idiots. We (singaporeans) never knew how good it is for the sun to shine on your face and feel the warm nurturing your tired body.

:)

Contributions to England

Dear Friends,

There have been much accusations that Arsenal does nothing for the England national team. Do you agree? Everyone is saying that Wenger picks the best in Europe but sells the rest of the English. Do you think this statement is fair?

From the calling of a limit on number of foreign players in a team to the dismay state of the English national team, everything is pointing to a decline in the quality of English players. Ferguson and Mourinho have taken their turns in attacking Arsenal and defending Chelsea respectively.

Fergie has announced that Arsenal will be hit the hardest if indeed the limit of foreign players is implemented. He has also insisted that he has helped build a core of English players. Players he has indeed bought and not groomed. The days of Neville and Brown is over and players like Carrick, Rooney and Hargreves are bought with millions of dollars. So much for his help in grooming young Englishmen. In addition, what is with the millions spent on Nai, Ronaldo and Anderson? Are they English in some ways that I have missed? Or has old Fergie seen so much Red that he thinks they are English?

On the other hand, Mourinho said he has groomed an English side with the backbone of the Chelsea team predominantly English. Well, in a way, John Terry is Chelsea through and thorugh. However, Mourinho most definitely did not groom Lampard or J.Cole (from West Ham) or Cashly (from Arsenal). He also bought SWP as a bench warmer. Thus, 'helping' to slow down the growth of the promising youngster.

So it remains to be seen if there is any contributions from man u or chelski to the English cause. If it really go down to the wire, you can even say Arsenal 1 (cashly cole), Chelsea 1 (john terry) and Man U 0.

A Tale of Two Rulers

Dear Friends,

In a far far away land, there once live a ruler that ruled his country much like the Qin Emperor in ancient China. He had a big red nose and would scream at his servants whenever they did something wrong. The Tyrant had a huge love for the game of soccer and recruited the best in and around his country with the large amount of reserves he has. The huge reserves were contributed from high prices of home tickets to watch his team and unknown sources from America.

The tyrant had his way of cajoling and shouting at his team that somehow brings out the best in them. Not a nice way, but effective as he always say. In fact, he is very proud of his famous 'high dryer' treatment on all knights and slaves in his team. With this method and the great money he had, he enjoyed a long term success with his soccer team winning and dominating the league in his country.

Then one day, a brilliant and likeable Professor came along and started to build a small country beside the tyrant. He too had a love for soccer, but his approach was to scout for the young talents in and around the country and slowly nurture them to brilliant players. His arrival was surrounded in mystery and speculations, but the results spoke for itself! Within a few years, it is evident that the brilliant Professor was an equal or more to the Tyrant. His team wrest the league title away from the tyrant a couple of times and started to dominate the league with an ever flowing passing game.

As the Professor's team grow exponentially, so did the names of the players. The Three Musketeers were born; one an ever ready, ever stable midfield anchor named V, one tricky winger that had an eye for goal call P and a lighting fast finishing called H. Together, they are a Very Powerful House leading the league table again and again.

Of course, the tyrant was angry and jealous of the success of the Professor. He chip and chop his team and even sacked his aging Captain. Fair to say, the equally fiery and vocal Captain has long passed his use-by date. However, the manner of the removal was upsetting to many fans. Prawn sandwiches never tasted so good.

Cutting the long story short, the tyrant ployed more change and his team is now with 2 Bulldogs, a dancer, 2 divers and some clowns. They remain strong and powerful and as arrogant as before. Having wrestle the title back last season, even the bulldog is arrogant enough to declare that the Professor's team have no chance of winning the league this season.

On the other hand, the three Musketeers have all left the professor to pursue their own career. With his emphasis on youth, the Professor now holds the next boy wonder, Potter. The midfielder is a wizard on his own; dancing on both feet and shimmering past opponents with slight caress of the ball at his feet.

With a 2-2 draw just secured last night, the Professor's team sits pretty at the top of the league with a game in hand over the Tyrant's team. Did anyone hear the bulldog's bullshit again?

Go Gunners!

Lethargic days...after the 1-1 draw

Had a late barbecue on Sunday night before the big match... So by the time I reached home and switched on the TV, I was ready to fall asleep. My desperate attempt to walk to the kitchen and bring out a beer was futile as the spirit was willing but the flesh is weak.

As I slump in my ever wonderful sofa with my mrs beside me, my body started to stir from its slumber with the starting whistle of the BIG GAME! The cresendo was sent flying of the Richter scale with the stupid free kick given to Liverpool which Steven G duely dispatched. No fault of Blondie as somehow the wall broke down and left a huge gap for the ball to rocket through.

After that, the challenge was to climb back on level terms. We went on and on and on... The players were not matured enough to take the chances in front of goal and Fabregas even panicked with the whole goal open. The good thing is that the new Arsenal does not give up. We created chance after chance and FINALLY, Fabregas tucked one home.

After the equaliser, i thought we were really going to win it. Only for Bendtner to miss a wide open goal. crazy! even my grandmother can score that.... sigh.....

due to the last night showing and viewing, i was exhausted by the time i reached my bed at 2 am. the following day was a drag at work and things were just swimming all around my head... tragic..

today is Wed and I am still dizzy from the late night. boy, i am getting old......

Mood: Stone

Acid Test

The next 2 weeks will be crucial to the credentials of our assault on the premiership title. With a visit to Anfield and hosting of Man u next Saturday, we have a big test on our hands. While victories over both will open up a healthy gap at the top of the table, it will also ensure that these two title contenders are further off the radar.

One quarter of this exciting season has flown past with the Gunners confounding all critics and racing to the top of the league. With eight wins and one draw, we have a 2 point lead over second placed Man u with a game in hand. To add to this incredible feat, we achieved this with experienced players like Gilberto, Gallas and Lehmann out.

Some critics may argue that 6 of those wins have been achieved at home and the Gunners have not any of the traditional top 4 clubs. Indeed, they have a point and it is up to us to prove them wrong these 2 weeks. With a convincing win over both rivals, there will be a psychological boost to our players and convinced them that they can do it.

With the experienced players returning back from injuries and suspension, the team is reinforced with the much needed experience when the going gets tough. As Flamini, Fabregas and RVP matures with more exposure, you can be sure that we will pass the acid test and lead the premiership right up to the last day.

Go Gunners!

Flaming Flamini

Six months ago, Mathieu Flamini seemed to be on his way out of the Emirates. Unable to win a regular place in the team, he considered buying out his contract. What a difference now!
'After the first two months of the season, the Frenchman has proved the perfect partner to the effervescent Fabregas'

As Arsenal's season soars with their performances, so does one little man's dominance and reputation. Like the team's performance so far, Mathieu Flamini has proved his critics wrong with amazing performances in the centre of the park.

It seems like years ago (April 2007 to be exact) that his critics were crying for his head; for him to leave the Gunners after his lack of interest and engagement with the team. Indeed, Flamini himself admitted a lack of first-team opportunities could force him to buy out the final year of his contract and leave Arsenal. He was unhappy that he was playing so few games, even though there were a string of injuries to the starting line-up. The defensive midfielder was recruited by the Gunners from Marseille in the summer of 2004, but failed to secure a regular place in the starting 11. At the beginning of this season, Flamini was considered to be behind Cesc Fabregas, Gilberto Silva, Abou Diaby and even Denilson for the central midfield positions.

Instead, after the first two months of the season, the Frenchman has proved the perfect partner to the effervescent Fabregas. His steady passing, accurate tackling and ferocious determination to win games juxtapose nicely to the incisive passing, delicate chips and brilliant crosses of his Spanish teammate. He works hard throughout the whole match in any game and never backs away from any tackles.

