Arsenalics Anonymous

Managing Expectations

2011-08-28T17:06:00.000-04:00

I'll admit it, I'm a relative newcomer to Arsenal and European football more generally. It's been a mere five seasons that I have been following the Arsenal and as a result, I have no mental rolodex of statistics and games to draw from when comparing this season to those gone by. However, what I lack in long term team awareness, I gain in a greater perspective of the current realities surrounding the club.

The first season I began really watching and studying the Arsenal team on a game in, game out basis was 2007-2008. I think you'll all recall fondly the way the boys flew out of the gates and gave us all hope for that elusive League Title. Obviously we didn't quite get there that year, but it made me appreciative of being in the running for silverware. I just couldn't understand how the fans of the mid-table teams did it. I watched in a curiously puzzled way as supporters from teams like Everton and Aston Villa, whose only hope for success is to make a decent Domestic Cup run, got behind their team regardless of how many players they lost or the lack of funds available. Well, it's been six years now that Arsenal have gone without a trophy, and I'm starting to think that this is the tier that Arsenal now belong to.

No realistic or logical fan of the club can truthfully believe Arsenal are capable of winning anything outside of the FA or Carling Cup. All the hyperbole put forth in the blogo-twit-sphere (did I just coin that?) relative to new faces being added to the squad will not give Arsene and the boys a chance at this year's title (or next year's for that matter). There is just no chance for Arsenal to add the quantity and quality of players that would allow them to overtake the likes of Manure, Citeh or Chelsea. If you think me wrong on this point, fair enough, you're a delusional lunatic, but fair enough. I suggest anyone who does disagree with me on this should follow @timpayton from the Arsenal Supporters Trust or @SwissRamble for the stark reality of Arsenal's current wage and transfer limitations based in no small part from their severely undervalued commercial sponsorship deals. But I digress...

Earlier this summer, Wenger tried to show some resistance to losing his two best players:

"Imagine the worst situation - we lose Fabregas and Nasri. You cannot convince people you are ambitious after that. You can't then pretend you are a big club because a big club holds on to its best players and gives a message to all the other big clubs that they can't come in and take our players."

Perhaps this was a plea to the board to back him up, perhaps he has lost the plot like so many claim or perhaps he was just as blindly hopeful as we all were that Arsenal would find a way to hold onto one of these two influential playmakers. Well guess what..we did lose them both. And their combined loss, along with our recent league form dating back to that disastrous cup final, leads any realistic fan to the conclusion that Arsenal have lost its place as a big club at the European and Domestic tables. And I guess what I'm trying to say is "that's ok." I think fans, while heartbroken, could at least understand and appreciate Arsenal's current plight if the manager, the owner or the board members would come out and just be honest. If Ivan Gazidis came out and said something like, "Hey, we're not going to be able to beat United this year and we sure as shit aren't going to beat Madrid or Barcelona in Europe." Could you really blame him? Especially if he followed that up with an honest assessment like, "You know what, we just can't keep pace with the likes of Chelsea and City in terms of wages. They're able to pay 2x what we have on offer, but we'll do everything we can to put a competitive team on the field. We'll do everything in our control to provide the fans with Champions League football (as the club has for 16 years running) and perhaps get a cup final snuck in there every once in a while." Could you honestly get angry at that?

Anyone who thinks this point of view is a defeatist attitude or giving Arsene the easy way out, I suggest you take a quick look across the pond. Take a look at how the financial realities of Major League Baseball force virtually every other team in the league to sell their best players to the Yankees, Red Sox and few other big market clubs in order to survive. Teams like the Oakland A's have become a feeder club, while in a perpetual state of rebuilding as they rely on young talent to even have a chance at post season honors. For any Gooner that hasn't already read it, perhaps a quick lesson in modern sport economics is in order from Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Or better yet, just wait another month and go check out the movie. Brad Pitt stars in it and we all know he's a helluva lot prettier than Arsenal's recent form.

Editor's Note: Above picture may or may
not be from Moneyball movie.

A look through the squad as it stands...

2011-07-27T23:39:00.000-04:00

So here she is...the current list of players that are listed as members of Arsenal's first team.

Number	Position	Name	Number	Position	Name
1	G	Manuel Almunia	4	M	Cesc Fábregas
21	G	Lukasz Fabianski	35	M	Emmanuel Frimpong
24	G	Vito Mannone	46	M	Henri Lansbury
13	G	Wojciech Szczęsny	8	M	Samir Nasri
20	D	Johan Djourou	16	M	Aaron Ramsey
28	D	Kieran Gibbs	7	M	Tomas Rosicky
??	D	Carl Jenkinson	17	M	Alex Song
6	D	Laurent Koscielny	19	M	Jack Wilshere
3	D	Bacary Sagna	33	F	Benik Afobe
18	D	Sebastien Squillaci	52	F	Nicklas Bendtner
30	D	Armand Traore	29	F	Marouane Chamakh
5	D	Thomas Vermaelen	42	F	Ryo Miyaichi
2	M	Abou Diaby	10	F	Robin Van Persie
23	M	Andrei Arshavin	11	F	Carlos Vela
40	M	Craig Eastmond	??	F	Gervinho
27	M	Emmanuel Eboué	14	F	Theo Walcott

A quick glance down the list (I promise the never ending Twitter transfer gossip will still be there when you look back) and you'll notice quite a few names we can safely assume won't be with the team throughout the long season ahead. Let's do that, shall we...let's see just how impressive Wenger's "already big" squad really is.

For starters, let's take off the players that seemingly have Wenger's stamp of approval to move on: Almunia, Eboue and Bendner. There, didn't that feel good to part ways with our beloved 99th minute hero...sorry, that was petty. Now, let's go ahead and give you rumor-mongers something to latch onto and assume that Henri Lansbury and Armand Traore will be moving along as well. Our list that began with 28 outfield players and 4 goalies has already shrunk to 24/3 and we're just getting started.

It genuinely saddens me *sheds token tear into Fabregas shirt* to come to the realization that Cesc will be playing with that spiky-haired wanker down in Barcelona next season. So let's just rip the bandaid off and remove the captain from the list. While you're all griping about how unfair Barca's tapping up of our player has been, I'll take the liberty of removing Craig Eastmond too.

Come here Çexy Çescy

That now leaves the mighty Arse with a paltry 22 outfielders and still 3 goalies...but wait...it gets better. As with any season at the Emirates, you have to factor in the odd injury that will linger from August right on through the holidays (while never escalating beyond a "few weeks out") and of course, the random visa struggle. We can fill those quotas with non other than Messrs Walcott, Diaby and Miyaichi...thanks gentlemen!

As we now sit almost a fortnight away from a new season, one in which there are countless reasons why Arsenal need a strong start, our squad has a massive 19 players and 3 goalies that can be called upon?!?! Within those 19 -- 2 are coming off significant injuries (TV & Frimpong), 3 have never played in the Premier League (Jenkinson, Afobe & Gervinho) and 1 more that doesn't really want to be here (Nasri).

Now, I'm no footballing genius or anything, but I do know that history has a nasty habit of repeating itself if left unchecked. And so as I look back over our new list of 19/3 that we have to start the season, I can't help but notice that we've done NOTHING to shore up our defensive frailties. Further, what happens when this paper thin squad is further hit by the injuries? Don't worry about it I say [dripping with sarcasm], Arsene can call upon his veritable who's who of internationals from the bench -- Vela, Chamakh & Rosicky.

And that about sums up my rant for the night. I apologize for all the negativity, I promise I'll put a few pints of the black down before the Newcastle game and come up with another post about why it's so obviously Arsenal's year to end the trophy drought. Until then...there's always Twitter!

Cranberry Winter Caps

2011-06-05T20:36:00.000-04:00

My college coach was fond of telling us players that the way we played on the field was a reflection of our character off it. Thinking back on that old adage now, it sounds a lot like Maximus Decimus Meridius telling his troops that 'what they do in life echoes in eternity'...but I digress.

Are you not entertained?

As yet another Arsenal season dribbled to a close, I found myself reflecting back on Coach J's wisdom. Every time I watched - Bendtner lazily prance into the box for that inch perfect cross or Eboue writhe in pain from the phantom kick or Denilson calmly observe an opponent dash in front of him to provide the finishing touch on a counter - I thought about that wise old codger. Clearly Arsenal has a team sheet loaded with individual talent, but it seems a willingness to claw and scratch their way through the difficult patches is what has cost this team dearly.

