Cesc Fabregas is the captain of Arsenal Football Club. He is one of the best midfielders in the world. As of today, he is still only 21 years of age.
On Monday's Guardian Podcast, Sid Lowe shared a story about Real Madrid's potential targets in the summer. He noted:
"In particular this weekend, Cesc Fabregas, who was very, I think, very non-committal in some things he said in an event in his hometown arranged in Mar over the course of the weekend. He was wearing a white jacket, and he was asked why he was wearing white. And he said, with pretty much with a wink and a nudge-nudge, he said, "well, white really suits me." There's a real feeling that Fabregas may well be paving his way for an exit from Arsenal."
There have been stories this week about how Ramon Calderon had actually called Cesc to try and lure him to Real Madrid. Cesc said himself that the call took place, but he never committed himself to Real Madrid or Calderon's "project". That such a call took place is illegal. Arsene himself stated that he would sue if such a call took place. Whether we act or not, it's irrelevant. We all know Real Madrid's tactics are disgusting, using their newspapers to drum up false stories.
Cesc Fabregas is not the first and he won't be the last player to be coveted by Real Madrid. Even with Patrick Vieira, we had to go through this every year. And that's the truth with Cesc, no matter how many denials he issues, he'll still be linked with Real Madrid every year.
With his swift denials, Cesc has endeared himself to the Arsenal fan base. All the bloggers are overly enamored by him, and there is indeed much to love. His passion for Arsenal comes across very clearly, and he's a gifted footballer.
You will very rarely read anything bad about Cesc Fabregas from bloggers. Even the fact that his performances this year have been slightly subpar has been relatively unnoticed. With a lack of a full pre-season, he has been behind the ball this year. With this injury, however, he may be in prime condition to help us win trophies this year.
Cesc is on his way to becoming an Arsenal legend, a proper one. But let's not make any mistake about it, he is not an Arsenal legend yet.
What he is doing is building a catalogue of things that will recognize him as one when he helps us win important trophies.
Upon leaving UCLA after one year in college basketball and helping the team to one Final Four appearance, Kevin Love talked about the legacy he was leaving behind. That's complete bollocks. There is no legacy to be left behind. He was a great player who was at UCLA and moved on.
For a professional footballer, no doors should be closed, for it is also about making a living as well. But, if Cesc were to leave for Real Madrid now, he would be similar to a player like Nicolas Anelka. I do not hate Anelka, but I do not feel the need to celebrate his time at Arsenal.
Kolo Toure is an Arsenal legend. Jens Lehmann is an Arsenal legend. Cesc is not there yet.
He does not owe Arsene Wenger anything. A talented footballer of Cesc's ilk would have succeeded eventually. That he feels a big obligation towards Arsene tells you more about Wenger than it does about reality.
The Guardian story will not be floated around the Arsenal blog circle, but it is an interesting one. I wouldn't be surprised to see a story on Arsenal.com where Cesc commits to his club once again.
I believe when he does things like that, he's being sincere. But if he's not, the only thing he owes us is two months that can help propel us towards trophies. Football is sometimes about the future, but in this case, it's just about today and the next game.
With Cesc on form, we can win any game.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Stan Kroenke Doesn't Care About Avalanche Fans
Stan Kroenke owns 20% of Arsenal. He is also the owner of the Denver Nuggets basketball team, the Colorado Avalanche ice hockey team and Colorado Rapids soccer team.
Businessmen that own more than one professional sports team worry me. Money seems to be their motive. To be and stay successful in any sport you need money. Avalanche fans feel that they were ignored financially by Kroenke in favor of the Denver Nuggets. Kroenke is a huge basketball fan so the Denver Nuggets will always take priority over the Avalanche. But where do Arsenal lie in Kroenke's list of priorities? Will Arsenal be just a hobby or play thing?
I am not asking for an owner who is a fan - look at Mike Ashley at Newcastle United and what a mess he has made of that club. I do not desire a Mark Cuban type of owner, who is too enthusiastic to the extent of being brash, loud and obnoxious. Owners and directors need to keep a low profile.
I just hope that this power struggle at Arsenal is resolved with the right people running the club. It does worry me as to what direction Arsenal are heading into.
The key to this saga is the woman below who can sell her 15.8% shares to whom ever she wants. In exchange for millions of pounds of course. Usmanov or Kroenke. The battle continues.
Over to you Lady Nina
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wenger At the Helm
“I knew when I decided to go for a young team what would hit me. I was prepared for that. I am pleased that I was not wrong but we have a long way to go and a lot to improve.” Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger is truly a brave man. Not buying established players with experience but instead choosing to trust the likes of Niklas Bendtner, Alex Song, and Johan Djourou shows a large amount of faith and even more courage. Add the yearly-published lists of football’s richest teams that regularly show Arsenal F.C. to be among the wealthiest and you’ve got a very puzzling situation for both fan and neutral.
Some fans have panicked. Some have given up entirely. Many have criticized Wenger. The criticism has come from all sides and certainly from frustrated Arsenal fans. As results go, so goes the mood of the fan. Well, not all fans. Some are patient and can see the bigger picture. I understand the frustration of those that cannot see it or choose to ignore it but the calls for Wenger to be removed have always seemed strange to me. Not only has it become hard for me to envision an Arsenal side not managed by Arsene Wenger (obviously the day will come and I’ll have to accept it) but if we sacked Wenger today, who would we replace him with?
Earlier this month, the question was posed and from the many responses, I have selected the one below:
“I have been an Arsenal fan for 22 years and I am simply outraged that Wenger has lasted this long into the season. He has had his time, we need results and we need them now. A win at West Brom is not good enough. We are no longer a top-four side. The season is over for us. It’s such a shame, I once believed in his work. We are going to fall back once again into mediocrity. Like we were before but fail to forget: mid-table, boring boring Arsenal.”
This week is a good time to reflect on how we’ve done so far this season. It would take a total collapse by United and something similar by Liverpool and Chelsea for us to win the league. However we are well placed to finish in the top four and are mounting serious challenges for the FA Cup and European club football’s top prize, the Champions League title. The league crown is my main priority every season but I won’t bore you with EPL history of how only a handful of clubs have managed to win it. A cup double would be good compensation.
I would love to ask our fellow fan of 22 years if he still feels the same way today as when he expressed his outrage at Wenger. No doubt he does but it’s starting to look like he and many like him have lost faith in a team that is improving. The fact that Wenger’s position at the club is safe has been construed by some as there being no pressure on him to win – for he knows it’s unlikely that he’ll be replaced. The reality is that the man puts tremendous pressure on himself not only to win EVERY game but to build lasting stability at the club.
Debating the merits of the Wenger policy is fruitless. It is the chosen route. Wenger is our leader. That will not change bar a drastic turn of events. With Arsene Wenger at the helm, we will come good.
Arsene Wenger is truly a brave man. Not buying established players with experience but instead choosing to trust the likes of Niklas Bendtner, Alex Song, and Johan Djourou shows a large amount of faith and even more courage. Add the yearly-published lists of football’s richest teams that regularly show Arsenal F.C. to be among the wealthiest and you’ve got a very puzzling situation for both fan and neutral.
Some fans have panicked. Some have given up entirely. Many have criticized Wenger. The criticism has come from all sides and certainly from frustrated Arsenal fans. As results go, so goes the mood of the fan. Well, not all fans. Some are patient and can see the bigger picture. I understand the frustration of those that cannot see it or choose to ignore it but the calls for Wenger to be removed have always seemed strange to me. Not only has it become hard for me to envision an Arsenal side not managed by Arsene Wenger (obviously the day will come and I’ll have to accept it) but if we sacked Wenger today, who would we replace him with?
Earlier this month, the question was posed and from the many responses, I have selected the one below:
“I have been an Arsenal fan for 22 years and I am simply outraged that Wenger has lasted this long into the season. He has had his time, we need results and we need them now. A win at West Brom is not good enough. We are no longer a top-four side. The season is over for us. It’s such a shame, I once believed in his work. We are going to fall back once again into mediocrity. Like we were before but fail to forget: mid-table, boring boring Arsenal.”
This week is a good time to reflect on how we’ve done so far this season. It would take a total collapse by United and something similar by Liverpool and Chelsea for us to win the league. However we are well placed to finish in the top four and are mounting serious challenges for the FA Cup and European club football’s top prize, the Champions League title. The league crown is my main priority every season but I won’t bore you with EPL history of how only a handful of clubs have managed to win it. A cup double would be good compensation.
I would love to ask our fellow fan of 22 years if he still feels the same way today as when he expressed his outrage at Wenger. No doubt he does but it’s starting to look like he and many like him have lost faith in a team that is improving. The fact that Wenger’s position at the club is safe has been construed by some as there being no pressure on him to win – for he knows it’s unlikely that he’ll be replaced. The reality is that the man puts tremendous pressure on himself not only to win EVERY game but to build lasting stability at the club.
Debating the merits of the Wenger policy is fruitless. It is the chosen route. Wenger is our leader. That will not change bar a drastic turn of events. With Arsene Wenger at the helm, we will come good.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Arsenal International Players
Obviously, international break can be a drag at times. Following a football club is such an immersive experience that when a two week break comes along, it feels a bit like a lull. Some dub it the "interlull." While I crave all things Arsenal, I do admire and follow international football. And I do follow what the Arsenal players do for their international teams.
In the World Cup, along with France and South Korea, I tend to root for players to excel with their country. That won't necessarily extend beyond supporting the single player, but it's a good way to familiarize yourself with players from different countries and help you get more information.
In the 2006 World Cup, I had vivid memories of actually cheering Philippe Senderos to do well (but not well enough to beat South Korea). He scored a header and subsequently gashed his head open in the process of doing it. That goal effectively ended South Korea's tournament, but I was happy for Philippe nonetheless.
I can only hope that performing on a grand stage helps to give players confidence and more faith in their own abilities.
After Cesc won the Euros with Spain (Cesc hasn't received nearly as much credit for this as he deserves), you could sense that he wanted more success and that he wanted that success to be with Arsenal. Unfortunately, this season hasn't been his best, due to the combination of injuries and a lack of preparation time. But, in time, these performances away from Arsenal will only benefit us.
We consistently have many players out for these international breaks. Yes, we sweat on their fitness. But, we also must understand what a proud duty it is that these players are doing. I don't have a problem with breaks concerning qualifiers, in fact, I think all top footballers should play for their country.
In the World Cup, along with France and South Korea, I tend to root for players to excel with their country. That won't necessarily extend beyond supporting the single player, but it's a good way to familiarize yourself with players from different countries and help you get more information.
In the 2006 World Cup, I had vivid memories of actually cheering Philippe Senderos to do well (but not well enough to beat South Korea). He scored a header and subsequently gashed his head open in the process of doing it. That goal effectively ended South Korea's tournament, but I was happy for Philippe nonetheless.
I can only hope that performing on a grand stage helps to give players confidence and more faith in their own abilities.
After Cesc won the Euros with Spain (Cesc hasn't received nearly as much credit for this as he deserves), you could sense that he wanted more success and that he wanted that success to be with Arsenal. Unfortunately, this season hasn't been his best, due to the combination of injuries and a lack of preparation time. But, in time, these performances away from Arsenal will only benefit us.
We consistently have many players out for these international breaks. Yes, we sweat on their fitness. But, we also must understand what a proud duty it is that these players are doing. I don't have a problem with breaks concerning qualifiers, in fact, I think all top footballers should play for their country.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Hull and International Week
Hull City claim that the Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas spat at the feet of their assistant manager Brian Horton on St. Patrick's Day. If Hull are so adamant in their spitting claim then why did they not meet a deadline set by the Football Association to submit evidence.
That deadline ended yesterday.
However, the Football Association granted them an extension until Monday.
Hull chairman Paul Duffen said: "We applied to extend the deadline as many of the people who witnessed the incident are away."
I assume that the Hull chairman is talking about his players that are on international duty.
Out of the 43 players in Hull's squad, seven are on international duty. They don't report back to Hull until next Thursday at the earliest.
The extended deadline set by the Football Association is Monday. Go figure!
Peter Shilton is England's most capped player with 125 caps. He says Fabio Capello would be making a massive mistake if he picked Manuel Almunia.
Almunia is Spanish. He is set to apply for a British passport which means that he can play for England if he chooses. Let's look at Almunia's competition:
Ben Foster - Battling it out to be Man United's reserve team keeper with Tomasz Kuszczak (the Polish number two);
David James - 38 years old. Failed at Liverpool and Villa. Seen better days.
Paul Robinson - He has conceded 50 goals against Arsenal alone.
Scott Carson - Watch his England debut against Croatia. Exactly!
Looks like England need Almunia in goal. I would find England a lot more tolerable with Almunia as their number one. I would also find it hilarious that England cannot find a manager who is English or a keeper.