In the past, if there have been any complaints about Flamini's play, they have concerned about his often quarrelsome behaviour. To the delight of all fans, the 23-year-old has showed that he has matured over the past year. Indeed, he has even played peacemaker in a couple of flare-ups during matches.

Kudos to the Professor for taming the Flame and bringing the best out of him.

A Breath of Fresh Air

The start of the new season brought about new changes in Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. With the brand new stadium and brand new atmosphere, a change of the captaincy and departure of the old guards signaled the start of a new generation.

Arsenal supporters who have been subjected to ‘this is a period of transition’ feared the worst. The talismanic Henry is gone and the young successor in RVP seems not to be ready. In the previous seasons, the young successor to Viera (Fabregas) has failed to take over successfully. Will the same story be repeated? Will we get the stale air that surrounds failure again? The 2 pre-season wins in Cup competitions have also failed to raise the expectations of supporters.

However, after 10 straight victories and an unbeaten run of 20 matches, we have left all critics open jawed. We have confounded all odds and statistics, upsetting the form book and now sit pretty on top of the Barclay Premier League with a lead of 2 points and a game in hand over 2nd place Man U.

Like a breath of fresh air, we displayed a brand of attacking football and flair that belied our age. With the maturity of a seasoned campaigner, the young ones have stamped their authority and torpedo-ed our way to the top of the league. In our club management itself, we bucked the trend of foreign ownership. In our manager, he refused to be bullied into spending millions to get the best players. Instead, he grooms them from young.

All in all, Arsenal is like a breath of Fresh air in the cold, stale world of the Barclay Premier League. Go Gunners!

Do we need Henry or Do we have Harry

As the season grows by, the challenge grows for the kids in Ashburton Grove. Overcoming the condemning eyes of all, the team has grown from strength to strength. First, winning 2 cups in preseason and then keeping an unbeaten streak while on the way to the top of the table.Using a comparison to the magical world of Harry Potter, like the kids at Hogwarts, our kids lost their star. What Albus Dumbledore meant and signifies to the school of Hogwarts was what Thierry Henry meant to Arsenal Football Club. With a flick of his wand, Albus always conjures something out of nothing. Similarly, with a flick of his boots, Henry commanded the field with such majestic fare that leaves all in awe. The death of Dumbledore mirrors similarly to the departure of the King at Ashburton. The sense of doom and despair surrounded the Emirates Stadium like a crowd of Dementors camping in Hogwarts.As the saying goes, for every cloud there is a silver lining. Enter Cesc Fabregas! The Gunner’s answer to Harry Potter. The boy genius is the fulcrum of the new team that Arsenal is building. Fabregas gives hope to his teammates with his leadership and vision on the pitch. Like Harry, he is being pushed into the limelight at a tender age. With his raw talent and charisma, he is leading the team from the center of the park. He grows in confidence with every incisive pass and every goal scored build the growing belief that he is indeed the answer; just like every adventure and experience that Harry survives and increases his magical arsenal. With 6 goals in our excellent unbeaten start to the season, is Fabregas the finished product to lead us on? Is he the boy wonder like Harry? I can hardly wait to see him bringing us to the title this season! Go Gunners!

Arsenal vs Sevilla

I sincerely sincerely hope we thrazh the Shitz out of them... just to make my unbearable life a bit happier for today at least.....

Go Gunners!!!

life sucks...

my life sucks... i am stuck in germany...working day and nite for a company that does not care about my welfare or my personal life....

4 months away from my wife and family and what do i get? more 4 months... cant even get my leave. What the (*^%#@&^#@ hell is this?

unbelievable........

I am so so.... sad and demoralised now... no matter how hard i try.... it just feels like a waste of time... a waste of effort and a waste of my talent (no matter how little there is)......

life really sucks..... God (whichever one).. please help me.....

sigh.....

Do we really need to buy?

The Gunners have always been prudent in our spending and although there are many rumours that Wenger hands are tied when it comes to purchasing quality players, Le Boss has always insisted that he will not spend unwisely.
From the start of the departure of star striker Henry right up to the start of the season, half the world has written Arsenal’s chances off this season. However, 2 pre-season tournament wins and the unbeaten run continuing with last Sunday impressive victory over Portsmouth (with 10 men!) have convinced many doubters about the quality of Wenger’s vision. At the end of last Sunday’s match, the stadium rose to acknowledge the victory with a great sense of pride. For the first time in a long time, we can see and feel the swagger of the outrageous young squad.

Against a very handy team, the young side built with less than £30m had dominated the first half and when the game took a wrong turn for them, they adapted, adjusted and rose to the challenge. It was the perfect antidote to the speculation in the press during the week of all the behind the scenes machinations following David Dein selling out his Arsenal shares to a Russian investor.

Dein has always maintained that Wenger needs to spend in order to keep up with the rest of the EPL. As much as I believe that Dein is an Arsenal guy through and through, I have been thinking that Dein likes to have his cake and also eat it. He wants to keep his share of power, share of money and still be loved by the Arsenal faithful for his role in developing Arsenal.

Anyway, do we need to buy the ‘star’ players in order to stay ahead? I think the past few years together have built up the team spirit among the ‘kids’. We have seen so many changes and so much loss in experience that it is frightening to even imagine. Yet, on the other hand, the influx of young and guts under the harshest critics seem to have galvanized the players into a team.

The loss of the free-scoring ex-captain worked in a magical way for us as it gave chances to Toure, Gilberto and even Gallas to lead the young ones. Fabregas has truly excelled in his play, easily topping polls as the Gunners’ player of the month with 3 goals and even more assists.

With more youngsters coming through the ranks, Le Boss last words seemed as thoughtful as it can be as he declared, “Why buy when we can make stars out of potential?”

What a Win!

The young gunners handled the top team today with much confidence today! I must say that the Man city of today is different from the last few season. With the money from Mr Thaksin sponsoring the signing of many unknown talent, they seem to be playing with much fluency and venom. Indeed, we were in much danger in the first 20 mins of the game.

However, slowly and surely, the young ones crept back into the game; led by the ever impressive Hleb and Fabregas. With Gilberto exerting much stability at the back with an outstanding captain performance in centre back position, the gunners will able to push forward in search of the winner.

When Hleb fell in the penalty area after being hauled down by Micah Richards, I thought Micah should have been sent off. However, he stayed and when RVP hit the penalty directly into Shmichael legs, I was wondering if it could be our day. Luckily, my choice of man of the match, Cesc Fabregas blasted the ball into the net from a brilliant pass from Hleb. This sent the Emirates Faithful into such a frenzy that it could have been felt in Singapore!

Go On you Young Gunners! Show the world what you can do!

Updated Photos

Hey all,

I just updated the 07/08 Photo... check it out!

sigh.. it feels kind of sad\weird that henry is no longer there in the photo..

well, life goes on... what the heck...

:)

One more week to go....

As we countdown to the start of the new season, I am left stuck in Germany working my socks off, burning every weekend and having late lunch and even later dinners.

And WHAT! after paying so much to the damn bloody blood sucking green monster for my subscription of EPL, I dont even get the chance to watch!!.. yah yah.. i am stuck here until God Knows When! I am so wanting to watch the Gunners beat the crap out of all the naysayers....


Come on you Gunners!!

Gunners: The Next Generation

What a big difference a few years have made to the Arsenal first team!

From the class of “The Invincibles”, we had world class players in Patrick Viera, Thiery Henry, Robert Pires, Dennis Berkamp, Freddie, Seamen, Sol, Gilberto to name a few. They brought us the title and an inconceivable unbeaten run that was not matched by any team in the EPL till date.

