» The Gooner World

First of all, sorry for being so away from here recently. Tough times, you know. I am all wrapped by university and that is why I am finding it difficult to find some spare time so I can write something new here.

Yet, the holidays are coming and you already know what it means. But the reason I am writing here is to tell you all the blog is under construction and we will be back very soon with a new looking and daily articles!

Until there, do not forget to back our charity roots by clicking a Google link on the right bar.

All the best,
The Gooner World Crew.

The word 'fan' comes from 'fanatic', I guess you know that. Defition of 'fanatic' according to the Oxford Dictionary:

Noun: informal a person with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby.
Adjective: filled with or expressing excessive zeal.

And when even some fans were writing us off, Arsenal do it again. I am not referring to the pundits, because we already know they are cunts. I am referring to the bunch of glory hunters who were not expecting us to win. If you do not expect your team to win, so do you really think you are a true fan? If you say you love Arsenal but do not have faith on your very own club, so, I am sorry, there is something wrong with you. True fans, no matter what, when and where, we are always singing our hearts out, doing what we are supposed to do.

It seems we like to play when we are considered the underdogs. I said before: that was just the most perfect time to prove ourselves, to show the whole world we are able to achieve big things. Captain Fabregas was probably keen on making history by beating the leaders at their very own turf, and he did it. After two humilliating losses, we emerged from the ashes. Yes, I feel like Arsenal are like a phoenix, beucase, in fact, we were dead after those two losses and, most importantly, after the incidents regarding the friendship of the group. And then Wenger appoints a boy as captain, and when we were praying for him to shoulder the pressure, he responds by beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

I woke up feeling a bit strange today. I did not eat my breakfast, I did not eat my lunch. I did not feel hungry, I did not even chat with my rommie: I was fully focussed, concentrated. I decided to leave home early so I could go walking to the Bridge, as I already live in Chelsea (believe me). As I arrived at the stadium, I felt very well because I knew I was not the only one believing in our team. I was surrounded by some exemplar Gooners who, even after the own-goal kept singing their hearts out and backing the lads. Now, being a bit unbiased, we looked very poor during the first 45 minutes. We lacked a playmaker, someone who could link the midfield with the attack. Song and Fabregas were fully committed to defending, and that made Denilson and Nasri our two options, but they are not player like Hleb, who is gifted with superb ball control and great vision. We missed someone with this function today. Denilson had a deplorable perfomance today, both defesively and offensively. He was not effective in the back and nor upfront as he had good chances to kill the game with long shots and he just messed they up.

The second-half begun and Chelsea were again superior. They were outplaying us and despite of the fac that the heat of the game did not let me think properly, I realised something should be done quickly. And then, something did change: the spirit of the players. I will not be able to explain what happened, but suddenly they looked more confident and that made them feel more comfortable on the pitch. And then, thanks to a rare chance upfront, Adebayor found an offside van Persie, who broke into the box and fired to the net. 1-1. But then, the game was not drawn. We were excited, we were not looking afraid as we did during the first-half. And then, when we regained our winning spirit, the spirit every single Gunner must have, van Persie dominated the ball with his chest, turned his body around and scored, courtesy of a fantastic finish. What a comeback. Then, sorry, I can not go any further as I went crazy. I turned to the Chelsea fans, said some bad words I can not say here, and then waited for the final whistle. One thing I would like to highlight: again, like we did against United, we defended very well the result. The Tottenham drawn is totally behind us and the team is more mature, that is clear.

Adebayor is really fabulous, is not he? He had an immense contribution on both goals. Robin van Persie. Wow. He may be arrogant, but who cares as long as he keeps scoring such decisive goals? Our captain, oh, Fabregas, what an exemplar committed player. He was a fighter, essential in the midfield, marking, blocking, shouting, creating. I am proud of him. Clichy had finally a decent game, a solid perfomance with good runs that created some problems to Chelsea. Anyway, today is not a good day to judge anyone as even Bendtner was crucial when he came on. He was mature enough to win some important balls and break the high tempo of the game thanks to his strenght and pace. To sum up: we played like a team. Every single player was crucial and they do deserve to be praised as they went to the Bridge shouldering a hell of pressure and managed to beat the favourites to win the title.

This is the kind of game in which you discover many things. I am completely sure that, from now on, we will be the Arsenal. I opted not to leave the Bridge early so I could enjoy the image of the players hugging themselves, celebrating, feeling happy with each other. Our lack of consistency was down to the lack of self-belief. The Man United game was at our very own turf, but now we defeated Chelsea at their own fortress, place that they were unbeaten for three years until they hosted Liverpool.

Now things will be different, believe me. We not only regained our morale, but we did regain our respect. So, our opponents should better fear us as the good old Arsenal are back.

It is very, very wasy to support a team when it is winning, playing beautiful football and topping the table. True fans are recognised the worst the situation is. Think about that. You are the next, Liverpool. Arsenal forever.

Seriously, I do not know what is going on at North London.

Gallas may have crossed a few lines, but the real problem lay on Arsenal itself. The whole team is making noise when it is still not necessary. We have been pointing at ourselves, blaming anyone as soon as we drop some points. Is it really necessary to come up to the press and make our very own problems public? Why did not Liverpool did the same thing last year, when they had a very poor start of season? Even the Chelsea of Avram Grant had a few disappointing results during the first semester, but at the end of the day they almost stole the trophy from Man United.

It is not the end of the world not to be amongst the big four. It is not the end of the world not to qualify for the Champions League. Everything we fans want is to see our lads playing with pride, honour, commitment and ambitions. I reiterate: I do not mind whether we lose or win, everything I want is the Gunners to fight until the very last second, to show they really care about the club. Should we lose, I want them to say: 'we gave our best', then everything is fine.

But unfortunately that is not happening. I remember the way I felt as soon as Jenas scored the equaliser at the Emirates. It was not angry, not even disgrace. I was feeling sorry for the club I love. I felt disappointed, devastated, because I thought the lads deserved to win and everything went against him. That was a pity. But apart from that, things are different. I can not remember when was the last time our players looked clearly sad on the pitch. And that is the thing to blame.

Now that our season is ALMOST back on track, It's time to worry and look at our old problems again which can be decisive for our season and matches to come. 
We played 4-5-1 against United, and had two defensive midfielders in the form of Denilson and Diaby, with Cesc in the attacking role, and so our midfield covered up a lot of ground. 
But with the impressive form of Vela, or the return of Persie and Ade, we have to revert back to the traditional 4-4-2 Arsenal line up, and things in the center of the park are certainly not good for Arsenal in that formation because in the 4-4-2 we just have one player to partner Cesc in the middle of the park, and who is that one player? I have no clue. I am sure the gooners don't either.Is it Song? Is it Denilson? or is it the impressive Diaby? 
Wenger in a recent article stated that he has Song and Denilson for that role and did not mention Diaby's name, which was a big disappointment for gooners, me in particular, because Diaby's rating would always be higher as compared to our other options.
The center of the park has been a big problem for us since Flamini's departure. 
It's november, we still don't have a proper partner for Cesc, and we surely need someone here or we are in for some serious trouble. 
Lets look at our options.

Denilson

partner Cesc. Despite a few good assists and goals, he could not live up to the hype and was sloppy a lot of times. 
As the season went on, Denilson got more opportunities and he wasn't as good as expected, He lost the ball at times, mis placed a lot of important passes and his attacking traits made Cesc stay back. 
Now Arsene claims that Denilson has had a "fantastic" season in the middle of the park but a few gooners think differently and feel that Denilson is not the right option for Cesc. He has been effective at times and very costly at times as well.

Now option no 2.

ALEX SONG

The cameroon international had a fantastic African Cup of nations. He was one of the best cameroon players, and was also included in the "African Cup of nation best 11".
Alex Song was also one of Arsenal's best players in the carling cup last season with very impressive performances in the defense. A lot of hype was around Song as well after his return to the team. Alex Song impressed late into the 07-08 season when he put up impressive performances against the likes of United and looked assured but since the start of 08-09 season, He hasn't looked like the same player we saw in the Carling Cup and the African cup of nations though. He has been given time on the pitch and hasn't been much effective. At times he's very solid with his tackles, but at times he's out of sorts, and sleeping on the pitch. Wenger says Song has a great future, but in all fairness he hasn't been a flashy player up till now, and this is definitely not the time where we actually "test" different players? , We need someone who can assure Cesc of doing the dirty work behind him which would lead to Cesc getting more offensive. And some Gooners think that man is not Alex Song and cannot be Alex Song. 