This is a tired argument, I know, but I was painfully reminded of Arsenal’s lethargic tendencies as I watched Barcelona in the Champion's League Final. Pep's pips comfortably took apart the ‘best’ team England had to offer as they proved themselves the best in the world by a country mile. For many Arsenal supporters, the takeaway from Barca's thrashing of ManU had to be their work rate. On the rare occasion one of their players turned the ball over, they collectively scrambled to get it back like a bunch of meth-addled tweakers. Més que un club indeed! This trait is clearly instilled in La Masia and something their stars don’t quickly forget. It's an attitude so prevalent throughout the club that when they inevitably ~~poach~~ supplement with a player from outside, say David Villa, he is inspired to work just as hard as their youngsters to validate his presence in the first team. When Pep Guardiola stands on the touchline, he knows that if the overwhelming talent his players possess struggles to produce the desired result, their collective work rate will. I think we can all forget about Arsenal somehow amassing 7 of the starting 11 from the reigning World & European Cup winning sides and they're probably not gonna stumble upon the best player in the world sometime soon either. So that brings us back to character...and how the ol' Professor better determine damn quickly which members of his current squad has it.

Groundhog Day

2011-04-24T18:22:00.000-04:00

Let me just start this post out on a positive note...I like the color Red. There, I can now plunge face first down the seemingly bottom-less pit of despair that is Arsenal's form during the run in. The now annual tradition of Wenger and the boys stringing us along like a bunch of hopeless lemmings continues. All the flailing Arsenal sides of recent memory were perfectly summed up in the first paragraph of Richard Jolly's match report.

"At times, it can feel like there is checklist of Arsenal's failings, real or imagined. Game by game, they are ticked off: the susceptibility to set-pieces; the habit of conceding late goals; the need for a dominant central defender; the profligacy in attack; the lack of leadership; the psychological frailty."

Rather than delve into all too familiar arguments for how Wenger or Arsenal need to alter the squad to challenge for honors next year, I'll keep this post limited to my one hope for the final four games of the season. I hope they lose. I hope they lose all of them. I hope the same tired, stagnant group of players and formation is trotted out there and they continue to look as hopelessly toothless on offense and pathetically weak at the back.

Before you accuse me of blasphemy or outright self-pity for how Arsenal's season has turned all pear-shaped, just allow me this small piece of backward logic. As the old adage goes, it's easy to perform when the pressure is all on the other guy. Now that the pressure for the title is off the Gunners' collective shoulders, it would seem easier for them to revert back to the free flowing, high scoring football we all enjoy when they're at their best. But that would do nothing, but provide false hope to the followers, players and perhaps most detrimentally, the management. If they were to snap out of this pathetic vein of form and close the gap on the leaders, it would perhaps only dull the management's desire for the reinforcements this club so obviously requires.

I'm prepared to sacrifice an immediate drop in confidence for a longer term gain in talent. Lose the rather meaningless grip on 3rd place and have to qualify for the Champs league at the start of next season...a small price to pay in my mind to ensure the harsh reality of mediocrity stares at Arsene and the boys throughout a long closed season.

Cry me a river...

Exciting end to a tough week

2010-11-28T10:44:00.000-05:00

Back in the saddle...those little carple tunnel niggles have finally healed after a long summer of writing about the World Cup and I chose this holiday edition of a Gunners' victory to make my first blog post of the 2010-2011 season. Yesterday's game was an exciting one, but also served as a microcosm of the Arsenal season to date -- dominate the run of play, convert too few of their opportunities, suffer a few ill-timed lapses in concentration defensivly and thus allow the opposition to remain a threat for the full 90 minutes. I'll tell you Gooner fans one thing, if this squad is going to win the league this year, it won't be until we're midway through May.

As far as individual performances go yesterday, Arshavin finally found the back of the net. From my perspective, the goal was long overdue. He has been showing flashes of his best for the past few weeks and when an Aston Villa giveaway left him one on one, the little Russian knew how to take advantage. Great to see him step up and fill the void left by Cesc's absence. Now, if we could get Rosicky off the schnide, I think we can all feel better about the depth of options available for selection in the attacking third.

In defense, I was hoping for a runout for Johan Djourou, but instead there was the token pairing of Squillaci & Koscielny. The all too familiar problem of set pieces reared its ugly head, affording Aston Villa its second goal. We got the three points, so I don't really care, but I would love to hear Wenger's thoughts on why he doesn't give Djourou a shot in the first team. Arsenal so obviously need help in the air, they lost virtually every contested header yesterday. The big Swiss International has been impressive of late and we haven't kept a clean sheet since slick Willy was in the White House, so why not give him a shot? Did anyone else notice that the first header we won in the match came in the 92nd minute, once Djourou was introduced to seal up the win? Just some food for thought as we all wonder when big TV will return from the phantom achilles injury.

On a slightly different note, can we get the boss to spend some practice time on celebrations? I mean, this picture looks like Samir & Andrei are just stepping off the set of Sweet Valley High -- the Limp Wristed Years.

Looks like it's safe to wear oranje to the World Cup again...

2010-06-22T09:50:00.001-04:00

Good news coming out of Jo-burgh today, FIFA have dropped the charges against those evil marketing masterminds Barbara Castelein and Mirte Nieuwpoort. In case you don't know, these were the two Dutch women that were actually arrested and questioned in retaliation for wearing the orange mini-dresses sponsored by Bavaria.

In actual game related news, the final round of group games kicks off in about an hour here and it's shaping up to be an interesting four days leading up to the knock-out phase. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that France is going home early, joining petulant striker extraordinaire Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home after calling his coach "a son of a whore." Don't know what the big deal is, Raymond Domenech has shown no sign of a backbone throughout all of the qualifying leadup and the subsequent World Cup games, so who can blame Anelka for thinking their would be any retribution to telling your coach to go F*#@ himself. Never in my entire life of watching competitive sports have I seen a team as dysfunctional as this France squad. I'm pretty sure if they all just showed up drunk or high to the game against Bafana Bafana, nobody would be surprised.

So I guess that means, I'm expecting a gentlemen's agreement between Mexico and Uruguay, to ensure that they both play for the tie in the other game in Group A. For those that are quick at math, this means that they would both advance, Uruguay in first and Mexico second (I know another bold prediction).

As for the Group B action, I gotta think crazy Maradona and his squad of hobbits will scrounge at least a point against the Greeks in order to take top spot. Beyond that, I'm gonna go ahead and proclaim that the South Koreans advance by beating Nigeria. For one, that makes this analysis much quicker and for another, I like the fact that these guys run their absolute bollocks off. Collectively, I haven't seen a team work harder than these guys both on the ball and off it. They're like a bunch of fire ants out there...big ups to Coach J.

I'll leave all you Gunner fans today with this little nugget from USA superfan Ryan (and occasional Arsenal supporter by association). Fox Soccer's Ives Galarcep has proclaimed it a virtual lock that Wenger will be looking to bring in a US Soccer star during this summer's transfer period. Who the hell is Ives Galarcep you ask? Well, I have no idea...for all I know he could be my buddy's little brother. What I do know he thinks it likely that either Michael Bradley, Tim Howard or Landon Donovan could be tapped up by the boss to come to Ashburton Grove. Personally, I would really enjoy seeing Bradley get a shot with us. I think he could do a job as a ready made stand in for Alex Song and it would go a long way to advancing US players' profiles internationally. Any thoughts from the peanut gallery on this one would be appreciated.

Later.

And round one goes to the Jabulani

2010-06-16T23:35:00.002-04:00

Through the first round of the group fixtures, most of the pundits have been fixated on the vuvuzelas, the ball, the general lack of goals and the rather conservative approach most teams have employed. And while I can't really argue against any of these rather obvious points (Portugal and Ivory Coast should be ashamed), I think they bely the real story of this year's World Cup...there has been an unprecedented level of SNEAKINESS going on during these first few games!

For one, who the hell knew that North Korea had it in em to make the vaunted Brazilians work so hard for a miserly two goals. I know this is Dunga's Brazil and all, but who saw that coming??? I mean, the one guy on the North Korean side who is playing in Russia during the club season doesn't have a fridge or a TV! I get the TV part, what with the whole government censorship and oppression of an entire nation, but what does this guy eat? I'm guessing a steady diet of freshly slaughtered pig intestine, washed down with some raw eggs straight off the farm. Tangent maybe, but those guys were impressive.

Staying in that sneakiest of qualifying regions, both South Korea and Japan sprung upset victories. Some probably picked the South Koreans to beat the Greeks (me for one), but I'd be shocked if many saw the Japanese pulling all three points from their match against Cameroon. The Japanese were completely bereft of goal scoring in the matches leading up to the Cup and they weren't all that solid at the back. So what happens, they hold one of the most prolific strikers of his generation (Samuel Eto) and the rest of the Cameroonians to no goals. Huge kudos to both teams for three big points.

