The Big Four

The Big Four is a phrase coined by many publications in the past few years. The term represents Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United. The way that the phrase is bandied around nowadays, they make it sound as if it has been around forever. However, that's simply not true.

Before Roman Abramovich decided to take up a rich hobby, there were only two teams that were frequently contending for the Premiership crown. Those two teams were Arsenal and Manchester United. While one cannot really deny the powerhouse ability of Manchester United (they've won by far the most titles since the creation of the Premiership), Arsenal were always in the mix. The odd surprise being Blackburn's triumph in 1995.

Jose Mourinho's Chelsea finally broke the domination of Arsenal and Manchester United when they triumphed for their first league title in fifty years. But prior to that, the concept of a "Big Four" just simply didn't exist. Teams like Leeds United and Newcastle represented England in the Champions League. And even after, it only took a "miracle" in Istanbul for Liverpool to make it to the Champions League the year after their triumph because a plucky Everton pipped Liverpool for a 4th place finish.

The press likes to think and shout that the Big Four may dominate English football for a long time coming, but it's simply just a trend. One that was made possible due to the deep pockets of wealthy owners who jumped on the bandwagon of the English Premier League.

There will be a day when there won't be a Big Four. Journalists and pundits routinely speak about how Arsenal are the most vulnerable to being bumped out of the Big Four. Apparently, even players look at it this way. Ledley King repeated those sentiments in public just a few days ago.

But why do people feel that about Arsenal? Is it because Aston Villa almost knocked us out of a Champions League place? Wrong. Aston Villa didn't even finish fifth. Is it because we don't spend money on our team? Wrong. Look at how much we spent on Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin while giving hefty bonuses to key members of our squad. Is it because of our consistent 4th place finishes? Wrong. Two years ago, if Eduardo and Rosicky weren't paralyzed and we had beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford after taking a 1-0 lead, we would have won the Premier League and shocked the world.

So what really are the reasons? And who's to say that another team is incapable of falling out of the Big Four? Let's take a look at the teams who comprise the Big Four and those contending to break up the powerful quartet.

Manchester United - Get ready to feel the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo. Call him a twat if you want, but the team's tactics were built around him. They could float by without the input of Carlos Queiroz for one year, but that's because they still had Ronaldo to punish weaker level opposition. Manchester United last year consistently failed to show up against the big sides. Without Ronaldo, good luck. Their tactics will be a shambles this year.

Chelsea - Ancelotti knows how to get it done in the Champions League. Too bad he has no idea how to challenge for a league crown. Only on the back of Kaka, on Ballon d'Or form no less, could they squeeze out a Serie A title. They have powerful players, but they still lack Mourinho's ruthlessness. Abramovich wants style, but he doesn't have flair players on this team. This quest may backfire in their face, but they can challenge for the league.

Liverpool - The trendy pick to win the Premier League this year. But what happens if Javier Mascherano leaves for Barcelona? Oh, that's right, Steven Gerrard loses the ability to maraud forward and Xabi Alonso is exposed for the luxury player he really is. What am I saying? Xabi Alonso himself is off to Real Madrid. Torres can take them far, but I don't trust his hamstrings.

Aston Villa - So, this is the team that thinks they can knock us out of the top four. Let's examine this for a moment. They finished ten points behind us. Their best defender and captain retired from football. Gareth Barry, the heartbeat of the side, left for the literally greener pastures of Manchester City. Agbonlahor's goals dried up once everyone found out that if he can't beat you with pace, he can't beat you. And Martin O'Neill says he needs to sign five players. Yeah, okay.

Manchester City - We sold them two players, and their conflicting attitudes tell you all you need to know about those players. Adebayor says they can challenge for a top four finish, and Kolo says they can win the League. One was a player for Arsenal, the other a Legend. You can figure out which is which. They have tremendous firepower, but a shoddy back four. And don't ever underestimate the tremendous task of trying to have a team win a title. There is a big difference between trying to win the Premier League and trying to avoid relegation or finish mid-table. Mark Hughes has yet to prove himself.

Everything I just wrote could come true, they could easily be proven wrong. The only thing I'm sure of is this: Don't count Arsenal out of the title race. Wenger's teams are best when coming off a quiet summer without a major tournament.

Say What?

As we get closer to our first official match, many people have been expressing themselves. There is no shortage of quotes at the moment – a few of which have caught my attention.

“But unfortunately I cannot tell you that we are close to signing anyone at the moment.” AW

This could also mean that something is happening, but he can’t reveal it. That would be bad business practice and very un-Wenger like. Luis Fabiano anyone?

“I’m hearing Vieira, pay-as-you-play, back at Arsenal,” [Ian] Wright exclaimed on his Talksport show. “That’s what I’m hearing, and that’s what I’m hoping.”

I loved the man as a player but as a “journalist” I have as much respect for Ian Wright as I do for the fans who shout instructions to players on big screens at pubs. Generally, these are people whose analysis is fuelled by liquor and anger. Come to think of it, sometimes I wonder what fuels Ian Wright’s analysis?

If Patrick does make a return to Arsenal, I will have no problem with it. If for no other reason, it kills any hope that Harry Redknapp has of signing our legendary former captain.

“Arsène Wenger, along with the board, had weighed up the potential downside to selling Touré, along with Emmanuel Adebayor, to the club who have designs on Arsenal’s place in next season’s top four.” Oliver Kay, Football Correspondent The Times Online

I’ve read this notion that Arsenal are the vulnerable ones among the “Big Four” many times. It’s largely based on spending power (or the assumed lack thereof) but also on the fact that there are plenty of people out there who want to see Arsenal fail. Don’t be surprised if an unexpected club fall out of the “Big Four” before we do.