Tony Cascarino was a born and bred Londoner who played 88 times for Ireland. Yet in his autobiography, "Full Time: The Secret Life of Tony Cascarino" he admits that he should never have been allowed to play for Ireland. He qualified on the strength of a maternal grandfather Michael O'Malley from Westport.
Cascarino admits that O'Malley was not his mother's natural father, rendering him ineligible under FIFA rules.
Ireland and other countries have used the grandparents ruling for years. Isn't it about time that England started to use the citizenship ruling - like other countries have (Croatia)? Or would that be (along with the hiring of a foreign coach) another realization on how far England have declined as a footballing world power?
1966 was last century.
That deadline ended yesterday.
However, the Football Association granted them an extension until Monday.
Hull chairman Paul Duffen said: "We applied to extend the deadline as many of the people who witnessed the incident are away."
I assume that the Hull chairman is talking about his players that are on international duty.
Out of the 43 players in Hull's squad, seven are on international duty. They don't report back to Hull until next Thursday at the earliest.
The extended deadline set by the Football Association is Monday. Go figure!
Peter Shilton is England's most capped player with 125 caps. He says Fabio Capello would be making a massive mistake if he picked Manuel Almunia.
Almunia is Spanish. He is set to apply for a British passport which means that he can play for England if he chooses. Let's look at Almunia's competition:
Ben Foster - Battling it out to be Man United's reserve team keeper with Tomasz Kuszczak (the Polish number two);
David James - 38 years old. Failed at Liverpool and Villa. Seen better days.
Paul Robinson - He has conceded 50 goals against Arsenal alone.
Scott Carson - Watch his England debut against Croatia. Exactly!
Looks like England need Almunia in goal. I would find England a lot more tolerable with Almunia as their number one. I would also find it hilarious that England cannot find a manager who is English or a keeper.
Tony Cascarino was a born and bred Londoner who played 88 times for Ireland. Yet in his autobiography, "Full Time: The Secret Life of Tony Cascarino" he admits that he should never have been allowed to play for Ireland. He qualified on the strength of a maternal grandfather Michael O'Malley from Westport.
Cascarino admits that O'Malley was not his mother's natural father, rendering him ineligible under FIFA rules.
Ireland and other countries have used the grandparents ruling for years. Isn't it about time that England started to use the citizenship ruling - like other countries have (Croatia)? Or would that be (along with the hiring of a foreign coach) another realization on how far England have declined as a footballing world power?
1966 was last century.
Not Good Enough
"You would have to say now there won't be much of a threat from us to Arsenal's position," said O'Neill. "It's no fluke that the top four are where they are and we are in a dip right now. We are not as strong as those four clubs. I have said it many times before and I will say it again - we still have a lot of catching up to do. It is still reachable as Arsenal have many tough games to come. But they are getting some of their injured players back and it's going to be very, very tough."
Nothing is said and done yet but to read the preceding makes me feel like maybe I do know what I’m talking about. I all but guaranteed that we would get our act together and overtake Villa. Many Gooners doubted me. I won’t get carried away but speaking frankly, I humbly say that it didn’t take a genius to realize that:
1. O’Neill’s men would be riding on fumes sooner or later with such a small squad, and get this, NO PLAN B. Does that sound familiar?
2. Arsenal have more experienced even if younger players. Many of whom have been down this road before. Villa haven’t.
3. Martin O’Neill is not a top manager, he is a pretender. Which of the top four EPL clubs would hire him tomorrow if they needed a manager?
The man’s approach was always going leave room for questions. In a league that is so demanding physically, a stronger bench and the proverbial Plan B are almost mandatory for the type of success Villa are trying to achieve.
The wave of anti Wenger policies will not die until this current group of players win a major trophy but they are experienced enough to face the challenge of finishing fourth. At the time of writing, they’ve at least ensured that their fate (as far as fourth place goes) is in their hands. I wouldn’t bet against finishing higher. Time will tell.
Success in the SPL is not necessarily a guarantee of success in the more demanding and certainly more competitive EPL. I hear doubts from Villa fans now even about finishing fifth. Judging by Martin O’Neill’s body language after the trashing at Anfield last Sunday (certainly a stark contrast to that joyful leap after Zat Knight equalized against us at Villa Park), I understand their doubt.
I’m sure Mr. O’Neill is good at what he does but I am not sure if he is good enough.
Nothing is said and done yet but to read the preceding makes me feel like maybe I do know what I’m talking about. I all but guaranteed that we would get our act together and overtake Villa. Many Gooners doubted me. I won’t get carried away but speaking frankly, I humbly say that it didn’t take a genius to realize that:
1. O’Neill’s men would be riding on fumes sooner or later with such a small squad, and get this, NO PLAN B. Does that sound familiar?
2. Arsenal have more experienced even if younger players. Many of whom have been down this road before. Villa haven’t.
3. Martin O’Neill is not a top manager, he is a pretender. Which of the top four EPL clubs would hire him tomorrow if they needed a manager?
The man’s approach was always going leave room for questions. In a league that is so demanding physically, a stronger bench and the proverbial Plan B are almost mandatory for the type of success Villa are trying to achieve.
The wave of anti Wenger policies will not die until this current group of players win a major trophy but they are experienced enough to face the challenge of finishing fourth. At the time of writing, they’ve at least ensured that their fate (as far as fourth place goes) is in their hands. I wouldn’t bet against finishing higher. Time will tell.
Success in the SPL is not necessarily a guarantee of success in the more demanding and certainly more competitive EPL. I hear doubts from Villa fans now even about finishing fifth. Judging by Martin O’Neill’s body language after the trashing at Anfield last Sunday (certainly a stark contrast to that joyful leap after Zat Knight equalized against us at Villa Park), I understand their doubt.
I’m sure Mr. O’Neill is good at what he does but I am not sure if he is good enough.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Manuel Almunia
It took a tackle by El Hadji Diouf to finally complete Almunia's long journey towards being the definitive number one goalkeeper at Arsenal Football Club.
Prior to that, he had been known as a gentle shot-stopper with phenomenal reaction. Most will look poorly upon his contributions in the Champions League Final, beaten at the near post on two occasions.
When Jens Lehmann let a ball slip through his hands and allow Blackburn equalize, the Almunia period began officially. We went on a run of seven straight victories in the league. Our players went out of their way to congratulate Manuel, because they all liked the guy. Lehmann was a fierce character, one whose contributions to this club should never be ignored.
Regardless of the results, nothing Almunia did eased my nerves. He'd make crucial stops, but he couldn't build walls, had weak wrists, and never looked commanding. People spoke about Gallas's lack of leadership, but I've seen him organize the players on the pitch. I didn't see enough of Almunia directing players in the box and making his life easier for himself. He didn't know when to claim the ball on crosses, and in big games, his weak distribution led to dropped points.
That being said, apart from a few off games, he looked more comfortable. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Lehmann was no longer behind him, looking on angrily, he took to the task and has produced enough saves to merit his status as the number one.
In Rome, he undoubtedly looked nervous during the penalty kick shootout. His body language when we were taking penalties told me a lot. He was bent over, not looking at the goal, and looked as if he was going to vomit. The only penalty he saved was one of the worst efforts I've seen, and Almunia couldn't believe his luck. Even though he was nervous, since he prevailed, his confidence received a big boost.
Against Blackburn, Diouf showed true colors and went hard in on Almunia's ankle. Afterwards, during a corner kick, Almunia stood up to Diouf and finally showed the spine that we all looked for. He was steady through the game.
Last weekend, he capitalized on Martins' nerves and saved the penalty. He swallowed the ball up, so that there would be no rebound. Earlier in the year, he saved a penalty kick against Aston Villa and it produced no boost to our team. This time, it was different. Especially with Andrey's revelations that Wenger instructed the team that Newcastle would fade after the first thirty minutes of the game.
Terrible penalty or not, Almunia kept us in the game. Wenger would say that the Roma fixture helped give confidence to Manuel. Arsene believes that goalkeepers reach their peak between the ages of 30 and 35. Manuel Almunia is 31 years old.
Prior to that, he had been known as a gentle shot-stopper with phenomenal reaction. Most will look poorly upon his contributions in the Champions League Final, beaten at the near post on two occasions.
When Jens Lehmann let a ball slip through his hands and allow Blackburn equalize, the Almunia period began officially. We went on a run of seven straight victories in the league. Our players went out of their way to congratulate Manuel, because they all liked the guy. Lehmann was a fierce character, one whose contributions to this club should never be ignored.
Regardless of the results, nothing Almunia did eased my nerves. He'd make crucial stops, but he couldn't build walls, had weak wrists, and never looked commanding. People spoke about Gallas's lack of leadership, but I've seen him organize the players on the pitch. I didn't see enough of Almunia directing players in the box and making his life easier for himself. He didn't know when to claim the ball on crosses, and in big games, his weak distribution led to dropped points.
That being said, apart from a few off games, he looked more comfortable. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Lehmann was no longer behind him, looking on angrily, he took to the task and has produced enough saves to merit his status as the number one.
In Rome, he undoubtedly looked nervous during the penalty kick shootout. His body language when we were taking penalties told me a lot. He was bent over, not looking at the goal, and looked as if he was going to vomit. The only penalty he saved was one of the worst efforts I've seen, and Almunia couldn't believe his luck. Even though he was nervous, since he prevailed, his confidence received a big boost.
Against Blackburn, Diouf showed true colors and went hard in on Almunia's ankle. Afterwards, during a corner kick, Almunia stood up to Diouf and finally showed the spine that we all looked for. He was steady through the game.
Last weekend, he capitalized on Martins' nerves and saved the penalty. He swallowed the ball up, so that there would be no rebound. Earlier in the year, he saved a penalty kick against Aston Villa and it produced no boost to our team. This time, it was different. Especially with Andrey's revelations that Wenger instructed the team that Newcastle would fade after the first thirty minutes of the game.
Terrible penalty or not, Almunia kept us in the game. Wenger would say that the Roma fixture helped give confidence to Manuel. Arsene believes that goalkeepers reach their peak between the ages of 30 and 35. Manuel Almunia is 31 years old.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Interesting Weekend
I go back to how Michael wiped out the Corleone family’s enemies. As stated previously – certainly not in the extreme context of mob crimes – we have also closed a few accounts recently. We can add Newcastle to the list. They now lie 18th and are in serious relegation trouble. I love it.
The match yesterday was an open affair. Newcastle gave us a tough time in the first half. We tore them apart in the second half and it could have been much worse than the 3-1 score line. While watching, I made a few mental notes that I’d like to share with you.
• Chris Hughton – Do you know what are you are doing? The man has been an assistant for what seems like forever. He is now substituting for Joe Kinnear as the Newcastle boss convalesces. Hughton is obviously not manager material. If his ‘assistant only’ credentials don’t prove it, his demeanor on the touch line does.
• Paul Walsh – Please retire from broadcasting. The ex-Spurs man has been grating my nerves for some time but yesterday’s comment about Denis Bergkamp’s memorable goal at St. James’s Park in 2002 pushed matters further along. I have never liked the man as player or commentator. Now he’s had the gall to state “but did he mean it?” when the match announcer noted that Newcastle was the site of The Iceman’s amazing spin around Nikos Dabizas to score a truly classic goal. And how typical of an Arsenal hater to suggest that our second goal yesterday, albeit a product of the type of quick movement and fluid passing (my words, not his exactly) that we like to play, was tainted somewhat because Newcastle were temporarily down to ten men.
• Gael Clichy – Allez Gael! Our left back is looking more like the player voted Best Left Back in the EPL last season. I wonder if he just needed some rest or if a certain Mr. Gibbs should be given credit for Clichy's noticeable improvement.
• Niklas Bendtner – It’s obvious that Mr. Wenger likes the boy and has faith in him. It’s convincing most Arsenal fans and neutrals that is proving to be a tough task. Bendtner has not made it easy, despite scoring 12 goals in all competitions so far. He misses the majority of his chances. This might shock some people but Bendtner’s misses don’t worry me. The reasons are simple; we can score goals with or without him, and more central to the argument for Bendtner is that he gets chance after chance. If he wasn’t in the right position, that would worry me. He is doing the right things off the ball. Finishing is where it often goes wrong for him. He needs three things to be a top marksman – a better first touch, composure, and more games. All three are attainable. He’s just 21. Imagine his goals tally when he learns to convert at a higher rate.
• Manuel Almunia – I was happy to see him respond aggressively to the odious El-Hadji Diouf’s attempt to break his ankle last week. I am equally pleased to see that he is more active on crosses and more vocal. Good signs. In fact, a great man asked me recently if I feel that we need to buy a keeper? On current form, Almunia and Fabianski are giving me cause to say perhaps we do not need to. Long may it last.