And how about the Germans saying a big F U to all the people out there that thought they were too young without several of their key players, including their captain? So they just went down to their farm system and plucked this guy of Turkish decent named Mesut Ozil, who just happens to be the best player in the tournament so far. No big deal really...we all saw that coming too.

And finally, never one to miss a beat, FIFA went ahead and made sure that we have never seen 40 girls in orange mini skirts garner this much international attention in the aftermath of the Netherlands v Denmark game. I can hear the conversations now...

Disgruntled security guard A: "um sir, there are 40 scantily clad young ladies in section 40H and they are all dressed the same."
Moronic FIFA rep: "it must be that fiendishly clever marketing organization Bavaria Beer back at it again!!! Make sure these women are arrested and interrogated to the fullest extent possible."

I mean, what the hell??? How are you gonna arrest women at a DUTCH soccer match for wearing orange??? It's their national freaking color and their team is known as L'Oranje!?!?!? Again, very clever FIFA, you're clearly operating at a higher level than the rest of us.

Maybe next week I'll actually talk about the games a bit more, unless the sneakiness continues, but for now just enjoy the action!!!

The World Cup is HERE!!!!

2010-06-10T13:47:00.000-04:00

I think you'll all be pleased to know that I've spend the last three hours agonizing over my WC fantasy roster. I mean, talk about the productive use of one's time...I can't imagine anyone contributing less to society than I am right now. On the other hand, I don't have a job to do until the end of June, so give me one good reason I shouldn't spend every waking hour hunched over in the corner of a dingy pub, sweating into my lukewarm Guinness, waiting for tomorrow morning's opening ceremony. Go on, I'll wait for one...let's just go ahead and assume that there is no higher calling than meditating on the events in South Africa for the next month, shall we? Agreed.

Now then, I'll throw my hat in the ring as the three billionth blogger to predict what's going to happen in South Africa. For the sake of my laziness, I'll break these down into 9 easy points. Why 9? Because it's my favorite goal-poaching number AND as of the 5th or 6th point, I won't have any readers left anyway. So who really gives a shit if it's a stupid, non-traditional number of predictions.

There will be at least 3 vuvuzela related murders in the first week of the tournament. I mean, who thought you could come up with a more annoying sound-making device than the cowbell or airhorn? Kudos to the fiendishly diabolical mind that engineered this damn thing. We should get him/her working on this whole energy problem the world's got.
Mexico and Uruguay will be the two teams to emerge from Group A. Despite the home field advantage, I just don't see South Africa with enough strength to make it out. And as for the Frenchies...despite the plethora of Gunners on the squad, it's just too dysfunctional of a team to mirror their surprising run to the final in 2006.
Despite their bat-shit crazy head coach, Argentina will make it out of Group B relatively unscathed. However, even with their embarrassment of riches up front, I don't see them pushing beyond quarters. Just too much uncertainty at the back and how the hell did they left Cambiasso and Zanetti behind is beyond me.
I think Group D has usurped the Group of Death moniker from the Brazil/Portugal/Ivory Coast group. Mostly because I think Portugal and the Ivory Coast have proven to be perennially under-achieving squads that can't seem to get the most out of their big-name players. Also, I can't label any group with the intimidating title of 'death' when arguably the two biggest stars pose for a cover of Vanity Fair like this.
Here's to the freaky-deaky Dutch laying waste to the rest of their weak group E. For all of you Eto'o fans out there, I still think Cameroon will get into the second round and, dare I say, upsetting the Azurri to crash the quarter-finals.
As you may have gather from the last point, I don't see the Italians making much of a fuss in their defense of the cup. I think Paraguay and Slovakia have a legit shot to send them packing early. I'll think I'll chalk this prediction up to a little bit of karma coming back to bite them in the ass (read: Materazzi is a jerk).
In Group H, I don't think anyone is touching the Spaniards. I'll be surprised if they don't hit this group for ten goals or more. They should be able to lock up their ticket to the second round early, and then focus on getting Torres back into top goal scoring form...something the rest of the field should be terrified of. I mean, how many world class players is one team allowed to have? I don't think I'd get much argument when I'd say that Landon Donovan (arguably the best US player) would be lucky to even get into the 23-man squad for Spain. And that's no diss on Donovan, it's just a fact that Spain has a ridiculous amount of skill in their team.
Honestly, I'm a little bummed that the tourney's marquee first-round match between England and the USA is coming so early. It's gonna make the rest of the group stage a little anti-climactic. Who the hell am I kidding, I'm so pumped for this game, I just hope I'm able to stay sober enough to remember it. Those of us in the States that follow the EPL religiously will know all the players so well, it will be like watching your two sons play against each other. Prediction for the game...USA should continuously hit England on the counter because of the lack of discipline in midfield due to Barry's absence. However, despite this advantage, I just see too much attacking talent going up against a US defense that has looked uncharacteristically shaky in the lead up matches. I've got England taking it 3-1, with a late goal from soon to be Gunner Joe Cole that ices the contest for the Brits. Take heart all you US based Arsenal fans...our country will still face Slovenia and Algeria and have every opportunity to advance past the first round.
Hopefully, I'll be back later in the tournament for some more predictions/commentary, but I think I've saved my best contribution of the day for last. Here's a shot of a bunch of the tournaments finest WAGs, doing their best to support their sugar daddy's team.

See everyone later on in the tournament!!!

Grumblings, mumblings and bitching

2010-05-27T11:19:00.001-04:00

Seems fitting that my last post was during the rather disappointing tie against the meddling Blaugrana. My lack of writing is certainly no indication of my lack of paying attention to the Gunners -- rather, it's a mirroring of the effort exhibited by some of the players over the closing weeks of the season. Why should I bust my chops writing about their lackluster efforts, when players like Diaby, Denilson and others can't be bothered to close out games against Wigan? I don't think I need to rehash that now though, I'm already pretty fired up this morning.

I'm fired up because, despite my rediculously high level of anticipation for the World Cup, we all have to face the 'will he/won't he' saga shadowing our skipper. If I could go one day, without Cesc's dad, cousin, friend or grade school teacher espousing details from his/her recent 'reported' conversations about his desire to join Barcelona, I might just run naked through the streets of Buenos Aires. I think I've read damn near every blog post from fellow Gunner sites about this issue, but I think the one that may sum it up best is today's post from 1979gunner. Cesc is under contract, and despite what the press will have you believe, is displaying an admirable level of poise and restraint while facing some pretty absurd conditions. However, as I commented on 1979's post, I'm concerned with Wenger's lack of input on this recent flare up. It could be nothing, but it just seems to me that in the past when Cesc was being tapped up to join Barca, he was the first one to step up to the podium and say 'Cesc is under a long-term deal at Arsenal FC.' Simple, to the point, and reassuring for us neurotic fans of the Gooners.

Otherwise, I'm ready to burst with excitement over the upcoming festivities in South Africa. I mean, I'm sitting here, looking like an oily 15 year old's face -- covered in white heads and about to explode. I've got a few more international friendlies to watch before finalizing my fantasy team roster and then it's off to the pub with my cot and pillow. I don't think it's that big a deal to tell your girl that you won't be seeing her for a few weeks because you have to watch a bunch of football matches...right? This thing does come around only once every four years after all...

Here's a little taste to get some of you guys as excited as I am for the cup...courtesy of big Phil.

BARCA! BARCA! BARCA!

2010-03-31T12:35:00.001-04:00

Here we go boys, biggest game of the season! Throw all the melodrama out the window about Henry coming home or Cesc's inevitable return to the Nou Camp or the beauty of the football on display, and you're still left with the fact that this tie WILL make or break the Gunners' season. Win it, and Arsenal have effectively exercised this years' demon of failing against the bigger squads domestically. Lose it, and the league form will almost certainly fall from the already razor thin edge it's resting on.

