Fuck United

I hope they fail.

That is all.

Some Things Don't Go Well Together

Liverpool verses Chelsea on Sunday will be watched world wide. The majority of fans including Spurs, Arsenal and Man City will want a Chelsea victory. Even some Liverpool fans deep down would rather see their team lose if it means Manchester United not breaking their record of title wins. A Premiership team winning four titles in a row is not healthy, especially when Alex Ferguson is their manager.

If there's one thing I like about Mourinho its that he has charisma. True, running on the Barcelona pitch at the end of Inter's semi-final victory lacked dignity and respect to his opponents and hosts. Playing loud Catalan military music and turning on the sprinklers while Inter celebrated was behavior of a sore loser. Barcelona can be very petulant.

One Barca player who I have really come to dislike is Sergio Busquets. His theatrics against Arsenal and especially Inter deserve a beating or a week in Rykers Island. The man is a disgrace.

Congratulations to Fulham on reaching the Europa League final. Simon Davies goal was top draw. Superb skill.

Fulham beat Hamburg, Wolfsburg, Juventus, holders Shakhtar Donetsk, and Roma without having to rely on penalties. Not an easy route to any final. They also made the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, going out to Spurs only after a replay. Roy Hodgson has proved along with Jose Mourinho that he is a very good coach.

The ramifications of Fulham reaching the Europa final is that they will play a weakened team against Arsenal for the last game of the season. Not that this will count for anything as Arsenal are only playing for third spot, which is an improvement from last season.

Liverpool are a club that are in a crisis. Not reaching the Europa League final is the final straw for most Liverpool fans. Liverpool and Rafa Benitez do not go well together. Benitez needs to leave the club to save his career and Liverpool need to find new owners and a new manager to reignite the club back to challenging for trophies.

People forget that last season Liverpool were challenging Manchester United for the title. This season, they are instead challenging Manchester City for the last Champions League spot. A challenge that they will lose come Sunday afternoon.

How the once mighty can fall so fast. A warning for us all.

Keep it Arsenal

Us and Them

The differences between Arsenal and the clubs above us are quite clear this season. Aside from the financial restraints we've had to work around, there are several other reasons why they've left us watching an intriguing battle for the title. We should not ignore those factors.

Yes, they are both despicable but no matter how much we hate any other club, we must give credit where it is due (except to Spurs, fuck them). We must also bridge the gap between ourselves and those clubs. These trophyless seasons are becoming the proverbial albatross around Arsene's neck, but at least he has stated quite clearly that we haven't been able to compete financially for "the players we need". Whether that is the only reason we haven't bought better players is arguable. Even in the best of times, Arsene has been known to spend wisely.

I am happy that he didn't give the English press the benefit of that quote. Why should he have? A dunce like Phil Brown gets a pass for public humiliation of grown men. He has dragged down an entire club while making a mockery of top flight football management. Meanwhile our manager is under the microscope for everything he does.

Our financial situation has also been under the microscope but nobody except Arsenal know how much cash the club really has. Depending on who you believe, our transfer funds are anywhere from nothing at all to 80m. I long for the day when we don't have to settle for thrift shop specials.

Just a few weeks ago, we were in a good position to defy the odds and chase down Chelsea. They've wobbled but they haven't fallen. John Terry has been anything but steady or reliable this season yet they've managed to stay on course. Witness the demolition of Stoke City after losing to Scum. And they must be given credit - Drogba's offsides goal notwithstanding - for going to Old Trafford and beating United a few weeks ago.

Wayne Rooney was always going to remind people that he is just as good as the departed winger Ronaldo. Let's be clear, the PFA Player of the Year deferred to Ronaldo at Ferguson's behest. It is when England's best player has been injured that we've seen yet another difference between Arsenal and the club that is regarded as the most valuable in the world, despite its enormous debt. If winning at Eastlands wasn't enough then last Saturday's victory against Scum reminded me that we still have gaps to fill.

It is a painful exercise but it must be done. We must accept the differences and set about fixing them. It's the only way forward.

What really stands out as we wind down this season is how the fire that once burned so strongly has died so quickly. Of course the two clowns we call goalkeepers have done their best to undermine our efforts but we just seem to go down without a fight. The same happened in that infamous CL semi-final last season. I imagine it could be said that our dramatic come from behind victories in last few months were misleading. Frankly, we were struggling to beat teams that Chelsea and United have beaten convincingly.

It cannot be overstated that we need to address the keeper situation. No more bargain buys for a position that is crucial to any success. The 6m spent on Richard Wright is still the most Wenger has spent on a keeper.

Keep the faith. Maybe that will change soon.

Inter the Future

- The match between Arsenal and Manchester City has been unanimously called dull. Everybody is right. The only thing to take from the match was Robin van Persie's tackle on Adebayor. The less said about the match the better.