Finally, I feel the need to say a few things about our rivals. I made time to watch Spurs vs Chelsea and caught the lowlights of the Fulham vs United affair. Guffaw!
Chelsea looked like a spent force. They still have marvelous players in Essien, Terry, Cech, and Fat Frank and obviously Anelka and Drogba can do serious damage, but they looked like a shadow of what they were under Jose Mourinho. Tottenham escaped because of some dreadful finishing by Chelsea but they were able to boss large parts of the game and could have scored more goals.
Paul Scholes looked like a volleyball player as he attempted to save a goal bound header. He had good intentions in trying to prevent Fulham from scoring but how much more blatant can you get?
Wayne Rooney showed his true side yesterday. He has now become the third Manchester United player to be sent off in two matches. Are we witnessing the great implosion?
I’ve found myself not wishing Spurs would lose and wanting Liverpool to win.
A strange but interesting weekend!
The match yesterday was an open affair. Newcastle gave us a tough time in the first half. We tore them apart in the second half and it could have been much worse than the 3-1 score line. While watching, I made a few mental notes that I’d like to share with you.
• Chris Hughton – Do you know what are you are doing? The man has been an assistant for what seems like forever. He is now substituting for Joe Kinnear as the Newcastle boss convalesces. Hughton is obviously not manager material. If his ‘assistant only’ credentials don’t prove it, his demeanor on the touch line does.
• Paul Walsh – Please retire from broadcasting. The ex-Spurs man has been grating my nerves for some time but yesterday’s comment about Denis Bergkamp’s memorable goal at St. James’s Park in 2002 pushed matters further along. I have never liked the man as player or commentator. Now he’s had the gall to state “but did he mean it?” when the match announcer noted that Newcastle was the site of The Iceman’s amazing spin around Nikos Dabizas to score a truly classic goal. And how typical of an Arsenal hater to suggest that our second goal yesterday, albeit a product of the type of quick movement and fluid passing (my words, not his exactly) that we like to play, was tainted somewhat because Newcastle were temporarily down to ten men.
• Gael Clichy – Allez Gael! Our left back is looking more like the player voted Best Left Back in the EPL last season. I wonder if he just needed some rest or if a certain Mr. Gibbs should be given credit for Clichy's noticeable improvement.
• Niklas Bendtner – It’s obvious that Mr. Wenger likes the boy and has faith in him. It’s convincing most Arsenal fans and neutrals that is proving to be a tough task. Bendtner has not made it easy, despite scoring 12 goals in all competitions so far. He misses the majority of his chances. This might shock some people but Bendtner’s misses don’t worry me. The reasons are simple; we can score goals with or without him, and more central to the argument for Bendtner is that he gets chance after chance. If he wasn’t in the right position, that would worry me. He is doing the right things off the ball. Finishing is where it often goes wrong for him. He needs three things to be a top marksman – a better first touch, composure, and more games. All three are attainable. He’s just 21. Imagine his goals tally when he learns to convert at a higher rate.
• Manuel Almunia – I was happy to see him respond aggressively to the odious El-Hadji Diouf’s attempt to break his ankle last week. I am equally pleased to see that he is more active on crosses and more vocal. Good signs. In fact, a great man asked me recently if I feel that we need to buy a keeper? On current form, Almunia and Fabianski are giving me cause to say perhaps we do not need to. Long may it last.
Finally, I feel the need to say a few things about our rivals. I made time to watch Spurs vs Chelsea and caught the lowlights of the Fulham vs United affair. Guffaw!
Chelsea looked like a spent force. They still have marvelous players in Essien, Terry, Cech, and Fat Frank and obviously Anelka and Drogba can do serious damage, but they looked like a shadow of what they were under Jose Mourinho. Tottenham escaped because of some dreadful finishing by Chelsea but they were able to boss large parts of the game and could have scored more goals.
Paul Scholes looked like a volleyball player as he attempted to save a goal bound header. He had good intentions in trying to prevent Fulham from scoring but how much more blatant can you get?
Wayne Rooney showed his true side yesterday. He has now become the third Manchester United player to be sent off in two matches. Are we witnessing the great implosion?
I’ve found myself not wishing Spurs would lose and wanting Liverpool to win.
A strange but interesting weekend!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Beauty and the Beast
The Champions League draw was upon us, and two weeks ago, I had a suspicion that we would draw Villarreal. I remember telling my team that I didn't think we'd draw an English side. This wasn't out of fear, it was just a random guess. I had previously expected us to draw an Italian team in the Round of 16, so just consider me a lucky guesser.
It's an interesting tie, one that I will go into when we get closer to the actual first leg. Villarreal are a team that plays football, loaded with a couple of gifted strikers (Rossi and the frequently injured Nihat), skilled midfielders (Santi Cazorla, Ibagaza, and sometimes Pires), and a decent defense. The problem for them this year has been injuries (like us), but as we saw before against them, it's going to be a tight tie. Manchester United failed to win either of their two games against Villarreal in the group stages this year.
I will say that it's a bit of a fortunate draw in the sense that we will only have to play one of the four clubs in the other side (Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Liverpool). We may or may not play United, but we don't have to play all four of those clubs.
Anything can happen, last time we went to the semis, Pires tackled Vieira and fed our goal as we went on to topple Juventus. I cannot predict anything other than another tense, exciting two legs.
Before that, we play at St. James' Park against Newcastle. Newcastle has been floundering ever since N'Zogbia's Aunt placed a voodoo curse on JFKinnear. They've churned out a lot of draws and are in danger of being relegated. They have enough talent to survive, but injuries play a part in everything and they're struggling.
Hughton has already announced that he'll sit Owen and play a five man midfield. We haven't won at Newcastle since Jermaine Jenas gave us a penalty kick via a handball, featuring one of the most sublime penalties I've seen from Thierry Henry.
It will take a lot to break this team down, featuring talented defenders in Bassong and Habib Beye. But we do have a sprightly Russian who has recently provided such a spark in this team. To say that the Russian is one of the best players in the world would surely not be far off the mark.
It'll be an interesting game, a tight affair that may depend on a clinical finish or two. We must continue to put our foot down Villa's throats, as they play Liverpool tomorrow.
One final note on Phil Brown. The man is an embarrassment.
It's an interesting tie, one that I will go into when we get closer to the actual first leg. Villarreal are a team that plays football, loaded with a couple of gifted strikers (Rossi and the frequently injured Nihat), skilled midfielders (Santi Cazorla, Ibagaza, and sometimes Pires), and a decent defense. The problem for them this year has been injuries (like us), but as we saw before against them, it's going to be a tight tie. Manchester United failed to win either of their two games against Villarreal in the group stages this year.
I will say that it's a bit of a fortunate draw in the sense that we will only have to play one of the four clubs in the other side (Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Liverpool). We may or may not play United, but we don't have to play all four of those clubs.
Anything can happen, last time we went to the semis, Pires tackled Vieira and fed our goal as we went on to topple Juventus. I cannot predict anything other than another tense, exciting two legs.
Before that, we play at St. James' Park against Newcastle. Newcastle has been floundering ever since N'Zogbia's Aunt placed a voodoo curse on JFKinnear. They've churned out a lot of draws and are in danger of being relegated. They have enough talent to survive, but injuries play a part in everything and they're struggling.
Hughton has already announced that he'll sit Owen and play a five man midfield. We haven't won at Newcastle since Jermaine Jenas gave us a penalty kick via a handball, featuring one of the most sublime penalties I've seen from Thierry Henry.
It will take a lot to break this team down, featuring talented defenders in Bassong and Habib Beye. But we do have a sprightly Russian who has recently provided such a spark in this team. To say that the Russian is one of the best players in the world would surely not be far off the mark.
It'll be an interesting game, a tight affair that may depend on a clinical finish or two. We must continue to put our foot down Villa's throats, as they play Liverpool tomorrow.
One final note on Phil Brown. The man is an embarrassment.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Unbeaten in the Premiership for 4 Months
Arsenal are the only team in the Premiership who are unbeaten in 2009.
On Saturday, Arsenal will make their longest journey of the season (280 miles) when they travel to Newcastle. There are few factors that will work in Arsenal's favor:
1)Tomorrow Arsenal will know their opponents in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The squad will be buoyed by this regardless of who they are drawn against.
2) The kick-off time is 5:30 pm. This means that the players and staff will not have to stay overnight in a hotel on Friday. Wenger will treat the game like a Champions League match. The players will meet at the training and fly up to Newcastle at lunch-time. They will be back in London before eleven o'clock. This suits Arsenal.
3) The Phil Brown furor and the Hull City result has united the team and given Arsenal focus. At the end of Tuesday's win I noticed a very happy Kolo Toure run on to the pitch and hug William Gallas. I thought they weren't friends.
4) The players are playing for their places. All of them will want to play against Chelsea at the new Wembley.
5) Arshavin will thrive playing at St James Park. It's a big stadium, with a hostile crowd, but home to a team that are fighting relegation. Only goal difference is keeping Newcastle out of the relegation zone.
6) Newcastle are short on confidence having only beaten West Brom 3-2 in their last 13 games. They have only kept three clean sheets at home all season. Against Bolton (late August), Aston Villa (beginning of November) and Everton (late in February).
Newcastle have held both Chelsea and Manchester United to draws this season and Arsenal have not won at St James Park since December 2004 - when Patrick Vieira scored a deflected goal just before half-time.
The following season was Arsenal's most miserable time at St James Park under Wenger. Arsenal lost 1-0 to a Nolberto Solano goal after Alan Shearer had elbowed his way through the game. The only good thing about that match was Jens Lehmann knocking out Scott Parker's front tooth. Nice one Jens!
That defeat to Newcastle was the second in a trio of defeats. It was and is the only time that Wenger has lost three Premiership matches in a row.
The first was against Sam Allardyce's Bolton at The Reebok(2-0).
The second was away to Newcastle (1-0).
The third was a home defeat to Jose Mourinho's Chelsea (2-0).
The media had a frenzy. They always do when things are not going well for Arsenal.
That season Arsenal finished 4th, knocking Spurs out of the Champions League qualifying spot on the last game of the season. They also reached the semi-finals of the Carling cup - only losing on away goals to Wigan Athletic.
They also reached the Champions League final. It was a good season in my book.
This season is shaping up to be a good one as well. Tomorrows Champions League draw is proof of that.
On Saturday, Arsenal will make their longest journey of the season (280 miles) when they travel to Newcastle. There are few factors that will work in Arsenal's favor:
1)Tomorrow Arsenal will know their opponents in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The squad will be buoyed by this regardless of who they are drawn against.
2) The kick-off time is 5:30 pm. This means that the players and staff will not have to stay overnight in a hotel on Friday. Wenger will treat the game like a Champions League match. The players will meet at the training and fly up to Newcastle at lunch-time. They will be back in London before eleven o'clock. This suits Arsenal.
3) The Phil Brown furor and the Hull City result has united the team and given Arsenal focus. At the end of Tuesday's win I noticed a very happy Kolo Toure run on to the pitch and hug William Gallas. I thought they weren't friends.
4) The players are playing for their places. All of them will want to play against Chelsea at the new Wembley.
5) Arshavin will thrive playing at St James Park. It's a big stadium, with a hostile crowd, but home to a team that are fighting relegation. Only goal difference is keeping Newcastle out of the relegation zone.
6) Newcastle are short on confidence having only beaten West Brom 3-2 in their last 13 games. They have only kept three clean sheets at home all season. Against Bolton (late August), Aston Villa (beginning of November) and Everton (late in February).
Newcastle have held both Chelsea and Manchester United to draws this season and Arsenal have not won at St James Park since December 2004 - when Patrick Vieira scored a deflected goal just before half-time.
The following season was Arsenal's most miserable time at St James Park under Wenger. Arsenal lost 1-0 to a Nolberto Solano goal after Alan Shearer had elbowed his way through the game. The only good thing about that match was Jens Lehmann knocking out Scott Parker's front tooth. Nice one Jens!
That defeat to Newcastle was the second in a trio of defeats. It was and is the only time that Wenger has lost three Premiership matches in a row.
The first was against Sam Allardyce's Bolton at The Reebok(2-0).
The second was away to Newcastle (1-0).
The third was a home defeat to Jose Mourinho's Chelsea (2-0).
The media had a frenzy. They always do when things are not going well for Arsenal.
That season Arsenal finished 4th, knocking Spurs out of the Champions League qualifying spot on the last game of the season. They also reached the semi-finals of the Carling cup - only losing on away goals to Wigan Athletic.
They also reached the Champions League final. It was a good season in my book.