“The question is how much longer Arsenal can keep doing this, how much longer they can remain truly competitive while selling established players every summer…the past 18 months have seen them lose Lassana Diarra at 22, Mathieu Flamini at 24, Alexander Hleb at 27 and now Touré and Adebayor at 28 and 25 respectively, while the word on the Spanish football grapevine is that Fàbregas, the club’s captain at the tender age of 22, will rejoin Barcelona next summer. Oliver Kay, Football Correspondent The Times Online

o Lassana Diarra lacked the heart to fight for his pace at Arsenal. He has hardly been an “established” player at any point thus far. Maybe he’ll become one at Madrid but I haven’t seen that man establish anything but a path of moves from one club to another.

o Mathieu Flamini wanted to be in Italy, which means he didn’t want to play for us. A year later, we can question the move based on how infrequently he has started matches for Milan. And again, where’s the “established” player. He was probably more “established” at Marseille before having one good season at Arsenal.

o Alex Hleb has been quoted that he now regrets his move to Spain. He could end up back at Stuttgart. Make your bed, sleep in it…Established???

o As for the “Spanish football grapevine,” even the best grapes can produce vin aigre. Let’s get through this upcoming season before speculating on what Boy Wonder will do next summer.

Let’s be clear; we’ve sold two players and netted well over £30mil. Will we miss them? I want to believe that we won’t miss Adebayor’s goals but that remains to be seen. I am convinced that even if moving to City could rejuvenate Kolo, he hasn’t played well for Arsenal for three seasons. At times, he’s been awful.

We could do with that tall, cunt of a CB who’ll take no prisoners but again, we’ll see what happens. The manager has stated that if there is a need to supplement the squad with further additions, he will do so as long as the right players (as always) are available – it’s almost cliché now. Don’t forget though that we reached the last four in Europe last season and were forced to play that tie with a subpar defence. Adebayor’s goal vs Villarreal was tremendous in that effort but this time around, the addition of a fully fit Andrey Arshaviin will make us a problem for any side.

Let’s not forget that we’ve also got rid of two players who spend a good portion of the winter away on national duty for the ACN (African Cup of Nations) every other January – and a further two weeks recovering. If rumours of selling Eboue (a good utility player, IMO) are true, then we’d have just Alex Song left as an African international. That’s less to worry about squad depth-wise. Things are not as bad as some have tried to convince you my friends.

The best part of the recent transfer activity however is that there couldn’t be a worse nightmare for those who want to see us fail than Arsene Wenger with two fists full of money.

I trust Arsene. Quote me on that.

Kolo Habib Touré

A great man asked me yesterday whether or not I believed any of the reports linking Kolo to Manchester City. Based on the papers that were reporting it, I was fairly certain that there was some legitimacy to the reports.

The advent of NewsNow has produced a massive amount of resources available for Arsenal stories. Most of them re-hash the same stories, and there are numerous silly blogs on it. I read roughly half of the stories on there, and I'll even read the same story on different news sources. My roommate follows Wigan, and their NewsNow page updates maybe four times a day, as opposed to the constant stream of Arsenal information.

Generally speaking, the Independent, the Guardian, and the Times are fairly reliable. They won't publish complete rubbish. That being said, more and more, I read stories in the Guardian that attribute their source to shit papers like The Sun and The Daily Mirror. Let's just attribute that to the downward spiral that sports journalism in England has become. When I read literally all of the papers reporting the potential transfer of Kolo to City, I knew it was going to happen.

Of course, being the Arsenal junkie that I am, I do read publications like The Sun, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Mail, and others. Most of the time, when they're talking about a player linked to us (a player that could logically fit), I'm convinced they're usually fabricated 85% of the time. However, when one of these publications posts a story so outlandish that they almost have to be true, it's of interest. That has happened three times in the past twelve months.

The first case is the reported transfer of Mikael Silvestre. This link came completely out of the blue, and I hated Silvestre with a passion cause he's associated with Manchester United. I remember my roommate saying, "that's almost so ridiculous that it's probably real." He was right.

The second case was the story of Emmanuel Adebayor getting ripped by an Arsenal fan at an airport. I immediately dismissed this as being completely fabricated. I remember talking about it at the pub and when somebody suggested that it was obviously fabricated, I thought to myself, of course it is, but why would they make up a story like that? Usually, when papers make up stories, it's usually about transfer gossip. When they report on personal lives of footballers, it's always usually a drunken affair or things of that nature. There are lots of stupid things that footballers do. I don't think these should be reported, but it's the world we live in. I'm not saying this event actually occurred, but I'll say that I wouldn't be surprised if it actually did happen. I'm also not writing this to rip Adebayor. I liked him as an Arsenal player, and I hold no grudges.

The last case is the transfer request put in by Kolo. It was reported that Kolo put in a transfer because he was upset with his playing time and because he hated William Gallas. I, of course, rejected this immediately. Kolo is a player who bleeds Arsenal, and has never shown anything other than 100% effort on the pitch. Then, Wenger came out and said that players do not need to get along in order to play with each other. That was followed by Kolo saying that he did put in a request, but he's fully committed to the club. This rubbed me the wrong way. It gave me the impression that Kolo was a quitter. Where was the fight in him that made him an Arsenal legend in the first place? He wanted to leave because he didn't get along with Gallas? That's juvenile, and what's more, the animosity towards Gallas increased due to it.

The truth is, Kolo has not been the same player since he contracted malaria while playing for the Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations. At that point, we were still top of the league and flying high. When he returned, he was asked to fill in at right back due to the ankle injury that Sagna suffered. If you look back at the crucial stretch of games, you'll see that most of the goals were created or conceded through that right hand side of defense. Now, Kolo was playing out of position somewhat, so we can't completely pin that on him.

Last year, more of the same from Kolo. An inconsistent reading of the game, in which he was frequently bailed out by his athleticism and all out hustle. The problem is, he's no longer as fast as he once was. He now looks like a mountain as opposed to a tank.

As it remains, he is not an automatic choice in the first team XI. And the truth is, I'm more than happy for Kolo that he'll be able to reap so much financial reward from City's moneybags. If he can make 120,000 pounds a week, start for Manchester City, and we're willing to sell him, everybody benefits.

Now, I'm reading some criticism of Wenger from certain Arsenal boards. They claim that we've just made City stronger and that we'll finish fifth. That kind of talk is both silly and counterproductive. What we know is this, Manchester City has equipped us with the funds to acquire the players that Wenger wants. Now that the heavyweight transfers are out of the way, Wenger has time to do what he does best. I'm sure he has targets, and I'm sure players will come in. If not, that means we are in some financial trouble, but I trust Arsene to get it done.