Fast forward to today, Henry has left and Freddie is the latest to leave. Will current and possibly the last Invincible, Gilberto Silva leave too? Who is recognizable from the current list of first team Gunners? One may argue that Gilberto, Gallas, Rosicky, Toure, Lehman, Adebayor are all regular players for their national team. However, you look closely, none of the current players belong to the group of special players that can turn a game around with a flick of the boot or the cross or charisma to bring the team up when the chips are down.

The current group of promising but inexperienced youngster includes the fabulous Fabregas, the free scoring Robin Van Persie (RVP), the resolute Eboue, the tireless Clichy, the ferocious Diaby, the skillful Walcott and promising Bendtner. They are young, fearless and represent the new generation of Gunners!

With the young team straining to prove themselves, they strive to replace the heroes before them. Diaby is the brooding youth that will grow into the next Viera, Clichy is very similar to the now departed Cashly Cole, Walcott is the next Pires (albeit with more speed) and the RVP idol is Berkamp.

With Wenger at the helm blending the young ones with the wiser heads, what will the future hold for Arsenal? Will we crumble from the loss of so much experience in the past few years? Or will the young ones lift themselves up to the next plateau? Will we be the surprise package of the season? I am dying to see what the kids can do when the season starts next month. Lets GO GUNNERS!

Another False Buyer?

After so many false alarm...do we have another false alarm??

Now Mr Ecclestone is not ruling out getting involved with us.. He is the F1 Supremo- Mr Bernie Ecclestone.
'I don't know too much about that, actually,' the billionaire told Reuters at the European Grand Prix when asked about a report suggesting he could be interested in the Premier League club.
'It's good if somebody is saying that, because maybe I will be approached and maybe it will be cheap,' added the 76-year-old, who considered buying into Chelsea before the arrival of Russian owner Roman Abramovich.
'If somebody offers me something that I think is good value, I'll have a go.' Ecclestone confirmed that his daughter Tamara was dating the son of former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, who left the club in April and is a good friend of David.
Ecclestone was obviously unhappy when David was thrown out from the club and hints of 'revenge' for his close friend might also be thrown in as a reason to buy into our club.
However, there might be a small problem for his frequent attendance at Chelsea haha.
Our club's refusal to welcome Kroenke's overtures in April prompted the departure of Dein, who was sympathetic to the sale. Dein still has a 14.5 percent stake in the club.
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood said at the time that he would be 'horrified if the club were to go across the Atlantic.' Maybe Bernie offer will be more acceptable by keeping the club in British hands.

Who knows???

Arsenal Defender

We have signed a new defender. Bakary Sagna.

He can play anywhere across the defence. At 24, looks like a good age to boost the defence. Hope he will be a great addition by Wenger again.

:)

Soccernet reports: ( What a big mouth Gallas has.... Sigh...)

William Gallas has questioned Arsenal's transfer policy this summer and wants to discuss plans for the season with boss Arsene Wenger.

The departure of Thierry Henry has been offset by the arrival of Eduardo Da Silva but Gallas has revealed that some players at the Emirates Stadium are unsure of what the future holds for the club.
Arsenal's rivals in the Premier League's 'big four' have significantly strengthened their squad for the new season and Tottenham have also been active in the market, while Wenger has added Lukasz Fabianski and Eduardo.
The 29-year-old said on his own website: 'What is sure is that several players are questioning the club's future.
'Around us, all the teams are recruiting but what is planned to compensate for the departure of Titi Henry?
'I am not at Arsenal to play for third place. It is necessary to recruit players of reputation because the young players have many qualities but the season is very, very long.
'The young players are thirsty for victories but Arsenal must obtain results, win titles in this period. If not, we will have to change policy and do the same as the other teams: recruit with more means.'
As well as compensating for the loss of Henry, Wenger is looking to keep midfielder Cesc Fabregas at the club despite interest from new Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster.
'I believe he is one of the few players in his position that can carry a team on his back, and when I say teams, I mean quality teams,' said Schuster.
It is these types of issues Gallas wants to discuss ahead of the new season.
He added: 'I will have a discussion with Arsene Wenger and certain board members in order to find out what the objectives are for the club this season and what they wish to set up to build an even more competitive team.'
France international Gallas was vague about his own future at the club, adding: 'Today I am an Arsenal player but I do not know what can occur tomorrow.'
Meanwhile, Gunners defender Matthew Connolly has joined Coca-Cola Championship side Colchester on loan for the 2007/08 season.

LIST OF FREE PLAYERS

Some of you might be wondering if there is any free players that might be useful for a team. Here is a list of players released.

In my opinion: topping the list will be Zenden. followed by Fowler, Sinclair, Pistone, David Thompson, Michael Gray and maybe Lee Hendrie.

Some on this list are already signed or being offered contracts. Just for information.

p.s: Mr Sheringham is still available if you like to try him out. :)

Arsenal Ryan Garry, Joseph O'Cearuill
Aston Villa Mark Delaney, Lee Hendrie, Chris Sutton
Blackburn Rovers Keith Barker, Michael Gray
Bolton Wanderers Quinton Fortune, Henrik Pedersen, David Thompson
Charlton Athletic Nathan Ashton, Rurik Gislason, Jimmy-Floyd Haselbaink, Talal El Karkouri, Kevin Lisbie, Thomas Mhyre, Alistair John, Myles Weston (Offered contract) James Walker
Chelsea Magnus Hedman, Juan Sebastian Veron
Everton Alan Kearney, Scott Phelan, Alessandro Pistone, Richard Wright
Fulham Claus Jensen, Mark Pembridge, Tomasz Radzinski
Liverpool Jerzy Dudek, Robbie Fowler, Boudewijn Zenden
Manchester City Stephen Jordan, Trevor Sinclair, Hatem Trabelsi (Offered contract) Michael Ball, Nicky Weaver
Manchester United Phil Marsh, Florent Ngalula, Daniel Rose
Middlesbrough Malcolm Christie
Newcastle United Olivier Bernard, Kris Gate, Craig Moore, Pavel Srnicek
Portsmouth Daryl Fordyce, Nwankwo Kanu (Offered contract) Svetoslav Todorov
Reading Jonathan Hayes (Offered contract) Aaron Brown, Simon Cox
Sheffield United Paul Gerrard, Rob Kozluk, Craig Short, Alan Wright (Offered contract) James Ashmore, Keith Gillespie, Chris Lucketti
Tottenham Hotspur Robert Burch
Watford Joel Grant, Albert Jarrett, Chris Powell
West Ham United Shaun Newton, Teddy Sheringham
Wigan Athletic John Filan, David Unsworth

Arsenal's third signing

Nordtveit joins Arsenal from FK Haugesund

Norwegian defender Harvard Nordtveit has signed for Arsenal from FKHaugesund on a long term contract for an undisclosed fee.Nordtveit (17) has played for his home town club Vats 94 as well asSkjold IL and most recently FK Haugesund, where he made his debut in2006 against Sogndal and made nine league appearances for the Clubduring 2007.Representing Norway in both the recent UEFA Under 19 and Under 17European Championships, the centre back started every match in theyounger age group tournament as well as featuring in two matches forthe Under 19s before both sides were eliminated in the Elite round.

Looks like we got ourselves another fine youngster.

Signings Galore

Arsenal finally got our name on the score board for signings for the coming season. The player in question is a little known player called Eduardo Da Silva, born in Brazil and blossomed in Croatia.

Is he a good signing? Is he going to be another one of Wenger’s shrewd investment at 7.5 million pounds or another one of his flops like Richard Wright or Francis Jeffers? Nobody knows, but the name is definitely not familiar to anyone in the Arsenal club.