Big news coming into the this match is the health or lack thereof for the aforementioned Fabregas. Marca is spewing it's typical made up, bull shit story about Fabregas definitely playing today, but I'm not so sure. I'm thinking that it's not worth risking our talismanic skipper if it means any further potential damage to his knee. Check out ArseBlog's post and he basically sums up my feelings on Cesc's status pretty well. Further, this picture of Fabregas sums up my mental state now that we're within five hours of first touch...AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry 'bout that, I got a little sidetracked there. As for a look at the rest of the squad, do you guys think that Wenger is gonna shove Gallas right back into the starting 11? I can't imagine he will...I mean, the guy hasn't played in almost two months and I don't think I'm alone when I say that I have tremendous faith in Sol's enormous head. I say let Gallas get his feet wet in the league before you go shoving him in front of that little wizard Messi. Assuming Cesc is on the bench for this one, I'm plugging Samir Nasri back in that central attacking role, flanked by Diaby and Song. These two players hold the key to this tie in my opinion. If they show up ready to be physical and disciplined in their approach, I think they provide tremendous cover for our back four. Up front, I'm taking Bendtner, Arshavin & Theo. I know that Theo has taken his lumps recently, but I want to see him run at those wing backs of Barca that love to get forward so much. With this lineup, we still have the ability to inject Eboue and/or Rosicky up front if Theo falters.

Finally, it's ok if the Gunners don't win this game. The tie is 180 minutes and if they leave the Emirates tonight having conceded only one goal and only scoring once, then I think that's ok. What's not ok is if Wenger and the boys get caught up in the evening and really push for it early. I don't think I could handle it if they start this tie all hot and heavy, only to concede on the counter a la so many games Arsenal have had against the big boys in England.

I'll leave you with this prediction. Both teams are of the utmost quality in terms of free flowing, attractive football, but this is getting built up like no other Champion's League Quarter Final I can remember. I think there's going to be a feeling out stage in the first half hour of this match, marked by some uncharacteristically sloppy play from both teams because of the players' nerves. I think it will depend on a few of the Gunners to put their foot on the ball after this period and say OK, these guys aren't super human, we can take them apart, provided we stay within ourselves. I'm thinking of you Andrei...it's time to step up and make amends for your egregious misses in recent weeks. This is why you came to Arsenal...now let's see you go out and make your claim as one of the world's best!

Let's go you Gunners!!!! WE ARE ARSENAL!!!!!!!

Champion's League Wrapup against 'Sisters of the Porto'

2010-03-09T23:16:00.003-05:00

HAHA...nothin like starting a blog entry off with a nice play on words, I'm so clever. So, after my one match ban for using foul language in a family-oriented blog, I'm back to brag about the absolute demolition of a clearly inferior Porto side. Without the aid of some horrific goal tending and a clearly incompetent referee, the Portuguese had absolutely no answer for the Arsenal onslaught. Actually, that's not true, their answer seemed to be to flop down on the turf as if being tased. Lucky for us however, that sissy shit doesn't fly on English soil, so Falcao & the Hulkster were left looking like sad school boys with no lunch money.

As for the action, I think every Arsenal fan can be appreciative of the fact that Wenger kept with Bendtner up front, despite his glaring misses on Saturday. The spiky haired Dane delivered in a big way, with the first hat-trick for Arsenal in a home European tie since Ian Wright (if that's stat is wrong, blame Andy Gray, not me). He showed the ability to stay in the box and knock home the chances that came his way. Arshavin, Nasri, Rosicky & Diaby all did a great job tonight, making sure the striker had plenty of opportunities to make amends with the Arsenal supporters.

Perhaps the goal of the night however, was the sublime individual effort from Samir Nasri. He was facing three Porto defenders and he somehow wriggled his way through them all and then proceeded to smash home the third and decisive goal off the far post from a slim angle. The goal came when the Gunners slim aggregate lead looked shaky and Nasri just slammed the door shut on the visitors with a fantastic effort. If you didn't get a chance to watch the game last night, be sure to go to the 2:00 mark of the highlights I've got below.

Once again, it was encouraging to see a positive contribution from Eboue, who's put together a really nice run of form since coming back from the Cup of Nations. On top of that, Vermaelen continues to shine as a top class defender (I thought he might have rip the ref's arm off when he was awarded that soft yellow in the second half). And it was also good to see Sol finally settle down in the second half and boss the cry baby Porto players like the little brats they are.

Overall, a brilliant 5-0 win for the Gooners and we're now looking forward to the draw for the final 8 and the weekend's match at Hull. Let's go you Gunners!

Great Win...Sad Day...

2010-02-27T15:55:00.001-05:00

FUCK Tony Pulis and FUCK Stoke!!!

I have no issue with a team that is clearly not as skilled as the Gunners taking a physical approach to the game. Any honest Arsenal fan must admit that we have shown a certain vulnerability to that sort of game plan in recent years. However, the level of cynicism in virtually every Stoke challenge has got me pretty fired up right now. How the hell Song got a yellow card for something the Stoke players did on a routine basis blows my mind. Shirt pull, a little obstruction, a foul maybe, but a damn yellow card?!?!?!?! You're out of your damn mind ref. If you called even half of the Stoke fouls like that they would've been down to 8 men by half and Ramsey may very well still be walking around on two feet. This poor kid. He's just now getting a consistent run in the first team and all he did was stick himself into a tough challenge and what happens? I can only hope that it isn't as bad as it looked on TV. Here's wishin you a quick recovery Aaron, I think any fan of the EPL with half a brain is pulling for you today...even those half wit Chelsea fans who were booing Wayne Bridge today. These morons were summed up nicely by 1979 Gunner today.

By the way, did anyone else notice how Tony Pulis got so fucking righteous when Fabregas took down one of his players in the 90th minute? Who the hell does he think he is? How is he gonna admonish Arsenal for something that he so clearly instructed his team to do from the jump? I can hear is pre-game speech now..."Here we go lads, whenever those Arsenal players get the ball today, don't bother trying to defend properly, just kick, pull & elbow. Right, that'll do just nicely. Now let's go out there and play for the draw!!!" What a ass...I can't stand him. Call Wenger what you want, but at least he's a big enough man to stay out of shouting matches when he is clearly in the wrong.

That's all I can stand for football this day. I'm actually really sad about this injury, what a shame. Great win Arsenal! Way to win one for your fallen teammate!

Saturday Roundup & Chelsea

2010-02-06T15:09:00.001-05:00

So I'm heading home yesterday, listening to the latest Pod from London Colney, and I heard the damndest thing...Stringer Bell is a Gooner!!! OK, so String is just his character's name from The Wire, but Idris Elba is an Arsenal Supporter. Maybe I'm late to the game on this and all you Brits new this already, but having lived in Bodymore Murderland for a few years myself, I'm a big fan of The Wire and ol' String.

Anyway, I've been watching football for the better part of 6 hours this crappy, cold Saturday and I've noticed a few things I'd like to point out. First, Liverpool has turned their season around by defending at all costs and getting chippy little goals from the bread man, Dirk Kuyt. I can't say I like watching em, but a part of me can't help but be envious of the team's discipline and organization and being content in winning 1-nil. Second, Man City is the biggest bunch of front runners I've ever seen. They only turn up when they are playing against the top clubs, otherwise they can't be bothered. You watch their work rate against the likes of Arsenal or United and they're running around like a bunch of crazed dogs. Today, Jozy freakin' Altidore got the better of City's back four the entire time he was on the pitch. Really City? You're going to let Jozy Altidore boss the game? Don't get me wrong, he's a promising young player, but this was his first goal in the Premier League. Third, and finally, Richard Dunne is a badass! He's exactly the kind of player that Arsenal need so badly. He defends all over the pitch with the kind of intensity a man typically reserves for when his wife and children are under threat. He doesn't give a shit about who he's got to go through or how his own body will be put in danger, that man just gets the job done. Any chance Arsene just shows a Dunne highlight to the boys to remind them all that there are two sides to football, attack and defense?

As I'm looking ahead to tomorrow's big clash with the blue side of London, I'm more than a little nervous. I want so badly to believe the boys can pull some miraculous victory together. Can Bendtner's insane levels of self confidence finally rub off onto the pitch and give Arsenal the physical presence they so desperately need up top? God damnit I hope so. I think we all remember how poorly Arsenal looked the last time these two teams met. Chelsea looked like the proverbial older brother to Arsenal's sometimes annoying, but never threatening younger version. As my post-ManU rant indicated, I'm hopeful that Denilson will earn his rightful spot on the bench right next to Arsene. Whether its Diaby, Ramsey or even Nasri lining up next to Cesc, we need someone who's going to be willing to run their ass off and stick a foot in on a tackle or two against likes of Lampard, Anelka, Drogba and the rest of Abramovich's mercenaries.

Let's go Arsenal

Well there's a nice piece of shit!!!

2010-01-31T23:32:00.002-05:00

It's like, I was all giddy this morning, like a five year old on Christmas, eagerly awaiting Arsenal's big clash with Man U. Then, when I found out that Vermaelen made a Lazarus type recovery and would start, I was sure the Gooners were gonna make a great show of it against Fergie's minions. Well...that was right up until I saw that first ball go past a flailing Almunia.