- I don't know why Manchester City are being allowed to bring in Fulop on emergency loan. Their reserve keeper was fielded against us. Could they not use a reserve goalkeeper to back up Gunnar Nielsen? I don't get it.

- Who do we want to finish 4th? Truly a nightmare scenario. Do we actually want Sp*rs to finish 4th? Possibly so, if it means keeping Manchester City down. If Manchester City gets Champions League football, they'll find it easier to sign world class players. They'll sign good players regardless, but it would be a big step forward for them. If Sp*rs get 4th, it'll be terrible for us, but imagine the humiliation when they're knocked out by the champions of Czech Republic. Maybe we want Aston Villa to sneak it, knowing how mediocre a manager O'Neill is. We definitely do not want Liverpool to somehow get 4th, because that would mean they would have beaten Chelsea, and if that's the case, Manchester United will have won the Premier League. That's a true nightmare.

- Everybody assumed Inter Milan would be put to the sword by Messi. I knew better. If I'm being honest, we made Barcelona look great. Mourinho would do no such thing. And in the end, his plan was simple. Field two holding midfielders, use Sneijder to provide creativity through the middle, deploy quick wingers to make runs between the full-backs and centre-backs, and rely on the solid defense (with the inspirational Lucio as a pivot point). Furthermore, they kept the pitch dry. Can they hold on against to their lead? Barcelona may score two goals, but I think Inter will also score once. That means Barcelona need to score three or four to win the tie. Messi's "ascension" to immortality continues here.

- You may not like him, but Jose Mourinho is a winner. He's proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt. If he successfully prevents Barcelona from defending the Champions League at the Bernabeu, he'll be the Real Madrid manager next year. Guaranteed.

- Following Inter's blueprint, could we have done the same against Barcelona if we were fully fit? I think we could have, but I still don't think we would have played that way against Barcelona. Wenger wants to outplay Barcelona, and to get there, we're going to need to improve a lot.

- It was nice to hear George Boateng condemn Phil Brown for his embarrassing halftime pitch talk way back. English people wrote it off, but that is the kind of thing a megalomanic does. Humiliating your players often leads you nowhere. That's why Almunia has a "wrist injury," even though it's plainly obvious he does not.

- Tony Pulis is furious that information about a fight between the players was leaked out to the public. He's apparently preparing to ship out ten of the players. A harmonious ship, huh? I can hear him already, "we're not that kind of team." Sure.

- I hope Liverpool fields a team of reserves against Chelsea. I would love to see the look on Alex Ferguson's face when he reads that Damien Plessis is playing instead of Gerrard. That won't happen though. Regardless, you have to give some credit to Chelsea. They've scored an insane amount of goals and have had three games where they've scored seven goals. They don't have much of a style, but they bang them in. You can't ignore 93 goals in 36 games.

- Check out this goal by Sergio Canales: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07QuP1F0TrY. Stunning. I wish we signed him, but he's off to Madrid. Bastards.

- To close with a quote by Wenger. "For a while, we were not investing maybe because we had built the stadium, but I think our financial situation is now becoming much stronger and we will be capable to buy the players we need to buy." There are a few things to point out here. One, it reveals that Wenger was handcuffed by the stadium. Did he complain? No. Did fans still asked for his head. Two, he used the word "need", which indicates that he sees clear areas that need to be improved. Last, it shows that Wenger understands that next year will be crucial to this team's development. Another trophyless season will be a big problem, and he knows it. I would love to fast forward a few months and have next season start now. But first, let's enjoy the Champions League and the World Cup.

11 Reasons Why Arsenal Need a New Goalkeeper

Saturday, August 25th: Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal
Arsene Wenger was sent to the dug out. Robin van Persie had a legitimate goal ruled out for offside. Arshavin was denied a blatant penalty after being chopped by the miserable Fletcher. Diaby scored a ridiculous own goal and Rooney cheated by diving to win United a penalty. However, Almunia needlessly dived at Rooney - the England striker was going nowhere - and he duly took the bait by diving over him. Rooney then scored from the resulting 59th minute penalty and Arsenal's flawless start to the season was wrecked. Thanks Manuel!

Sunday, October 25th: West Ham United 2-2 Arsenal
At half-time Arsenal were winning 2-0. They were cruising. Then in the 76th minute Hines dived and won a free-kick. Diamanti's shot was palmed towards goal instead away from goal by Mannone and onto Carlton Cole's head. Four minutes later Cole dived after barely being touched by Song and West Ham equalized. Mannone's error brought West Ham back from the dead.