While we indulge in this little exciting news of a relatively unknown, Liverpool and Man U and even West Ham are pulling out all stops in their summer spending spree. Man U has targeted Tevez as the next possible signing after securing Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson at more than 30 million pounds. What is going on at Man U? Everyone was worried that when the new owners came, there will not be a cent to spend. Contrary to expectation, Old Fergie actually has more to splurge than ever before. Hence, why is Arsenal board not listening or following this same story and allow Kroenke to come on board? I really wonder.

On the other hand, over at Merseyside, Mr Benitez has secured a sensational coop with the capture of Fernando Torres. Being one of the most promising strikers in the world, Torres seems to be the last piece of the puzzle for Pool to mount a serious challenge to manure and chelski.

For us, we are left further behind if we do not rebuild with calculated signings to replace the loss of Henry. Easy to say, unlikely to be achieved in the next 2 years. However, all is not loss as long as Wenger stays with us and signs potential Henry, Pires, Adams and Seaman. For now, we just have to know the new names as Eduardo, Harvart and Bakary Sagna.

The first team

Freddie is staying at the club till the end of his career but Wenger is on his 2nd holiday and does not seem to be interested in signing any new players.

Wonder what he is thinking about.

Although we got:
1) Adebayor, Bendtner, Walcott and RVP as strikers
2) Freddie, Hleb, Rosicky, Fab, Gilberto, Diaby, Denilson, Flamini (still) as midfielders
3) Toure, Gallas, Eboue, Traore, Glichy, Senderos, Hoyte, Djourou as defenders

I think we still need to get a Center Back, Center MF and CENTER Forward. We need to kill off the chances we had last season. There was nobody eating up the chances that were created.

Go Gunners!!

Thierry Henry - EX captain sensational...

Dear Friends,

I do not know where to start and how to start. It seems like a part of the history and foundation of our club is being destroyed. Come next season, there will be no fiery finisher or sensational captain for our club. Life without Henry begins….

At the end of last season, there were wild speculations and crazy transfer rumors that were thrashed out by Henry without any hesitation. His signing of a long term contract that will seen out his career as a footballer reconfirmed his God like status among us fans. His unwavering commitment and trust in Wenger led him to that decision. Unfortunately, that same commitment and trust also led to his agreement to move when his mentor express his concern about the state of affairs and directions of our club.

While there was still David (Dein) around to reassure and persuade Henry to stay last season, this time round, the (obnoxious and nincompoop) board “made sure’ there is no fatherly figure to let Henry hesitate. How and Why in the world would some people reject money and players to boost our club chances in all competition is beyond me. Similarly, equally confusing is the fact that we are letting someone that would guarantee us 30 goals a season go for a bargain price of 20 million Euros. NOBODY, absolutely NOBODY, would be able to do that season in and season out in the EPL!

With Wenger refusing to commit his long term future, I fear that more departures will be realized. With Henry gone, Wenger seems to be our only trump card. He can only built if he is given the money. If frustrated further, he will contemplate to leave. How will our young team be able to cope with the lost of two inspirational character? It might lead to a spiraling and vicious cycle that will drag us down the EPL and (God Forbids) the Championship.

Like a building without its pillar, will the supporting cast step up or cast out? Fabregas has already expressed a desire to prove himself in Spain again when the opportunity appears. Who will Van Persie and Adebayor learn from? Who will run on to the passes and crosses of Rosicky and Hleb?

I don’t know and I don’t wish to think further as my heart seeks to recover from this heartbreaking news. Life without Henry is unthinkable and spells the beginning of a very tough time ahead.

Wenger The Man

Wenger is back after his holidays and have thank the fans for our loyalty.

I say to the board, " Show him the MONEY!!!" we ought to be rewarded for our loyalty. So many years of emptiness.... time to get some trophies man.... worthy trophies....

i hope no one leasves...

Sigh.....

Ripples are sent out that Henry and Fab might be leaving for barcelona....
why is it that everyone wants to leave?

so sad.... i hope it will not happen.....

I am beginning to wonder where and when Wenger will sign our new players or if there is any signings at all? While Arsenal remain domain like a dead volcano, the rest of the premiership were really busy.

Man U have already started preparing for the new season by getting Owen Hargreaves, brilliant young Brazilian Anderson and Portugal winger Nani. They have strengthen heavily and looks in good shape for the new season with no first team players leaving. With Solskjaer and Alan smith back from injuries, they are looking pretty strong. In addition, Ferguson is still looking at unsettled strikers Berbetov of Tottenham and Klaas Jan Huntelaar of Ajax.

Liverpool has also started the ball rolling with the capture of Malouda of France. With Samuel Eto'o expressing a move to Pool being very interesting, it will get very uncomfortable for us if Benitez gets his strike force going. Speaking of which, Rafael has just gotten his owners going by forcing them to commit to his expectation of a huge kitty for transfer purchase. As before, rumours of Michael Owen returning home is still flying wild. After what they achieved with Fowler, nobody is betting that it will not happen for Owen.

Chelsea as usual, with the bank of Abramovich backing their moves, will be a major force in the transfer market when Mourinho decides who he wants. Mourinho has just picked up Sidwell from Reading and once he sets his sight on who, place your last dollar that he will probably get his player.

Elsewhere, the Hammers just got their man in Scott Parker, Spurs got star kid Gareth Bale and Kaboul while the rest are getting players players players......

For Arsenal, we are worrying about losing the ONLY player in the World that can keep us in the race. Henry has already expressed unhappiness at finishing fourth in the title race Again. If the board does not do anything soon, we will probably lose Captain sensational and that will be the decline that we must avoid.

For the sake of every Arsenal fan, I hope the board comes up with the CASH for Mr. Wenger to do his job properly!

Sidwell again..

Got a lot of stick on my previous posting..

so to set the record right:
Yes. Sidwell left 5 years ago. not just recently. My apologies for the wrong info.

and YES. He is considered WORLD Class by a lot of other writers. NOT just me.

Anyway, keep it cool guys.. ... Lets see how he turns out in a few days time at Chelski.

:)

Steve Sidwell Joins Chelsea

What an amazing story! A story that I can hardly ignore.

Former Arsenal player Sidwell agrees to join Chelsea on free transfer
The 24-year-old has quit Reading after rejecting a new £25,000-per-week, four-year deal. It was reported that he is getting twice that figure in Chelsea.

Former champions Chelsea have been consistently linked with a move for the highly-rated midfielder throughout the season. Sidwell opted to join the Blues despite interest from Newcastle United, Everton and Aston Villa. He is Jose Mourinho's first signing of the summer and will be a valuable addition to the squad.

An Arsenal kid, he grew up in the youth team and played a few games for Arsenal senior. Deemed not good enough to make the first team permanently, Wenger let him go to Reading. A year later, the kid scored 4 goals, had 6 assists and put in world class performances in the Reading midfield. The whole world sits up and take notice. Newcastle, Everton and Villa all offer contracts for his services.

However, he chose Chelsea. Its crazy. He will not get many games at Chelsea and his promising career will be stopped short befor it gets pumping. A perfect example will be Shaun Wright Philips. Look at how the move to Chelsea has completely derailed his development.

First thing that I dont understand from Steve's move is: Why did Wenger let him go if he is really that good? Surely, the gaffar knew better after nurturing all the youngsters coming through the team. Or is the rumour that Arsene did not like Brits in general true?

Second thing that I noticed is our ex-players are all coming of age and playing pretty well around the Premiership. Examples will include: David Bentley, Nicolas Anelka, Jermaine Pennent, Sol Campbell, Kanu, Sidwell and others. In particular, I think Bentley and Pennent have done pretty well this season.

Last thing I want to induce from this amazing story is the question of whether Chelsea is trying to build a Second Team of Gunners! First Cashley Cole, Now Sidwell and then who is next? Are they picking up our rejects? That will be a very funny thought for the World Richest Club!