Truth be told, I can't blame the Spaniard for the three goals he let in today, he got no help from a porous and unorganized defense. Watching Glichy and Nasri let that yellow booted flamer split them was just embarrassing. Then seeing Denilson make that half-assed attempt to bail 'em both out...I mean fuckin hell dude, a one legged duck could have done better than that. I don't even need to bring up the fact that Denilson's complete lack of hustle cost Arsenal the second goal do I? That guy is bringing absolutely NOTHING to this team. He proved beyond any doubt that he is incapable of playing a holding role today and on the rare occasion he scores, it's off of a lucky ass deflection. For me, there's no reason he should be playing ahead of Ramsey or obviously Diaby when he's healthy.I don't have the heart to pick apart the rest of Arsenal's miserable performance, so let's just move on.

Not that he had the best day today, but nonetheless, it's days like these that make me fear for Cesc's long term future at the Emirates. He's gotta be sick and tired of losing in these big games, right? On a number of occasions, he was visibly upset at his teammates' consistent lack of composure in the final third and the general lack of tenacity displayed all over the park. I suppose those neurotic thoughts are best served for days when Arsenal's title hopes didn't get completely flushed, so I'll put the bottle of whiskey back in the cabinet for now.

I'll leave you with this uplifting commercial featuring Arshavin flirting with Drogba...just what I want to see heading into next week's game.

Biggest two weeks of 2010?

2010-01-27T13:07:00.003-05:00

I think it's safe to say that I have some big life-moments coming up in 2010 (getting married, starting new job, figuring out how to retire by the time I'm 35 whilst doing absolutely nothing of value, etc), but I'm pretty sure that these next two weeks are either gonna make or break the year for me. We win these four games against Villa, United, Chelsea & 'Pool; then you might as well steal all the beer out of my fridge 'cause I'm already gonna be high as a kite. We lose 'em...well then I think Facebook has some crisis hotline or something.

I'd be willing to accept 8 points out of 12 and call it a success. Two wins and two draws against four of the biggest teams in the league and I think we tips our caps to the boys and say well done. Obviously, I'd like those two wins against the evil empires (Chelsea and ManU), but I'll take the eight points any way I can get them. Apologies to you die hard Gooners out there if you think I'm setting my sights too low, but I'm trying to be realistic here. We are just starting to get healthy, with a good portion of the injured/ACN absentees returning to the squad this week, and it's going to take some patience with a few of them as they get their legs back.

Taking a quick peak at the match this evening against Villa, I'd say it's going to be tough without Song and Diaby in there. Villa has a lot of pace and quality in the center of the park and that is going to put that much more pressure on the Gunners to keep control of the ball and be well positioned while attacking to avoid getting caught on the break. If we can get the right combination play up front between Eduardo, Cesc & Arshavin, I'd say we have a great chance to put a few past Villa. I heard that Richard Dunne may be out with a hamstring strain, so all the better for us. Let's go you Gunners! Pull this one out and you'll have all the momentum we need heading into the clash at the weekend with United.

Bolton & Bolton (I'm not stuttering)...

2010-01-18T16:22:00.000-05:00

Apologies for my prolonged absence, but rest assured you Arsenalics, I'm back with a vengeance. Pretty good run of from for the Gunners recently, capped with yesterday's win over the resurgent Bolton Wanderers. With Owen Coyle now at the helm at the Reebok, I think we all were a little curious as to whether the Trotters would revert to their old ways of trying to literally kick Arsenal off the pitch. Being as objective as you can possibly expect, I'd say that Bolton did exhibit some of the positivity that Coyle has developed a reputation for. In fact, for large stretches of the game, they had Arsenal on the back foot making the game quite a tense affair for Wenger and his men. On the other hand, there was still some bullying being attempted by a few of the Bolton players. I mean, what the fuck was Matty Taylor doing to Cesc Fabregas in the box? After being taken down for what should have been the second penalty of the match for Arsenal, Taylor decided he was well within his rights to kneel on our captain's head and then administer a school-boy noogie. Later on I'm pretty sure I saw that whinging little bitch of a striker, Ivan Klasnić, give the youngster Craig Eastmond a wedgie (welcome to the Premier League rookie).

At any rate, Arsenal's class in key spots (read: Cesc Fabregas is the absolute man right now) proved too much for Bolton to overcome. As many of my fellow bloggers have pointed out today, it is these type of victories that Arsenal have let slip away into draws in recent years. These points may very well prove critical to the Gunners' eventual title challenge.

Looking ahead to Wednesday's home fixture against the very same Bolton team, we have some good news on the injury front. Both Theo Walcott and Denilson return to the squad. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Wenger gets them both right back into the squad. Rosicky looks to still be struggling a bit with full fitness and form, so I wouldn't want to risk him in two extended runs in only four days. Plus I think we saw how much we're going to miss Alex Song this month when Wenger was forced to use Eastmond in his stead. No disrespect to the young Englishman, but he looked a little unsteady under pressure last night and Arsenal can ill afford any dropped points heading into this murderous stretch of fixtures leading into February.

Talk to you Gunner fans again heading into this weekend's FA Cup clash against the Potters.

First the highlights from yesterday:

Then the injury update from the boss:

CL Draw & Hull Preview

2009-12-18T20:02:00.001-05:00

Let me start by just saying that I'm not at all sorry for my rant the other day. I mean sure, I recognize that some of that was a bit over the top and emotional after a disappointing loss, but I stand by my claim that Arsenal could use a physical presence in the side. Anyway, there's a game tomorrow against the Phil Brown led Hull City. Me personally, I'd really like to see the Gunners kick the crap out of the Tigers to obtain some retribution on that lucky ass wonder-strike by Geovanni last year at the Emirates. Without Cesc in the side, I'm really looking for some of the more tertiary players to step into a starring role. I think Samir Nasri is rounding into form nicely, and with a few extra touches tomorrow, I think he could pick up the slack for Wenger's injury depleted side. I also think that this would be great opportunity to get a clean sheet. With Wenger seemingly insistent on sticking with Almunia, games like these are vital to rebuilding some sense of confidence in him and some semblance of cohesion between the back four and the keeper. Consider these two fingers crossed. At the end of the day, I'm calling for a 2 - nil win for the Gunners. I'm thinking it may look a lot like that win against Standard Liege about a month ago, not necessarily the prettiest football, but an effective win nonetheless.

Before I head out for this miserably cold and rainy Friday night, let me turn my attention to the Champion's League for a moment. I guess I'm pleased with the Porto draw...I mean, it could have turned out worse, but I'm just a little tired of facing the Portuguese. I feel like we've been playing them every year in this competition and I was hoping for a little more variety. Maybe a match-up against one of the German or Italian squads would suit my purposes better, and we all know that this competition is all about what I want, right? In the end, I think it's safe to say that Arsenal should make it to the quarter finals again this year, and who knows, maybe we'll have some of our injured players back by then.

Let's gooooo ARSENAL!!!

Burnley Game

2009-12-16T19:37:00.000-05:00

Fuckin hell...what a frustrating game to watch. As you would expect with any trip to Turf Moor, Burnley came out and pressured the Gunners at every touch. Unfortunately, Wenger's boys responded to the pressure with a disturbingly un-Arsenal like penchant for panicking. They turned it over repeatedly tonight and, after Cesc went off with the hamstring strain, Arsenal didn't look like they had any teeth left in the attack.

At its basic level, Burnley implemented the typical Arsenal-beating blue print and pushed the Gunners all over the pitch. I honestly don't understand why every single team in the league doesn't realize that all you have to do is put a shoulder into any of the Arsenal players and they'll drop like a bag of dirt. I'm beating a dead horse here, but how the hell does Wenger think he'll win a damn thing until he gets a player or two in his starting eleven that will make a physical statement? Every time Arshavin or Fabregas made a pass, someone on Burnley would be right there with a knee to the thigh and they just have to sit there and take it like some abused dog. Somebody on Arsenal needs to step up and be willing to kick the shit out of somebody when teams take this approach. Somebody shoot me a picture or a video if you can find evidence of a single 50-50 ball that Arsenal won tonight.

On the plus side...I can't think of anything really. More injuries, more disturbing lack of offense, still no sign of Theo Walcott and I could go on and on. As a matter of fact, let me get one more shot in...how is Wenger going to sit there and bitch about the pitch, the fixture list and Wolves team selection when it was his team that went out there and gave a half-hearted effort? He blames the travel???? What is it, like an hour plane ride from London to Burnley? That's a bull shit excuse. I do like him as a manager, but his whingeing after poor efforts like these are so tired and they do nothing other than really piss me off! Have a lovely evening you Gooners...I'm out.