Sunday, November 29th: Arsenal 0-3 Chelsea
Chelsea destroy Arsenal and create an 11 point gap. This game was boys against men. The first Chelsea goal was poor defensively. The second goal was poor goalkeeping. Vermaelen's own goal, just before half-time would have been averted if Almunia had commanded his penalty area. He didn't. Instead, Ashley Cole swings in a low cross. Gallas misses it. The ball then hits the knee of an unsighted Vermaelen and spins into the top right hand corner. Almunia is nowhere. He should have claimed Cole's cross but instead stayed rooted to his line like a frightened mouse. Thanks Almunia!

Saturday, January 9th: Arsenal 2-2 Everton
Rosicky salvages a point for Arsenal by scoring an injury time equalizer. Osman put Everton ahead with a header from a corner. Osman is 5 feet 6. Denilson equalized with a heavy deflection but then Everton went ahead again when Steven Piennar chipped the ball over a a pathetic crouching Almunia. Poor goalkeeping!

Sunday, January 24th: Stoke City 3-1 Arsenal FA Cup 4th Round
Two minutes in and Stoke win a throw-in inside the Arsenal half. Rory Delap launches one of his special throws which flies into the Arsenal penalty area. From the edge of the penalty area Fuller sprints in and heads home an easy header. 1-0 Stoke. Standing on his heels waiting for the ball to reach him was Fabianski. I’m sure he never saw Fuller coming but instead of going to meet the ball, he instead waited for it. It was a costly mistake that got Stoke in the groove.

Sunday, January 31st: Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United
When a goalkeeper scores an own goal two things come to mind: (i) He was unlucky; (ii) he is a clown. With Manchester United's first goal, Almunia was a clown. Nani gets the ball on the right hand side, deep into the Arsenal half. He then Cruyff turns two Arsenal players and chips a cross into the Arsenal penalty area, which Almunia somehow pushes into his own net. Appalling positioning, appalling decision making, and appalling goalkeeping.

Sunday, February 7th: Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal
The news of John Terry cheating with Wayne Bridge's partner is all over the news. Chelsea's first goal was from a corner. Almunia had no-one on the far post where Ivanavich headed to set up Chelsea's first goal. The second goal was a Chelsea counter attack. Drogba went around Clichy and Vermaelen to shoot past Almunia. The ball was struck with a fair amount of pace from maybe ten meters but it was not unstoppable. It looked as though Almunia ducked underneath it. Coward goalkeeping.

Wednesday, February 17: FC Porto 2-1 Arsenal
This game was the worst goalkeeping performance by any Arsenal No.1. Fabianski scores an own goal by palming a nothing cross into his own net - he was under no pressure at all - 1-0. Then he picks up a back pass but fails to organize his defence from the resulting free-kick, allowing Porto to re-take the lead. Porto will never score an easier goal.

Saturday, March 27th: Birmingham City 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal are within seconds of a famous win at St Andrews. Joe Hart the Birmingham goalkeeper takes a free-kick from just outside his own penalty box. It lands near the Arsenal penalty area and isn't dealt with by the Arsenal defence. Sagna lashes at the ball. It hits Kevin Phillips in the face and loops towards the Arsenal goal. Almunia slaps at the ball instead of tipping it over for a corner. The ball then agonizingly falls into the corner of the Arsenal goal with the pathetic Almunia scrambling back trying to claw the ball away. Another costly mistake.

Wednesday, March 31st: Arsenal 2-2 Barcelona
In the first half, Almunia produces world class saves and keeps Arsenal in the game. However, 30 seconds into the second half he shows Arsenal fans his other side - his crap side. Ibrahimovich takes a long ball, deep inside the Arsenal half. Almunia comes charging out of goal - for no reason - and is duly lobbed by the Swede. Ibrahimovich's decision making is made easy for him by the poor positioning and decision making of Arsenal's No.1. Fucking nightmare!

Sunday, April 18th: Wigan 3-2 Arsenal
There's one minute of normal time left. Arsenal are winning 2-1. Wigan are asking questions and putting Arsenal under a lot of pressure. They are fighting relegation and win a corner. Fabianski is on his line. He comes to catch. He is under no real pressure. The ball lands in his hands. He fumbles and flaps the ball onto the head of Wigan centre-back Bramble who heads into the empty net.

2-2 and Arsenal's title hopes are over thanks to Fabianski's costly error.

Message to Arsene: Please sign a world class goalkeeper this summer.

Keep it Arsenal

Post Match View - Manchester City F.C.

This meeting was supposed to be exciting. It was supposed to be memorable. It was neither.

We played Manchester City to a stalemate Saturday in a match that provided very little entertainment. There were times when I felt like the child who is forced to go on a long road-trip. He sits in the back seat wondering, 'are we there yet? are we there yet?'.

The weight of expectation for this game was a big factor but that we went into it knowing our season's top prize can only be finishing third further dampened the occasion. Roberto Mancini choosing to be conservative didn't help matters. As Arsene commented, maybe they feel that they can get a draw against us and finish the job of clinching fourth head to head against Spurs.