This season is shaping up to be a good one as well. Tomorrows Champions League draw is proof of that.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Wembley Here We Come
A resurgent Arsenal has booked a very tasty semi-final FA Cup tie vs. Chelsea. Robin van Persie and William ‘Focus’ Gallas have crushed Phil Brown’s dream of a second victory at the Emirates Stadium in as many attempts. But a spitting incident has allegedly taken place in the tunnel after the match. The victory has shared headlines with accusations by the Hull City manager that Cesc Fabregas has spit at his assistant Brian Horton, but to be clear, the real story is that Arsenal are going to Wembley.
We can discuss the tie at a later date. Let’s look at our injured captain. He has shown a petulant streak in the past with Pizzagate and the post-match punch to the stomach of the despicable Teddy Sheringham – legendary stuff! We’ve seen him mature over the past five seasons yet he remains a real fighter. As they say in America, the kid’s got grapefruits.
And now the porn star double with bad fashion sense has accused Cesc of spitting at the feet of the Hull City Assistant Manager. Cesc has denied the allegations. I’ve seen the seething Phil Brown attempt to state his case to the media after the very bitter, difficult defeat. He was not convincing. He was obviously a beaten man, much like his former mentor Sam Allardyce was last weekend.
Remember in The Godfather when Michael Corleone went on that killing spree to rub out his family’s enemies? After blanking Blackburn on Saturday and now seeing the anger ooze out of Phil Brown, I feel we’ve closed a few accounts ourselves.
I cannot condone humans spitting at other humans. I will not accept such boorish behavior, especially not from my captain. But let’s suppose that Phil Brown isn’t a lying sac of pig shit and that Cesc did spit. My question then is why did Brian Horton’s feet get in the way of Cesc’s saliva? And if Cesc really wanted to spit at anyone, wouldn’t he spit at the wannabe porn star instead?
Reporters asked Phil Brown what precipitated the alleged spitting row. He couldn’t say, yet he “witnessed” it. Phil Brown is a liar. End of.
We’re going to Wembley. Hull City are not.
We can discuss the tie at a later date. Let’s look at our injured captain. He has shown a petulant streak in the past with Pizzagate and the post-match punch to the stomach of the despicable Teddy Sheringham – legendary stuff! We’ve seen him mature over the past five seasons yet he remains a real fighter. As they say in America, the kid’s got grapefruits.
And now the porn star double with bad fashion sense has accused Cesc of spitting at the feet of the Hull City Assistant Manager. Cesc has denied the allegations. I’ve seen the seething Phil Brown attempt to state his case to the media after the very bitter, difficult defeat. He was not convincing. He was obviously a beaten man, much like his former mentor Sam Allardyce was last weekend.
Remember in The Godfather when Michael Corleone went on that killing spree to rub out his family’s enemies? After blanking Blackburn on Saturday and now seeing the anger ooze out of Phil Brown, I feel we’ve closed a few accounts ourselves.
I cannot condone humans spitting at other humans. I will not accept such boorish behavior, especially not from my captain. But let’s suppose that Phil Brown isn’t a lying sac of pig shit and that Cesc did spit. My question then is why did Brian Horton’s feet get in the way of Cesc’s saliva? And if Cesc really wanted to spit at anyone, wouldn’t he spit at the wannabe porn star instead?
Reporters asked Phil Brown what precipitated the alleged spitting row. He couldn’t say, yet he “witnessed” it. Phil Brown is a liar. End of.
We’re going to Wembley. Hull City are not.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Welcome to Hull
Phil Brown is a disciple of Sam Allardyce.
The very fact that a manager like Sam Allardyce can have disciples is a discomforting thought.
That being said, his teams don't cross a severe line like Allardyce's teams often do. He was given credit for playing "attacking" football against us at the Emirates shocker earlier this year.
He is a man who is above his own club.
He is not a manager I would like to play for.
During a game, he had his halftime team talk with his team out on the field. I don't know what the purpose of this was, other than perhaps humiliate his team in front of the entire world. He succeeded.
From that moment, they've gone from the darlings of the Premier League to desperately fighting relegation.
In his spats with Geovanni, who has subsequently been rejuvenated by a goal and the prospect of facing us at the Emirates again, he lashed out at Geovanni's poor attitude and once joked that he wished Geovanni would test "positive" on his drug test.
This is not a man who inspires, although you could say that he has.
He is a man who looks like a porn manager and wears gaudy coats.
They are a team who relies on set pieces (notably Michael Turner) and flashes of genius by Geovanni (who has more clunkers than flashes of genius).
I was mindful of this team once, but now I just want to see Phil Brown defeated as much as possible.
The very fact that a manager like Sam Allardyce can have disciples is a discomforting thought.
That being said, his teams don't cross a severe line like Allardyce's teams often do. He was given credit for playing "attacking" football against us at the Emirates shocker earlier this year.
He is a man who is above his own club.
He is not a manager I would like to play for.
During a game, he had his halftime team talk with his team out on the field. I don't know what the purpose of this was, other than perhaps humiliate his team in front of the entire world. He succeeded.
From that moment, they've gone from the darlings of the Premier League to desperately fighting relegation.
In his spats with Geovanni, who has subsequently been rejuvenated by a goal and the prospect of facing us at the Emirates again, he lashed out at Geovanni's poor attitude and once joked that he wished Geovanni would test "positive" on his drug test.
This is not a man who inspires, although you could say that he has.
He is a man who looks like a porn manager and wears gaudy coats.
They are a team who relies on set pieces (notably Michael Turner) and flashes of genius by Geovanni (who has more clunkers than flashes of genius).
I was mindful of this team once, but now I just want to see Phil Brown defeated as much as possible.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Hull City
Yesterday, Aston Villa lost at home to Spurs 2-1. It's a result means that Arsenal are now in charge of their own destiny when it comes to qualifying for the Champions League.
The turnaround in Arsenal's fortunes has been massive.
Two weeks ago some fans and journalists were calling for Arsene Wenger's head. Cast your minds back to the 0-0 draw against Fulham for a reminder.
By tomorrow evening Arsenal could be in the semi-final of the FA cup - IF Arsenal beat Hull City. That is not going to be easy. On September 28, 2008, Hull shocked Arsenal by coming from a goal behind to win 2-1 at The Emirates. Arsenal had just beaten Bolton and Blackburn away, so Hull's win was even more surprising.
Hull have only reached the semi-finals of the FA cup once. That was 79 years ago when Hull were knocked out by Arsenal.
It took a replay for Arsenal to eventually book their place in the final. The first game was played at Leeds United's Elland Road and finished 2-2. At that time in 1930, Hull were bottom of Division Two (Championship), eventually being relegated a month later. Arsenal were just entering their golden years under Herbert Chapman. However, by half-time Hull were winning 2-0 and a shock looked on the cards. It took a fine individual goal from Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin to force a replay.
The replay was held at Villa Park and was a rough game with tackles flying in. Hull's Arthur Childs became the first player to be sent off in a semi-final. Arsenal scored midway through the second half from a David Jack right foot volley, eventually winning the game 1-0. Arsenal returned to Wembley for the second time in four years, beating Huddersfield Town 2-0 to lift the FA cup for the first time.
There were some strange games after the 1930 semi-final victory over Hull City.
Two weeks before the 1930 FA cup final, Arsenal beat Sheffield United 8-1. It's Arsenal's biggest top flight win to date.
Five days before the final Arsenal set another record when, having been 3-1 down at half-time, they eventually drew 6-6 at Leicester City. It remains the highest scoring draw in any English first class game, having only been equaled by Charlton Athletic v Middlesbrough in 1960.
Two weeks before this years FA cup final Arsenal play Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Six days before the final we play Stoke City at The Emirates.
Arsenal's biggest win at The Emirates is 6-2 against Blackburn Rovers who we just thumped 4-0 last Saturday.
In the FA cup run of 1930 we beat Chelsea 2-0 - our opponents in the semi-finals should we overcome Hull City tomorrow.
This season has witnessed some strange results, Hull's win at The Emirates being just one of many.
I feel there are more strange results to come just like there were in 1930.
The turnaround in Arsenal's fortunes has been massive.
Two weeks ago some fans and journalists were calling for Arsene Wenger's head. Cast your minds back to the 0-0 draw against Fulham for a reminder.
By tomorrow evening Arsenal could be in the semi-final of the FA cup - IF Arsenal beat Hull City. That is not going to be easy. On September 28, 2008, Hull shocked Arsenal by coming from a goal behind to win 2-1 at The Emirates. Arsenal had just beaten Bolton and Blackburn away, so Hull's win was even more surprising.
Hull have only reached the semi-finals of the FA cup once. That was 79 years ago when Hull were knocked out by Arsenal.
It took a replay for Arsenal to eventually book their place in the final. The first game was played at Leeds United's Elland Road and finished 2-2. At that time in 1930, Hull were bottom of Division Two (Championship), eventually being relegated a month later. Arsenal were just entering their golden years under Herbert Chapman. However, by half-time Hull were winning 2-0 and a shock looked on the cards. It took a fine individual goal from Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin to force a replay.
The replay was held at Villa Park and was a rough game with tackles flying in. Hull's Arthur Childs became the first player to be sent off in a semi-final. Arsenal scored midway through the second half from a David Jack right foot volley, eventually winning the game 1-0. Arsenal returned to Wembley for the second time in four years, beating Huddersfield Town 2-0 to lift the FA cup for the first time.
There were some strange games after the 1930 semi-final victory over Hull City.
Two weeks before the 1930 FA cup final, Arsenal beat Sheffield United 8-1. It's Arsenal's biggest top flight win to date.
Five days before the final Arsenal set another record when, having been 3-1 down at half-time, they eventually drew 6-6 at Leicester City. It remains the highest scoring draw in any English first class game, having only been equaled by Charlton Athletic v Middlesbrough in 1960.
Two weeks before this years FA cup final Arsenal play Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Six days before the final we play Stoke City at The Emirates.
Arsenal's biggest win at The Emirates is 6-2 against Blackburn Rovers who we just thumped 4-0 last Saturday.
In the FA cup run of 1930 we beat Chelsea 2-0 - our opponents in the semi-finals should we overcome Hull City tomorrow.
This season has witnessed some strange results, Hull's win at The Emirates being just one of many.
I feel there are more strange results to come just like there were in 1930.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Take That Sam/Kolo Speaks
Yesterday's exciting victory over Blackburn has confirmed many things, not least that El-Hadji Diouf is an odious human being.
We saw Nik Bendtner miss chance after chance but we also saw AA23 open his scoring account in a manner that confirms his special player status.
We saw Manuel Almunia show some spine, purpose, and aggression in answering the odious Diouf’s dangerous attempt to break his ankle. Jens would’ve handled the matter quick and fast but at least Manuel has shown that he won’t be walked over, literally. It was good to see.
We saw another seamless insertion of Johan Djourou into the back four, resulting in another clean sheet. We’ve kept 11 in our last 20 games.
We saw the face of a beaten man in Sam Allardyce. Take that you big bag of foul air.
Kolo Speaks
A few comments concerning teammates and friends were attributed to Kolo Toure this past week.
Arsene Wenger rates Kolo Toure highly - “For me Kolo is very honest and is a great person, I rate him and I like him.” I have never met Kolo but I can see the quality of character from afar. He has become an Arsenal totem symbol. He is an Invincible. He is an Arsenal legend. I rate Kolo and appreciate all the things he’s done for the club. His long service and commitment are there for all to see. He can be a marvelous player on his best days but Kolo is not perfect.
William Gallas is not perfect. When he let the entire world know that there’d been riffs amongst the players, he was criticised for airing dirty laundry. He was being controversial. Some found his actions reprehensible, others felt that they’ve allowed both players and (most) fans to move on with a fresh start.
Captain Kolo Toure reportedly made comments about riffs amongst the players as well. "There were some problems between the players but this must remain an internal matter because I'm not the kind of man who creates controversies." He continued, "My relationship with William has improved but it's just a professional relationship. Once we are on the pitch we try to keep a professional attitude and to communicate. We never got on well together. You see, I'm friends with Johan Djourou, with Emmanuel Eboue, with Gael Clichy, but it's not the same with William. It's the same within every company, you can't be friends with everybody."
I appreciate Kolo’s candor but he has singled out Gallas as someone he doesn’t get on with. Isn't that bound to cause controversy? Or will Kolo receive a different sort of treatment from press and fans? Kolo has cited fellow defenders Djourou, Eboue (more of a midfielder of late), and Clichy as his friends. He has left out Sagna. Interesting because Sagna has stood by Gallas throughout the controversial periods, marveling at how well he has coped.
Were Kolo’s statements helpful?
He was being honest, true. And I like him for his honesty. But is his honesty any more acceptable than Gallas’s honesty?
Were the comments meant to cure any ills amongst the players? Will they benefit the club in any manner?
I feel that they can do more harm than good, especially as they were made (or at least reported) on the same day that Theo Walcott has likened the players to a family, despite the various origins.