A final word on Kolo Touré. The man is an Arsenal legend. Losing him is a bittersweet proposition. But, I have experienced the departures of Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, and others. The only man who stayed until the end in recent times was Dennis Bergkamp. All of these names mentioned are proper legends. I salute Kolo for his service to our beloved club, and the world will know that his best years were with us. I wish him a happy life, but I hope van Persie and Arshavin clown him on the pitch when we play City twice this year.

PS A few days ago, I wrote that you should only trust what proper legends say. Yesterday, Thierry had to say this:

"I am Arsenal through and through. I'd never advise anyone to sign for Tottenham. I can't have Arsenal fans thinking I am helping Tottenham in any way."

I love Thierry.

Round-Up

You know you're a redneck if the Salvation Army declines your furniture.

Well this maxim can also be applied to Phil Brown and Hull City.

You know you're Hull City when Daryl Murphy blanks you and chooses to stay at Sunderland even though he's only a reserve.

Daryl Who? I hear you you ask!

Exactly!

It seems that no-one wants to join Hull City or play for Phil Brown. Frazier Campbell snubbed them for Sunderland. Marc-Antoine Fortune opted for Celtic and Bobby Zamora has decided to stay at Fulham even though he only scored 2 goals in 35 appearences last season.

Hull City and Phil Brown are the rednecks of the Premier League.

KOLO TOURE
If you think that Arsenal are crazy for selling Kolo to Manchester City for 15 million then watch Man United's goal in the semi-final first leg at Old Twatford. Watch Kolo carefully as the cross comes in from Almunia's right hand post.

Now go back to the start of last season. Kolo was recovoring from malaria. He was also fat. He didn't look the same Kolo from the Invincibles.

Last January, he handed in a transfer request citing a falling out with William Gallas. Bollocks! I'm sure the 130, 000 pounds a week that Man City were offering you was the real reason.

Now consider this: for 6 weeks next season Kolo will be absent. In February, he will be playing in the African Nations Cup. So will Eboue and Adebayor.

15 million now seems like good business.

NEWCASTLE UNITED
They have no manager. Their owner wants to flog them to anyone. Christiano Ronaldo costs more than buying them. They're about start the 2009/10 season in The Championship and just lost 6-1 to Leyton Orient.

Yep, there's always someone worse off than you.

HARRY REDKNAPP
This twitchy cunt is telling anyone who wants to hear him that Patrick Vieira wants to play for Spurs. Harry thinks this is a great PR stunt especially after Celtic reserves comfortably beat Spurs 2-0. I have a message for Harry and any Spurs fan who is wanking at the thought of Vieira joining them next season.

Please fuckoff and die!

Vieira would rather suck a donkeys cock than join your horrible lot.
Cunts.

GOLD CUP
USA may have fielded a weakened team but in 10 years time who is going to know this fact. No-one. Losing 5-0 in a final is embarrassing. The game was 0-0 at half-time. The first half was boring and stale.

So why did the US collapse in such dramatic fashion?

Answer:
The introduction of Carlos Vela at half-time. He destroyed the US defense. He scored one goal and assisted in another.

Huntelaar and Chamakh can go and fuck.

Vela will do.

Talk soon,

Arsenal

I'm Watching You - Just Do It!

I have my eye on the following players. They owe us more than a little.

Francesc Fabregas – Off form since February 2008 by my count.

Gael Clichy – From sugar to shite in one season.

Johan Djourou – You say you are ready. Talk is cheap.

Vassiriki Abou Diaby – Man up. You look like you’ve bulked up now man up.

Theo Walcott – Enough talk. Enough hope. Enough hype. Show me the money.

Niklas Bendtner – Consistency is all I ask.

Bakary Sagna – You can do better.

Denilson – Stats look good but…

Manuel Almunia – Stop the mistakes. Become a legend.

Robin van Persie – Big, big year for my favorite Arsenal player.

My expectations:

Francesc Fabregas – Be the player you’ve shown you can be.

Gael Clichy – Stop the mental lapses.

Johan Djourou – Make Kolo, Gallas, and Vermaelen fight it out.

Vassiriki Abou Diaby – Dominate the center of the park.

Theo Walcott – Justify the fee please – decision making must improve.

Niklas Bendtner – Finish your chances. Make me forget about Luis Fabiano.

Bakary Sagna – Be the best RB in the EPL again.

Denilson – Add more goals and assists to your nice stats.

Manuel Almunia – Be unbeatable.

Robin van Persie – World Player of The Year.

The expectations are very high in many cases but winning is about excellence and application, not just saying we’ve learned or that we can be this or we can be that.

Just do it!

Trust Legends Only

What these two men say don't matter at all.

At one point, they were very good Arsenal players. Now, they don't speak for us.

Instead, listen to this man:

He says, "the only thing I want to see as an Arsenal lover is for the team to win."

Thierry is a true legend.

Football's Harry Potter

Adults that like Harry Potter books and discuss them as if they're intellectual literature are akin to football fans who go out on the pull wearing their favorite teams jersey.

I feel sorry for American women in a bar on a Saturday night, who are approached by a group of guys wearing Villa and Liverpool jerseys, all coked-up, drunk and flying.

The lads have been watching football since 10 am on a Saturday. It's now 10 pm. They stink of of booze and coke. They're loud and obnoxious. The game between Villa and Liverpool is irrelevant now. It finished 10 hours ago. Since then lines have been snorted and shots downed. Someone mentioned a strip club but there was no guarantee that they would get in wearing their favorite teams colors.

So here they are, with a tray full of shots asking a couple of women if they want to join them. They use their charm. They play their English card. One guy, the joker of the pack, makes them laugh by talking loud, making fun of himself and using English slang that they don't understand.

He loves it when they ask him what a "geezer" means?

"Geezer" is a London word, but this clown is from Birmingham. He's now acting the London fraud, but no-one is going to question him. His followers are losers from small towns in England who have somehow landed a plum job in Manhattan fixing computer systems. They grow long hair but never wash it or style it and look like the cunt out of the film the Big Lebowski.

If they're not talking about breaking into the top four, the weakness of Arsenal, scoring coke, or getting another round in, then they're talking about visas and green cards.