Fuck Spurs!

I didn't even bother noting the action for this post as I usually do.

The interest was there.

The passion and anticipation were there.

The levels were just slightly off.

I hate feeling like the game doesn't matter as much as it could. Oh, by the way, FUCK SPURS! And didn't they live up to "expectation" against United!?!? I hope Wilshere gets a hat-trick against them and then they get smashed at Eastlands.

As for us, we've definitely reached a crossroad with this squad. It's fast approaching time to make some decisions about its makeup. A player like Clichy has done well enough to turn around his recent performances but ideally, a fit Kieran Gibbs is the least he should have to worry about. And now that Fabianski has kept a clean sheet, will Arsene reiterate that Greasy Hands will be great one day? Having Eboue to replace Theo is not the worst option, especially from a tactical point of view, but there's much, much more that we can/should expect from a right sided forward and neither player provides it. Diaby has improved. There's no doubting that. To think though that Denilson is still a question mark and that injury-prone Rosicky turns 30 in October begs the question of whether we can match our opponents going forward. No play on words intended.

Our keeper situation - some might say our squad depth overall - is a joke. I wouldn't go as far as the latter but I understand the frustration, having come so close again this season and finishing with nothing. The frustration mounts, especially when we read that Arsenal F.C. is the third most valuable club in the world. A very simplistic but valid position would ask if our commitment to winning matches our ranking. It's an interesting debate, financial restraints notwithstanding.

Is it time to start spending more now that we're on a better plane where the stadium debt is concerned and that many players have proven to be less than reliable?

The UEFA 8:25 rule complicates matters and will make for even more interesting times at Arsenal this summer. I imagine the development of players like Craig Eastmond, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Jack Wilshere, Henri Lansbury, Tom Cruise, Sanchez Watt, Kyle Bartley and a few others from that Youth Cup winning side will now be even more important. And what of veteran reserve but still young players like Nacer Barazite and Mark Randall? Will Conor Henderson and Francis Coquelin make the step up? Is there another Jack Wilshere amongst the youth?

Will the rule give Wenger more reason for staying committed to giving these kids a chance or will he modify his plan by bringing in a few established, super talented players? I know he likes David Villa. Those thoughts were running through my head as I watched City play a very cautious game. Tevez was hardly a factor. Bellamy found out what it's like to face Alex Song. He has come a long way attitude and behavior-wise but he did manage to anger the mild-mannered Song. Bellamy should consider himself lucky. I wouldn't fuck with Song. Abou Diaby (who almost won it with the shot that KO'd Shay Given) was in Patrick's face like our former hero had something of his. A ticket to S. Africa perhaps?

Those were the only highlights for me. The game was tepid at best. Seeing Patrick in City colors was a bit unsettling but I got over it pretty quickly to be honest. I still love the guy though. I remember how proud I used to feel seeing him patrol the pitch. A great man recently described him as one of the best ever. No argument here.

It would be interesting to see the number of matches we've played this season with our full team. The injuries excuse is one I will not use but let's be clear, one of the reasons for Wenger's position against "financial doping" is that it allows clubs with sugar daddies to bench top quality footballers when others are forced to include youth or average players. The 8:25 rule may change that. How it will affect our club remains to be seen.

One thing is certain however, we must get this nightmarish injury situation sorted one way or another. The City match was supposed to be meaningful. It turned out to be just another game. What would have we done to City with a fit Cesc, Arshavin, Gallas, and Vermaelen?

While some are debating if finishing third is really an improvement, I am left asking why have we failed, again???

I'm suddenly feeling empty. Worse, I don't have much more of real interest to say but I do feel this needs to be said; FUCK SPURS. I'm out.

Keep the faith.

No Longer Arsenal

- It's not worth revisiting the past when it comes to Emmanuel Adebayor. I was furious at the time, but the hate has now dissipated. To me, he doesn't exist. No need to expend any sort of time or effort on the man. I do have sympathy for the traumatic events he went through at the African Cup of Nations, but that's as far as it goes. I'd rather Arsenal fans support our team than boo this man.

- Kolo Toure said he didn't want to name the player he had problems with while at Arsenal because he didn't want to cause trouble. Today, he named that player, and nobody was surprised. Why he needs to go on and on about it, I don't really know. Maybe it's because he loved his time here and now he's at City. Maybe it's because he's going to be under threat for his starting role when City buy better defenders. Maybe it's because he's no longer relevant in the football world. We tend to forgive Kolo, because he gave it his all while playing for Arsenal. But let's be honest. Wenger dispatched Adebayor and Kolo and retained Gallas and Bendtner. You don't hear current Arsenal players saying bad words about Gallas and Bendtner now, do you? Ade and Kolo were cancers, and the fact that we got 40 million pounds for them is an added bonus.