Then comes option 3 (the favorite).

Abou Diaby

Abou Diaby, often known as the next Patrick Vieira is the favorite among the options for the gooners. Abou Diaby was always destined for the CDM role but was forced to play at different positions, notably LW due to Flamini's emergence. 
Injuries and other problems led to Diaby getting less opportunities and gave him a less chance to prove himself. Before the season, everyone was assured that Diaby will be the man to partner Cesc if Wenger does not sign a new midfielder, but his injuries costed him the opportunity. 
Diaby returned for the first time this season in the game against West Ham and immediately caused impact creating a good assist for Walcott with less time to show his qualities. Then, Wenger started Diaby in the starting line up against Fenerbache and Diaby was definitely the MOM. Diaby was all over the place, let it be his tackles, long legged skills, or holding up the ball, he was just amazing. He scored a pretty decent goal himself and his work rate was very impressive. Just what was the missing part of the puzzle as per that one performance. Diaby's confidence was high, and then Diaby got his start in the league against United, and Diaby was once again very impressive. His work rate in the game was very good, and he looked very confident going against the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo and Carrick. But we still don't know how consistent Diaby is, it's just 2 games where he has impressed after his return, and he is an injury prone player. And from what i've seen in Wenger's recent articles, I've come up to the conclusion that Wenger is more into playing Denilson and Song in the CDM position and Diaby in more advanced positions. Though in my opinion, Diaby is the best possible option. 


That sums up our BEST POSSIBLE options for the CDM role, which can be decisive for our season, who in your opinion is our best option?
Has the little brazillian lived upto his hype?
Is the cameroonian international worth a start?
or is the next paddy the man to cause the impact?

And the kids do it again. They gave Wigan a proper football lesson on how to pass, finish, build up moves, even tackle. Wigan put up a full strength side (bar Heskey who was injured), so it was Premiership opposition.

1st half
Wigan started off 4-3-3, clearly looking for a win. Aggressive line-up & formation, but they didn’t put enough bodies in the box. Zaki was well handled by Djourou on the few occasions that Wigan looked threatening and Song had a solid game too.

In the first half, Ramsey & Randall gave the ball away too easily under no pressure and that was hugely disappointing. I was hoping that complacency wouldn’t hurt these kids, and that a 6-0 win in the earlier game didn’t have them thinking that this one would be any easier. Randall had a mixed game. He gave the ball away on quite a few occasions but also put in some tough tackles and distributed the ball well.

There was also too much space down the left which Wigan looked to constantly exploit. Kieran Gibbs was caught of position too often but it wasn’t only his fault. He got no defensive support from Merida, or either of the mid fielders in Ramsey & Randall and had a lot of area to cover as a result. Obviously he found himself out of position.

Kirkland made 4 top quality saves in the first half in the usual routine of keepers having a blinder against Arsenal. Merida played a beautiful through ball to Vela down the left who only had Kirkland to beat. Vela tried to round Kirkland, but it was saved well, then Vela took too much time off the rebound, and didn’t take a shot when he could have. The ball went out to Simpson on the right, who only took one touch before loosening off a shot, which went off the crossbar. Good effort.

The next chance came when a quality ball was played by Vela to Gibbs who had made a good run down the left. Gibbs took a shot, instead of passing to Simpson who was clear in the box, but it was a good save from Kirkland who made himself big.

There was a free kick taken by Ramsey taken fromm about 30 yards which was going into the top right corner, but it was tipped wide by Kirkland.

A beautiful curler from Vela which was going into the top left corner was saved by Kirkland, again. Kirkland looked in pain, and it looked his back was bothering him, but that didn’t affect his performance.

Then came the goal. The ball was held well by Wilshere in between 2 Wigan mid fielders, sucked in the 2 central defenders as well, while taking his time before playing a beautiful through ball down the middle in open space. That left only the Wigan full backs to deal with the ball, but both Vela and Simpson had made runs, Simpson getting to the ball and finished excellently with his 1st touch. Deserved lead for Arsenal.

Defensively, there were a few moments of concern. Fabianski looked good, I like his aggressive side, he always looks to come off his line and command the box. His judgment was suspect a couple of time, but I like his attitude and his judgment will improve with time. He has the potential to be much better than Almunia (and I’m a fan of Almunia, so…..:)

Wigan didn’t defend their corners very convincingly and didn’t clear the lines very well. If Arsenal had a stronger physical presence, they could have made Wigan pay more heavily in the 1st half from set pieces.

2nd half
Wigan started off the 2nd half with more purpose and determination. They attacked the ball, harried Arsenal in possession and looked a lot more lively. Song was casual in possession and had the ball taken away near the box which was bad, but he made up for it later with a crunching tackle to win the ball.

Then came the turning point of the game. There was a throw in and the ball was flighted into the Arsenal box. Djourou jumped and attempted to head the ball away, but for some bizarre reason, stuck out his hand. The ref didn’t see that and Arsenal were very lucky to get away with it. A penalty at this stage could have changed the whole complexion of the game.

Ramsey then found himself with the ball, but 4 defenders crowded him giving him no space. None of them tackled him, so Ramsey took his time, waited for Gibbs to make his run down the left and played an excellent through ball. Gibbs' effort was saved well again by Kirkland.

Wigan had a corner which was punched out by Fabianksi, Ramsey played the ball long to Vela, who made a fantastic run down the left and Arsenal were on the counter attack. Vela waited for the keeper to commit, and passed the ball right to Simpson who calmly slots the ball into the net with a defender on the line. Superb counter attacking move, reminiscent of the invincibles ! 2-0.

Djourou then played a good ball to Vela down the middle, with Bramble harrying him, but Vela beat him to the ball and chipped Kirkland from the edge of the box – goal no.3 ! Arsenal had this match well sewn up.

Wigan’s body language had dropped soon after Arsenal’s 3rd and didn’t threaten much. Time for a few substitutions – Lansbury and Bischoff came on for Wilshere (candidate for man of the match) and Simpson (who had a very good game). There was too little time for Bischoff to make an impression, although Lansbury had a couple of good runs down the right.

There was another brilliant move in store for Arsenal, with Merida getting the ball down the left, and lobbing the ball in for an excellent Vela run. His first touch was just slightly heavy which made it easier for Kirkland to make the save. But another excellent effort from the young gunners. Vela was to come off and he looked injured, he was replaced by Rui Fonte.

Late on, De Ridder (Wigan’s best payer of the night) went through 4 Arsenal defenders, with a magnificent run that deserved a goal. However, Fabianski saved well from De Ridders effort. The rebound fell to Zaki, who had an open goal but Fabianski recovered fabulously to tip the ball onto the underside of the bar which was then cleared by Djourou. Top notch save, and the best of the night to ensure that Arsenal kept a clean sheet and wrapped up a well deserved win.

Wilshere is a class act, the more I see of him, the more I am continually impressed. He held onto the ball well, picks his passes precisely, has wonderful vision and good feet. He also defends well, and cannot be bullied off the ball. All excellent signs for the Arsenal. Merida is also excellent offensively, his vision for a pass is sometimes reminiscent of Fabregas but he needs to track back more often to help out his left back. Ramsey and Randall had a good game overall, although they surrendered possession too easily for my liking at times. Ramsey had some good moments to display his class, going forward.

Hoyte had a good game as well, defensively solid and looks to attack. Gibbs had an excellent game offensively, but he has to improve his positioning marginally. Song and Djourou (apart from the handball) had good, solid games. They did their job well without any fuss and put in a professional shift at centre back. Fabianksi had an outstanding game and I really look forward to seeing more of him in future.

Vela is a class act and showed that today with his finish, a beautiful chip over Kirkland. He has excellent pace, a very good 1st touch, and also had an assist for the 2nd goal. He made good runs down the left, didn’t hesitate to move back to get the ball and had a good night overall. Simpson had an excellent game. Before this, I wasn’t hugely impressed by Simpson and had doubts over his quality to remain at Arsenal. Well, not if he continues to perform like he did. He also has good pace and troubled the Wigan defence with his pace and physical presence. Good finishing as well.

