yeah, we are in sync....... a 3-0 thrashing of Fulham on saturday was a beautiful icing to my anniversary celebration.
:)
Ade got both goals with his heading skills and rosicky added the last one after some beautiful moves by the team.
Watch out ppl, the gunners are back!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A New Year: 2008
I felt that the year 2007 flew past in a flash. not sure what i did but it seemed like i got married, i started and finished? a project, i stayed in Germany like half the time, i moved housed and what else did i do?
in between, Arsenal climbed to the top of the BPL and stayed there for a long long time...
And as I approach 2008, i cant help having the same feeling that the circle is repeating itself. Am I too engrossed, too busy to think and plan my life properly? What is the road ahead? and Where does it lead?
confused 'old' man.....
in between, Arsenal climbed to the top of the BPL and stayed there for a long long time...
And as I approach 2008, i cant help having the same feeling that the circle is repeating itself. Am I too engrossed, too busy to think and plan my life properly? What is the road ahead? and Where does it lead?
confused 'old' man.....
happy Birthday to me...
Well, another year passed and i am now at the grand old age of 32.
A big thank you for my wife for arranging a very nice dinner celebration for me on the exact day of 14 Jan. Romantic and wonderful dinner. Thanks Dear! I totally love it.
Must also thank my family for always being there for me.
And not forgetting those friends who celebrated with me on the sat before. Love you guys....
And HAPPY Birthday to Junita Tan ping ping who is born on the same day as me!
:)
Monday, December 31, 2007
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!
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!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
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 $$$.
For the record, 4-4-2 in December is quite cool with an interview with MR Wenger on his views on many things. It includes a very funny picture of Wenger in his playing days. hahahaahaha...
Though not much, remember to grab your magazines in Malaysia to save some $$$.
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!!!
Have faith.
Go Gunners!!!
Monday, December 17, 2007
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
(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
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