- Simply put, all the drama aside, I just want to win the match. I want Robin to score a hat trick. Our team owes us a performance. The capitulation against Wigan was pathetic. It was beyond pathetic, it was shocking. It was a result that brought Wenger's experiment under the microscope in a big way. I've considered it as well, but I'm going to wait until the summer before passing judgment.

- That being said, it's clear that if Fabianski didn't commit another disastrous error, we would have won. Do you blame Wenger for fielding a player like him? That's somewhat fair, but at the same time, how could Wenger have anticipated the amount of goalkeeping gaffes this year? Most will say that they could have foreseen it, but Wenger has to know that he has a big problem. With Almunia out, we can only pray that Fabianski doesn't give away the game. Again.

- Finally, Patrick Vieira returns against to Arsenal. Paddy is one of the best midfielders of all time. He is no longer in his prime, but let's remember how majestic he was. If that Patrick Vieira was in our side, we would have won the Premier League this year.

We're on the Right Path

Arsenal fans don't realize how lucky they are.

We all know that Arsenal should have beaten Wigan after being 2-0 up with 10 minutes of the game left. Arsenal lost that game because of a Lukasz Fabianski fuck up in the last minute. No other reason.

The defeat against Spurs hurt but would the "Cunts From The Lane" have won if Arsenal had scored a once in a life time 30 yard goal first? Probably not. Spurs went 1-0 up and put every man behind the ball and waited to counter attack. Bar their two goals they hardly threatened Arsenal. On another day, Arsenal would have won that game.

The Spurs and Wigan defeats are history now. We move on.

Arsenal have now lost three games in a row. This means that Arsenal are in a crisis. Therefore, Wenger, according to The Negatives, must go. His replacement could be anyone from Mourinho to Dennis Bergkamp - anyone who can make Arsenal fight and not surrender like they did at Wigan.

If, however, you compare Arsenal with Liverpool, you might think otherwise. You might be glad that you're an Arsenal supporter.

Liverpool will not be playing Champions League football next season. They are in massive debt and up for sale. They need a new stadium but can't afford one. Their manager Rafa Benitez will probably join Juventus next season and take a couple of star players with him - including Steven Gerrard.

The latest rumors about Gerrard make John Terry's off-field exploits look like powder puff.

Gerrard has got a 16 year old girl pregnant. The teenager is keeping the baby. His wife is having an affair with Derby County defender Kris Simmons. Their marriage is over and Gerrard is seeking a move away from England. His lawyers are currently trying to stop any of this information being made public. Gerrard, meanwhile, fears for his World Cup place if the teenager gives birth out of wedlock.

If these rumors are true, Liverpool are in a crisis - not Arsenal.

Keep it Arsenal

Merde!

First order of business is to thank my colleagues for holding it down while I've been away - first for work and then on holiday. Scheduling can be a pain. Life is like that sometimes.

I have not seen either the Spurs or the Wigan match. I've seen "highlights". My eyes still hurt.

The anticlimactic end to our season has left all Gooners in a state of shock. Some of us don't know if we are coming or going. Some will say that they predicted this but I am sure that even they felt we had a shot, even after Birmingham.

Others, like me, are not going to curse at the neighbor's dog or break glasses, yet. Frankly, it's best that I wait before I speak. There is so much to say and so many points to cover that it is best to let everyone have their moment before I join the fray.

I have plenty to say on what has happened plus I have some thoughts to share on the state of things and which direction I feel we should go. I will revisit my preseason requirements for each player and pass along my opinions/judgement - I still feel the foundation is there and that it is strong. I will run down what I feel we need to add but not now though. I'll do that when I have regained a sense of composure and once the thick, filthy dust thats still lingers after losing (to Scum especially) has cleared.

What I will say is fuck Spurs!

FUCK SPURS!!!

And PLEASE Chelsea, don't let the Mancs win another title - not because I have any affection at all for you Chelsea but because I'd rather you than United. It's that simple, really. It will be less painful to see Lampard and Terry lift the title than to see Neville, Ferdinand, and that shitbag Fletcher lift it.

Taggart can go to hell.

Am I a sore loser? No! I am an angry sore loser. Put that in your pipe.

I'll also state that all the cunts who want to have a go better do it now because we will be back and we will have the last word. Arsene Wenger does not quit. Arsenal don't quit. It's not the way we do things.

We must keep the faith. Arsenal!

Deep, deep breath.

Two Players That Arsenal Must Sign

I am sick and tired of hearing that Lukasz Fabianski is the best goalkeeper in training. Well when I wank I'm the best lover in the world.

Fabianski is not strong enough mentally to play at a big club. Things may work out for him elsewhere, but it's not happening for him at Arsenal.

Sell him.