Overall, an excellent outing for the Gunners. Pleasing, passing football and Wigan were out played. These kids made me proud, as they uphold all that is good about Arsenal FC. I’m looking forward to the quarter final as always. I hope Tottenham beat Liverpool (the 1st time in my life that I’ve wished for a Spurs win) as we owe them one, big time, for last season.

I always leave my home something about two hours before the kick-off, so I can get into the mood, drink a pint of lagger while chatting with some other Gooners and make the most of what is my favoutire hobbie. Anyway, today I decided to leave even earlier. You know, it is not always that we host Manchester United, especially after being defeated by Stoke City and held by Tottenham and Fenerbahce. That would be a crucial match, and that is why, despite of the kick-off at the lunchtime, I arrived at the Emirates just after the breakfast. I was so nervous, I could not even eat or drink anything, I just wanted to go to the Emirates, to be under the superb atmosphere of such an important derby.And as the match started, I preferred not to predict anything. Arsenal looked as nervous as me. And though we were not missing passes, we looked clumsy and United were pressing us by quick attacks on the wings. Ronaldo was completely unmarked and that was killing me. But suprinsingly, we were being effective defending. We were winning aerial balls, delivering good passes, creating good chances and though we were lacking some concentration up front, I realised the lads were doing well, especially handling the pressure very well.And by the half of the first-half, Fabregas took a set piece from the right wing, crossing the ball to the box. We failed to net the ball with a header, but luckily the ball ricocheted on Berbatov's head and stopped on Nasri's feet. The Frenchman turned his body quickly and fired. One-nil Arsenal. Actually, that was a strange situation. We are used to bounce back, we are used to comeback from behind, and taking the lead was something pretty unusual. Yet, that was a derby. And derbies are about heart and nothing else. And then we dominated the game until the half-time.


The atmosphere at the Club Leve inside the Emirates was priceless. The Gooners were laughing and smiling at everyone. Yet, though I was in heaven by that moment, could not stop flashbacking Jenas' goal in my head. I shaked my head and headed to my seat for the second-half. I could barely remain on my seat as Samir Nasri received a sensational through ball by Fabregas and netted our second thanks to a superb finish. Two-nil to the Arsenal! That was so good to be true. The Gunners and the Gooners looked like only one. Our souls were bounded and that is why we defended that well. By the end of the game, Wenger decided to bring Song and Toure on, and then I did not know what to think. Some people say that the same attitude let Tottenham equalise in the very last second, and that is why I preferred not to say anything, just keep singing my heart out. We kept all whole team behind the ball, inviting Man United to come and bomb our box with crossed balls. Before the 90-minute mark, Rafael da Silva dominated the ball and fired. What a shot by the boy. 2-1, and if I flashbacked Tottenham during the half-time, it is needless to say that I had my hands over my heads by this moment.Anyway, I kept believing and singing. I would sing until the final whistle so I could be sure the game was finally over. But luckily Webb blowed the final whistle after the longest six minuted of my Gooner life. Arsenal 2 Man United 1. The same team that were beaten by Stoke City had just beaten the title holders.I am still shaking and still voiceless. I could not stop singing after the final blow, I stood there for more twenty minutes, singing, celebrating and enjoying the moment. Not that beating United should be consider an achievement, it was just that was the most perfect moment for bouncing back. I said that the game would be tricky, because I could not even think about what would have happened should we have lost.


It was a perfect perfomance. Almunia was brilliant. He finally punched some aerial balls, and that gave us the strenght we needed defending set-pieces. The clash against Carrick was just a proof of his involvement. He is a leader, one of our most experienced players, a symbol of Arsenal. And what to say about Gallas? Simply brilliant. He was as solid as never. He was brave, he was a true leader. Our pointing at something, screaming and giving orders. A true leader, a true captain. Clichy and Sagna were great defending and covering our wingers. Were effective on tackles and great making some good runs up front. Denilson had his best perfomance with an Arsenal shirt. Hw did not miss passes, was a warrior, fighting for every single ball. And that is why Fabregas was also fantastic. He was everywhere, addind his touch of brilliancy in our game. Theo had good runs, created some troubles for United, but had an off day, just like Bendtner, who had some good (but few) chances to kill the game. Yet, the name of the game was Samir Nasri. The pundits were already saying we miss Hleb, but now let me ask them: Hleb who?The most perfect time for such a victory. I can not remember a better day at the Emirates, and that is just what we were in desperate need of.The players were fantastic, the commitment was clear. We could smell the passion on the pitch and that is why that was a hell of a victory. I was sick of those cunty pundits writing us off. I was sick of those glory-hunter fans moaning and booing our players. Now they are all saying good words about them. Yet, I do not blame them. I just want them to know that we are the Arsenal. We are always fighting for the title. We are always fighting with pride and honour.


Hope you all remember this day when you feel pessimistic. Even without Toure, Rosicky, Eduardo, van Persie and Adebayor, we were good enough to beat the European Champions at their best form. Remember, please, we are not a small team. Remember that there is only one Arsene Wenger, and that, no matter what they say, we are by far the greates team the world has ever seen.

What a poor poor performance from Arsenal. Wenger said this would be the 2nd part of the reaction after last weekend’s game against Hull, and the team disappointed. The team lacked incisiveness, creativity and width. Song replaced Nasri in the starting 11 from the mid week CL game. The formation however was a strange 4-3-3, or 4-5-1 at times, with RvP out wide left, Denilson slotting in just inside him, Cesc & Song in central mid field, and Ade upfront. Sunderland learned from Hull City last weekend, started with a 4-5-1 with a plan to choke all the play in mid field, not give any space to Arsenal to play their passing game and it worked for large parts of the game. Clichy and Sagna were disappointing as they didn’t overlap and bomb forward, Sagna being defensively suspect having an off day.

Sunderland had more chances in the first half, the first of which came with Malbranque playing a nice through ball to Whitehead. Toure made a fantastic last ditch tackle to get the ball and clear the immediate danger. The first half chance for Arsenal came in the 12th minute, off a corner. RvP played the short corner to Cesc whose cross was headed wide by Song. Arsenal’s passing game seemed to be affected by the weather, with strong winds. The next Sunderland chance came off a poor backpass from Theo which was intercepted by Cisse. His shot was well saved by Almunia who has had some solid games in goal for Arsenal. Sunderland were keeping their shape well and were well-organised, it looked as if Keane had learned some lessons from Hull City.

The only other half chance in the half came off Theo’s cross from wide right which was palmed wide by Craig Gordon and then cleared by the defence. Arsenal created nothing else of note which was poor by Arsenal’s standards. On the break, Sunderland had a couple of chances. Cisse had a good run down the right, and he put in a good cross for Andy Reid, who found himself in acres of space on the left but couldn’t control his header.

The refereeing was a bit rubbish. He blew too often for fouls which spoiled the whole flow of the game, apart from frustrating both teams with bad calls for non-existent fouls. In total, there were 5 or 6 yellow cards dished out and there was not one rash tackle in the whole game.

The second half started off more promising for Arsenal, Wenger probably having a tough talk with the team. They looked sharper in possession, looking to build and create some attacking moves. But that was only for a period of 15 minutes, after which the fizz went out of Arsenal again. There was a corner from RvP which was headed wide by Ade. He did well to get to the ball, but the finishing could have been better. Then came the controversial moment of the game. Theo did well with a run down the right, and crossed from the byline into the 6 yard box which was put into the goal by RvP, making a good run. However, the linesman ruled that the ball went out of play before Theo crossed the ball. Replays were inconclusive on the subject. To me, it appeared as if the ball was still in play, but it was a very close call.

Arsenal made their substitutions, Bendtner and Nasri coming on for Theo and Denilson. The team looked to finally line up in the favoured 4-4-2 with RvP going wide left, Nasri going wide right, Bendtner and Ade upfront. Sunderland could have had more chances. Sagna did poorly and couldnt hold onto the ball from Almunia’s throw, when Reid challenged him. Cisse was in space on the right, but the cross was poor. The best chance of the game then went to Arsenal, the three strikers combining beautifully. Bendtner and Ade played a nice 1-2, and then Bendtner, from the edge of the box, played RvP into the penalty area with a nice looping ball in. RvP's point blank effort was saved well by Gordon. The closest Arsenal had come to scoring all day.