Certain players are cast as do-gooders, as ones who can do little to no wrong. Kolo deserves every accolade he has received as an Arsenal player but there is a danger in making people pets and favorites. We tend to give them a pass. We view them with a far less critical eye than less favorable types. This is a classic case.
Hasn't Kolo caused controversy?
We saw Nik Bendtner miss chance after chance but we also saw AA23 open his scoring account in a manner that confirms his special player status.
We saw Manuel Almunia show some spine, purpose, and aggression in answering the odious Diouf’s dangerous attempt to break his ankle. Jens would’ve handled the matter quick and fast but at least Manuel has shown that he won’t be walked over, literally. It was good to see.
We saw another seamless insertion of Johan Djourou into the back four, resulting in another clean sheet. We’ve kept 11 in our last 20 games.
We saw the face of a beaten man in Sam Allardyce. Take that you big bag of foul air.
Kolo Speaks
A few comments concerning teammates and friends were attributed to Kolo Toure this past week.
Arsene Wenger rates Kolo Toure highly - “For me Kolo is very honest and is a great person, I rate him and I like him.” I have never met Kolo but I can see the quality of character from afar. He has become an Arsenal totem symbol. He is an Invincible. He is an Arsenal legend. I rate Kolo and appreciate all the things he’s done for the club. His long service and commitment are there for all to see. He can be a marvelous player on his best days but Kolo is not perfect.
William Gallas is not perfect. When he let the entire world know that there’d been riffs amongst the players, he was criticised for airing dirty laundry. He was being controversial. Some found his actions reprehensible, others felt that they’ve allowed both players and (most) fans to move on with a fresh start.
Captain Kolo Toure reportedly made comments about riffs amongst the players as well. "There were some problems between the players but this must remain an internal matter because I'm not the kind of man who creates controversies." He continued, "My relationship with William has improved but it's just a professional relationship. Once we are on the pitch we try to keep a professional attitude and to communicate. We never got on well together. You see, I'm friends with Johan Djourou, with Emmanuel Eboue, with Gael Clichy, but it's not the same with William. It's the same within every company, you can't be friends with everybody."
I appreciate Kolo’s candor but he has singled out Gallas as someone he doesn’t get on with. Isn't that bound to cause controversy? Or will Kolo receive a different sort of treatment from press and fans? Kolo has cited fellow defenders Djourou, Eboue (more of a midfielder of late), and Clichy as his friends. He has left out Sagna. Interesting because Sagna has stood by Gallas throughout the controversial periods, marveling at how well he has coped.
Were Kolo’s statements helpful?
He was being honest, true. And I like him for his honesty. But is his honesty any more acceptable than Gallas’s honesty?
Were the comments meant to cure any ills amongst the players? Will they benefit the club in any manner?
I feel that they can do more harm than good, especially as they were made (or at least reported) on the same day that Theo Walcott has likened the players to a family, despite the various origins.
Certain players are cast as do-gooders, as ones who can do little to no wrong. Kolo deserves every accolade he has received as an Arsenal player but there is a danger in making people pets and favorites. We tend to give them a pass. We view them with a far less critical eye than less favorable types. This is a classic case.
Hasn't Kolo caused controversy?
Friday, March 13, 2009
It is Written
Arsene Wenger described the Wednesday night second leg fixture against Roma as a game that may shape their destiny. The media is describing the performance as a poor one, but a breakthrough. I don't think we played poorly, but it was a game where we learned a lot about our players.
After suffering a setback and an attempt by Roma to overrun us in the first 60 minutes, we experienced moments of fortune (Clichy's penalty decision and Baptista reminding us of the lowlights of his Arsenal days), but we remained strong.
In the final 60 minutes of the game, I thought we controlled it while remaining cautious. Understand that the situation made everybody nervous. Roma certainly didn't want to concede because of the away goals. We certainly didn't want to concede in regular time, because that could have ended the game and were we to concede in extra time, we still would have had time to equalize.
It made for a nerve wracking tie. It wasn't the best display of football, but it was compelling football.
While I was watching the game, an older man behind me kept crucifying Bendtner throughout the match. Sometimes, it wasn't even Bendtner on the ball (it was van Persie), but he yelled at the screen screaming Wenger to take him off. I had enough, I turned around, and I said, "What did he do wrong now?" He replied, "he breathed."
That's all I needed to hear. Never mind the fact that Amy Lawrence (not necessarily a die-hard Wenger supporter, but a mild Arsenal fan) of the Guardian said Bendtner was the best Arsenal player on the night. These idiots refuse to even give him a chance. On the night where Eboue was booed off the pitch at the Emirates, a small contingent of Arsenal "fans" booed Bendtner's name when announced before kickoff. Frankly, this is completely unacceptable for a striker who has more goals than Gabriel Agbonlahor and was deployed out of position to boot on Wednesday night.
As extra time neared the end, I had two thoughts in my mind. One was, for whatever reason, when watching Diaby make a surging run forward, a thought popped into my head. "Diaby is going to score the winning goal for us," I turned and said to a friend. The second thought was far negative. I could accept a loss, but I feared that the fallout would be devastating. The "fans" would rip the team to shreds. The media would rip the team to shreds. Having extra games is far more easier to cope with than the devastating loss that could have been suffered on Wednesday.
Regardless of that, I turned my attention to the penalty kick shootout. Now, it's such a unique experience. It's essentially a coin flip, you could say, but nerves and determination count for a lot. If you lose, it's devastating to the point of depression. Totti claimed after the game that he would have rather lost 3-0 than lose on a penalty kick shootout (I take satisfaction in this, as a France fan, he knows how it feels now). He said it felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest. But if you win a penalty shootout, it means everything. It's a genuine breakthrough.
While watching it, I knew we would win, but I was still nervous. In retrospect, the whole shootout lasted 14 minutes in duration, and it felt like three hours.
Eduardo missed his first PK. Afterwards, it was revealed that even though he missed, he said this to Kolo:
"When he came back he just said ‘Kolo, we’re going to win,’ and I said ‘Yeah, I believe in that.'
What an attitude to have!
In the other kicks, we had Walcott emulating Beattie (I did notice this while watching and I wondered if he was influenced by him) barely slipping it through.
We had Denilson, a man who had never taken a penalty in his entire career, step up and take the fifth and potentially final penalty kick for us. That's all I need to know about Denilson and how much Wenger believes in him. He buried it. Like Cesc, who put the sword to Italy and destroyed Spain's supposed "curse" in big European competitions, I knew Neves would come through. Denilson really is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.
More penalties to come. But when Diaby stepped up, I knew it was over. I knew that this was our destiny, and that this was our way home.
And what a breakthrough it is.
Almunia, who admittedly didn't look entirely comfortable as a shootout goalkeeper (compare his body language to Lehmann's body language in the World Cup game against Argentina), said this type of game can give you two years experience in 120 minutes.
Theo said that they celebrated like they won the World Cup.
These sound like exaggerations, and they may slightly be so. But for a young team, it is the first step on the way to major trophies. Before you win trophies, you take steps like these.
You take steps like winning away at Bolton. You take steps like holding your own against an Italian team in hostile opposition. You take steps like winning penalty shootouts when the pressure is unrelenting.
There is an expectation that we will drop off against Blackburn tomorrow, and it definitely may happen. Here's where the Arshavin signing comes in handy. He will be fully rested and ready to go.
Blackburn have the deplorable walrus Allardyce back, but he has only recruited a few of his former players, notably El Hadji Diouf. They have injury problems of their own, but feature Jason Roberts (of Wigan lore) in attack.
We will rotate the squad some, but a breakthrough like the one in Europe sends a jolt of energy throughout the team. Those that did not play still celebrated on the pitch.
And Wednesday, on a night that had many twists and turns, only had one outcome that was written in the stars:
This team can grow into a juggernaut, but if players are not strong mentally, things will crumble. This team will not crumble.
After suffering a setback and an attempt by Roma to overrun us in the first 60 minutes, we experienced moments of fortune (Clichy's penalty decision and Baptista reminding us of the lowlights of his Arsenal days), but we remained strong.
In the final 60 minutes of the game, I thought we controlled it while remaining cautious. Understand that the situation made everybody nervous. Roma certainly didn't want to concede because of the away goals. We certainly didn't want to concede in regular time, because that could have ended the game and were we to concede in extra time, we still would have had time to equalize.
It made for a nerve wracking tie. It wasn't the best display of football, but it was compelling football.
While I was watching the game, an older man behind me kept crucifying Bendtner throughout the match. Sometimes, it wasn't even Bendtner on the ball (it was van Persie), but he yelled at the screen screaming Wenger to take him off. I had enough, I turned around, and I said, "What did he do wrong now?" He replied, "he breathed."
That's all I needed to hear. Never mind the fact that Amy Lawrence (not necessarily a die-hard Wenger supporter, but a mild Arsenal fan) of the Guardian said Bendtner was the best Arsenal player on the night. These idiots refuse to even give him a chance. On the night where Eboue was booed off the pitch at the Emirates, a small contingent of Arsenal "fans" booed Bendtner's name when announced before kickoff. Frankly, this is completely unacceptable for a striker who has more goals than Gabriel Agbonlahor and was deployed out of position to boot on Wednesday night.
As extra time neared the end, I had two thoughts in my mind. One was, for whatever reason, when watching Diaby make a surging run forward, a thought popped into my head. "Diaby is going to score the winning goal for us," I turned and said to a friend. The second thought was far negative. I could accept a loss, but I feared that the fallout would be devastating. The "fans" would rip the team to shreds. The media would rip the team to shreds. Having extra games is far more easier to cope with than the devastating loss that could have been suffered on Wednesday.
Regardless of that, I turned my attention to the penalty kick shootout. Now, it's such a unique experience. It's essentially a coin flip, you could say, but nerves and determination count for a lot. If you lose, it's devastating to the point of depression. Totti claimed after the game that he would have rather lost 3-0 than lose on a penalty kick shootout (I take satisfaction in this, as a France fan, he knows how it feels now). He said it felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest. But if you win a penalty shootout, it means everything. It's a genuine breakthrough.
While watching it, I knew we would win, but I was still nervous. In retrospect, the whole shootout lasted 14 minutes in duration, and it felt like three hours.
Eduardo missed his first PK. Afterwards, it was revealed that even though he missed, he said this to Kolo:
"When he came back he just said ‘Kolo, we’re going to win,’ and I said ‘Yeah, I believe in that.'
What an attitude to have!
In the other kicks, we had Walcott emulating Beattie (I did notice this while watching and I wondered if he was influenced by him) barely slipping it through.
We had Denilson, a man who had never taken a penalty in his entire career, step up and take the fifth and potentially final penalty kick for us. That's all I need to know about Denilson and how much Wenger believes in him. He buried it. Like Cesc, who put the sword to Italy and destroyed Spain's supposed "curse" in big European competitions, I knew Neves would come through. Denilson really is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.
More penalties to come. But when Diaby stepped up, I knew it was over. I knew that this was our destiny, and that this was our way home.
And what a breakthrough it is.
Almunia, who admittedly didn't look entirely comfortable as a shootout goalkeeper (compare his body language to Lehmann's body language in the World Cup game against Argentina), said this type of game can give you two years experience in 120 minutes.
Theo said that they celebrated like they won the World Cup.
These sound like exaggerations, and they may slightly be so. But for a young team, it is the first step on the way to major trophies. Before you win trophies, you take steps like these.
You take steps like winning away at Bolton. You take steps like holding your own against an Italian team in hostile opposition. You take steps like winning penalty shootouts when the pressure is unrelenting.
There is an expectation that we will drop off against Blackburn tomorrow, and it definitely may happen. Here's where the Arshavin signing comes in handy. He will be fully rested and ready to go.
Blackburn have the deplorable walrus Allardyce back, but he has only recruited a few of his former players, notably El Hadji Diouf. They have injury problems of their own, but feature Jason Roberts (of Wigan lore) in attack.
We will rotate the squad some, but a breakthrough like the one in Europe sends a jolt of energy throughout the team. Those that did not play still celebrated on the pitch.
And Wednesday, on a night that had many twists and turns, only had one outcome that was written in the stars:
This team can grow into a juggernaut, but if players are not strong mentally, things will crumble. This team will not crumble.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Now Let's Concentrate on the Premiership
The last time Arsenal scored a goal in the first half of a home Premiership match was last year. Arsenal didn't win, instead they drew 1-1.
Arsenal should have won that game but Robbie Keane equalized for Liverpool and thus ended Arsenal's slim title hopes. It was also the last time that Cesc Fabregas played for Arsenal.
I hate Liverpool. Last seasons Champions League quarter-final defeat still pains me. There are many more similar games like it. We always have the better of the play against them, but get caught by Liverpool's counter-attacking sucker punch.