But when women are on the scene, there are those that stay in the background and those that come to the front offering shots and coke breath. Staying in the background is the corporate lawyer who hates Wenger and loves Liverpool more than the Pope loves Catholicism. Hanging out with "the lads" makes him feel like a thug. A thug that never fights but one who tells the TV screen to fuck off when the ref makes a bad decision. He then joins in the chants (even though he doesn't know all of the lyrics) about how Wenger is a paedophile and flicks off the TV screen whenever he sees Cesc, knowing that he's safe because he's in a bar inhabited only by Liverpool fans.

He's hard.

During the week he's on various internet message boards, telling other fans that Carragher is too old or that Arshavin is a Russian homo. He's gets all of his info on these message boards. Like the real opinion from the fans back in England. This special info he regurgitates on a Saturday after his first line and his second pint. It gives him kudos.

Most of the time these cretins are too smashed to know what went on in the game but they will tell you that Eboue is shit and that Rosicky is finished. To them, life is about three points, a six figure job, getting high and getting smashed. Football is just the excuse to get smashed for.

In 10 months we have the World Cup. It will be painful. You will have men from Singapore who will support England. Why? Because Stevie G plays for England and is the captain of their team Liverpool. It's not just Singapore though. I know guys from India and Israel who will support England and drink with coke heads like the Big Lebowski or the "Geezer from Birmingham." All of them living with a false identity

Harry Potter books are fiction.

So is the football culture of these frauds.

German Revival?

An interesting fact has caught my attention. Germany is the first nation to hold three major European titles simultaneously in youth football at Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21 levels. Most of the players may not become stars at senior level – some may disappear from the football map altogether – but nevertheless it is a very impressive distinction.

I’ve seen some pretty good West German and German teams. If you’ve never seen the 2nd Round match from the 1990 FIFA World Cup Finals between West Germany and Holland, I suggest you find it and put aside a few hours of your life to watch it. Thrilling is the first word that comes to mind.

German dominance of football was once a very common thing. Before the East and West became one nation, West Germany had already played in the final of nine major international tournaments, winning five. German presence continued with a runner-up place in the European Championship in 1992 and then victory at Wembley in the same tournament four years later. The pedigree is unquestioned.

Although they managed to reach the final of both the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final and 2008 European Championship, recent German teams have not been nearly as impressive as their predecessors - some of those sides were scary. Three-time winners of both World Cup and European Championship as West Germany and/or Germany, sides from the 1970’s through the last truly impressive side of 1996 featured some pretty good players.

While I’ve never liked them, I have always enjoyed watching those teams. They were typically powerful and efficient. To ever again field teams of similar ability to those great sides is a seriously tall order.

The foundation for future success seems to have been laid with dominance at youth levels. For me the question is if there will ever be another German player as versatile as Lothar Mathaus? Will there ever be a German striker as efficient and as powerful as Gerd Muller or Karl-Heinz Rummenigge? Will there ever be a more tactically sound, more two-footed fullback than Andreas Brehme? I won’t even mention Der Kaiser, as coach or player.

It’s clear that German football has invested in its future but I am not nearly as frightened as I was by the wave of exceptional if not highly specialized players who once typified Die Nationalmannschaft.

Get Well Soon

Another unfortunate injury to deal with.

Hopefully, we'll see him back sooner than later.

Correction

In my haste to get the point across, I neglected to mention that Adebayor scored 30 goals in 2007-08 in all competitions, not just in the league.

I don't know what's more boring the sale of Adebayor to Manchester City or the non stop news coverage of the cross examination of Judge Sotomayor by the judiciary committee of the US Senate.

The reason why Sotomayor made gavel-to-gavel TV coverage last week was because of a comment she made back in 2001, in a speech to a Hispanic group at Berkley. The comment has made hardcore Republicans like Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich seething with anger and accusing her of being a racist.

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Sotomayor said, describing how life experience can inform judicial opinions.

I'm not going to comment on this ridiculous accusation. Instead, I'm going to concentrate on the names Rush and Newt.

Who the fuck calls their kid Newt?

Rush is no better. It's a word that is used in Britain to describe the buzz you get from an ecstasy tablet. In America, you use the word "roll" to describe the ecstasy sensation.

Imagine being called Roll by your parents!

Rush and Newt are names for cunts - boring, horrible, fat, conceited, grey haired, grey suited, old wanks who look like roasted pigs and who've never been good in bed. If a woman can tell how good a man is in bed by the way he dances, then Rush and Newt would last two minutes and spill their drink down her leg.

These two fucks cannot die soon enough.

Now the press are wanking over David Beckham's attempts at acting hard. This a is a pathetic story. Offering a drunk fan out for a fight knowing that security are going to step in before any punches are thrown is an act of a coward. It shows no class. But then so do the tattoos on David Beckham's neck.

Chav!

But the effect is immediate. David Beckham is news once again.

Last week Beckham made headlines because of comments made by Landon Donovan that the Englishman was a poor captain, stingy and had shown a lack of commitment to the LA Galaxy. Donovan was right about Beckham's lack of commitment . He doesn't care about the LA Galaxy. He cares about only himself. He is going to fuck off back to AC Milan as soon as he can, leaving Galaxy fans high and dry.

Beckham, Rush Limbaugh and Newt Cuntgrich make controversial noises and moves in order to stay in the public eye. That's what conceited, glory hunters and money grabbers do.

And their actions, are that of a cunt.

Adebayor is not a cunt. If you think that he is then travel to the neighborhood that he grew up in. You may change your opinion. Arsenal got good a deal. So did Adebayor. Man City got a good striker.

The fans that should be complaining are Galaxy fans. Not about Adebayor but about David Beckham. Can you imagine Arsenal signing a star player who is injured for most of his first season and then leaves for another club for 6 months in his next.

Now that's a true cunt.

The Player Is Gone, What Now?

Emmanuel Adebayor has left Arsenal for Manchester City. Arsenal fans are right to feel aggrieved by the almost complete turn around the player displayed after a renegotiated contract and significant pay hike. Moreover, last season he showed none of the characteristics that made John Terry suggest that the big striker was the hardest player he had to mark.

It matters little to Arsenal fans today but people forget that Adebayor is one of only a handful of strikers who've scored 30 goals in a single EPL season.

I stumbled across the picture above earlier today. Although I understand why many Arsenal fans wanted the player to go, I feel that the picture is in very poor taste. The player did not want to play for Arsenal and has left. Is that the first time that has happened?

Flamini and Hleb left. Petit and Overmars left.