Then came the moment I had feared, a Sunderland goal. It was almost predictable, as Arsenal looked average all day and were always at risk of conceding a late goal to lose all 3 points. Leadbitter found himself in a bit of space, with Song not closing him down quickly enough. He let off a ripping shot on goal, and Almunia had little chance to block it. Sunderland up 1-0 and only had to hold on for a few minutes to earn all 3 points, deservedly so. Wenger then put on Vela for Song in an attempt to save a point. Incredibly it came in the 2nd minute of added time, RvP's corner met by Cesc, of all people. His first goal couldn’t have come at a better time for Arsenal. Arsenal were not satisfied with that and tried hard to get the winner, but there wasn’t any time to score that. Sagna’s cross was met by Ade with his hands up and he fouled Gordon for which he was deservedly yellow carded. So the game finished 1-1.

I thought Arsenal deserved nothing from that game and were fortunate to come away with even one point. A poor performance in general and the different formation (4-5-1, 4-3-3) didn’t help. When the team saw that Sunderland had blocked the mid field, the long ball route to Ade was not tried at all. There was no intelligence in the game, very little creativity and the full backs did not provide the additional option of width. This should count as points dropped by Arsenal, for the second week in a row. This team tends to blow hot and cold and certainly doesn’t look like challenging for the Premiership at this rate.

It was a much better performance from the Arsenal in response to the disappointment against Hull. Wenger only made one change (Nasri starting instead of Eboue), as if to make a point to all of us that he still had the confidence in the same players to do the job. And did they do it well. To be honest, I knew that the 11 against Hull was good enough, so it wasn’t a matter of ability or talent.

The game started off slowly for Arsenal. They looked to keep the ball and build their moves slowly. The Porto defence was well organized and they had put their side out in an attacking 4-3-3. There were 2-3 shots on goal initially for Arsenal. RvP made some space for himself outside the box and curled one in with his favourite left foot which was saved by the keeper. There was a beautiful through ball from Cesc into RvP down the right who managed to volley the ball into the ground and over the bar. There was a shot from Theo down the right, who had created his own space, which was tipped wide by the keeper.

The 2 best chances of the 1st 30 minutes came to Porto. They attacked well on the break and did so with pace. A good cross from the right was headed into the ground by Rodriguez which came off the bar. A good chance for Porto to go ahead. The next good chance came off a corner, the Arsenal defence not picking up the ball in the box. The ball was headed into the 6 yard box where 2 Porto players were unmarked, Lisandro almost scored but the ball was cleared off the line by Clichy. A close shave for Arsenal.

The first goal came on the 30 minute mark. A good ball down the right from Theo, who looked sharp in the 1st half, into the box to Adebayor. Ade took his time, waited for RvP to make his run into the box and crossed the ball from the by-line. RvP managed to poke it in with his left foot. The lead for Arsenal, finally. This was followed by a period of domination for Arsenal and the fear was that Arsenal would relax again. However, on 40 minutes, Arsenal won another corner, RvP swung the ball in nicely and Ade beat his defender to the ball, headed well and into the ground. It bounced into the goal. Arsenal now comfortably 2-0 ahead.

RvP linked up play well which was a sea change compared to Hull. He was willing to come back till the half way line to get involved, good to see. He looked constantly dangerous.
The 2nd half started off well for Arsenal, attacking the Porto goal. The ball rebounded off a defender on the right flank to Theo who passed the ball to RvP. RvP converted well with his left foot. The goalie should have done better but it was a decent finish from RvP, for his 2nd goal of the night. Arsenal 3 goals up.

Arsenal then won one of several corners, which was passed to Toure in the box. He crossed it to Theo who missed an open goal. He really should have converted that for the 4th of the night.
Almunia’s clearance was kept in play well by Sagna which resulted in a great run from Theo down the right. He managed to cross the ball into Nasri but the ball went wide off his thigh. Arsenal looked dominant now, and Porto had no answer.
Wenger made his 1st substitutions when Bendtner came on for RvP and Eboue came on for Nasri.

Cesc took one of his shots Cesc 30 yards, and goalie didn’t hold onto it. Ade tried to chip the rebound but couldn’t. Then came a good break from Arsenal, Theo once again, with the run down the right. His cross was deflected to Eboue off a defender, who passed to Bendtner. Bendtner was taken out from behind by Guarin for a clear penalty in the 70th minute. With RvP off the pitch, Ade converted the penalty for a 4-0 lead.

Theo was then replaced by Vela. Theo looked a constant threat down the right with his pace. His final product was sometimes disappointing, but his overall performance was very good. Arsenal still continued to attack. The build up was good, the ball was passed around nicely. Vela found himself into the box, created space for himself till he ran out of it, then passed it onto Bentner who took a shot into the defender. Porto briefly threatened in the 75th minute, but the shot was wide. The Porto side completely went to pieces in the 2nd half.

Cesc’ delivery from corners poor on the night as against Hull. I think this is still his pre-season as he doesn’t seem to be fully upto speed. Ade had a good game, looked lively, fully involved and finished well. There was a tremendous run by Bendtner into the box, then a beautiful pass to Ade who spurned a hat trick chance, by shooting just wide of the goal. Another chance created from beautiful work by Bendtner again, cut the ball into Vela who cut the ball back for Eboue. Eboue’s shot came off the keeper, who knew nothing about it. What a lucky save and Arsenal should have been atleast 5 or 6 nil ahead !

Bendtner looked really lively and was involved in almost every Arsenal chance after he came on. An absolutely commanding 2nd half performance from Arsenal, a half in which Porto didn’t turn up, to be honest. A solid result, to banish the memory of Hull, for the time being at least.

Well well, this was not the kind of match report I thought I would be writing. Although I expected a tough match from Hull, a defeat was certainly a shock, and certainly, the surprise result of the season so far. I expected a 2-1 result in favour of Arsenal as our defence looked a little suspect.

Arsenal made 11 changes expectedly, from the side that faced Sheffield United mid week with Denilson & Cesc starting off in central mid field. Arsenal started off well in the first 20 minutes, good passing movement and created some chances. Ade passed the ball to Cesc who shot wide from outside the box when he should have been on target. There was another move in which Eboue passed the ball to Cesc in the box who took the ball wide to the right, and instead of taking a shot, passed it to Gallas who then passed it to Ade. Welcome to the world of Arsenal J. To be honest, I would have preferred a few more shots on goal, as the keeper was never really tested in the 1st half.

Eboue had a good run down the left jinking past a couple of defenders, fired a good shot but it was deflected wide for a corner. Adebayor actually managed to score a goal from a good Sagna cross but he fouled a defender in the process. So the goal was disallowed. There was another good move down the left with Eboue getting the ball and should have taken a shot, but preferred to square the ball to RvP but the defender was the first to get to it.

The best chance fell to Theo, from an Eboue cross from the left flank. Theo should have tried to hit it first time with his left foot, but tried to take a touch with his right foot which was too heavy. The half ended with a a good run by Theo down the right, managed a low cross into Ade but good defending from Hull took the ball out for a corner.

Hull defended well, kept good shape after 20 minutes. There were no real chances for them and good defending from Gallas and Toure cut out the few promising moves. Cesc was off colour as were a few other players like RvP and Adebayor. The whole team looked off colour. Initially, Hull seemed to come out with a plan to kick Arsenal off the park. There was a foul on Theo, Eboue was hacked twice and Boateng fouled Cesc. The problem with these fouls was that there was no attempt to play the ball, and it was clear that the man was the target. Theo lost a bit of confidence due to the kicking and this will be an important lesson for the young lad. This showed up later in the half when Theo had a decent shot at goal but preferred to pass it to someone else.
The 2nd half started off better for Arsenal with an excellent run by Theo down the right, his pace really telling. He played the ball in across the 6 yard box which rebounded off Ade and then off Mcshane (I think) for an own goal. Arsenal then continued to put in some promising moves and attack Hull but none resulted in a goal.

Then, completely against the run of play, Geovanni was allowed too much time on the ball just outside the box, hit a sweet strike into the top corner. Almunia had no chance and it was a fantastic finish. That really seemed to lift the confidence of Hull, and from a corner, Cousin put Hull ahead into an unlikely lead. Gallas was at fault for this coz he completely lost his man. I’m extremely concerned about Gallas’ defending, this is not the first time that he has lost his man in the box and he needs to work on his game. Based on current form, Djourou should start ahead of Gallas.