Stuttgart

I have been working in Germany for the past 3 weeks. Sometimes interesting, most of the time working.. but luckily had a break the weekend that just passed.

Stuttgart won the Bundelisga on Saturday. There was a huge party. Based on my past experience with big soccer final, I regretably chose to stay away this time to avoid getting too drunk or hurt in the aftermath of their victory.

Instead, I changed my schedule to visit Munich on match day and Stuttgart the following day to check out the aftermath. Crazy? you may say.. but well, lets just put it that it was an interesting way to understand the aftermath for once instead of always being in the thick of action.

When I arrive in Stuttgart on 20 may 2007, the town is WASTED! yes, you read it here in my blog that the TOWN IS WASTED!... there is rubbish everywhere.. broken glass littered the train station, bus stops, streets, in front of shops, in rubbish bins (for once, the right place), on the grass patches.. everywhere.. beer beer and more beer! its amazing... rubbish are piled up, some of the guys are\were still pissed drunk.

Surprisely, the stadium itself was well cleaned up. not much rubbish. just bits and pieces.. but well, the fan shop is closed after the exhaustive final. ( shucks, half the way around the globe and cant buy a sourvenir!) Well, the stadium seems serene and it just amaze me when I juxtapose the roar the day before against the serenity(almost ghost-like) of today.

Soccer is really a game that will bring the world together......

Fine Young Bloods

Wenger has placed his trust once again in his youngsters before his transfer kitty for next season is even confirmed.

Three young names come to mind: Eboue, Djourou and Bendtner.

Eboue, 23, has come a long way in a short space of time since joining from Belgian club Beveren two years ago.Eboue retained his place at right-back for Arsenal following the return to fitness of veteran Lauren, who was eventually released to join Portsmouth. (Quietly left, I dont even know about it.) However, for all his strengths, particularly in helping support the attack down the flanks, Eboue is still somewhat a raw talent - and prone to the odd loss of self control, as shown during his involvement in the melee at the end of the Carling Cup final which earned him a three-match ban.

Wenger, though, clearly believes that Eboue has a bright future ahead, despite the club not revealing the length of the 'long-term contract'. What do you think? Is he that good? i thgt Lauren was more stable and Kerria Gerrant before his injury was much better. By the way, Kerria was English.

Another young Gunner hoping for more first-team action next season is Johan Djourou.
Djourou have made 30 appearances this season, mostly at centre-back and proved stable and confident in his position. He was even called up to the senior Swiss side and made some appearances for his country.

'I am very proud of my season. I am only 20 and I have played a lot of games in the Premiership,' said Djourou, whose progress was hampered by a groin problem.
'That is all good for my experience and I hope I can keep going now, to play even more.'

Djourou added: 'Guys like Cesc [Fabregas], Denilson and Justin Hoyte, who have all shown that they are ready when called upon to play. We just have to be more consistent and then we can start challenging for trophies"

'We have had a couple of injuries, with Thierry and Gallas, which was a bit of a blow for us - but now if everyone is back, we will have a chance for everything.'

Wenger is also about to tie up another youngster on an extended contract. Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner is set to return to Arsenal following a successful spell at Coca-Cola Championship winners Birmingham. Reports from Denmark suggest Bendtner, 19, is to be handed a new, five-year deal with the Gunners. The young Gunner has even scored a goal for his country during his call up for his nation.

All in all, it seems the average age of our young team will go even lower with more youngsters hogging the limelight. Now, it seems like Kolo Toure at 26 years of age is an old papa and Jens Lehmann is the great grand father......

money money.. or no money?

I read in the internet that Wenger will discover transfer funds for next season.
How much will it be? that is the KEY qquestion.

Wenger will by next week find out what funds he will have available this summer - but he understand throwing money at the Arsenal squad in search of a quick fix is not necessarily the answer.

However, it is believed what is to be made available from the new American owners at Liverpool and Aston Villa, not to mention how much Chelsea will spend looking to wrestle the Barclays Premiership title back from Manchester United. In addition, Man U already targeting three star players to be added if Fergie comments are to be taken seriously.

Maybe if the interests of new Arsenal shareholder Stan Kroenke, with the involvement of the American billionaire is true, we might get some decent cash to buy some big name players. It is also understood that ex-vice-chairman David Dein might also be back if Kroenke has his way.

For the moment, however, Wenger has little choice than to accept what is on offer within the constraints the club operate under, having an on-going commitment to their new 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium.

'Certainly there is money to spend in the summer. How much? Frankly at the moment I do not know. We have to see,' said the Arsenal boss. He added: 'I will be meeting the board at some point next week to discuss the budget.'

Which board will it be? One wonders. However, as a Gunner Fan, as long as it is for the best interest of the club, SHOW us the MONEY!!

Cashley Cole returns - JUDAS!!!

Wenger has called on Arsenal fans to respect Ashley Cole and remember his achievements for the club when the Gunners take on Chelsea on Sunday. The England left-back is expected to receive a hostile reception on his first visit to the Emirates Stadium since his controversial transfer to Jose Mourinho's side in August, which involved William Gallas going the other way.

The decision of Cole - a graduate of the Gunners' academy - to leave sparked a barrage of criticism from supporters accusing the defender of betrayal. He was booed by away supporters throughout the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in December on what was his first appearance against his former side.

But Wenger would prefer to remember the part Cole played in their successes, helping the Gunners to two Premier League titles and three FA Cups. He told Arsenal TV Online: 'I feel you have to respect the desire of the player - and it was to leave. 'You do not always look at the fact that you have lost a player, you look at what the player has achieved for the club. He achieved a lot, you must respect that. 'I want them (the fans) to remember what he did for the club.'

The Arsenal boss, who revealed he has spoken to the player since his move to the current champions, believes the fans only have 'sour' feelings towards Cole because they wanted him to see out his career at the club. 'The fans loved the player. They would have loved him to stay at the club all the way through his career. When this does not happen they feel a little bit sad, sour and betrayed. 'That's not the intention of the player. He was not happy here anymore so he decided to move. That does not take away what he achieved for the club.

'Whatever you say boss... BUT i still hate him for leaving us in such a lousy fashiON!!!Useless ...

King Henry has come out and declare, "If Wenger stays, I stay.'

Henry recently announced that he will stay at Arsenal as long as Wenger does. Wenger's position at Arsenal came under speculation after his close friend and 'bro' David Dein left in a cloud of smoke.

Henry said: 'At the end of last season I signed a new contract as I believe in the gaffar and what he is trying to achieve here. As long as he is here then I will be here - its as simple as ABC.....'
Henry believes a lack of concentration, injuries and experience have cost the club a chance at the treble. He states that if he, Rosicky, Ljungberg, Gilberto, RVP and Toure were fit throughout the season, the Gunners will be fighting in at least 4 fronts to achieve an unprecedental Quadruple!

In his absence the Gunners have fallen out of contention in all competitions and are sure to finish trophy-less when the season draws to a close.

'I think perhaps we lose our concentration,' Henry added. 'We don't do this on purpose. We have ended up losing so many points against teams we should have beaten.
'The talent is there but you need to put the ball in the back of the net, and I wasn't fresh enough, or there enough, to do that for the team this season.

'It was the same with Robin van Persie, who has been injured, and William Gallas, who was out for more than three months. We have a lot of amazing youngsters at the club, but you need experience too. We do have something to build on, but we need to kill teams off. That let us down this year."

King Henry has not featured since the Gunners' Champions League exit at the hands of PSV Eindhoven at the start of March due to injury.

Henry ended by saying, " I will lead the team to big titles next year!"

Royal Fan!

Is it a truth or a faux? You decide.