Liam Brady left Arsenal.

Let's suppose Adebayor did leave to earn more money. Is there a human being on this planet who would not want to earn more money than they currently make? He didn't show up last season. That's the worst thing I can say about the player.

Exxon Mobil Corp. reported a profit of $45.2 billion in 2008. That figure broke the previous record for profits by an American company in a single year which was $40.6 billion, set by the same Exxon Mobil.

Exxon Mobil Corp. and the previous U.S. government administrations who helped facilitate those obscene sums are cunts. Adebayor is a football player from a poor background who is capitalizing on a system that allows him to negotiate pay hikes in consecutive years - the second of which galls Arsenal fans but let's not forget Villareal.

When was the last time Exxon Mobil, BP, or any major corporation gifted you anything? At least Adebayor gave us a chance to make two extra Champions League matches' profit with THAT goal (against Villareal) in the 1/4 finals.

Call him a cunt if you wish. But do it for the right reason. We must accept that not all players realize what it means to play for Arsenal Fooball Club. We must learn to accept that not every player will stay with us until Wenger decides that they are too old and sells them for a profit. Some will leave before that happens.

And one day it might be a popular player whom we all love that asks to be transferred.

We've made Manchester City significantly better. If they sort out their defence and get a real manager, they can be a very dangerous team. The money made from the Adebayor transfer must be used to replace him and to buy another central defender.

Barcelona is No Different

People admire Barcelona. They admire the team because they play lovely football. The logic is simple, if my team isn't playing, I might as well watch a team that plays exciting football. With a team filled with players like Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi, it's hard not to be enchanted by them when they're on form.

People often say the same about Arsenal. We are a neutrals favorite. We don't necessarily have players who are worthy of hate. We have one of the best managers in club football history. We always show up to play football with style. But, let's not confuse the two clubs, we are not the same.

Today, news filtered in that Barcelona and Inter Milan are on the verge of a mega swap featuring Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto'o. Alex Hleb would also go on loan to Inter for a year. If that wasn't enough, Barcelona will also pay Inter around 35 million pounds. To say it bluntly, that is a shocking deal.

First off, Eto'o is only a year older than Zlatan and a much better player. For some reason, Eto'o has never garnered major consideration for FIFA World Player of the Year, but simply put, he's been one of the best players in the world for some time now.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is football's equivalent of Tracy McGrady. All the talent in the world, but oftentimes exposed as a player with no major drive or heart. He's done very little on the international stage. He famously turned down Arsenal to join Ajax, something that I can't really fault him for I suppose.

So, for Barcelona to surrender Eto'o AND a princely sum of 35 million pounds is ludicrous. It makes the Cristiano Ronaldo deal look like a bargain. This news comes after Joan Laporta blasted Real Madrid for crazy sums spent during the transfer window. "We don't buy Ballon d'or winners, we make them." Sure Mr. Laporta. Let's forget completely that the reason why Messi is a Barcelona player is because they paid for his growth hormones and steroids.

If that isn't enough, they're also rumored to have put in a bid of 40 million euros for David Villa. And Mr. Laporta has openly talked about his admiration for Cesc Fabregas, practically welcoming the ire of Arsene Wenger.

Barcelona's status of currently being a world power football club would not have been possible without the contributions of Ronaldinho and Eto'o. When this transfer goes through, they will have effectively run both of them out of the club. A nice way to treat your star players, huh?

Make no mistake, I don't like Real Madrid. I don't like Inter Milan. But aside from Thierry (who I'll always have a soft spot for), I don't care much for Barcelona either. The difference between Real Madrid and Barcelona is style, Franco, and the color of their shirts.

I love Arsenal.

Soccer Brooks Brothers - No Thanks

If you want to know who watches soccer in the USA then look at the adverts on Gol TV and Fox Soccer Channel. Most are adverts for incontinence and impotence drugs. Or acne cream called Proactive.

So watching the Gold Cup on Fox- which is a shit name for a tournament that doesn't involve horse racing - I'm led to believe that the audience are people that can't control their piss and shit, have bad skin or can't get it up.

I had bad skin. To the extent that if I smiled, I would burst a white head. I'm not joking! I was 19 years old. I had such bad acne on my face that if you did dot to dot with my pimples it would spell DOG. It affected my confidence so bad that I never went out. I stayed at home too ashamed to show my spotty face to the world. I eventually took a ton of antibiotics and my face was the before and after on the Proactive ad. Thank fuck.

Now if I was pissing and shitting all over the place I would jump in front of a train. Staying alive would not be an option. I mean can you imagine going on a date and literally shitting yourself. Hell no. I wouldn't go out.

Instead, I would stay in and watch the Gold Cup.

But the American soccer presenters on Fox Soccer Channel covering the Gold cup look like conts. For a start, they have ridiculous airline pilot headsets, as if they are getting ready for take-off - instead they are getting you ready for kick-off. They wear these dark Ivy League blazers with FSC insignias on their chest pockets, accompanied by stripped preppy ties and starched shirts. What you have is Brooks Brothers controlled soccer.

It's fucking horrible.

There is zero personality and zero to like about these conts. But then when I see the USA team line up to face Haiti, I realize that they look like the same type of conts as the Fox Soccer presenters, only without the blazers and ties.

Fuck-off Fox.

I'd rather watch adverts on controlling my cock and shit than these soccer Brooks Brothers.

Corporate soccer - No thanks!

Vieira

My choices for topics to write about today were either Haiti (who came so close to defeating CONCACAF kings, the U.S.A.), Togo’s rumoured departure to Citeh (which I believe Arsenal would be daft to let happen), or my thoughts on the bullshit that permeates lower levels of amateur football.

Instead I have chosen to talk about another topic - the Vieira to Spurs thing that blogs and “news” sources have been highlighting. A great man has already said exactly what I’ve been thinking in a previous post but I must say that if it were to actually happen, it would change me for life – no, not to become a Spurs fan…SPIT, SPIT SPIT!

Being a Spurs fan is just not in my genes.

Vieira has represented so much to me and my football experience, he’s represented what The Invincibles were all about – swashbuckling, thrusting, sleek, powerful, dominant, stunning. My limited vocabulary would be the only thing that stops me filling this page with superlatives. If Patrick Vieira signs for Spurs, it will end my love affair with the player. It will ruin all the history he’s built with The World’s Greatest Team. It would ruin his status as an Arsenal legend. That would be beyond shameful.