After that, Arsenal pressed forward for an equalizer, but I thought the urgency was missing in the 70th minute. It was only as time progressed that the Arsenal side really sensed that they need to push things up. Wenger threw on Bendtner and Vela in an attempt to force the pace, but Hull defended extremely well.
There were a couple of Cescy shots from outside the box which produced good saves from the keeper. RvP hit wide from a good through ball from Toure. The best chance came off a corner which Gallas headed onto the crossbar, it came down and ricocheted off Vela for a goal kick.
On the whole, Hull deserved the 3 points, although a draw would have also been a decent result. They believed in themselves, had a game plan, kept their shape well even when they were put under tremendous pressure. There are a few questions that Arsenal need to answer. RvP was anonymous in the 1st half, although he came alive in the 2nd, as was Cesc. A disappointing result for Arsenal, and a good lesson for the team. They need to bounce back quickly from this, in the same manner as they did after the Fulham game.

This is something that I've been thinking about and has also been raised elsewhere: Should Wenger play the Carling Cup team for the FA Cup as well ? There are several reasons for this:

1. For some reason, Wenger doesnt priorise the FA Cup anymore. His main targets are the PL & CL, probably partially in acknowledgment that the squad isnt big enough to challenge on 4 fronts. Last season, Arsenal practically threw the game against ManU. Playing the kids will give the first team the rest they need, as I feel we're already a small squad. This will enable excellent rotation.

2. It will give these kids more of an opportunity to play together and heck, they have earned it. I'm not basing this solely on the 6-0 hammering of Sheffield, but the record over the past 3 years reads like this - semi final, final, semi final. Thats consistently good performances and all of them were pleasing ones as well.

3. It may be time to take Wenger's experiment to the next level. So far, the kids have consistently justified all the faith and confidence bestowed on them by Wenger, so you can argue that they have deserved the 'promotion', so to speak.

4. From a fans' perspective, I love to watch the kids play. I said this in my first post of the CC thread - I prefer to watch the CC rather than the FA Cup. There is an unbelievable amount of pride watching these kids passing the ball around, outplaying seasoned pros, playing the exact same way as the first team so there is no let up in the entertainment factor.

5. The CC may not be enough games for a team. Even if the team does well and reaches the semi-finals, its just 5 games in the season and one more, if we go through to the final. A lot of these youngsters need more competitive games under their belt, and perhaps, less of them will be sent out on loan if they get more games with the Arsenal. A few of these kids dont have any more competitive games to play in the 2nd half of the season.

6. There are some who believe that, instead of playing the complete CC team in the FA Cup, a few kids can be played alongside senior pros, to enable them to progress in a better manner. It will be a different experience for the kids and the extra experience on the pitch can help them.

7. An alternate view is that the presence of senior pros on the pitch might hamper the development of the kids, as they might feel inhibited by the seniors' presence. Kind of like the Henry situation, where the team would pass the ball to him and expect him to deliver instead of doing something with the ball themselves. That may have been a factor in the 5-1 defeat to Spurs in the CC last season, as pros like Gallas ad Adebayor played in that game.

8. In any case, I believe that the team will be equally competitive in the FA Cup, as there is a confidence that this team of kids can take on a lot of Premiership opponents. So we will not lose out on the chance to win the Cup. Personally, opposing teams are as competitive in the FA Cup as in the Carling Cup. If you look at the Newcastle & Blackburn sides we defeated last season in the CC, they were as good as their first team, meaning they would play that side even in the FA Cup. Our kids are good enough to take on whatever teams throw at us, including ManU and Chelsea.

Some of the views above (namely, pts 6 & 7) have been picked from a few forums online in order to supplement the original points which I thought of.

Take a bow, Arsene, take a bow! His philosophy of implicit trust and confidence in the Arsenal kids paid off with a comprehensive humiliation of Sheffield United 6-0 in the Carling Cup. What an awesome performance! When the team was announced, it consisted of several teenagers. In fact, at the final whistle, apart from Fabianski, the rest of the team were all teenagers. It was a fantastic vote of confidence in their abilities and the team did not let Arsene down.

The team lined up in their favourite 4-4-2 formation, with Song and Djourou at CB, Gibbs & Hoyte at full back, Ramsey & Randall as the central mid field partnership, Merida and Wilshere wide on the flanks and Vela and Bendtner up front. The first 20 minutes saw Arsenal settling down with their passing game. Mark Randall put in a couple of tough tackles and Ramsey looked comfortable in mid field. This team probably never played together, as it was a mix of a few first team players, reserve players and a few substitutes for the first team. However, it took only 31 minutes for the deadlock to be broken, Vela down the left and Bendtner combining well, with Bendtner curling the ball past Kenny into the right side of the net. A well deserved lead.

After that, it was Ramsey with a good run down the left, eventually crowded in the box with 3 defenders surrounding him, he managed to play a deft little back heel to Bendtner who finished off the chance with ease in the 42nd minute. Lovely play again from the Arsenal! Vela and Bendtner combined well for the 3rd soon after in the 44th minute, this time it was Bendtner with the assist and Vela finished off his chance well. It was 3-0 at half time, with Sheffield United not really testing Fabianski, apart from a couple of corners which he collected comfortably.

The 2nd half started off in the same vein, with Arsenal looking to extend the lead further. Gibbs played a long ball from left back and it was beautifully controlled by Vela with his shoulder, who then rounded the defender, waited for the goal keeper, Kenny to commit himself before chipping over him for his 2nd goal of the night. An audacious finish, and evidence of Vela’s confidence. Soon after, a corner was conceded by Sheffield in the 57th minute. It was taken by Merida and instead of crossing it into the box, it was played to Wilshere who was waiting a few yards outside the box, on the right. He took it well on his left foot and smashed it into the bottom corner. Arsenal were leading 5-0 and it was game over.

Fran Merida who had a good game, played a beautiful through ball down the right to Bendtner in the 64th minute, and he should have scored from an easy chance. He managed to put the ball just wide with the keeper beaten and no defender challenging him. A hat trick chance missed.
Arsenal looked really comfortable at this point and the intensity of the game reduced. The team looked to keep the ball, pass it around and not concede a goal which was important. Wenger made 3 changes in the 69th minute. Song came off with an injury (he landed awkwardly on his left foot while challenging for a header), Bendtner and Merida joining him. Their replacements were Henri Lansbury (normally plays mid field but played right back, I think), Jay Simpson (striker) and Francis Coquelin, the 17 year old French mid fielder.
The team still looked to attack with Coquelin looking sharp, and Lansbury had a shot on goal immediately. They contributed well to the build up. Jay Simpson had a couple of decent efforts on goal, but couldn’t convert any of them. Ramsey and Randall were controlling the game beautifully in the middle of the park. Sheffield had given up a long time back and were waiting for the final whistle.

In the 86th minute, Ramsey picked out Vela down the left who finished well again earning a well deserved hat trick. It was a solid, pleasing performance from the young gunners. The level of praise for each of them can never be enough. The team rarely looked like conceding a goal throughout the match, and always looked likely to score.

The full backs (Gibbs and Hoyte) had a good game. Whenever they had to defend, they tracked back. They overlapped very well with the wide players and were a constant attacking option down the flanks. The central defenders (Song and Djourou) were rarely troubled and dealt well with the occasional Sheffield attack. Fabianski had a couple of corners to deal with, but otherwise, was not called into play at all throughout the game. The central mid field partnership (Ramsey and Randall) was excellent. Ramsey looked real quality and the reason why Wenger paid 5M for him was on full display. He always looked to attack, had 2-3 assists on the night and his passing range was fantastic. I was also impressed by Randall, he showed a tough tackling side of him that I haven’t seen before, and the played the defensive anchor very well. Wishere and Merida were a constant attacking threat, combining well with the overlapping full backs. They preferred to cut in often and were not bullied off the ball.
The Vela Bendtner partnership is blossoming in full force. They looked good in pre-season, but they were simply fantastic on the night. They were both unselfish, setting up chances for the other and really seem to enjoy playing with each other.

Overall, an excellent performance. Its so pleasing to see the kids do well. On the evidence of this, Wenger could play the same team in the FA Cup as well, and progress far. It feels good to be a gooner.