Her Majesty The Queen is a keen Arsenal supporter for more than 50 years. It was reported that her late mum was a loyal Gunner fan. It seems amazing but it is the truth according to the Sun Newspaper.The Queen had presented many soccer trophies in her lifetime. However, it was never revealed which club is her favorite.

All this changed in February this year when she let loose the fact that Arsenal is her club of choice at an official function at Buckingham Palace attended by many famous Gunners.Fabregas stated that Her Majesty chatted with him during the function, exchanging pointers on Arsenal’s football club and about her good pal King Juan Carlos of Spain. She hinted directly (in no uncertain terms) that she is an Arsenal Fan.

A senior royal source quoted,” The Queen has been fond of the Gunners for over 50 years. Her late mother was a self-confessed Gooner due to her admiration of their former player Denis Compton.” Arsenal were invited to the Palace after a back injury forced the Queen to pull out of opening their new ground, the Emirates Stadium, last October. Another source, Mr John Pollex, said, “The Queen once told me that she is an Arsenal Supporter!”

The tradition looks set to run on in the family as Prince Harry, 22, has also shown HIS support for the North London giants — visiting both their old home Highbury and the Emirates Stadium.

Shocking News: David Dein Leaves!!

what is going on?
David Dein has left the club!! What is going on?!!!!

I Quote another website: " The long-term future of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been left uncertain following the shock departure of his biggest ally vice-chairman David Dein because of 'irreconcilable differences' with the rest of the current board.
Dein, 63, has left the club and will cease to be a director with immediate effect.
However, the former Football Association vice-chairman holds around 14% of shares in the parent company of the Gunners, estimated to be worth around £57million.
A statement from Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood read: 'On behalf of the board I would like to express our gratitude to David Dein for the many years of loyal service he has given to the club.
'We sincerely regret that irreconcilable differences between Mr Dein and the rest of the board have necessitated a parting of the ways.'
Those differences are understood to be over the direction and ownership of the club, with Dein known to be very much in favour of the involvement of American billionaire Stan Kroenke, which put him at odds with Arsenal director Danny Fiszman and also Hill-Wood.
Speculation continues surrounding a potential takeover from American-based Kroenke Sports Enterprises, who recently bought just over an 11% stake in the club - which included a small holding purchased indirectly off Fiszman, who maintained he was unaware of the buyer."
I hope this does not affect us too much...

History of Arsenal

An interesting article I got from the web... worth a read...

:)
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The History of Arsenal Football Club - 1886 to 1992
Arsenal was originally formed in 1886 by a group of workers at the Woolwich armaments factory in south London, and the club was first known as Dial Square. The name was soon changed to Royal Arsenal, though when the club turned professional in 1891 the name changed again to Woolwich Arsenal. The prefix was later dropped and the club became Arsenal Football Club. For a period it was popularly known as The Arsenal though this was never the club's official name.
Arsenal was elected to the 2nd division of the Football League in 1893, and gained promotion to the 1st division in 1904. The club survived in the first division for nine years, high points of that period coming in 1906 when the semi-final of the FA Cup was reached, and in 1909 when a 6th place finish in the league was achieved.
Unfortunately, relegation followed in 1913, but coincided with a major landmark in the club's history. Having played for the previous 27 years at various sites in Plumstead, South London, the club moved to its present site at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, North London. The move was instigated by the then chairman, Sir Henry Norris who foresaw greater potential for the club in the north London catchment area. It almost paid off in the following season when Arsenal missed out on promotion only on goal average, and 5th place was achieved in 1915 before the hiatus caused by the 1st World War.
Promotion back to the 1st division was engineered by the colourful Sir Henry under somewhat contentious circumstances when the Football League resumed in 1919, and Arsenal has not been relegated since, thus holding the record for unbroken tenure in the top division of English football. The incident remains the source of rancour with local rivals Tottenham, along with the earlier move when Arsenal were seen as invading their new neighbours' north London fiefdom. Spurs had finished the 1915 season at the bottom of the 1st division, but after the war the league was expanded to include an extra 2 teams in division 1, so Tottenham expected to stay up after the top 2 teams in Division 2 were promoted. However, Norris somehow managed to get Arsenal elected in their place, and elements of the Tottenham support have nursed a grievance ever since.
The following few seasons saw the club maintain a mediocre standard adequate to remaining in the 1st division, but insufficient to progress. However, after narrowly avoiding relegation in 1925, another turning point in Arsenal's fortunes was reached. The legendary Herbert Chapman, fresh from guiding Huddersfield to the first 2 of their 3 successive titles, was appointed manager and over the next 9 years transformed Arsenal from an average first division club into one of the great names in world football.
The visionary Chapman had the nearby underground station renamed in honour of the club, introduced the now famous white sleeves and pioneered the use of shirt numbers. Under his guidance Arsenal gradually progressed in the late twenties, coming 2nd in the league in 1926 and reaching the Cup final in 1927. The club went on to dominate English football over the following decade. The FA Cup became Arsenal's first major trophy in 1930, and the first league championship in 1931 was followed by a further 4 titles and another FA Cup over the next 7 years.
1937-38 brought Arsenal's 5th league title in seven years, though the near invincible team which had dominated the decade was generally held to be in decline. After the interruption caused by the 2nd World War, Tom Whittaker forged another great team, and 2 more titles (1947-48 and 1952-53) and an FA Cup (1950) were won over a 5 year period, with the 1951-52 season also seeing the Gunners narrowly miss the elusive double, runners up in both league and FA cup.
Whittaker's death in 1956 marked a decline in fortunes of the great club, and a barren 14 years followed. Even the appointment as manager of Billy Wright, one of the great names in English football, failed to turn things round, and it took an unknown to bring the glory days back to Highbury. Bertie Mee was previously the club physio and had minimal experience in professional football when he took over as manager in 1966, but he led the club to Wembley in the League cup final in 1968 (though that ended in ignominious defeat to 3rd division Swindon), and 2 years later Arsenal captured their first European trophy, winning the UEFA Fairs Cup against Anderlecht, having to come back from a 3-1 first leg deficit to do so.
The following season was to be the most successful in the club's history so far, when the mythical domestic double was achieved. The league was clinched on the sweetest of nights, a 1-0 win at the home of the old enemy Tottenham, and the FA Cup followed a few days later, a Charlie George goal winning the cup in extra time at Wembley against Liverpool.
The double success wasn't really built upon, despite reaching the FA cup final again in 1972 and finishing second in the league the following season, and Arsenal became a mid-table team once again during the mid seventies. Towards the end of the decade however, under Terry Neill and Don Howe, some success returned when Arsenal set another record, reaching the FA Cup final in 3 successive seasons. Only the middle visit to Wembley, in 1979, was triumphant, a thrilling last minute 3-2 victory against Manchester United. The following season saw cup heartbreak when Arsenal lost the FA Cup final to West Ham, and 4 days later the European Cup Winners Cup final to Valencia on penalties.
Success became more habitual once again during the George Graham era. After Graham took over in 1986, Arsenal won six major trophies in the next eight years. A League Cup triumph in 1987 was built upon, and in 1989 the league championship returned to Highbury after an 18 year absence when Arsenal pipped Liverpool to the title on goals scored. In the most exciting finish to the league season ever witnessed in English football the final, deciding match at Anfield was won 2-0 with a now definitive last minute winner by Michael Thomas. Another championship followed two years later when Arsenal lost only one league game and conceded just 18 goals in 38 matches.
Arsenal's Premiership history - 1992 to the present
In the Premiership's inaugural year 1992-93, still under Graham's stern control, Arsenal again made history by becoming the first team ever to win both domestic cups in the same season, Sheffield Wednesday the unfortunate victims on both occasions. Arsenal came from behind to win the Coca Cola Cup 2-1, and eventually also won the FA Cup, winning the replay by the same score with a last minute extra time winner from Andy Linighan. The following year an ambition for further European success was fulfilled by winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in Copenhagen. Graham's workmanlike side were underdogs against the star-studded Parma of Italy, but defended doggedly for much of the match to carve out a trademark 1-0 win with Alan Smith's winner.
However, despite the cup successes with what at the time was regarded as an ageing team, Arsenal's league results during the first 3 years of the Premiership were distinctly ordinary, and following the Rune Hauge bung affair Graham was disgraced and sacked in the middle of the 94-95 season. Under the temporary stewardship of Stewart Houston, Arsenal did manage to reach the Cup Winners Cup final for the 2nd successive year, but lost in the final seconds of extra time to the Spanish team, Real Zaragoza.
The period 1995-1997 turned out to be transitional and somewhat turbulent. Bruce Rioch was installed as manager in June 1995, but after guiding Arsenal to UEFA Cup qualification with a 5th place finish in the league and significantly signing Dennis Bergkamp, he was inexplicably sacked in August 1996 just days before the new season was due to begin. The sanity and motives of the Arsenal board were questioned, but eventually the Frenchman Arsene Wenger was confirmed as Arsenal's new manager at the end of September. He quickly impressed the Arsenal faithful by the calm and assured way he took control, and without making any major changes (apart from introducing the majestic Vieira) took Arsenal to 3rd in the league, and qualification for the UEFA Cup again, by the end of the season.
The following season, 1997-98, he made history by winning the double for the second time. With some astute close season signings from abroad he revitalised and reforged the team, apart from the astonishingly enduring defence. The new faces took time to bed in, and the early part of the season reached a low point with a UEFA Cup 1st round exit at the hands of PAOK Saloniki, but the ultimate result was an exhilirating and irresistible late season surge. At one point in January 13 points behind Manchester United, Arsenal eclipsed their rivals in the title run-in to clinch their first Premiership (and 11th league) title with 2 games to spare. The second half of the double, the FA Cup, was acheived with a comfortable 2-0 win against Newcastle at Wembley in May.
The team almost performed similar heroics the following season, but this time fell just short, losing unluckily in FA Cup semi-final extra time to Manchester United, and missing out on the title to the same deadly rivals by just one point. In a sign of times to come, a reserve Arsenal side played in the Worthington cup, losing heavily in the 4th round to Chelsea. The Gunners also disappointed in the Champions' League, failing to get beyond the group stages as self inflicted woes cost them dear.