I will stop typing now. The topic is making me very angry.

Silly Season

With transfer rumors like this, please excuse me if I choose to ignore any stories until I read them on Arsenal's official webpage.

Rambo: First Blood

When I first heard about Rambo: First Blood, I thought it was sex education video about a 12 year old girl having her first period.

I was obviously wrong.

But I've been wrong or should I misguided about a lot of things.

Take Fox Soccer Channel's hype over the match between LA Galaxy and Chivas USA or the "Super Classico" as Fox likes to put it. Watching the advert on TV, I see images of men falling over dramatically after being tackled or players squaring up to each other as if they are in WWF. Then there is Landon Donovan, who they juxtaposition with images of Star Wars type lasers when ever he shoots. By this stage, I am in a trance. Fox Soccer Channel has hypnotized me into believing all the wank that comes with the MLS Super Classico. A game that rivals the REAL Super Classico of Real Madrid verses Barcelona.

I was obviously misguided by Fox. It was another Rambo moment in my life.

Let's keep things real.

LA Galaxy verses Chivas USA is not a Super Classico. It's a derby at best.

Chivas USA are a knock-off/ sister club to the real Chivas in Mexico.

Hyping up Landon Donovan is a bad move. He's not a bad ass. He's not soccer's Kobe Bryant. He's not a Galactico. In fact he's not that great at football.

What Donovan is, is a Bundesliga failure and a glorified penalty taker. He has nice college boy looks who runs tirelessly for his teams but ultimately he's an over hyped pile of shit.

Fuckoff Landon.

What saves Fox Soccer Channel is the Sky Sports News presenters. Enter Millie Clode - a fit, busty blonde with a smile that says let's spend a week together locked away in a hotel room with a box of high quality vodka and a bag of weed. Yeah, she's that hot. My mate in New York quickly texts me. Why? Because of what Millie said:

Millie: "In today's pre-season friendlies Bournmouth come from behind to beat Southampton 2-1.
Text from NYC: "I would come from behind, if Mille was bending over, naked and looking at me with that smile."

Millie, we salute you.

Manuel Almunia Speaks

Manuel Almunia doesn't feel we can win with young players.

Manuel Almunia has given up soft goals in two finals and made a terrible mistake in a CL semi-final in his time with Arsenal.

Apparently we can't win with Manuel Almunia. Until he proves otherwise, I suggest Manuel Almunia shuts up.

Is Blaise Coming?

No doubt, this signing will not satisfy the large majority of Arsenal fans. But due to the fact that Felipe Melo has signed for Fiorentina and Inler no longer acutely on Wenger's radar, could Arsene be ready to move for Blaise Matuidi? With St. Etienne signing Gelson Fernandes from Manchester City, it looks like they may be willing to let him go.

How much do people know about Matuidi? Routinely dismissed as an unknown product by many bloggers, it would seem that they're unaware that Matuidi in his native country is viewed by some as the real successor to Claude Makelele. That title is also awarded to one "Lass" Diarra, but he quit our club amid fears of playing time in the Euros. I don't want weak minded players like that on our club.

Matuidi, whose name has been misspelled by the infamous ANR, is excited at the prospect of playing for us. Most view this as a signing for the future, but his tactical awareness is superior to any defensive midfielders we currently have and even players like the overpriced Felipe Melo. Most fans see that Melo is the starting central midfielder for Brazil, and that seems to indicate that he would be the ideal signing. To me, he's taller and perhaps stronger than Blaise, but Matuidi has everything else you would want. Remember Mathieu Flamini? Well, Matuidi is only an inch shorter than he is, but he can read the game far better than Flamini ever will.

At one point, he was rated at 10 million pounds. Now, English papers have been throwing around the 3 million pound figure as the pricing point. That seems like another sensible buy, certainly better business than what Manchester United paid for Gabriel Obertan.

I hope there is some substance to this rumor.

One of the most disappointing incidents in my life came when I found out that my GI Joe doll had the same genitals as my cousins Barbie doll. I was 6 or 7 at the time. The story about the "birds and the bees" had been explained to me and I wanted to see if Joe and Barbie could "do it".

They couldn't.

From that day onwards, I never played with my GI Joe doll again. What a shame.

In the football world, my biggest disappointment was when I met Rio Ferdinand.

In the Spring of 2000, a work colleague invited me to Buddha Bar or some other equivalent overpriced want-to-be-seen snot hole in London. His best friend was the manager and got us passes into the VIP section. I thought I'd give it a go.

At that time Buddha Bar was a hang out for a lot of Premiership players and small time celebrities. A place that I could only afford one drink and didn't feel comfortable wearing my older brothers Armani suit that was a size too big and 5 years out of date.

The place was decked out. I did what most average Mother F's did. I chose a corner to stand in or hide in and stared but in a manner that was not obvious. You know the kind of stare I'm talking about. It's the same stare that you have when you meet a woman and start talking to her chest. Well, what else could I do. I had no chance with any of the women, getting smashed was out of my league, so staring like a sicko was all that was left

Anyway, after a while in walks Rio Ferdinand decked out in some snide green outfit type of suit with pointed black shoes. The cont looked like GI Joe but civilian style. I took an instant dislike to him. He was really tall, muscular, goofy looking and arrogant. Really arrogant and really tall. The wanker thought he owned the joint.

Ferdinand was alone and spent much of the night alone. Every now and then some tart would make small talk with him only to find Rio about as responsive as a dead household appliance.

Watching him looking miserable with an attitude of being too good for those around him made me hate the tosser even more.

Then for some odd reason Rio walked over to my corner. We were face to face. I didn't want to act like a groupie. I tried to pretend that I didn't know him. So I did what most people in my position would do.

I froze with my arms crossed and said nothing. Rio was in control.

Then Rio asked me a question:
"Are you security?"
"No."
"Oh."
He then walked away. And that was the end of our brief conversation. I felt disappointed and to this day I still don't know why.

Ferdinand is a thicko. When players from the 20 Premier League teams were asked what their favorite book was Bacary Sagna chose Muhammad Ali's autobiography "The Soul of a Butterfly."