The transfer window is finally over and now it is time to raise our heads and be fully committed to the season ahead.

-By Fuad Khan

When we take into account a club like Chelsea, we can clearly witness that Winning there, is taken as primary objective of the club or wait, let me rephrase it ; 'winning-everything' is primary but when we talk about Arsenal there is still some confusion as to what is primary for the club and what is secondary, winning or attractive play ? I for one feel that since football is more about entertaining than winning-the-game-at-all-cost, none are so special as the Gunners, who epitomize what the beautiful game stands for.. People may think that since Arsenal have won nothing for quite some years it is relatively easy to say that for Arsenal all that matters is playing stylish football.. When people say Arsenal have won nothing over the years, they are quite mistaken.. Through the beautiful game, Arsenal have emerged and developed an image of a World-Class team with a lot of potential.. Youngsters from any part of the world would be ready to join Arsenal's Youth Setup, a treat *for the neutrals* to see Arsenal play, great players regard Arsenal as the perfect embodiment of Beautiful Football.. Now if thats not an achievement, I don't know what is..

"When I Want To See Cabinets Full Of Trophies I Go To Madrid, Milan Or Manchester But When I Want To See 90 mins Of Pure, Magical and Spellbounding Football I Go And Watch Arsenal" - The Great Pele



When I say that Stylish play is primary for Arsenal, I don't really mean that Arsenal wants to play good football and winning doesn't matter to them. For a fan, thats not acceptable.. But the fact that some clubs value winning over EVERYTHING else is just not right.. I would rather prefer Arsenal playing some great and stylish football and not winning than actually winning by *parking the bus infront of the goal* =) With the very same entertaining-style Arsenal performs week in week out, it was a shame we ended up winning no trophies, but its not long when we have silverware in our hands.. It was more to do with luck than anything that saw Arsenal close their highly-entertaining season on a low..

In the end I just want to say that for all I care, we might not win anything this season aswell, but if they thrill me with the brand of football that they normally do, it's good enough for me.

The future is bright. The future is now. The future is Arsenal =)

Here is a quick one for instructions on watching games on the internet. I will expand this later to put in more information, tips and links as I familiarize myself again with the different softwares.

Lets start with some of the softwares which we can use to watch the matches. There is no need to create a account for most of these softwares as you can login as guest or annonymous to watch several channels including sports.

1) SOPCAST
You can download it here. Simply install it, login as anonynomous and you get a host of channels to choose from. Simply choose the one you want and wait for it to buffer.

2) TVAnts
You can download it here. Install it but you may not find a lot of sports channels in the software itself. You will find streams which require the software to view them on various websites. There is no login required for this software.

3) TVU PLayer
Download it here. Refer to the User Manual for more help on how to use it.

Most softwares are similar in function and only the interface changes. I will add more players and more details in the future.

Below are a few websites where you can find streams for watching games.
Myp2p , ChannelSurfing , LiveFooty , RojaDirecta , GoalTube

Some of the links you will find will require external softwares like the ones mentioned above to view them. Clicking on the link will automatically open the external software on your computer or request you to download the software. There are quite a few links which use Windows Media Player so you may be able to watch games without downloading any sftware if you find the correct links.

While at times some links can be viewed in the browser itself using software plugins and may prompt you to download plugins to watch without any external. The plugins nay be browser specific so please take care of the version you may be downloading. Some of the plugins used are

Flash Shockwave Player
Sopcast WebPlayer

You will ofcourse need a broadband connection to view these matches. A stable 256 connection should be good enough to find streams for most matches. Sometimes if you are lucky you will find streams which you can view on as low as a 64kbps connection, but those are very rare.

Thats it for now. Start searching those streams now!

Fantasy Premier League 08/09

Arsenal last season were on a roll up until February. The underdogs were on top of the world, denying every self proclaimed expert on their way to the top. But did their success in proving their critics wrong got to their heads?

Three crucial games that people talk about when discussing “What went wrong for Arsenal”? are usually the ones against Chelsea at the bridge, Liverpool at Anfield and United at Old Trafford.

I’ll start with the Liverpool game. Now to be honest, after Torres had scored the second goal for Liverpool, Arsenal were all over the pitch. Liverpool were clearly the dominant ones at that time and they looked as if they would run away with the game. Theo then ran away with their pride after opening them wide open and leaving it to Adebayor to put it in the back of the net.

As I saw it, Theo should have been the one who Adebayor should have thanked. Instead of doing that, Adebayor celebrates alone infront of the fans as if he was the one who had torn Liverpool apart. Everyone went to Theo, they were all over him (apart from from Adebayor ofcourse) Wenger on the other hand had only one thing in mind, the game was NOT won yet. There was time on the clock and he was shouting at his players to go back and focus on the game. And the consequences we all indeed saw. People would go on and on and on and on about whether it was a penalty or not a penalty. I would rather go and ask the players why the hell is Ryan Babel allowed a free run at the defense just SECONDS after kick-off. Why was he able to get in the penalty box in the first place? Why was he allowed such an advanced position immediately after restart. Plain lack of concentration. Gunners celebrated as if they had won the match. I know it was a breathe taking run, I know what it meant for them, for us and for Wenger. But that doesn’t mean that you keep on celebrating rather then focusing on the task at hand!

The loss to United at OT is where our title challenge finally ended. Now it is said that this was the game where it all ended for us and we faced the prospect of yet another trophyless season. But the important question here is WHY DID ARSENAL LET IT COME TO THIS? For me Arsenal lost it during the sequence of 4 draws and the defeat at the hand of Chelsea at The Bridge. Those games dealt a crushing blow to the morale of a thin and injury filled squad especially the game at The Bridge which resulted in us going down thanks to Drogba and also loosing Sagna, one of our most consistent performers for the remainder of the season. As I saw the two goals which Chelsea scored, Kolo Toure of all people seemed to be the culprit. He made what appeared to be silly silly mistakes, completely misjudging the header on from anelka and ending up in no mans land when Drogba scored the second goal.

Out of the 4 draws, Arsenal conceded first against Boro and Villa once again due to simple simple errors. An offside trap not well played and we conceded to Boro while some woeful defending meant we gave yet another soft goal to our opponents. Chasing games for large part of it was what we did and even though the team did come back and scored the equalizer, there wasn’t much time to kick on and win the game.


Another game that comes to mind is the ill fated game at St Andrews where the first half Arsenal looked totally out of sorts and you can hardly blame them after the events of the first 10 minutes of the game. But they picked themselves up brilliantly in the second half only to throw it all away in the last minute of the game with an uncharacteristic error by clichy. Yes you could again argue that it wasn’t a penalty but the question here is WHY DIDN’T CLICHY SIMPLY CLEAR THE BALL? And the events that followed it with Gallas completely loosing it is also termed as the start of the breakdown of Arsenal’s season. Although we did pick ourselves up and put probably the performance of the season against AC Milan (Cunts) at San Siro but our BPL form remained woeful in spite of an awesome performance at San Siro.


Yes the Arsenal boys have made us proud of what they managed to achieve last season be it being at the top for two thirds of the season and playing arguably the best football in Europe but despite all these we ended up trophyless due to the most basic school boy errors which when made at any other time would not have proved as costly. Hopefully the lessons learnt from these mistakes would help the team go that extra step next season and decorate the glorious corridors of our new stadium with trophies.

Credit to Vinay Vikram for Adding and proof reading this article. This one is here largely due to his effort.

Adebayor is making all the news for Arsenal recently. His comments to News of the World (NOTW), if true, were completely unacceptable. Initially, I believed that his quotes were fabricated, but its almost been a week and he has not denied them, leading me to believe that they were indeed his quotes. Very disappointing, I must say. But lets look at this from an Arsenal perspective.

Initially Ade insisted that he would see out his contract with Arsenal, which may have prompted his agent to whisper in his ear – “if you continue talking like this, then Arsenal will not give you the wage hike you demand”. So Ade issues a contradictory statement to Sky news that his future would be decided next week. Then came the infamous interview with NOTW.

I believe that the player wants higher wages, but he has gone about in a completely inappropriate way. He should have asked the club and kept this out of the media. Having said that, Wenger might decide that he is worth a wage increase (not upto £120K per week, of course, but perhaps to about £50-60 K per week). Or Wenger could decide to sell him to Barca or Milan for a fee in the range of £25-30M which represents excellent business for a player we signed for about £7M. No player is irreplaceable and Ade can certainly be replaced.