Arsene Wenger

Wenger to stay or go?

There are many rumors about Wenger leaving at the end of the season. People are saying he has lost the touch and should give way to someone younger and with more energy. HOWEVER, personally, I believe the Professor is the one to lead the team out of this valley for the past 2 seasons.

There are 4 great managers (love them or hate them) for the top 4 teams in the EPL. Based on trophies and Final appearances, I think only Fergie comes close to Wenger. Just look at the list below for Wenger’s track record for the past 10 years.

97-98 Double98-99 Nothing achieved. Rebuilding99-00 UEFA Cup Final (Lost)00-01 FA Cup Final (Lost)01-02 Double02-03 FA Cup (Won)03-04 An unbelievable season with 0 Losses.04-05 FA Cup (Won)05-06 CL Final (Lost)Mourinho and Benitez does not have a track record to match our gaffer although I admit they have proven themselves in their own countries.
The next reason was cash! What was given to Wenger when manure had pounds and pounds of money? What was given to Wenger again when Chelsea became Chelski? More recently, as Liverpool receives the bounty from the American owners, What is given to Wenger? He had peanuts and spare change and HE alone kept us in the race for title.

It is worth mentioning that until the coming of Abramovich it was Manure who were winning trophies above all the other clubs in England as they flaunt their financial power. Only Wenger was able to pull off upsets during the years of Manure domination.
In addition, I am full of admiration for Wenger’s skill in discovering talent for the club. He has dug out gems like Henry, Viera, Fabregas, Toure, Freddie, Pires, Petit, Overmars, Edu, Berkamp and many others from near obscurity or established team and guided them in Arsenal. All players coming to Arsenal have developed their skills and I dare say they have become better from the day they come to the day they leave or retire from the club.
Let's take a balanced view. Wenger had a bad season because of a lack of funds, bad luck with injuries, adapting to a new home, lost of key midfield players and the lost of his inspirational Skipper. I will bet my last dollar that Wenger will bring us back next season, stronger, fitter and hungrier!

Nicknames for Arsenal Players

Have anyone wondered how did the different nicknames for the players come up? Does it always fit or is it a figment of some smart Aleck's imagination?

Lets start with our club's players. The one nearest to nature must be the BEAST (a.k.a Baptista). He was so named as he supposed to have played as fierce and strong as a beast. So far, the beast is just a beast. Clumsy and sad to say, not up to the mark.

Fab (a.k.a) Fabregas was brilliant at the start of the campaign. He strung passes around like a wizard and was instrumental in our good runs. However, as the season went by and the games piled up, Fabulous Fabregas was overworked and his young body was worn out.

TH 14 is a close nick for our Captain Sensational Henry. He is sensational and number 14 is his shirt number. BUT, with too many games, his body was reduced to bits by injuries. With him gone, our season went up in smoke too.

Copperfield is what some of my friends called our beloved Keeper. One moment he is brilliant and the next, he has done his disappearing act. There is really nothing more to add except that lehmann is really as baffling as David Copperfield.

RVP (a.k.a Robin Van Persie)is a short form sort of nick for our young raising Dutch star. Although the nick is his initials, someone has pointed out that somehow it reminds him of rest in peace. Funny way of looking at it.

No prizes for knowing why Big Ade is the nick for Adebayor as the beanpole strikers stand head and shoulders above most Arsenal players. (except opposition defenders). The professor is the nick for our beloved Wenger and rounding up the list, the whole team and any Arsenal Fans are collectively known as the Gunners and impolitely the Gooners! I wonder who came up with the latter one.

Cheers......

Soccer Players' Blogs

Soccer Players Blogging

Anyone ever wondered if soccer players truly blog online? For those uninitiated, a blog is an on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal or public life.

One day, I was curious and did a search on google. There were many blogs on players by ordinary folks and there were blogs on soccer clubs, major soccer tournaments and soccer events. There was just No blogs by players. Correction, there was just only one player’s blog from a particular Brian Ching. Yes, right. Brian Ching who? Apparently, he is a national player for the US team. Now, how many of us can honestly cross our heart and raise our hands and say we know this guy? Probably just a handful of US citizens.

I was wondering if Google search engine had failed this time round, so I turned to yahoo. I was still disappointed as the returns were similar. Similarly Zero. Soccer players just do not blog…..

I dug further and thought maybe other sports personal also did not catch on with this global phenomenon of blogging. I typed in “Basketballer’s Blog” and low and behold, Mr Zero’s Blog pop up. Mr Zero is Mr Gilbert Arenas. He is the superstar of Washington Wizards in the NBA. I read through it briefly, but there was sufficient content to keep me interested. Although not very detailed in nature, the blog had a light hearted –ness to it and was very easy and enjoyable reading.

Anyway, back to the point. I wished we had more blogging done by our soccer stars. I would love to read about them from themselves personally. He will know what is true or what is false and how much more public he wants his life to be. He can give an insight to the nitty gritty and not so glamorous parts of his life.

However, one of my friends suggested that THAT Is Maybe why they prefer not to blog. They do not want to divulge personal details to the public. The public attention in the real life is already suffocating. Why add another dimension online? Another friend was less forgiving and commented that footballer don't blog because they do not have the brains to blog while another said that they simply do not have time

What do you think?