Rio Ferdinand chose a book for children called "Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures With Family Lazardo." And to think that this guy was considered for the England captaincy. That said, I wonder what John Terry reads. Probably the directions on the back of his microwave meal, if anything.

Most England players are disappointing. I guess I'm expecting fireworks. Instead, I get Michael Owen who talks like a Real Estate Agent and has the personality of a dull pharmacist. Or you have goofball Rio and his superficial soundbites that he uses when interviewed, using key words such as performance, team spirit, worked hard in training, and the gaffer.

I would rather listen to Barbie and GI Joe, even though they can't fuck or talk. They would be much more entertaining.

Tomas Rosicky

Tomas Rosicky has been described as an ‘icing on the cake’ type player. He scores the goals that put games beyond reach as opposed to goals that win games. To a large extent, the description is accurate but to be fair the player has had moments of excellence throughout his career. Prior to his recent injury spell he’d been a big player for both Borussia Dortmund and the Czech republic.

His signing in 2006 came out of the blue. And what timing! The news started making the rounds the same day he scored a thunderbolt vs. the U.S.A. in a group match at The FIFA World Cup tournament in Germany. I was ecstatic that we’d signed him. I felt that we’d secured a true play maker – one who would push and make Cesc even better as they both were central players.

Wenger had other ideas.

He deployed Rosicky on the left side of midfield. Cesc, Hleb, Flamini, and Rosicky formed a good understanding as Arsenal looked to be the team to beat in 2007-08 until the season fell apart. No need to go over the events because if you’re reading this you probably already know how the season finished in bitter disappointment.

A friend and a great man recently mentioned that Rosicky can make a big difference to our season. I chuckled. I chuckled not to disrespect him but because I have given up on anything Rosicky “can” provide. I have given up on any participation by the player who has done nothing to help our cause. Nobody plans injuries but for me, this man is like a new signing who will have to prove himself at a new club – if he stays healthy.

I have further reservations beyond the recent inability to contribute. I remind you of a match played away to Aston Villa in December, 2007. We won 2-1. We played without Cesc. Rosicky played a central role. I expected him to boss the match, to do what the #10 and Czech captain does. I expected him to take over. Instead he struggled as Villa outplayed us in a second half that signaled that we might not have the play maker I thought we’d bought. I saw more defending from Rosicky that the expected domination of the middle of the park.

The next match was away to Newcastle. Cesc was still missing from action. Rosicky again demonstrated to me that he was not the boss we needed him to be. Was playing the central role for Arsenal more difficult than for the Czech Republic? Was the guy just not up to running our midfield? Was he carrying an injury?

I was frustrated watching a player from whom I expected so much more than he was giving. He had shown at Dortmund and for his national team that he was a remarkable player but why was he not dominant at Arsenal?

The mysterious injury Rosicky suffered is said to have been what caused him to be substituted (yet to return) on 26 January, 2008. Three setbacks and the loss of a season and a half later, Tomas Rosicky has been spotted training with the first team as we prepare for the upcoming season.

What should we expect? More icing on the cake type goals? A full and productive season from a rested and refreshed 29 year old with much to prove?

I expect nothing but Tomas Rosicky might have turned into our most interesting if not most mysterious player.

Milan Pick Oguchi Over Philippe

Today, AC Milan clinched the signing of United States defender Oguchi Onyewu. Also, Bordeaux made an inquiry into the availability of Philippe Senderos, rated at 5.2 million pounds.

Oguchi Onyewu is now the number 5 for the illustrious rossoneri. During Senderos' time at Arsenal, he eventually inherited the famous number 6 shirt. I have no idea whether or not Onyewu will be a success at AC Milan or not. He's a tall, burly defender who was patchy for Newcastle. But what we do know is that AC Milan basically chose him over Senderos, since they're not exactly strapped for cash after the Kaka transfer.

We need a new number 6.

80 Million Pounds? I Hope Real Madrid Fall Hard

These Three Are Staying

Many have questioned whether or not Arsene Wenger would be able to keep his young players around long enough for his plan to work. The most difficult part of committing to a plan that has no guarantee of success is facing the music if it fails. There are board members and fans to answer to. Recognizing and acquiring young talent can be the easiest part. Keeping them together is the ultimate challenge - especially if they don't have success early as is currently the case with Arsenal.

I've mentioned here before how Marc Overmars left Arsenal for (literally) the greener grass of Catalonia. Indeed Barcelona thought that they'd got a superbly versatile and effective winger at the peak of his career. 

No!

In fact, it wasn't until 2008 when Overmars played in his 100th league game after leaving North London in 2000. Injuries played a large part in the decline of this once elite footballer. It's common knowledge however that many players' careers have gone flat after leaving Arsenal. Thierry Henry being the obvious exception. 

In 2004, Stathis Tavlaridis left Arsenal for Lille. Unless you follow Ligue 1, you would probably not know where he plays today. He left at the age of 24, having failed to break into the first team. Tavlaridis has only represented Greece twice to date. He certainly was not a great loss but he too is a player who's career has not taken off after leaving Arsenal. And to date, Hleb and Flamini are looking good bets to add to that list.

Last week we signed three young players who could have fantastic careers at the club. Despite The Negatives' feeling that Wenger is foolish to believe that young talent will stick around regardless of the lack of honors in recent years, the highly rated trio of Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, and Aaron Ramsey have secured long term deals at the club.

Take that you cynical twats!

Ramsey could certainly have decided that without a clearly dominant player ahead of him, he might have been given more opportunities to partner Cesc or even replace the number 4 while he recovered from injury. Hindsight can point to his performances (which weren't terrible) and say that he's still not quite ready however but I have no problem with payers believing in themselves.

Wenger's no mug. He knows what he's doing. And to be fair to our players who've decided to stay, they've shown that they trust the manager and that they trust the club. But despite the reciprocal belief there are maybe one or two amongst our players who would walk straight into any of the world's top sides. Which is not to say that they aren't good enough but that there are players of equal or lesser ability at such clubs who perform particular roles - all good teams have balance, not just good players. So why leave Arsenal? 

Time will tell if either Gibbs, Wilshere, or Ramsey will defect at some point. For now, The Negatives have another hard pill to swallow.

What's next, Adebayor stays and scores another 30? 