Wenger is extremely tolerant with his players. He was willing to keep Ashley Cole despite him talking behind our backs with Chelsea. So, I don’t think he would mind keeping Ade despite his comments to NOTW. Both Ade & Hleb have not covered themselves in glory with the manner in which they have gone about things this summer, but I believe this is part of the changing face of modern football and something fans will have to learn to put up with, in much the same way that Wenger has.

If Wenger does decide to sell Ade, then I think we should hold on to Hleb. I think the club can cope with losing two 1st team players, but losing 3 of them will hurt our chances next season. I would prefer it if we retained both these players, as with the additions in Nasri, Ramsey and whoever else Wenger decides to sign, we will be a much stronger squad next season.

In any case, I am not very worried about the summer events. Wenger has earned our trust and belief in his summer moves. He has let go of players at the right time and signed excellent players at the same time.

Its time to analyse Gallas’ performance as captain last season. His appointment at the start of the season was controversial. Gilberto was supposedly the better candidate, he was arguably our player of the previous season and a calming, experienced presence amongst the younger kids. Wenger felt that a defender was a better judge of play and hence, would make a better captain. It didn’t help that Gilberto came back late from Copa America, and not only lost the captaincy but also his starting place to Flamini. There were a few minor voices who felt that Gallas was the ideal candidate, and I have to confess, I wasn’t one of them. However, if Wenger felt that he made a better captain, the least we could do was give Gallas a decent shot at it and evaluate his performance.

The season started very well, and one could see the tangible impact on team spirit. The squad looked together with their huddles (apparently Gallas’ idea), pre-game team talks etc. It certainly seemed to be Gallas’ influence. Performance-wise, the team started off with a few wobbles but still got the points. The resilience and fighting spirit was widely admired as the same situations last season led to dropped points. During the season, Gallas popped up with some crucial goals (Man Utd, Wigan, Chelsea, Bolton) to lead the team by example.

One marked improvement was overall in defence. The earlier part of the season saw a more organised defence, with Gallas largely pulling the strings. There was also a significant improvement in defending set pieces. The team didn’t look as vulnerable as last season. Gallas would bark instructions to the others, especially Clichy and Sagna, the junior partners in defence. Ironically, the team looked solid defensively when Gallas partnered Senderos during the ACN. The relationship between Gallas and Senderos was clearly defined, Senderos being the junior partner. Gallas could be clearly seen instructing Senderos on the finer defensive points. This may have been a small problem with Toure, as he is experienced at Arsenal and one of the senior players at the club.

All of the above positives were applicable till February when things were going well for the club. Then things went pear-shaped. The team lost all those points, starting against Birmingham. Clichy went AWOL in the dying minutes and an incorrect penalty call saw the team drop 2 points. Then came the response from Gallas. He didn’t defend the penalty, kicked a hoarding and was extremely upset with the result, sitting down after the game. The reaction was a bit over the top, but I believe that too much was made of that incident. The fans want the players to be passionate, but when we see such a display, we criticise it. Certainly not a reflection on his captaincy.

Silly, defensive errors crept in and we were looking more vulnerable. The Boro game saw Toure & Gallas culpable for the conceded goal, when they were more intent on claiming off side than dealing with the ball. The team displayed a lack of composure defensively in the game against Chelsea.

How much of this was Gallas responsible for, as a captain ? Certainly not for the individual mistakes that every member of the defensive unit committed. Gallas was also individually responsible for conceded goals. We must realise that the team as a whole, let the fans down with their performance since the Birmingham game.

I believe that Gallas has done a very good job as captain this season. The team would not have been on top of the Premiership till February without his captaincy. He could have inspired the team more during February-March, but thats really not a criticism. I don’t believe media reports that claimed he had lost the faith of his team, or that he is disliked by them. Some of the media reports about him were extremely mischievous (one about him not having any friends in Arsenal come to mind. Gallas was referring only to ENGLISH mates, but the media twisted his words). There have been several negative reports about him, and gooners would do well to take them with a heavy pinch of salt.

As for next season, that’s a different issue entirely. Is Gallas the captain who can take this team upto the next level, i.e. Premiership Champions? Maybe not. I trust Wenger to make the correct call, in the same manner that he made the correct decision to make Gallas the captain this season over the more obvious candidate, i.e. Gilberto.

There has been a lot of media debate about how Arsenal have a ‘rigid wage structure’ and are stingy employers. These are all far off the mark. The most recent available numbers pertain to 2006-07 and the wage bills of the top 4 clubs are under:
1. Chelsea at 133M
2. ManU at 92M
3. Arsenal at 89M
4. Liverpool at 77M
Now, these wages comprise all the employees of the club – playing staff, ground staff, stadium staff, administrative staff, public relations, Board of Directors etc. These numbers prove that Arsenal are competitive in the wage market.

There is simply not enough information to analyse which club pays an individual player better. There are media reports that claim that Ronaldo and Rio are paid in excess of 120K per week, which has Arsenal fans are up in arms complaining why our club doesn’t pay more. This debate has surfaced solely due to Mathieu Flamini, who left Arsenal for Milan for higher wages. I don’t know what the thought process of the Arsenal Board was, but I can guess. They made what they thought was an appropriate offer to Flamini, and Milan simply offered more. It happens.
In my opinion, it was not just the extra money to Flamini that was at stake. If the Board had given into Flamini, how long would it have taken for others players AT HIS LEVEL to demand similar wages? It would have had a knock on effect on wages at the club. Let me remind you that Arsenal offered Thierry Henry a significant contract to stay at the club – this, along with the total wage bill above, proves that Arsenal do not have a ‘rigid wage structure’. It simply proves that Wenger didn’t rate Flamini higher than what was offered. With Henry, there was no such risk, as he was clearly the senior-most player and the captain. So an exception could be made for him, and the club could afford those wages.

Another important indicator is the wage to revenue ratio. The norm is generally considered 55-60% and is an excellent indicator of sustainability - whether the club can afford the wages offered. The top 4 rank like this:
1. Chelsea at 70%
2. ManU at 44%
3. Arsenal at 50%
4. Liverpool at 58%
Chelsea are over the top, and its only Roman’s roubles that are bankrolling the club. So it makes little sense to even discuss Chelsea wages, as they are ridiculous. Arsenal are placed in a good position at 50%.

Now, from what I understand of the club’s policy, contracts are evaluated periodically and players are offered improved wages if their performances warrant it. During the last year, Eboue, Hoyte, Diaby. Adebayor, Almunia & Sagna have all signed improved contracts (read: higher wages) while Cesc & Clichy are currently re-negotiating theirs. So the club WILL improve wages regularly which is another indicator that media reports are off the mark.
Recently, media reports have suggested that the Nasri signing was held up due to wages. This was a clever manipulation of Wenger’s quotes as he answered two separate questions, one about Nasri’s signing, and two, about the wage levels of French players in general. These two were combined as if to confirm the myth that Arsenal don’t pay well. All I’d like to say to fans is – learn to separate fact from fiction. I hope this post has gone some way in doing just that.
Some fans are extremely concerned that players might quit due to a lack of wages. But a deeper analysis of past departures proves that’s hardly reason for concern. Of ALL the players who left Arsenal in the recent past, I can only think of two (Cashley & Flamini) who left for monetary reasons. Players like Vieira, Henry, Ljungberg, Pires etc were all satisfied with their wage levels.

I remember another concern of Arsenal fans last summer, that if Arsenal won nothing in the 2007-08 season, there would be a ‘player exodus’ and all our important players would leave. Well, we won nothing this season and Cesc, Ade, RVP have all affirmed their intention to stay put and there has been no such exodus. Yet, I hear such concerns being repeated this summer, only with the added concern of the wage level not being satisfactory. All unfounded.

The Board and Wenger are doing an excellent job in managing wage levels. Leave it to the professionals who know what they’re doing. They have proven that to us in the past and there is no reason to doubt their competence. Of course, there will come a time when we cannot afford a certain players wages and he will be transferred, but hardly reason for any alarm.