Arsenal need a new goalkeeper. Jens Lehmann says we should sign Manuel Neuer from Schalke. Jens says he will be Germany's Number one very soon. Lehmann is Neuer's hero. He is 6 feet 4, has two caps for Germany and is only 24 years old. Arsenal, however, are not the only top club looking for a keeper. So are Manchester United who know that Edwin van der Saar can only last one more season.

Currently, Arsenal have Vermaelen, Song, Djourou and Gallas injured. They only have 35 year old Sol Campbell and 32 year old Mikael Silvestre left. Rookie Kyle Bartley is on loan at Sheffield United but is unable to break into their first team. At the end of the season Gallas, Campbell and Silvestre will be out of contract. I expect only one of them to be around next season. That leaves Arsenal with three centre-backs - not including Song - and that's not enough judging by the amount of injuries that they suffer each season.

Aged 22 and 6 feet 2 inches tall is Jan Vertonghen who plays for Ajax. This Belgian international is a left-sided centre-back - like Vermaelen - who can also play as a defensive midfielder and loves to join attacks from the back. He can play anywhere on the left side and is good in the air. Wenger may decide that he doesn't need another left sided centre-back because he already has Vermaelen. However, with Silvestre the only left footed back-up likely to leave and with Arsenal's injury record, signing Vertonghen is a must. He has played with Vermaelen 21 times for Belgium proving that the two left footers can play alongside one another.

Vertonghen is available for 8 million pounds. Neuer is available for 12 million.

Arsenal need to act fast.

Keep it Arsenal

Game Over, Season Over

- Epic capitulation. Complete regression. I said we needed a miracle in the league, and instead we had a miracle enacted on us.

- The season is finished, except for the fact that we have to fight now to hold onto third. That is actually important, because we don't want two extra games, especially during a World Cup summer where players will come back without as much rest.

- Both our first two goalkeepers must be shipped out. Unlike Almunia, Fabianski did come with a pedigree. Perhaps there was an eye for a bargain in mind, but he had performed in the Polish league and is a capped international. According to most reports, he's lights out in training too. Now, for his second consecutive birthday, he's made horrendous errors which have proven that he's not good enough for this club. End of. I'm not going to go into it anymore, but performing in training is way different from being a consistent world class keeper. Consistency is the key, and he has none of it. We have no idea what he does in training, but we know Wenger has stuck up for his goalkeepers before. He stated that he thought Almunia was the best in the Premier League last year, and earlier this year he backed Fabianski. They have both, not intentionally of course, let him down in a major way. We must now buy an experienced keeper like Frey or a buzzed keeper like Lloris, then make Wojciech Szczesny the backup.

- There have been many moments where I felt we made a breakthrough. Today just confirmed that this team doesn't learn it's lessons. We have a long way to go if we want to emulate Barcelona. They are composed on the ball all of the time. When we have a hint of trouble after coasting, we crash. We've dropped many points from winning positions, but this team always seems more dangerous when chasing after a game rather than leading it. We rarely score the third goal to kill off games anymore. We neither defend well nor attack well when a team fights back against us. It's distressing in the extreme.

- You can give the team credit for fighting back and working until the last minute of the match. But look at the teams we've summoned those resources for, and look at where they are in the table. That's practically all that needs to be said. We should have comfortably beat Birmingham, Stoke, and Wolves. We made a meal of it, and the false dawn has proven to be true.

- We want Chelsea to win the Premier League, as much as that hurts to say. Manchester United cannot win a fourth league on the trot and pass Liverpool in the overall Championships. That would be the worst way to end this season.

- Before anybody says it, I still don't consider this season to be a failure. I see progress, but there comes a point when we need to take the final step. There have been hints of it during the year, but what are we left with now? Third place and Aaron Ramsey's broken leg. We've had many injuries this year.

- We need to redress the balance in the team. We need to become a more solid defensive team. All the individual pieces are there, but we don't play like one unit on defense. That'll change when we get a good goalkeeper between the sticks. If that doesn't happen, this exhilarating team will always just be a frustrating one. Next year will be the year where Wenger decides whether he wants to give it another go or not. It's reached that point. We're not there yet, but we will be in one year's time. We must improve.

More than a Miracle

- Let's just get the miracle scenario out there. We need Manchester United to either draw against both City and Tottenham or lose to just one of them. We need Chelsea to drop points against Tottenham and Liverpool. We need to beat Wigan tomorrow and hope that Wigan subsequently lose to both Hull and West Ham, so they'll be fighting for their lives against Chelsea in the last fixture of the season. After that, we need Wigan to perform heroically and earn a draw or victory that keeps them in the Premier League. Oh, and we need to win our other three Premier League matches, one against City (who are on form and scoring goals for fun right now, which is an ominous sign when we have to field Silvestre), one against Blackburn at Ewood Park (you know how much Big Sam hates Wenger), and a relatively easy fixture against Fulham at home (they could be focused more on the Europa League). Got all of that?