Fingercuffs

2009-12-03T20:12:00.000-05:00

Quite frankly I don't give a shit who Arsene does or does not shake hands with. What a bunch of hoarse shit, stop crying Mark Hughes, do you really need to make a big deal about Wenger not shaking your hand, what are you a fucking high school chick? Anyway, what I do give a shit about is Wenger holding to his word and bringing in a player or two this January. I'm not clamoring for Aguerro, Dzeko or Balotelli here, but what the Gunners so OBVIOUSLY need is a couple of players who are capable of injecting some physicality into the squad. I was/am pleased with Vermaelen's presence (the Chelsea game notwithstanding), but who else on this team has shown the desire to knock someone on their ass? At some point Wenger has to realize that nobody on this team is capable of intimidating anyone from the big teams, doesn't he??!?!? I'm not looking for a wholesale change away from the beautiful passing game we all love, but we all can agree that the Gooners need at least one outfield player who can ride the roller coasters at Disneyland. Maybe this guy's available...

It's not all doom and gloom for the Emirates though. They can still play an attacking, possession oriented game, it's just they need to figure out how to score without that focal point of RVP in the middle of the attack. We need to get Diaby, Clichy & Bendtner back ASAP, but in the interim, it sure would be nice to see Eduardo get off the schnide.

Looking at the matchup against Stoke, I'd say this is a game that we can and should win, regardless of our recent goal scoring trouble. Stoke has had issues scoring goals all season and it looks like Ryan Shawcross may be sitting out this week with the injury he picked up last weekend, so maybe that softens up that middle a bit. These are the games when we need Arshavin or Cesc to step up and get that first goal, early, to take the pressure off everyone.

LET'S GO YOU GUNNERS!!!

Yet another reason to hate a pointless interlull...

2009-11-21T16:56:00.000-05:00

Not only did the international break take Van Persie, Diaby & Gibbs out of the Gunners lineup for the return to league action today, but it also robbed Arsenal of the great rhythm they had going in. You always knew they would have a tough time going up north just days after getting the squad back together. When you added in the fact that the team was playing their first game without the services of the in-form RVP, you knew there was a chance the boys would come away empty handed. The team so clearly lacked that focal point in attack without the dutchman's services. How many goals have been set up this year by Arsenal whipping a pass into him, only to see him put the deftest of touches on the ball to invite an on-rushing teammate to take the final strike?

It's going to be VERY interesting to see how Wenger counters in this week's Champion's League game to inject some venom back into the attack before next Sunday's game against Chelsea. By the way, for all of you that have seen RocknRolla, doesn't the Russian gangster in that movie pretty much embody everything that Abramovich is? I'm just sayin...it could be him...

Here are the "highlights"...

Henry's handball...

2009-11-19T11:18:00.001-05:00

Dear Mr. Henry,

Stop trying to steal my latin flava!!! How dare you try to rob me of the title of most infamous hand-baller of all time. Least I had the decency to do it IN a World Cup quarter-final...you had to use yours simply to get INTO the World Cup. Next thing you know, you'll develop a penchant for the nose candy while simultaneously putting on about 30 lbs. You think that's easy? I think I'm the only man alive who can maintain his appetite for asado & empanadas whilst taking an eight ball to the face each day. Quite frankly, I don't think you have the machismo to pull it off Frenchy!

Sincerely,

Diego

Here's a picture of how it's supposed to be done!

Couple things...

2009-11-05T18:40:00.000-05:00

After the impressive thrashing of A Zed yesterday, I thought I'd skip the glowing endorsements for once and focus instead on some other interesting news out of Ashburton Grove.

Following up on an earlier post, Stan Kroenke has procured himself a few more shares of Arsenal FC, taking his total to 29.9%. If nothing else, that sweet mustache he's sporting should add some 1980's style steel to the Arsenal board.

Also, I found this glowing article praising the exploits of Abou Diaby. Don't get me wrong, I have found his play in midfield to be improving, but let's relax on the whole knighthood thing until he proves his worth against the likes of Chelsea or the Red Devils.

I'll leave you with this sweet pic of Samir Nasri breaking some chump's ankles just before calmly slotting the ball in the back of the net. Welcome back Frenchy!!!

I'm Baaaaaack....

2009-11-03T12:49:00.002-05:00

Apologies to all you loyal Arsenalics (I'll throw the over/under on that number at 7), but I've been preoccupied of late with Halloween preparations, looking for a job and trying to figure out how my rabid support for Arsenal can somehow make me millions. Please shoot me a note if you have an answer to that last bit...but I digress.

I don't even know where to start with all the action and news coming out of Highbury. I mean how sweet was that ass kicking of Tottenham. Good call Robbie, your squad is right there with the Gunners. And I don't want to hear Sir Harry bitching about the loss of Defoe and Lennon. If anyone knows what it's like to play without key players, it's Arsenal (Rosicky, Walcott, Denilson, etc). I was so pumped to see RVP keep battling for that first goal and then to follow it up with the demoralizing, heartbreaking, humiliating run by Cesc through the entire Hotspur squad was AWESOME!! Here are some highlights from the game in case you somehow missed it...which is pretty much inexcusable for a Gunner fan...this was the North London Derby for Christ's sake...what do you have better to do than to watch Arsenal kick the crap out of Tottenham?!?!?!?

Sorry...I got carried away there...I'll try to keep it together for the following news bites.

Unfortunate injury news from the game with Bendtner likely out for over a month with a groin injury. Also, Gael Clichy has a stress fracture in his back (another back fracture for this team?) and will also be out for an undefined period of time. One positive note however is that Rosicky will likely be back in the team for the Champions League clash against AZ on Wednesday.

Stan Kroenke has once again upped his stake in Arsenal FC, leaving him controlling 29.6% of the team and therefore only 0.3% shy of requisite amount to launch a formal takeover bid. Maybe I'll just move to Denver, camp outside of Stan's house and then he'll hire me on as his token American Arsenal fan for his board of directors. That's pretty good logic if you ask me.

Finally, Arsenal plays their fourth game in the group stage of the Champion's League tomorrow. As they are playing at the Emirates and they basically didn't show up for the game against AZ in Holland, I'm predicting a pretty good thrashing tomorrow. I got Wenger and the boys taking it comfortably, 5-1. I'm out!

International Breaks = BORING!!!

2009-10-16T12:11:00.002-04:00

So, I know you'll all be concerned to hear that I've been a bit depressed recently. I couldn't really figure why until I realized that it had to be the lack of another Gunners demoralization of an inferior Premier league squad last weekend. On the plus side however, the Gunners are back this weekend and should straighten me out with a thorough drubbing of Birmingham at the Emirates. I don't want to sound too cocky, but I think I might have a better chance at

Arsene has come out with a mixed bag of injury results from the week's international games. Cesc appears to have settled his personal issues (can't we get someone to handle these for him?) and Almunia may get his first start after his lung issue. Edu is still out with his thigh injury, Bendtner was picked up a minor groin issue in training today and Clichy will miss with a minor ankle injury that he picked up while away with France. However, the biggest news from the boss is that Nasri is back in training and should be back in the first team squad within two weeks!! I can't wait to see that pretty little Frenchman's frosted tips dominate Liverpool in the Carling Cup!

Here's a snippet from Wenger's press conference yesterday...Apologies for the snarky energy savings cartoon, I want to punch him too.

That was pretty sweet...

2009-10-04T12:08:00.009-04:00

So on a Sunday morning where I woke up late and missed an exciting first half, I was rewarded with another 3 goals from the Gooners in the second session. On top of that Cyril hooked it up with a free Irish breakfast!

Not really sure what I can say about the 6-2 drubbing of Blackburn other than the fact that Cesc Fabregas is the man. He scored a cracker of a goal to essentially ice the game at 4-2, but he also provided the final pass for four of Arsenal's first five goals. One of those assists welcomed Theo Walcott back into the first team squad with a classic Gunner goal on the counter. Arshavin broke from his own end with the ball, carried it 60 yards and found Cesc with a nice square ball, allowing the skipper to find Theo with a flick on to give the winger the opportunity to fire home the goal. Highlights are below...don't ask me about the Sting soundtrack...although it does enhance my crush on Cesc quite nicely... (OK, I was able to find some better highlights to with some actual commentary...let's work with that instead).

And don't bring up the fact that Thierry Henry was sitting in a box, he's not coming back to Arsenal as a player. He was just there to support Wenger and help celebrate an excellent 13 years for the gaffer. Kudos Arsene!