The concept of loyalty is changing in football. From a players’ perspective, it certainly seems to have changed. They are constantly on the look out for greater challenges, more money and are less likely to stay loyal. But is that such a bad thing? We, as fans, demand loyalty from the players to the club, whereas the only loyalty the players owe is to their career and to their family.

So, is it then fair and reasonable to expect players to be loyal to their club?
In my opinion, its not. Clubs are rarely loyal to players when the players have served their usefulness to the club. Wenger is ruthless in determining when players need to be let go – Pires, Vieira, Ljungberg and a whole host of others will all attest to this statement. So why do we, as fans, expect players to be loyal to the club? After all, loyalty should be a two way street.
That’s why I find it strange when fans quickly turn on their own players for expressing a desire to leave. Overnight, the player was ‘never that good anyway’ which surely hides some obvious bitterness, that of being betrayed. Perhaps, this is the way we’d react if a woman scorned our love.

The only loyalty that one can find in modern football is of the fan to his club. The club is loyal to itself, frequently increasing prices and testing the fans’ patience. Players are loyal only to themselves. It’s the fans undying loyalty that keeps this game alive and kicking.
The concept of loyalty has not changed that much from a club’s perspective. Even in the 80s & 90s, players would be sold on by their clubs if they were no longer considered useful to the club, or the manager didn’t like them or didn’t think that they would fit into his team. During such times, contracts aren’t sacrosanct and are broken at will by clubs. Even with Arsenal, during the George Graham era, he sold players who he was suspicious of, for various reasons. Mostly, it was the players that had flair (Merson, Limpar) or the players who would stand up to him (Kenny Samson). Such incidents have happened during the reign of every Arsenal manager. So why are we outraged when a player wants to break his contract? Why cant fans thank the player for his service and wish him well?

Of course, this depends on how the player handles his exit. Recently, Flamini handled his departure well. There should be no bad feelings towards him. He got a good offer from Milan and moved there. Perhaps he moved for the money, but given the option, who wouldn’t? In everyday life, we weigh up decisions constantly, and I can personally confess to money being a major factor in a decision to change jobs. So why begrudge players that choice?

Another example is Hleb (I know he hasn’t quit yet, but I would prefer if he left now). I have no problems if he wants to leave Arsenal. He may have his reasons. But his agent talked such utter shite in the media – there was a veiled threat that he wouldn’t perform well next season if he stayed at arsenal, the city was too noisy for him (he realises this after 3 years in London?!!). All rubbish excuses, and that has led to me losing a lot of respect for Hleb. I had a lot of time and respect for the player, he offers some real skill on the ball and contributes in many ways to our overall play, but now, I would like him to leave simply because of the way he handed it.

Sometimes, I wonder, why do players hesitate to simply tell the fans that they want to leave for better opportunities? A lot of resentment towards Henry was created solely because he lied to the fans about the reasons for his departure. There would have been a lot more respect and a lot less resentment and bitterness had he been honest with us, his fans.

So, to summarise:
1. Loyalty should not be expected from players
2. Clubs are rarely loyal to players
3. Fans should not begrudge a player’s choice to move to better pastures
4. However, it all depends on how the player handles it and how honest he is with the fans

You've got to read this. 365 can trusted to come up with those occasional gems and here's one of them -

If you listen carefully to Manchester United's remarkable management duo then not only would you believe that the FA condones the multi-media abuse of their officials but you'd also find yourself acquainted with some of history's most controversial figures.

Just last week, Sir Alex of Redface name-checked General Franco as he disparaged Real Madrid while Carlos Queiroz has now condemned Spain's claims on Christopher Columbus as he strives to persuade Cristiano Ronaldo to stay in Manchester. That Ferguson has highlighted the work of a dictator and Queiroz that of an innovator is - as an aside - an interesting window into the success of their union.

There was also a geography lesson as Queiroz angrily declared "they will never take Olivenca again" in reference to what we are told is a 'small town on the disputed border' between Portugal and Spain. "Cristiano Ronaldo will never be Spanish!" he continued. "They already did the same with Christopher Columbus, and it now seems they want to naturalise Cristiano Ronaldo. Have they already forgotten what we did to them in the past?"

Of course, what seems to be forgotten is that Columbus was actually born in Italy, hence most listings referring to him as being an 'Italian navigator'.

There is also the small matter of Queiroz's naturalisation. If all it takes to become a Spaniard is a move to Real Madrid, then ManYoo's assistant manager has been Spanish since 2003, the year in which he left the world's rainest city to take over as Real's manager.

As he said at the time: "The Madrid offer is like one of those trains which comes along once in your lifetime that you have to take."

Over to you, Cristiano.

So it's over! Season 2007-8 is done and dusted and packaged off to the
annals of time and memory, along with the hopes, disappointments and tears
of many a fan... and quite likely, an outgoing Labour Government. So the
arsenal didn't have it all their own way then!
Seasons come, and season go, but much has been seen and learned from behind
a barrage of misty eyes and an ever-growingly cynical public.

''They earn too much money'', they cry, but come in their droves to top up
those film star bank accounts.
''They've lost touch with their fans'' they boom, as the detached ones are
shuttled around in a fleet of Bentleys at speed, offering a cursory overhead
clap to punctuate a four hundred mile round trip.
''We're losing interest'' they cry, but come July, the eagerness to pay for
that new season ticket will be burning holes in a number of itchy palms.
You see, we're hooked, and no amount of therapy of will ever treat our
addiction. It's what keeps us coming back, and don't the 'suits' just know
it. The only loyalty in football is ours!

But if nothing else has been learned from 2007-8, it threw up a number of
questions in my mind, leading to a deluge of dilemmas...

For the last few years, I've listened to the taunts from fans of the usual
big four.
'Winning is EVERYTHING!'. 'We're BIGGER than you!' 'You've WON nothing for
years!
All reasonable comment, even if despatched with the gusto of a gloating
four-year old because he's got the biggest and best sweet - size an ever
debatable male issue.

So take the outgoing season for instance; Chelsea came second in the title
race, lost both the Carling and European Champions' League finals. Arsenal,
by consensus, played the most entertaining football, coming exceedingly
close to fulfilling their managers' [sometimes myopic] dream. Tottenham
Hotspur, on the other hand, were average at best, inconsistent at worst...
yet won a cup... at last!

So which is best, and which acceptable?
A retrospective look at the history books in ten years time will not show
the beauty of the gunners free-flowing play, or the passion of Chelsea's
assault on three fronts. Neither will it show the Factor 5 stains from
Tottenham Hotspurs' early sojourn to the beach after their impressive
Carling Cup victory...
Dilemma One; Football or win at all costs?

I promise you, nobody is more cynical of the same old top four than I. Good
luck to the usual suspects for their ability to fill those positions, but
please forgive me if I find it a tad tedious at times watching the same old
fare - and unfortunately, the same old petulance that follows them. So what
happened when the all-consuming quadruped got unceremoniously dumped from
the cup? Of course, I took the kids to the zoo, somewhat disinterested in
what the two [albeit deserving] protagonists had to offer me.
Dilemma Two; So-called 'attractive' teams in the final, or turn off
completely? - in my case, in favour of the meercats and ring-tailed baboon!

Dropping down a rung, I watched with great interest and excitement at the
relegation and promotion battles, totally consumed by the morally unfair,
but visually compelling play-offs. But what happens if Hull finally get
their [deserved] day in the sun? Will I feel compelled not to miss our games
with them? Will the pleas of my kids overpower my compulsion to travel to
the far end of the country to watch them play? And will Bristol City prove
as much as a spectacle as the meercats and their mates?
Dilemma Three; 'Big-name clubs in the Premiership, or a chance for everyone?

And so I wave goodbye to 2007-8 and all it had to offer; the winking
Christiano Ronaldo; the underdogs having their day; Didier Drogba, with his
middleweight boxer build and fairyweight ability to stay upright. Barnsley
beating Liverpool, and the delight on the faces of those free-scoring Havant
& Waterlooville boys;. Fernando Torres and his ability to take our breath
away; Michel Platini, and his interest in taking English cup places away in
Europe. Arsenal entertaining, Chelsea's powerhouse assault, Spurs ability to
offer the most impressive suntan!

So it's goodbye m. Flamini, and possibly messrs. Drogba and Berbatov. But
don't worry lads. We'll all be back in 2008-9 for more of the same, win or
lose.