- What is the percentage chance I give of this scenario unfolding? About 1%. But I had to throw it out there, just so you all know what to root for. And yes, that involves rooting for the Scum.

- We'll know if there's any chance in hell if it can happen before we play Wigan on Sunday, with the Manchester derby and Chelsea playing Tottenham today.

- The defeat on Wednesday was pretty disheartening. I don't consider the season to be a failure; we have improved. However, some of the players delivered lackluster performances. If the match had been ten minutes longer, we would have won. But with Tottenham parking the bus (in an efficient way), there wasn't enough thrust or desire from our side. Rosicky looks like a squad player now. Denilson was practically absent in an offensive sense. Diaby is a flat track bully. Our keeper is a joke.

- I think Wenger will field different sets of players in order to get a better opinion of them, players like Eastmond, Fran Merida, and possibly Fabianski. Obviously, we'll try to win every match, but this sort of thing tends to happen when we're out of the title race.

- Give credit to Heurelho Gomes. Many people laughed at his numerous blunders during his first year, but now he's established himself as one of the better keepers in the Premier League. He singlehandedly prevented van Persie from providing a Kanu moment of his own. I wish our current keeper would revive himself in this way. Actually, I don't. I'd rather Fabianski do that. I'd like to never see our current keeper in an Arsenal kit ever again. A well struck volley, yes, but why does he never catch the ball? And finally, it seems as though Wenger is coming around saying today that he never said our current keeper was a "long term number one." Damning words coming from Wenger. Lloris may not be for sale, but Frey might be a good keeper for a few years before hopefully Szczesny becomes the great keeper everybody thinks he'll be.

- Additionally, Wenger said we need to add more to our defense. Praise God, although it was blatantly obvious. I wouldn't mind Sol returning as a fifth choice defender. Silvestre should depart. I hope Gallas stays. There's rumors that we're after Jerome Boateng, but it appears City may snatch him. Regardless, we need to strengthen our side. I also wouldn't mind going after Gregory van der Wiel.

- Interestingly enough, I heard a rumor this week that we've signed Hugo Rodallega and Charles N'Zogbia for 22 million pounds and that they've already had medicals. Twelve hours after I heard this rumor, the story broke in the British media. Today, Roberto Martinez didn't exactly deny that rumor today. Take it with a grain of salt, but there may be something to the rumor. I don't particularly rate Rodallega, but N'Zogbia is a dangerous player. I think the fee is too high also. Regardless, N'Zogbia is a player we need to look out for on Sunday.

- Wigan will try to play football. Their pitch is no longer a disaster, but that probably works against them. They are close to relegation though, so they will fight hard for the result. Mario Melchiot is an ex-Chelsea player, so he'll want to help out his friends. They've also had results against Chelsea and Liverpool at home. So, this isn't the cakewalk people may be predicting.

- I believe Wenger has some more fight left in him. He'll be back next year. Arsene is hungrier than some of our players.

Let's All Laugh at Arsenal

Yesterday was meant to be a celebration of St. Totteringham's Day. Instead, Gooners today are a laughing stock.

Before the game Arsenal were firm favorites to win. Spurs were meant to be demoralized after losing to relegated and debt fucked Portsmouth in one of the biggest shocks of FA Cup semi-final history.

Spurs were also meant to be weak, having played extra time last Sunday on a Wembley sapping pitch with their two best midfielders out through injury and suspension.

Arsenal had no game last weekend. We had a week off.

Spurs included a 19 year old making his debut and had Cuntes Kaboul playing out of position. Their midfield was run by Tom Huddlestone - a man with a thunder shot and not much else.

On paper, this should have been three points to Arsenal. The Scum were there for the taking.

In the early stages, Arsenal looked more likely to score. From a corner, Campbell forced a clearance off the line. We looked in control. The pace of the game was frenetic. Then Spurs had their first real attack. A Pavlycunto shot that was bravely blocked by Vermaelen. Corner to Spurs and a roar from the Scum massive.

Enter Manuel Almunia.

The corner is whipped in to his box. Almunia elects to punch because catching a ball is not part of his game. I said "punch" but Almunia jabbed the ball. The ball drops to the edge of his penalty area. Almunia is in no-mans-land. The 19 year old debutant smashes home Almunia's jab and Shite Hart Lane detonates.

The Gooner I'm watching the game with says you can't blame Almunia's punch. The co-commentator and ex-Yid, Paul Walsh concurred. Fine, Almunia's "jab" wasn't the reason for Spurs going one up, but the ball going through his arms, like water going through a sieve, was.

In big games, Almunia will fuck up.

He makes crucial saves - like he did in the second half when one on one with Modric - but he also makes crucial mistakes.

Inconsistent goalkeepers don't belong at a club as big as Arsenal.