FINALLY!!!

2009-09-29T17:04:00.012-04:00

After banging on the door of the Olympiakos goal for the better part of 80 minutes, Arsenal finally got the winner from a crisp combination of passes from Cesc Fabregas to Eduardo and onto RVP! I don't know what to say about the incredible performance of the 85 year old keeper for the Greeks, other than I want some of what he's having. Arsenal must have had about 35 shots on goal by the end of the game and only found the net twice, ridiculous...

Anyway, as I was watching the relentless onslaught by the Arsenal attack, I was giddy with the amount of offensive talent Wenger has amassed at the Emirates. With RVP, Cesc, Arshavin, Rosicky, Edu, Bendtner, Walcott, Ramsey and Vela now available, he has some world class attacking depth that is truly interchangeable. Not to mention the fact that Nasri and Denilson should add to that when they return from injury in a few months. You Gooner die hards may be asking why I left out Diaby from that list, but until he starts playing like he's got a pair, he gets no accolades from me. The guy is so soft I don't know how anyone could mistake him for a Patrick Viera replacement.

Without further digression, this game was a classic example of the free flowing, beautiful football that all Arsenal fans love. That cheeky back heel from Arshavin was so sweet, I don't care if he was offsides. If you missed the game, I'll be posting the highlights soon, so stay tuned you Arsenalics.

Watch Arsenal V Olympiakos Highlights in Sports | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Weekend roundup and Carling Cup Action!!!

2009-09-21T21:51:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately I missed the game this weekend, but I did get to see some of the highlights from the thrashing of Wigan. As much as I love to see Vermaelen coming up huge in the box on set pieces for the Gooners, I wish he would focus more of his energy into becoming the intimidating, angry force Arsenal so desperately need to launch a legitimate title threat to United and Chelsea. Imagine how I would dominate a football match against a bunch of 6 year olds (shin kicking and hair pulling), and then you start to get the idea for the role I want Vermaelen to carry in the defensive third.

Looking forward to the Carling Cup, I think all Arsenal fans are looking forward to Jack Wilshire's first start of the season. Don't get me wrong, I am too, but I'm actually looking forward to seeing Philippe Senderos return to an Arsenal shirt (I can't believe I said that either). Basically, I'm hoping that his time in Milan gave him an opportunity to improve his game and provide Wenger with some cover at center half. Here's Wenger breaking down all the players set to feature for Arsenal against West Brom on Tuesday.

Looking ahead to Wigan...

2009-09-18T14:58:00.005-04:00

Some good news coming out of the Emirates today is that RVP will be back in the squad for the weekend's match against the mighty Latics. Unfortunately, that is the only member of the 9 man injured list from the mid-week game to make his return.

Quite frankly, I see the Gunners thrashing Wigan tomorrow and I can't see it any other way. This season, Wigan's new manager has them trying to play a free flowing brand of football. Arsenal has made it a habit of kicking the crap out of these type of idealistic sides that lack the requisite quality on the ball. Wigan is a great example of such a squad, so I'm calling a 3-0 walk in the park. Let's hope I'm right so that I can win my money back from that damn bar man Cyril who robbed me last week.

On a side note, here is a picture of Giselle kicking a football for Arsenal a few years back. I wonder where Tom Brady would be if Thierry Henry would havep played his cards right back then...

Arsenal Champion's League Opener

2009-09-17T10:43:00.004-04:00

It was a Beautiful game that Arsenal played on Wednesday evening in Liege, Belgium. That's what I would have said if it was opposite day, but it wasn't, so in reality the game was probably the ugliest positive result for Arsenal in recent memory. (You see how I did that, with the whole opposite day thing...clever, I know).

Anyway, it was a positive result to see the boys get the win in a hostile environment, carrying a whole bunch of injuries within the squad. By the way, if a goalie has a chest infection, how does that keep him out? It's not like he has to run around at all...get your frosted tips back between the pipes you big sissy Almunia. All in all, an acceptable start to what may be a more interesting group stage than what we all anticipated from powerhouse Group H.

Looking to the Wigan contest, it doesn't seem like Wenger expects anyone back in the squad except RVP. See his comments earlier today from the Arsenal clubhouse. Either way, playing a not-in-form Wigan team at the Emirates should give the Gooners a relatively easy path to getting back on the right side of 3 point swings.

Man City Reaction...

2009-09-12T14:45:00.007-04:00

I'm pretty much disgusted after today's result. Once again, there was a troubling lack of heart for Arsenal. Sure, the fellas played hard and went for goal against a City team that was afforded the luxury of playing a conservative, counter attacking style after a lucky ass header from middle linebacker Micah Richards. But my point is that the City squad got right up on the Arsenal players and pushed them off the ball the entire game. I think RVP and Diaby got pushed off the ball with a simple shoulder challenge at least five times apiece; and they are supposed to be some of our more physical players for f*&$'s sake. Adebayor went unpunished all day for wildly swinging his legs and arms and eventually kicking our only offensive threat right in the face. All in all, it's the same story of Arsenal looking for the ref to bail them out instead of bearing down and taking the match by the throat. At some point Wenger has got to concede the fact that all his players lack the ability or desire to do what needs done. They have got to find that galvanizing force in the center of the park to take the opposing team out of its comfort zone, much like Fletcher does for Man U week in and week out.

Below are some highlights, and I will throw one positive out from this match. Rosicky got his first action in over a year for the Gooners and he got on the board. Now if we could only get RVP to stop hitting so many god damn posts, we'd be in business.

Champions League Draw Complete!

2009-08-27T13:29:00.003-04:00

It's tought to say what was more fortuitous for Arsenal...the penalty call for Eduardo yesterday or today's draw for the Champion's league group stage. Either way, I ain't complaining!

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/champions-league-group-stage-draw-made

I mean, who the hell is AZ Alkmaar? How far has Ajax fallen that they missed the CL, but the powerhouse squad of AZ Alkmaar qualified?

In all seriousness, any group draw that doesn't include a Spanish, Italian or German squad is ok by me. On top of that, the away legs are about as local as you can get with Continental football (Holland, Belgium, & Greece). OK, so Greece isn't all that close to London, but it's better than having to go to Russia again.

For the rest of the group draw check out this link...

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11945_5517387,00.html

Personally, I got my eyes on Groups C & F. Barca v Inter and then Real v AC Milan should be great matchups early on in the competition.

Highlights from Arsenal v Portsmouth

2009-08-23T12:04:00.002-04:00

Just thought some of you might want to check out some highlights from yesterday's ho-hum drubbing of Portsmouth by the Gooners.

Now we just have to hold our breath for the update on the captain's health. Battle through it Cesc...Man U is ripe for the plucking next weekend.

Arsene's pissed...

2009-08-21T19:28:00.002-04:00

I don't think this is news to anyone reading this, but Arsene Wenger has a tendency to get pretty feisty with the media. Today is no exception as he has chastised the Spanish clubs that have been incessantly linked with his star players.

Further on with his rant, Arsene expressed his discontent with Theo's overexertion this summer while playing with England's senior and U-21 squads. Unfortunately, this clears up my post yesterday with regards to Walcott's injury. Normally Wenger tries to put a postive spin on injuries and predict a players return sooner, rather than later. The fact that he is saying October and Theo in the same sentence now is not a good sign.

On the positive side, the Gooners are playing the sisters of the poor tomorrow (read: Portsmouth). We'll just have to watch out for their new star signing, Joe Shit the Rag man...I think he's Dutch.

Prediction: Gooners 3-0!

Comments/Injury Updates

2009-08-20T13:02:00.002-04:00

Welcome back Gooners fans...

After two rousing wins in the span of two days, I got selfish and want more of these beautiful results to keep coming. It just seems like the squad is facing a tremendous opportunity to build on a great start due to ManU and Pool stumbling out of the gates. I mean...Burnley...I expect that from Arsenal on an off day, but I never thought I'd see Fergie's boys fall up there. Sorry, didn't mean to sound like a non-believer, but you have to forgive my cynicism after the past few seasons.

Anyway, the point of this post is to highlight some injury discussion coming out of Highbury today. Wenger has reassured the faithful that Edu is just fine after the late scratch the other day. On a sour note, I'm not getting the warm fuzzy feeling that I'll see Walcott terrorizing defenders anytime in the next game or two. Let's hope his injury is not as big a mystery to the physios as it appears to us outsiders. Here is the video of Wenger from earlier today.

I'll shoot an update out before this weekend's match with Portsmouth tomorrow...Laters...

Champions League!