I also hate the way Liverpool play. It's like a military operation rather than a ballet performance. I'm indifferent about their game against Manchester United on Saturday. It's a result that I couldn't care less about.
My thoughts are on Arsenal's game against Blackburn Rovers.
I would love to see Blackburn go down. I traveled to Blackburn on Christmas Eve 1998. I went to a nightclub above a parking lot. The nightclub was huge but the rest of Blackburn wasn't.
It was a ghost town.
Blackburn is not a city. It's too small. Apart from the nightclub, there was nothing else going on in Blackburn. And as for the weather in Blackburn, forget about it. Blackburn makes dreary Cleveland look like Miami. It always rains there and never has a summer.
The place is a hole.
Racially the town is divided. Whites stick with whites and 3rd generation Pakistani's stick with 3rd generation Pakistani's. The nightclub represented this. It had two massive rooms. In one room techno music played. White guys on ecstasy would sweat away, with their jaws having gone AWOL and their eyes as large as the moon. In the other room popular hits of the day were being played. Pakistani boys with northern accents were downing pints of lagers and hitting on anything that walked their way. It was a strange place.
You could buy fish and chips there. I've never been to a club where you can buy fish and chips. Pop a pill, dab some speed, down a pint, pull a dog or as a last resort - eat fish and chips.
That's Blackburn.
I couldn't wait to leave.
That season 1998/99 Blackburn Rovers under Brian Kidd were relegated. I was a happy man. However, they soon returned like an old hemorrhoid on your crack cheek. Playing long, painful, brutal, football. Even when they won the Premiership they played this style of football.
Now that they have Sam Allardyce in charge, their style will just get worse.
The last time Arsenal won at home in the Premiership was January 10th. Two months ago. I just hope that after Wednesday night Arsenal have the motivation and energy to beat Blackburn.
I know I will be up for it but then I am a fan. And this brings me to my next point. Aston Villa verses Spurs on Sunday.
Spurs fans will want Villa to win on Sunday to stop us from getting into the Champions League next season. Even though they are in a relegation battle, they would still rather lose. That's how much they hate Arsenal.
The Spurs manager Harry Redknapp looks at the game differently.
He hates Villa fans. He hates them because of the abuse he received at Villa Park after his arrest last season for corruption.
"There were people behind me shouting filth," Redknapp responded after taunting Villa fans with three fingers after his Portsmouth team had just won 3-1. He then had the ignominy of running to the Portsmouth team bus to avoid the waiting Villa hate mob.
Unfortunately, in his haste, Redknapp missed a step and tripped, stumbling into the bus much to the delight of Villa's baying fans.
In the Premier League this season, Portsmouth drew 0-0 at Villa Park. Redknapp endured more abuse. This time a coin was thrown by a Villa fan, which injured assistant referee Phil Sharp. The coin was aimed for Redknapp.
Redknapp will want to beat Villa and nothing will give him more satisfaction than seeing Villa fans watch their team throw away 4th place on Sunday.
Arsenal should have won that game but Robbie Keane equalized for Liverpool and thus ended Arsenal's slim title hopes. It was also the last time that Cesc Fabregas played for Arsenal.
I hate Liverpool. Last seasons Champions League quarter-final defeat still pains me. There are many more similar games like it. We always have the better of the play against them, but get caught by Liverpool's counter-attacking sucker punch.
I also hate the way Liverpool play. It's like a military operation rather than a ballet performance. I'm indifferent about their game against Manchester United on Saturday. It's a result that I couldn't care less about.
My thoughts are on Arsenal's game against Blackburn Rovers.
I would love to see Blackburn go down. I traveled to Blackburn on Christmas Eve 1998. I went to a nightclub above a parking lot. The nightclub was huge but the rest of Blackburn wasn't.
It was a ghost town.
Blackburn is not a city. It's too small. Apart from the nightclub, there was nothing else going on in Blackburn. And as for the weather in Blackburn, forget about it. Blackburn makes dreary Cleveland look like Miami. It always rains there and never has a summer.
The place is a hole.
Racially the town is divided. Whites stick with whites and 3rd generation Pakistani's stick with 3rd generation Pakistani's. The nightclub represented this. It had two massive rooms. In one room techno music played. White guys on ecstasy would sweat away, with their jaws having gone AWOL and their eyes as large as the moon. In the other room popular hits of the day were being played. Pakistani boys with northern accents were downing pints of lagers and hitting on anything that walked their way. It was a strange place.
You could buy fish and chips there. I've never been to a club where you can buy fish and chips. Pop a pill, dab some speed, down a pint, pull a dog or as a last resort - eat fish and chips.
That's Blackburn.
I couldn't wait to leave.
That season 1998/99 Blackburn Rovers under Brian Kidd were relegated. I was a happy man. However, they soon returned like an old hemorrhoid on your crack cheek. Playing long, painful, brutal, football. Even when they won the Premiership they played this style of football.
Now that they have Sam Allardyce in charge, their style will just get worse.
The last time Arsenal won at home in the Premiership was January 10th. Two months ago. I just hope that after Wednesday night Arsenal have the motivation and energy to beat Blackburn.
I know I will be up for it but then I am a fan. And this brings me to my next point. Aston Villa verses Spurs on Sunday.
Spurs fans will want Villa to win on Sunday to stop us from getting into the Champions League next season. Even though they are in a relegation battle, they would still rather lose. That's how much they hate Arsenal.
The Spurs manager Harry Redknapp looks at the game differently.
He hates Villa fans. He hates them because of the abuse he received at Villa Park after his arrest last season for corruption.
"There were people behind me shouting filth," Redknapp responded after taunting Villa fans with three fingers after his Portsmouth team had just won 3-1. He then had the ignominy of running to the Portsmouth team bus to avoid the waiting Villa hate mob.
Unfortunately, in his haste, Redknapp missed a step and tripped, stumbling into the bus much to the delight of Villa's baying fans.
In the Premier League this season, Portsmouth drew 0-0 at Villa Park. Redknapp endured more abuse. This time a coin was thrown by a Villa fan, which injured assistant referee Phil Sharp. The coin was aimed for Redknapp.
Redknapp will want to beat Villa and nothing will give him more satisfaction than seeing Villa fans watch their team throw away 4th place on Sunday.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Translator Speaks
On Monday, I spoke via email to a gentleman who does translations for our company. He is based in Modena, Italy. As we chatted it became clear that his English is limited to technical matters that he makes a nice sum translating for us, but it is good enough for him to express himself. The conversation went as follows:
Me:
Do you watch Calcio? I am an Arsenal fan - big game vs. Roma Wednesday.
Translator:
Roma will win
No doubt about it
Regards
Me:
I hope you’re wrong, obviously.
We shall see.
Translator:
We'll see
X
Me:
When I was younger, I used to watch Calcio every Sunday. I remember the great Roma teams that included Di Bartolomei, Pruzzo, Conti, Falcao, Cerezo et al.
Translator:
I'm not young but I keep watching it every week
Have a great day
Regards
X
_____________________________________________________
Yeah! We shall see, Cunto!
COME ON ARSENAL!
Me:
Do you watch Calcio? I am an Arsenal fan - big game vs. Roma Wednesday.
Translator:
Roma will win
No doubt about it
Regards
Me:
I hope you’re wrong, obviously.
We shall see.
Translator:
We'll see
X
Me:
When I was younger, I used to watch Calcio every Sunday. I remember the great Roma teams that included Di Bartolomei, Pruzzo, Conti, Falcao, Cerezo et al.
Translator:
I'm not young but I keep watching it every week
Have a great day
Regards
X
_____________________________________________________
Yeah! We shall see, Cunto!
COME ON ARSENAL!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tension
In the 2006 Champions League Final run, we defeated illustrious teams on our way.
A declining Real Madrid were defeated by a lone Thierry Henry strike, an individual goal worth it's weight in gold. Next up was Juventus, a team not in decline, but easily mugged by our boys at Highbury. Robert Pires actually making a tackle against Patrick Vieira that led to a goal was the highlight in this tie.
Next was a fixture that everybody assumed would be a cakewalk, a Villarreal team led by Juan Roman Riquelme.
The first tie was a feisty affair, decided in our favor to a lone Kolo Toure strike. Going into the second leg, Wenger said all the right things. He stated that we weren't going over there to defend, and that a right balance of attack needed to be found.
The truth was that we were bombarded by a Villarreal team that on the balance of play just about deserved a draw. A Clichy that was coming back from a long injury recover looked terribly out of form and conceded an incredibly soft penalty to Villarreal at the very end.
I remember watching the penalty kick sequence. The tension was unbelievable. But deep inside, I knew that Jens would save the penalty kick. For me, it was in the way the sequence was edited. It felt like a film, and I knew this film would have a happy ending. Later on, Wenger would say, "I knew that if Jens could save it, we would be in the final."
When Jens did save it, I leapt for joy. A friend of mine grabbed me by both of my arms and began to jump up and down. I had heavy bruises from this the day after. He said, "the ref did everything to screw us." Right, he was.
Tomorrow, we go to Roma in a similar situation. The mark of a young team is one that cannot defend a lead in crucial situations. You require maturity and experience to get through something of the sort.
People say this team is young, and that it is, but we do have the experience to get through. Wenger knows exactly how difficult a situation it is, but perhaps a slender lead will give us more focus. Surely, if we get through this leg, we have a decent shot at winning the Champions League with our key players all returning quite soon.
It will be rough, but tomorrow, a balance must be struck, between experience and youth, attack and defense, flair and composition, glory and a simple result.
It is, as Wenger calls it, "our defining moment." I cannot wait for what this team will show us in the future, but bear in mind that the future had already started as soon as Wenger stepped into the marble halls at Highbury.
A declining Real Madrid were defeated by a lone Thierry Henry strike, an individual goal worth it's weight in gold. Next up was Juventus, a team not in decline, but easily mugged by our boys at Highbury. Robert Pires actually making a tackle against Patrick Vieira that led to a goal was the highlight in this tie.
Next was a fixture that everybody assumed would be a cakewalk, a Villarreal team led by Juan Roman Riquelme.
The first tie was a feisty affair, decided in our favor to a lone Kolo Toure strike. Going into the second leg, Wenger said all the right things. He stated that we weren't going over there to defend, and that a right balance of attack needed to be found.
The truth was that we were bombarded by a Villarreal team that on the balance of play just about deserved a draw. A Clichy that was coming back from a long injury recover looked terribly out of form and conceded an incredibly soft penalty to Villarreal at the very end.
I remember watching the penalty kick sequence. The tension was unbelievable. But deep inside, I knew that Jens would save the penalty kick. For me, it was in the way the sequence was edited. It felt like a film, and I knew this film would have a happy ending. Later on, Wenger would say, "I knew that if Jens could save it, we would be in the final."
When Jens did save it, I leapt for joy. A friend of mine grabbed me by both of my arms and began to jump up and down. I had heavy bruises from this the day after. He said, "the ref did everything to screw us." Right, he was.
Tomorrow, we go to Roma in a similar situation. The mark of a young team is one that cannot defend a lead in crucial situations. You require maturity and experience to get through something of the sort.
People say this team is young, and that it is, but we do have the experience to get through. Wenger knows exactly how difficult a situation it is, but perhaps a slender lead will give us more focus. Surely, if we get through this leg, we have a decent shot at winning the Champions League with our key players all returning quite soon.
It will be rough, but tomorrow, a balance must be struck, between experience and youth, attack and defense, flair and composition, glory and a simple result.
It is, as Wenger calls it, "our defining moment." I cannot wait for what this team will show us in the future, but bear in mind that the future had already started as soon as Wenger stepped into the marble halls at Highbury.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Smudger and Henry
Can you remember when Thierry Henry was in is pomp playing for Arsenal? He destroyed teams single handed. No striker in the Premiership could touch him. His goals and assists were world class.
Yet the debate about Henry underachieving in big matches still continues.
According to so called experts such as Tommy Smyth, the Frenchman never turned up for the "big games." The 2006 Champions League final is cited as one example.
For Tommy Smyth, scoring lots of goals against poor Premiership teams and weak defenses is not world class. In his eyes, Henry should have achieved more with the talent that he had, but because of his ego, he fell short.
Some Arsenal fans agree with Tommy Smyth. In fact, there are some that were happy that Henry was sold to Barcelona in the summer of 2007. These Arsenal fans view Henry's ego as having a negative impact because he didn't allow the younger Arsenal players to flourish. His demands for the ball and for Arsenal's play to be centered around him nearly ruined the development of players such as Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas. This is especially true at the end of Henry's Arsenal career, where his ego took over him. Henry became lazy and dominated the Arsenal team to its detriment.