Michael Owen

In what is being considered a shock move, Manchester United has signed England's former golden boy on a free transfer. It was previously suggested that there was no way a top four club would go for Owen, even Liverpool never ended up registering an interest in him. He was positioning himself to turn down Phil Brown and head for Aston Villa or Everton. That was before Real Madrid snatched Karim Benzema away from Ferguson's hands. That directly led to this move.

Who is the winner here? Michael Owen. Why? Because he's getting paid more than he should be getting paid.

English pundits have been talking about what an ingenious move this is. They have been citing examples like Laurent Blanc, Eric Cantona, and Henrik Larsson as examples for similar transfers. It's true that there are some similarities, and the reasoning goes that Michael Owen is a natural born finisher who will score plenty of goals for Manchester United.

That may or may not be true, but the opportunities will not be as plentiful when contrasted to the last three years that Manchester United have. They have still failed to replace the creative talents of Cristiano Ronaldo, something that will not happen unless in three years Adem Ljajic turns out to be the real deal.

Instead, he'll be a replacement for Carlos Tevez. Do people really imagine he'll get much more playing time than Berbatov (who is a far superior player to Owen)? Rooney will certainly be a more central player in the upcoming year. Playing Owen takes away opportunities from intriguing prospects like Danny Welbeck.

Owen has lost a step. When he lost that, he could never be the same type of player. Imagine what Theo Walcott would be without pace. Worse, he seemed to only pout about not being able to play, instead of being denied an opportunity to help stragglers Newcastle from being relegated. Did it seem like he gave a damn when Newcastle United were relegated? Did anybody from Newcastle United seem to care other than Alan Shearer?

Paul Merson on Sky Sports said that he thought Arsenal should have signed Michael Owen. He was shocked that we weren't in from him, because we needed a player to convert our numerous chances created that went fruitless. England has a love affair for Michael Owen. They went apeshit on Fabio Capello when he was dropped. It doesn't matter that Fabio Capello is the best manager they've had for decades, because Michael Owen is a living legend. Of course, Capello was absolutely right.

Do I want Michael Owen when a player like Eduardo is on our team?

The answer is a resounding no. The truth is that Eduardo is the player that English people think Michael Owen is now. He's the clinical poacher we need and have.

Billy Mays not Billy Jean

As CNN debates the Facebook reaction to Michael Jackson's death and the media fuels hype and speculation about Jacko's will - his relationship with his father etc - I want to turn your attention to the King of OxiClean Billy Mays.

Billy was the same age as the King of Pop - both were 50 when they died. They both had an uncanny ability to project their voice. They both pushed a product hard, everything you didn't know and you couldn't live without was Billy's, while Jacko's was Moonwalk music that broke all barriers.

Both men had facial features that they were renowned for. Billy had his well groomed, black beard, Jacko had a plastic nose and other facial shit that made him look like a freak.

You probably never knew that Billy had died, such has been the commotion surrounding Michael Jackson's death. Maybe you didn't care, after-all Farah Fawcett fucking died too.

Why should you give a fuck about a white, middle-aged, fat faced, bearded bloke, with a loud in your face voice, that is trying to sell you overpriced crap that you don't need?

There are reasons why:

You're like me, and you subscribe to Gol TV or Fox Soccer Channel, because let's face it you are an addict.

It's 4 am on Saturday morning. You've been out on the town. Now you're alone, in your living room, intoxicated on whatever rocks your boat. You obviously didn't get laid because you wouldn't be by yourself watching infomercials on Fox Soccer channel. You're hoping to catch a game because you're still buzzing. The Colombian premier league would do, fuck it, beach soccer will suffice. Instead you get Billy Mays, his big round smiling, bearded, face, his in your face persona and his product that miraculously wipes away any stain. You wonder if his OxiClean can wipe away your skid mark, herpes or English guys with a large ego playing the Brit card in America.

You spark up a spliff and sit back.

Call in the next 10 minutes and Billy will send you not just one tub of Oxyclean but two. 10 minutes go by and you wonder if the 1-800 number will reject your request for a second tub of OxiClean because you are 30 seconds too late.

You take another puff.

The stuff you are smoking is strong. Shame there isn't a bird sitting next to you that is experiencing the same effects as yourself. You could do with a fit, hot, naked bird, who is on-the-same-buzz-as-you.

We all could.

You would pour OxiClean all over her and wipe any immorality that you want to create. Any skank would do at this stage of the night. You are that high. You realize this because Billy is still on TV. It's that time of the fucking night. 4 am - 6am only the skanks, druggies and the desperate are up at this hour. Oh, and Billy Mays, King of OxiClean.

When Billy Mays is on TV you're either coming down or about to pass out. Time has been called on the night or should I say morning. You want to go to bed but you can't - you're too wired. You need to talk to someone. Once again the 1-800 number comes up on your screen. You have your credit card ready - of course you do, it's already been used for other purposes tonight.

"Thank you for calling OxiClean, my name Maria, how can I help you?
"Maria, I need to speak to Billy Mays. I wanna know if I qualify for the second tub of OxiClean?"
"Yes, sir you qualify. I just need your credit card details and mailing address."

You buy OxiClean and pass out on your couch and wake up the next morning to the annoying, sickly, voice of Christian Miles. Yes, you forgot to turn off your TV.

Immediately, after hearing Christian's voice you think: How the fuck did that squeak, bum, sounding, turd get a job for Fox. I could do so much better. You then take a look at yourself in the mirror and realize why.

But then you come up with an Einstein thought. Christian Miles or Billy Mays presenting the English Premier League on a Saturday morning.

Billy fucking Mays anytime. And that is why I am going to miss the guy.

Billy Mays - RIP.


Arsenal

Theo

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Theo can remain healthy and take further steps in his development next season. We've made a huge investment in him. His time at Arsenal has been very much a stop/start adventure because of injuries. The child that arrived from Southampton in January 2006 still struggles at times - his crossing and his decision making are two areas where he has opportunities for improvement.

The encouraging part is that he's still only 20. What's happened to him happens to most young players. Finding form is one thing but maintaining it is another. Add all the hype of predicted greatness that he's had to live up to and you have a fragile situation.

To think that Dirk Kuyt has been a more effective player than Theo bothers me.

Come on Theo, BIG UP!