2009-08-18T14:27:00.001-04:00

Here we go lads...big match coming up. Just saw the starting 11 announced and (barring any last minute changes) it will look exactly like the squad that lined up against Everton on Saturday. Let's hope Celtic drank as much today as the Everton defense appeared to have the other day.

I'm looking for the diminutive Russian to have a big day today. He seems to like the big stage, so I've got em posting a brace today, in a 2-1 win for the good guys. If I just jinxed us, feel free to not to tell me, as I'll already have drank myself into a gutter somewhere on the streets of downtown Atlanta.

Arsenal v Everton: Post Match Reaction

2009-08-15T16:15:00.000-04:00

This is me singing in my living room this afternoon: "We are top of the league, say we are top of the league!!!" I think that we can assume that none of the games to be played on Sunday will result in a goal differential of plus five, right? Great start to the season all you Gooners fans.

Without just reading a list of goal scorers from this afternoon, I'd like to take a minute and highlight a few performances worth recounting. First of all, what a goal to start the day off from Denilson. I will be the first to admit that I thought his season last year resembled something similar to a monkey humping a football (an American one), but today he really played well. Not only with that goal, but his overall presence through the middle of the park. Hopefully that continues in the coming weeks.

The other midfielder that impressed was Alex Song. What a day he had stomping out many of the threats Everton tried to create. One thing I noticed him doing in particular was trying to get a little tug or slight trip whenever Everton started to burst out of their own end on a potential counter. Those are the little things that help teams keep the opposition from getting into a rhythm. Not the most "Arsenal" way to play, but I think we can all admit the fact that we need a little grit if this side is to take any silverware this year.

Finally, I gotta give a huge shoutout to Thomas Vermaelen. This summer's big signing started the game strong and held form all the way through. Every time there was a ball sent high into the box, it seemed like he was there to put a head on it, whether or not an Everton player was there. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw an Arsenal defender play with that kind of physical presence. Wenger needs that to continue throughout this season.

Beyond that, great overall performance. Here's looking forward to a great continuation of this form on Tuesday at Celtic Park!

By the way, I thought I'd leave you with this video...I'm gonna buy that T-shirt that Eduardo is wearing and then go beat up some little kids on the play ground to make myself feel like a bigger man! Hell yea Gunners!!

Everton get on the board...

2009-08-15T14:29:00.001-04:00

I got greedy...Everton get a consolation prize with a Saha goal from some rather loose marking by Arsenal. 6-1 now the score reads...is that it for the opener?

Is that all?

2009-08-15T14:26:00.000-04:00

Arsenal now lead six to nil as Eduardo follows up on an Arshavin shot off the post. I almost feel bad for Everton at this point...almost.

Rout Continues...

2009-08-15T14:07:00.001-04:00

Fabregas on a 70 yard run...slots home his second for a 5 nil thrashing of Everton!

Rediculous

2009-08-15T13:47:00.001-04:00

It's now four for the Gooners, while the Toffees are still looking for their first...beautiful!

3-0

2009-08-15T13:17:00.000-04:00

They're running away with it...Gallas from Fabregas from another set piece!

2-0

2009-08-15T13:13:00.000-04:00

Vermaelen header from RVP on the free kick won by Bendtner...let's go you Gunners!

WHAT A CRACKA!!!

2009-08-15T13:02:00.000-04:00

Denilson from Fabregas after Bendtner makes a fool of the Everton defender...1-0 Arsenal...stay tuned, more to come from Goodison Park.

New Season is Here!

2009-08-15T12:12:00.000-04:00

Well, the new season is upon us Gunners fans. And just when I was getting excited that Phil Brown's Hull City squad was going to take a point from Chelsea at the Bridge, Didier Drogba came up a rediculous finish. Ancelotti brought on the forgotten man, Deco, who was able to link up with Drogba down the right side of the box well into extra time. Drogba then slipped past his defender and chipped an absolutely sublime finish over the outstretched arm of Myhill. Coupled with his first goal earlier in the contest, he salvaged a rather mediocre performance for Chelsea's season opener and cemented his place as my most hated player in the league. Kudos to you sir!

Everton Match

2009-08-14T23:51:00.000-04:00

On the eve of what should be an exciting 2009/2010 Barclays Premier League season, I’d like to welcome you to the initial post of the new Arsenal blog…ARSENALICS ANONYMOUS. Hello, my name is Andy and I have an unhealthy obsession with English football.

Let me save everyone (all five of you reading this) some time and give you a quick idea of what you can anticipate here. I’m gonna provide completely biased opinions of all the Arsenal action that’s out there, on and off the pitch. Consider this fair warning, I am a completely un-pedigreed source that played his last competitive football match sometime between Marky Mark rockin’ out in his Calvins and when Oasis first complained about today being the day something something. If that sounds like someone whose football opinion you can get down with, than by all means, read on. After all, if you want the opinions of some seasoned, pragmatic journalist, who’s going to provide well thought out, factually based insights, then go read SkySports’ latest article on how Fergie got the most out of Ronaldo last year by personally applying the baby powder to his jock before each game.

Anyway, here is how I see the starting eleven shaping up for Gunner’s match tomorrow at Goodison Park. Obviously, Le Prof will have Almunia in between the pipes, and then I imagine there will be the familiar faces of Sagna and Clichy at right and left back respectively. I will concede that I’ve heard rumors regarding the possible swap of Eboue for Sagna, and this blog is nothing, if not a conduit for all Arsenal gossip I can get my hands on. The cool and collected figure of William Gallas should take one of the central defending spots, but it is his partner back there that yields further speculation. With Vermaelen’s niggling injury the past few weeks, accompanied by the news that Djourou’s knee injury (picked up this week on international duty) will keep him out a month, we are forced to ponder the very real (and very troubling) possibility that Silvestre may have to play in the starting eleven on opening day. For now, I’m betting on Vermaelen passing the fitness test and making popping his Arsenal cherry tomorrow.

In the center of the park, I see Cesc of course, accompanied by Alex Song and …drum roll please…Denilson. It pains me to say Denilson back in the starting lineup after the unimpressive season gone by, but the squad has been crushed by a rash of injuries at this position. Rosicky is out for at least two weeks with his never-ending hamstring issues (let’s just pencil in him in for a November return). Walcott has a tweaked back that will keep him out until the Celtic match. Diaby has a small groin problem, but will probably be back next week. Nasri is still out with the busted leg, so who does that leave? Before you start screaming obscenities at me to realize that I have omitted golden boy Jack Wilshire, Wenger has already indicated that he will not be in the squad this weekend. That basically leaves only Aaron Ramsey as a creative option and they need some sort of spark from the bench don’t they?

Finally, let’s talk about the boys up front. This seems like it should be pretty easy, given the outright refusal by Wenger to meet the transfer demands of Bordeaux and others that would allow for an Adebayor replacement. Thus, it should start with Van Persie in the middle, flanked on either side by Bendtner and Arshavin. I think everyone and their mother has predicted big things for Andrei this year, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that the little Russian with a fancy for skinny ass women comes through. Where’s Eduardo? Based on his litany of injury that has lingered into this pre-season, I don’t feel like Wenger is ready to roll Edu out for a full 90 or even a full hour at this point. So, I think it’s actually a good choice to have our little Crozillian sniper coming off the bench.

As you may have noticed, I’ve called for only three midfielders tomorrow, bully for you. I’m of the mind that Arsene was not simply pretending to be Pep Guardiola all pre-season, but that he will actually lineup with the 4-3-3 formation popularized by the Barcelona manager last season. I’m actually quite excited to see it. Unfortunately, I have only been able to view highlights of this season’s pre-season action (there’s no way I’m paying for Arsenal TV; I’d never get anything done with all that soccer porn at my finger tips). From what I here though, it’s supposed to shape up very similarly to a 4-1-4-1. This shape sounds like a home run to me, what with the fluidity in attacking roles that it potentially affords to the likes of Cesc, Arshavin, Walcott, Diaby, Eduardo, RVP, etc. However, it does put quite a bit of pressure on the back line AND the lone defensive mid-fielder (paging Alex Song’s manhood).

Without taking up any more of your time, not that you’re contributing to society anyway if you‘ve made it this far into the post, I’ll go ahead and reveal my prediction for tomorrow’s match. I think Arsenal is going to come out strong to start the season, but again suffer from the team’s lack of reinforcements in the midfield. Everton are a very direct squad and that will loom large tomorrow. Despite these struggles, however, I still see Arsenal coming out with a win over the Toffees, 2 -1.

Good night all you Gooners fans...and if I got even half of this right, you all owe me a pint!