If you look back at Henry's Arsenal career, there are certain goals and games that stand out. His Champions League goal against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu. His solo run and goal from the half-way line against Spurs. His twisting and turning of the Liverpool defense at Highbury in 2004. His header against Manchester United in 2007. His turn and volley against them in 2000. His 25 yard screamer against them in 2004. His hat-trick against Roma, his double against Inter Milan in the San Siro.
All were big teams.
All were big games.
In the civil war that is raging among Arsenal fans, the Henry debate is crucial. If you are a Negative you downplay Henry's contribution to Arsenal. The Negative's view Henry as egotistical and an underachiever. They will tell you that Henry cost us the Champions League in 2006.
They would prefer Alan Smith or Smudger in European finals. Why? Because Smudger was the last Arsenal striker to have scored a winning goal in a European final. He didn't pout, he didn't strop and moan. Smudger was a team player and more importantly, he turned up for the "big game."
Sumdger now writes for the Daily Telegraph. He's a critic of Arsenal and also of Arsene Wenger. In his article a week ago, he questioned whether it was time for Wenger to leave Arsenal. He offered no replacement.
Henry broke the Arsenal goalscoring record. In fact, he smashed it. I probably will never see it be broken again in my lifetime.
That record is what Henry will be remembered for - not his ego.
Smudger on the hand will be remembered for the wrong reasons by me. His goals that helped us win two Championships, a League cup, an FA cup and a European Cup Winners cup are vanishing from my memory. It's his negative articles for the Daily Telegraph that are dominating my memory bank when someone mentions his name. Not his goals.
Smudger - his name says it all.
Yet the debate about Henry underachieving in big matches still continues.
According to so called experts such as Tommy Smyth, the Frenchman never turned up for the "big games." The 2006 Champions League final is cited as one example.
For Tommy Smyth, scoring lots of goals against poor Premiership teams and weak defenses is not world class. In his eyes, Henry should have achieved more with the talent that he had, but because of his ego, he fell short.
Some Arsenal fans agree with Tommy Smyth. In fact, there are some that were happy that Henry was sold to Barcelona in the summer of 2007. These Arsenal fans view Henry's ego as having a negative impact because he didn't allow the younger Arsenal players to flourish. His demands for the ball and for Arsenal's play to be centered around him nearly ruined the development of players such as Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas. This is especially true at the end of Henry's Arsenal career, where his ego took over him. Henry became lazy and dominated the Arsenal team to its detriment.
If you look back at Henry's Arsenal career, there are certain goals and games that stand out. His Champions League goal against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu. His solo run and goal from the half-way line against Spurs. His twisting and turning of the Liverpool defense at Highbury in 2004. His header against Manchester United in 2007. His turn and volley against them in 2000. His 25 yard screamer against them in 2004. His hat-trick against Roma, his double against Inter Milan in the San Siro.
All were big teams.
All were big games.
In the civil war that is raging among Arsenal fans, the Henry debate is crucial. If you are a Negative you downplay Henry's contribution to Arsenal. The Negative's view Henry as egotistical and an underachiever. They will tell you that Henry cost us the Champions League in 2006.
They would prefer Alan Smith or Smudger in European finals. Why? Because Smudger was the last Arsenal striker to have scored a winning goal in a European final. He didn't pout, he didn't strop and moan. Smudger was a team player and more importantly, he turned up for the "big game."
Sumdger now writes for the Daily Telegraph. He's a critic of Arsenal and also of Arsene Wenger. In his article a week ago, he questioned whether it was time for Wenger to leave Arsenal. He offered no replacement.
Henry broke the Arsenal goalscoring record. In fact, he smashed it. I probably will never see it be broken again in my lifetime.
That record is what Henry will be remembered for - not his ego.
Smudger on the hand will be remembered for the wrong reasons by me. His goals that helped us win two Championships, a League cup, an FA cup and a European Cup Winners cup are vanishing from my memory. It's his negative articles for the Daily Telegraph that are dominating my memory bank when someone mentions his name. Not his goals.
Smudger - his name says it all.
Rogue International
A certain left fullback who plays for a London rival was arrested early last Thursday morning. The drunk England international was taken in after shouting expletives at policemen. Although he apologized later for his behavior, I don’t think it’s inaccurate to say that the England international’s actions were unlike that of any Arsenal player during the Wenger era.
I could criticize the England international player until I run out of words but I won’t. Judging from past history, he isn’t very intelligent or a man of much character. And I remember a few years back when a teammate of said England international, an England international himself, was “roughed up” and left shirtless in the early morning hours by the boyfriend of a Page 3 model.
Not that ours are saints but I cannot remember too many such incidents involving Arsenal players. Quincy was once involved in what was called a brawl but I don’t believe he was arrested - please correct me if I’m wrong. Robin van Persie was locked up in Holland for a short time but eventually set free after it was proven that he’d been set up. Charges were dropped. Armand Traore got into a bit of trouble for arming himself (with a knuckle duster) on a trip to watch the derby at White Hart Lane. He was not arrested.
There is a striking contrast between Theo Walcott and the rogue England international. To date, Theo’s only character flaw is that he hasn’t developed a bit more steel – an edge if you’d like to make himself tougher. Otherwise, he seems like a very well mannered and polite young man with what could be a fantastic future. Some call him our Golden Boy. He is in many ways the opposite of the aforementioned rogue rival.
Back to the England international who incidentally is an ex Arsenal player, in case you didn’t already know. I ask the following:
Who's a bigger clown, foul-mouthed arrested left back or the maligned Manou Eboue?
Do you regret that foul-mouthed arrested left back left our club?
Would you want your child to look up to foul-mouthed arrested left back?
How would you take your daughter wanting to marry foul-mouthed arrested left back?
Consider that in William Gallas and Manou Eboue, we have two players who are as unpopular if not as hated by our own fan as any in recent history. Yet it is the foul-mouthed England international who shames his club with behavior that would seem very out of character for our former captain or boo boy Eboue.
In fairness, things could be a lot worse for us on and off the field. Golden Boy is back from injury and could end up facing Ashley Cole at some point in the very near future, with much at stake.
I could criticize the England international player until I run out of words but I won’t. Judging from past history, he isn’t very intelligent or a man of much character. And I remember a few years back when a teammate of said England international, an England international himself, was “roughed up” and left shirtless in the early morning hours by the boyfriend of a Page 3 model.
Not that ours are saints but I cannot remember too many such incidents involving Arsenal players. Quincy was once involved in what was called a brawl but I don’t believe he was arrested - please correct me if I’m wrong. Robin van Persie was locked up in Holland for a short time but eventually set free after it was proven that he’d been set up. Charges were dropped. Armand Traore got into a bit of trouble for arming himself (with a knuckle duster) on a trip to watch the derby at White Hart Lane. He was not arrested.
There is a striking contrast between Theo Walcott and the rogue England international. To date, Theo’s only character flaw is that he hasn’t developed a bit more steel – an edge if you’d like to make himself tougher. Otherwise, he seems like a very well mannered and polite young man with what could be a fantastic future. Some call him our Golden Boy. He is in many ways the opposite of the aforementioned rogue rival.
Back to the England international who incidentally is an ex Arsenal player, in case you didn’t already know. I ask the following:
Who's a bigger clown, foul-mouthed arrested left back or the maligned Manou Eboue?
Do you regret that foul-mouthed arrested left back left our club?
Would you want your child to look up to foul-mouthed arrested left back?
How would you take your daughter wanting to marry foul-mouthed arrested left back?
Consider that in William Gallas and Manou Eboue, we have two players who are as unpopular if not as hated by our own fan as any in recent history. Yet it is the foul-mouthed England international who shames his club with behavior that would seem very out of character for our former captain or boo boy Eboue.
In fairness, things could be a lot worse for us on and off the field. Golden Boy is back from injury and could end up facing Ashley Cole at some point in the very near future, with much at stake.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Capital Punishment
This is the motto of Burnley's season thus far.
Tomorrow, we'll reverse those words back on them.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Current Arsenal Squad Perfect Footballer
On Arsenal TV Online, they have a segment that they air once every two weeks where they ask an Arsenal player who their perfect footballer is. They go from quality to quality, and list specific players for specific traits (like Footballing Brain, Heart, etc).
With this current squad, I've listed out who would make my "perfect" footballer.
Brain - Cesc Fabregas
Head - Eduardo
Eyes- Cesc Fabregas
Mouth - William Gallas
Heart - Kolo Toure
Lungs - Gael Clichy
Shooting - Robin van Persie
Tackling - William Gallas
With this current squad, I've listed out who would make my "perfect" footballer.
Brain - Cesc Fabregas
Head - Eduardo
Eyes- Cesc Fabregas
Mouth - William Gallas
Heart - Kolo Toure
Lungs - Gael Clichy
Shooting - Robin van Persie
Tackling - William Gallas
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Who's Jumping Now?
Last night a mediocre Aston Villa lost 2-0 to an injury hit Manchester City. Arsenal are now 3 points behind Villa in the race for 4th spot in the Premiership. On Sunday morning, I like many other Arsenal fans, thought that by the end of the weekend, Villa would be 8 points ahead. So to be only 3 points behind them is massive.
The photograph above represents the exact moment when I was at my lowest this season. Villa had just scored a last minute equalizer against Arsenal after the Gunners had led 2-0. Throughout that game, Martin O'Neil was jumping up and down the touchline like an over-excited contestant on The Price Is Right.
Usually his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows - Is it a subconscious message to his team? Or is he getting ready to fix the toilet at half-time?
O'Neil has the same fashion sense of Brian Clough. The look of tramps.
Both men were at Nottingham Forest together and judging by O'Neil's attire it shows. On match days, Clough and O'Neil like to wear old looking sweat shirts from the local thrift store. You know the tops. They're also worn by the homeless beggar who sits outside of one of London's many tube stations, asking you for change while sipping on a big can of cider.
But then there's O'Neil's enthusiasm, which rubs off on to his players like some tarts cheap perfume. Villa fans and the media love O'Neil's enthusiasm. They call it infectious. I call it annoying. It's similar to the enthusiasm shown by the losers that celebrate getting a question right on Trivia night. They think they are really cool by having a team name like the Brainiacs and trying to relive their college drinking days. Here's my message to them: Get a life you sad fucks.
Trivia night is not the Oscars and O'Neil is not Arsene Wenger.
At one point during that 2-2 Villa game, O'Neil violently confronted Wenger. It was like watching a teenager getting fresh, then backing down after realizing he was out of his league. Pathetic.
I will always remember the Villa game for the wrong reasons. Agbonlahor diving and constantly moaning to the referee. The commentator always reminding me that Villa are the better team because they hit the bar and the post and had a shot cleared of the line. The Villa crowd taunting Wenger.
However, O'Neill's leaping celebrations will stand out the most. It shows no class. But then he's a tramp so what did I expect?
Here's a trivia question for O'Neil.
This time three years ago what league position did Arsenal occupy?
6th
And where did they finish?
4th
Like I said, trivia night is not the Oscars and Martin O'Neil is not Arsene Wenger.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
He Who Laughs Last...
Conceptually I was able to explain to a non-English speaking friend what it means to have the last laugh. But before bridging the language gap, I struggled a bit to get beyond the literal translation. After a few minutes of failed attempts, I managed to convey in my best Spanish that it has nothing to do with the order or chronology of who actually laughed when. Surprisingly I was able to get that bit across with relative ease, and grammatically it was flawless.
It is a concept that is apposite this season more than any other in recent memory. Arsenal are the media’s darlings when it comes to abuse and ridicule – everyone and their dead uncles seem to want to remind Arsene that they’ve told him so. And at the front of the queue for abuse and ridicule are The Negatives’ whipping boy du jour (having succeeded Eboue who succeeded Gallas) Niklas Bendtner. The Great Dane!
To humour him, before getting the point across I told my Spanish-speaking friend in my best John Toschak literal translation, “El gran danés reirá por ultimo.” He gave me a strange look and nodded. It was a dismissive nod and meant that maybe we should move on. I had no problem with the tacit request for I knew that Nik had made many Negatives feel rather uneasy. Surely they were glad that he’d scored and that we’d won but they'd given the boy up for a lost cause. The player seen as a symbol of Wenger’s failed policy has left them with a little egg on their faces. Good! Long may it last.
Now if only Mark Hughes would let Elano off the leash against Villa later.
It is a concept that is apposite this season more than any other in recent memory. Arsenal are the media’s darlings when it comes to abuse and ridicule – everyone and their dead uncles seem to want to remind Arsene that they’ve told him so. And at the front of the queue for abuse and ridicule are The Negatives’ whipping boy du jour (having succeeded Eboue who succeeded Gallas) Niklas Bendtner. The Great Dane!