Why did we lose the way?

Dear Fellow Gunners,

Why did we lose our way this season? Many people gave many views and dimension on how we lost the plot. Some say Henry some say Fab while others were mumbling about crazy Lehmann and/or our youngsters' inexperience.

So What happened?

1) The youngsters' inexperience. We knew about this before the season started, but the Gaffar placed his faith in the team and felt that the older ones were able to lead them through. However, due to some unlucky injuries, Henry, Gallas, Ljungberg and Gilberto took turns being out of the team. While the most experience one (i.e Lehmann) remained crazy with his antics resulting in sometimes brilliance and sometimes despair.....

2) Major injuries to our goal getters. Between Henry and RVP, i figured we lost about 4/5 of our possible goals scored if they are out. And how long they are out? probably 1/2 or more of the season. You do the maths. The basic rule is if you dont score goals, you dont win games.

3) Lack of confidence. A lot of our players thrived on confidence. The more games we win, the more confidence we have and the more likely that we would steamroll the opposition. Take a look at Hleb and Rosicky. These 2 players are really on song once they score a goal or provided an assist. The look, the swagger and the cross over dribbles are out of this world once they have the confidence. Ditto the reverse.

4) Overworked playmaker. Cesc Fabregas is only 19. He is the team's official playmaker but he has played more games than his body can take it. In fact, it seems that he has played more games than any other Gunner in the team for the past 2 years. He has also played in the World Cup games.

5) NO big signings. I know this is very debatable for many people but somehow a big signing seems to lift the team to greater heights. There is no one in the past 2 years. Wenger has refused to pay big money for a big player. And when he does get interested, there is always a United or Chelski that had more money to pay...

That in a nutshell is why we failed this season...

Lets wait for the next one...

Go Gunners!

Arsenal vs West Ham - the aftermath

The after math:.....
I am now very sure that Robert Green prays to some God up there. Not sure which God, but this God was very powerful today.

We had shots from all angles. We had a sure goal header by Adebayor saved by Green's left hand, a long range screamer by Fabregas that beat Green but somehow hit the cross bar. In addition, we had Gilberto screwing a shot somehow onto the post when it was easier to score (related to Green's God?) and Aliadiere had the whole post to shoot but he opted to shoot the ball at the side netting. (related to Green's God?)

It was an amazing show of shooting profligacy! In total, there was 30 shots from our team with no goals to show for it. To rub salt into injury, there was a couple of lousy shots from the Hammers. In all, Lehmann make one proper save and was beaten by an offside goal. Even my grandma with her poor eyeside could read that offside.

In conclusion, the Hammers really had someone looking after them from above. After this, they will go on and beat the drop.

What a dismay result.....

Who will qualify for the Uefa Cup from the FA Cup?

If Watford and Blackburn lose their respective semi finals to manure and chelski, which team will qualify to the UEFA cup?

Will Watford and Blackburn have a play off?

Some one pls advise. Thanks....

Top signings suggestions

As the season draws to an end, I guess many of us are thinking of who will sign and who will go and who will retire or who will be loan out again etc etc.... What will the team look like in the new season? Will we be disappointed or delighted?

Lets talk about possible signings first...
1) Franck Ribery ending our wide-man woes. He is the man to be the next Pires. Besides the fact that he is French, i guess he can score more goals than our misfiring bunch of midfielders. Ribery has already show us what he can do in the World Cup. So Lets take up the check book and sign the guy!


2) Upfront: Carlos Tevez
Why? Because we need to sign one OUTSTANDING player...

Julio Baptista best position will be an attacking midfielder. He does not have the first touch to lead the front line but he can be a good come from midfield player to snap up the chances.

Sad to say Jeremie Aliadiere is a disappointment...

Walcott is still young and I hope to see him more in a winger position so that he can develop confidence to take on players and see the whole picture in midfield. He is a raw diamond in the making... no doubt a good one..

Nicklas Bendtner is also highly promising but I am not sure he will be able to make the grade next season. He is doing well out on loan at Birmingham this season but the fact that he is in a division with the likes of Jamie Cureton, Gregorz Rasiak, Stevie Howard, Chris Iwelumo, Alan Lee etc... he might still need one more season to be able to contribute positively in the Premier League.


That is why we need Carlos Tevez. He has taken his time to settle down at West Ham, but now that he is settled in, he is showing why he is so highly rated. He has already scored and created a few goals to give the Hammers a ray of hope in the relegation fight.

Tevez captained Corinthians to the Brazilian title and won the 2004 Olympic Golden Boot with six goals in four games. Tevez is quite a tough character and is clearly taking over leadership to bring the Hammers to safety. He Has HEART.. and clearly this is what we need in the Gunner's team now. if we get him now, we can nurture him to be the next SUPER star in the soccer world.

3) Ronaldino - No more need to explain why we need him. :)

4) One great Keeper ( To be identified...)

With this 4 new additions and our defence staying fit, we will win at least a couple of title next year...

:)
GO Gunners!!

Ronaldino for Arsenal

A local newspaper has reported that Ronaldino is interested to play for Wenger in a bid to improve himself as a player. He sees the Professor as the man to guide his career to the next stage.

Although Dino (nickname for him from his loyal fans) maintains that he is happy and enjoying himself at Barcelona, there remains a lingering flame to join the EPL to prove that his tricks are not just for show. Dino wants to be able to rub shoulders with players like Henry and Gilberto as they are good friends via their Nike commitments and National duties respectively. He also wants to be show that he is able to handle the cold, hard defending of the British style and run rings around John Terry or Rio Ferdinard.

However, there are whispers that things are not so positive for the talented playmaker. Rumor has it that the Barcelona camp is divided by jealousy. Dino is not happy with certain team mates performance and vice versa. Being a person who is all about friendship and fun, the pressure is making it an unpleasant place for him to stay.

This is good news for the Gunners as we desperately need a STAR player to share the weight of expectations with Henry. With Gilberto ,Toure and Gallas providing support and some of the younger ones (RVP, Theo, Fabregas and Djourou) coming of age, the Gunners might finally be able to challenge for the league title.

Unhappy Flamini

Mathieu Flamini has admitted a lack of first-team opportunities could force him to buy out the final year of his contract and leave Arsenal. He is unhappy that he is playing so few games even though there is a string of injuries to the starting line up. The defensive midfielder was recruited by the Gunners from Marseille in the summer of 2004, but has failed to secure a regular place in the club's starting eleven.

The 23-year-old is now in competition with a clutch of young midfield talent brought through by manager Arsene Wenger, such as Cesc Fabregas, Abou Diaby and Denilson. 'The next three years will be important for me,' Flamini told L'Equipe. 'I want to play, to go to the next level. The Arsenal team is young, it has quality, but I am not playing as much at the moment. It isn't easy to live like this and I am in a situation where all players ask themselves questions.' 'I am coming to the end of the cycle. I have just spent three years at Arsenal and my lawyer has told me that I could leave in June. For that, I must pay the final year's salary to the club.'

Flamini's stock rose earlier this season when he was drafted into the France squad by coach Raymond Domenech for February's friendly against Argentina. His versatility came to Arsenal's rescue last season when he played at left-back in the absence of the injured Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy. He proved a key player for Wenger in the Gunners' run to the Champions League final. However, he lost his place to Cole for the showpiece against Barcelona, who ended up winning 2-1. To add insult to injury, Cole left the Gunners for Chelsea. Flamini was then reported to be fuming over his exclusion in preference to Cole. This is despite his previous contribution.

Personally, I hope Flamini stays and prove his worth. We already need whatever experience possible. If we lose him, the team is even younger than before.

Go Gunners!