To humour him, before getting the point across I told my Spanish-speaking friend in my best John Toschak literal translation, “El gran danés reirá por ultimo.” He gave me a strange look and nodded. It was a dismissive nod and meant that maybe we should move on. I had no problem with the tacit request for I knew that Nik had made many Negatives feel rather uneasy. Surely they were glad that he’d scored and that we’d won but they'd given the boy up for a lost cause. The player seen as a symbol of Wenger’s failed policy has left them with a little egg on their faces. Good! Long may it last.
Now if only Mark Hughes would let Elano off the leash against Villa later.
Very Superstitious
In regards to sports, I'm an incredibly superstitious man.
I know that they probably have no bearing on our team. That is the reasonable view on rituals and superstitions.
I had a friend who was a Laker fan that secretly wore Lakers shorts underneath his jeans every day during the glorious three-peat a few years ago. During another Finals run, my friend promised that he'd never eat In-N-Out burgers ever again (a huge deal if you go to college at UC Berkeley). Over the past few years, with a few failures, my friend has refused to believe in his rituals. He plainly states, "nothing you or I do affects the Lakers at all."
Obviously, this is the sensible way to think.
But, I refuse.
I believe that if I see a match live, I'm somehow helping the Arsenal. I have many rituals, and most I won't go into because they're exclusively mine. Having rituals helps sometimes in explaining away a bad performance.
One of my superstitions is never proudly boasting about a prediction, specifically to single matches. I feel fairly confident about making predictions over a season or even matches that don't involve our team, but when it comes to the Arsenal, I refrain.
I don't want to give ammunition to fire at me when our team disappoints. I don't want any cosmic karma working against the Arsenal ever. Whenever I have made a confident, boastful prediction involving us, it's usually an egg in my face.
But for tomorrow, that stops here.
This trend ends here.
We will beat West Brom tomorrow.
Despite the fact that it looks like a very winnable game, it's a dangerous one. When we played West Brom at the very beginning of the year, we only scored one goal and West Brom played very well. Tomorrow, it'll be on the road and some of our players will have heavy legs.
To our benefit, West Brom play an open style of football that I actually admire. Not to say that they're world beaters, but they try to play football and it's no surprise that Tony Mowbray holds Arsene Wenger in high regard.
The fact that Jay Simpson can't play against us is actually somewhat of a drawback. Had he been available against us, they would have fielded two strikers (along with Fortune) and played football against us. With that, we could have the space needed to create and score multiple goals. Either way, an offensive team doesn't become a defensive one overnight, and they'll play to win.
That sets up a situation where we can put our foot on the throats of Aston Villa. When they blew their two goal lead, I immediately thought about the Bolton fixture where we threw away the title in 02-03. Similar to last year, when we started to drop points, United mercilessly applied pressure on us. And we must do the same to Villa.
Make no mistake, we were let off the hook. This may be the last time. Both teams have interesting fixtures, and the benefit to this is that chasing the 4th place spot is not the same as chasing the first place team. The margin is far greater, but there's no time to waste at this point.
Villa are rocking, and we need to take advantage of it.
After the game against Fulham, Wenger said nothing to the players. We know what that means. Once the psychological problem of not scoring a goal is dealt with, our team will be clicking once again. With Theo, Cesc, Eduardo, and Adebayor all set to return soon, we can challenge for the third spot. Finishing fourth would be better than finishing fifth, but it would still lead to a difficult qualifying round. Anything can happen in the final stretch of the season.
Hell, we could finish fifth and win the Champions League, thereby knocking Villa back to the Europa League.
We will win at West Brom tomorrow. We will rise.
I know that they probably have no bearing on our team. That is the reasonable view on rituals and superstitions.
I had a friend who was a Laker fan that secretly wore Lakers shorts underneath his jeans every day during the glorious three-peat a few years ago. During another Finals run, my friend promised that he'd never eat In-N-Out burgers ever again (a huge deal if you go to college at UC Berkeley). Over the past few years, with a few failures, my friend has refused to believe in his rituals. He plainly states, "nothing you or I do affects the Lakers at all."
Obviously, this is the sensible way to think.
But, I refuse.
I believe that if I see a match live, I'm somehow helping the Arsenal. I have many rituals, and most I won't go into because they're exclusively mine. Having rituals helps sometimes in explaining away a bad performance.
One of my superstitions is never proudly boasting about a prediction, specifically to single matches. I feel fairly confident about making predictions over a season or even matches that don't involve our team, but when it comes to the Arsenal, I refrain.
I don't want to give ammunition to fire at me when our team disappoints. I don't want any cosmic karma working against the Arsenal ever. Whenever I have made a confident, boastful prediction involving us, it's usually an egg in my face.
But for tomorrow, that stops here.
This trend ends here.
We will beat West Brom tomorrow.
Despite the fact that it looks like a very winnable game, it's a dangerous one. When we played West Brom at the very beginning of the year, we only scored one goal and West Brom played very well. Tomorrow, it'll be on the road and some of our players will have heavy legs.
To our benefit, West Brom play an open style of football that I actually admire. Not to say that they're world beaters, but they try to play football and it's no surprise that Tony Mowbray holds Arsene Wenger in high regard.
The fact that Jay Simpson can't play against us is actually somewhat of a drawback. Had he been available against us, they would have fielded two strikers (along with Fortune) and played football against us. With that, we could have the space needed to create and score multiple goals. Either way, an offensive team doesn't become a defensive one overnight, and they'll play to win.
That sets up a situation where we can put our foot on the throats of Aston Villa. When they blew their two goal lead, I immediately thought about the Bolton fixture where we threw away the title in 02-03. Similar to last year, when we started to drop points, United mercilessly applied pressure on us. And we must do the same to Villa.
Make no mistake, we were let off the hook. This may be the last time. Both teams have interesting fixtures, and the benefit to this is that chasing the 4th place spot is not the same as chasing the first place team. The margin is far greater, but there's no time to waste at this point.
Villa are rocking, and we need to take advantage of it.
After the game against Fulham, Wenger said nothing to the players. We know what that means. Once the psychological problem of not scoring a goal is dealt with, our team will be clicking once again. With Theo, Cesc, Eduardo, and Adebayor all set to return soon, we can challenge for the third spot. Finishing fourth would be better than finishing fifth, but it would still lead to a difficult qualifying round. Anything can happen in the final stretch of the season.
Hell, we could finish fifth and win the Champions League, thereby knocking Villa back to the Europa League.
We will win at West Brom tomorrow. We will rise.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Bendtner
"He is slow and clumsy. He has a poor first touch and his heading is average. He is very lucky to be playing Premier League football. His age (21 years) is irrelevant. Good players show their talent from day one, Bendtner has not." Steven Cohen, Chelsea fan on his satellite radio show.
Bendtner is only 21 years old. He could be a top player for Arsenal. He has vision and movement that few players of his age have. He can run at defenses, is a physical threat, and showed against Roma that he can play Arsenal's fast, intricate, passing game.
He does need to fine tune his technique and composure in front of goal. He has scored 9 goals so far this season, which for a young, inexperienced, 4th choice striker is not bad.
Look at Aston Villa's strikers and tell me that Bendtner is not better:
Gabriel (a girls name) Agbonlahor (23 years old, 10 goals in 27 games);
Emile Heskey (31 years old, 4 goals in 25 games, 1 assist);
John Carew (30 at the start of next season, injury prone, 6 goals in 16 games);
Marlon Harewood (30 in August, 0 goals in 6 games).
Yesterday was Martin O'Neill's birthday. It was also the turning point in this fascinating season. Villa have a small, old, squad. If they get a run of bad injuries they could free fall like Hull City.
Villa's next three games are not easy. On Wednesday they face Manchester City away. City maybe without Robinho and Bellamy but they will want to rebound from their defeat away to West Ham.
They then face a Spurs team fighting relegation and then Liverpool away. The fact that Stoke scored two goals in last two minutes indicates that Villa's luck is turning. The pressure is on them if we beat West Brom.
Chelsea and Liverpool are not out of the woods yet either. Both are only 9 points ahead of us. They both play on Tuesday.
There are 11 games left. 33 points and plenty of twists and turns.
I was worried after the Fulham game, now I'm confident again.
Bendtner is only 21 years old. He could be a top player for Arsenal. He has vision and movement that few players of his age have. He can run at defenses, is a physical threat, and showed against Roma that he can play Arsenal's fast, intricate, passing game.
He does need to fine tune his technique and composure in front of goal. He has scored 9 goals so far this season, which for a young, inexperienced, 4th choice striker is not bad.
Look at Aston Villa's strikers and tell me that Bendtner is not better:
Gabriel (a girls name) Agbonlahor (23 years old, 10 goals in 27 games);
Emile Heskey (31 years old, 4 goals in 25 games, 1 assist);
John Carew (30 at the start of next season, injury prone, 6 goals in 16 games);
Marlon Harewood (30 in August, 0 goals in 6 games).
Yesterday was Martin O'Neill's birthday. It was also the turning point in this fascinating season. Villa have a small, old, squad. If they get a run of bad injuries they could free fall like Hull City.
Villa's next three games are not easy. On Wednesday they face Manchester City away. City maybe without Robinho and Bellamy but they will want to rebound from their defeat away to West Ham.
They then face a Spurs team fighting relegation and then Liverpool away. The fact that Stoke scored two goals in last two minutes indicates that Villa's luck is turning. The pressure is on them if we beat West Brom.
Chelsea and Liverpool are not out of the woods yet either. Both are only 9 points ahead of us. They both play on Tuesday.
There are 11 games left. 33 points and plenty of twists and turns.
I was worried after the Fulham game, now I'm confident again.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Seed of Joy
My rollercoaster weekend has gone from despair to joy. I’ve spent over 13 hours working on two reports for work that are due this coming week. I am running out of time. Extensions are not an option. Just like Arsenal.
I woke up this morning at 6am. After washing up and having a quick bite, I headed for the computer. I stayed at it for the next 7 hours. After yesterday’s disappointing result, I needed something to take my mind off what was heading towards further gloom. The beach was not an option so I got to work in earnest. Woe!
But wait, the weather experts had predicted a storm. The sun even shone briefly as I typed. No storm!
I anticipated a difficult task in completing the reports and would have settled for getting through just one. I breezed through the first and attacked the second. No difficulty!
While typing, I would check periodically for the Villa/Stoke score. At 1-0 I started to feel down again.
I just continued typing.
A little later I checked again; 2-0. FUCK!
I finished both reports and turned on my phone to check messages before posting. Time was beginning to look a little more amenable at that point, even if the disappointment of yesterday’s result was still fresh. It wasn’t yet 2pm and I could still get out and enjoy my “weekend”. Of course I couldn’t rewind and will RvP to score but things were looking up.
What happened next is the stuff of dreams. It is the good omen that superstitious people look for. It is the seed of glory that could bloom in the next few weeks into a beautiful flower of success or if flowers aren’t your thing, a tall shade tree in the front yard and if you don’t have a front yard, a green leafy...you get the point.
A top mate and a great man sent me two texts.
The first did nothing to make me feel any better but considering the topic – Spurs vs. United in the Carling Cup – I wasn’t going to get much joy anyway. By now, you know my feelings about those two clubs so I won’t bore you.
The next text made up for the weekend lost to work, the less than spectacular weather, and best of all, the disappointing result.
Villa 2 Stoke 2.
We’ve been granted an extension.
Joy!
I woke up this morning at 6am. After washing up and having a quick bite, I headed for the computer. I stayed at it for the next 7 hours. After yesterday’s disappointing result, I needed something to take my mind off what was heading towards further gloom. The beach was not an option so I got to work in earnest. Woe!
But wait, the weather experts had predicted a storm. The sun even shone briefly as I typed. No storm!
I anticipated a difficult task in completing the reports and would have settled for getting through just one. I breezed through the first and attacked the second. No difficulty!
While typing, I would check periodically for the Villa/Stoke score. At 1-0 I started to feel down again.
I just continued typing.
A little later I checked again; 2-0. FUCK!
I finished both reports and turned on my phone to check messages before posting. Time was beginning to look a little more amenable at that point, even if the disappointment of yesterday’s result was still fresh. It wasn’t yet 2pm and I could still get out and enjoy my “weekend”. Of course I couldn’t rewind and will RvP to score but things were looking up.
What happened next is the stuff of dreams. It is the good omen that superstitious people look for. It is the seed of glory that could bloom in the next few weeks into a beautiful flower of success or if flowers aren’t your thing, a tall shade tree in the front yard and if you don’t have a front yard, a green leafy...you get the point.
A top mate and a great man sent me two texts.
The first did nothing to make me feel any better but considering the topic – Spurs vs. United in the Carling Cup – I wasn’t going to get much joy anyway. By now, you know my feelings about those two clubs so I won’t bore you.
The next text made up for the weekend lost to work, the less than spectacular weather, and best of all, the disappointing result.
Villa 2 Stoke 2.
We’ve been granted an extension.
Joy!
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