Wenger says his back-up Fabianski will one day be world class. Well that day isn't today and it's unlikely to be any time soon. World class goalkeepers do exist and they're available. Time to fucking buy one and spend whatever it takes to get one otherwise this time next year will be another case of de ja fucking vue.

Sunderland spent 9 million pounds on Craig Gordon and he's better than Almunia. We got Almunia from a club that had sent him out on loan because they didn't rate him. Almunia was a not wanted, back-up keeper, offloaded on loan, by a lowly La Liga club to another lowly Spanish club - when Arsenal bought him for 500,000 pounds and 8 Rice Krispie tokens.

Arsenal's number one transfer target MUST be a goalkeeper. I can't take anymore jabs, failure to catch a high cross or poor positioning. I want a keeper that installs confidence in his defenders and organizes his back four just as good as Sol Campbell does.

Sol Campbell deserves a one year contract. The man carried Arsenal for the majority of the game and nearly scored twice. He put other Arsenal players to shame last night. Especially the midfield and attack.

There was no understanding between them. We looked like a team that had just met each other for the first time. I lost count the amount of times balls were played to no-one or passed to a Spurs player. It was poor.

Tactically, Wenger got it wrong. He played 4-3-3. His attack included a right-back and a central midfielder. This left Bendtner alone and placing himself in bizarre positions to receive the ball because he had no one to play off. Maybe Eduardo's and Vela's days are numbered but when you're playing against the carthorse Michael Dawson and the crock Ledley King, you need to test them with at least two attackers and not a confused right-back or a Czech midfielder who looked like a fairy searching for his wand.

The other Arsenal player who put everyone to shame was Robin van Persie. Here's a man who hasn't played for over five months. Yet in his 20 minute performance, he had four strikes that produced top draw saves from Gomez. Van Persie's introduction suddenly turned the 4-3-3 formation from impotence to potency. Arsenal now had two attackers and the threat of Walcott on the right. Our goal involved all three attackers with van Persie feeding Walcott who crossed for Bendtner to slide in. We now had Spurs on the ropes.

With another strike partner to play off, Bendtner suddenly came alive. His goal was his ninth in eleven appearances. He doesn't have the class of van Persie but as a target man he can be very useful. Nevertheless, last night you could see why Wenger has signed Chamakh from Bordeaux.

My only major criticism of the players is their lack of passion or fight. This was summed up in injury time by Almunia. The clown has the ball in his hands. Time is running out. You would expect him to boot the ball into the Spurs half. Instead, he throws it to an Arsenal defender who is not expecting the ball and who is immediately under pressure from a Spurs player. Almunia did this three times. On one occasion he threw the ball to Silvestre who, under pressure, passed the ball to Peter Crouch.

It was so bad, it was laughable.

The season is over.

It ended at White Hart Lane of all places.

The Scum love that fact.

Keep it Arsenal

It Was Bound To Happen

I have the luxury of leaving work to watch matches. There's no doubting how valuable that freedom can be. When you're away on business however, that freedom doesn't mean as much.

It's been a long time since I have missed an Arsenal match. To miss this one leaves me gutted. I am gutted obviously because I have missed the game but more so because we've lost to Scum. They'll probably make a DVD now to commemorate the day.

Frankly, after 11 years and 20 matches, it was bound to happen at some point. Some Gooners have expressed fear each time we've played Spurs, knowing that the day would come. That it came under the current circumstances will make sleeping tonight very difficult.

By all accounts, our title dreams are done and dusted. On current form, it's hard to see Chelsea drop any more points. To make matters worse, the prospect of facing a rampant Manchester City in ten days is in itself pretty daunting with Vermaelen injured.

I wish I could say more about the match but all I saw were highlights. I saw our goalkeeper punch a ball to a Spurs player whom I've never heard of and then he failed to position himself to defend the ensuing volley. I saw Mikael Silvestre do a poor job of stopping Gareth Bale from scoring to make it 2-0.

Bendtner's effort on 85 turned out to be mere consolation. I have that empty feeling that's all too familiar at this time of year. It needs to be addressed.

Keep the faith.

since November 1999 - a run of 20 games

Derby Day

- Seven days off was a good thing for both Arsenal and me. I watched a few matches of football, and was generally relieved to be unconcerned with Arsenal for a few hours. The El Clasico was a damp squib with a few moments of excellence from Xavi, Pedro, and Messi. Blackburn surprisingly didn't capitulate against Manchester United, who spent much of the second half throwing themselves onto the ground. Bolton played excellent defensively, but one cross from Drogba and having zero shots on target doomed them. For the Arsenal team, they got valuable rest after having to chase Barcelona players for 90 minutes last Wednesday.

- Arsenal made me a very happy man the last time we played Sp*rs. It was my birthday, and the 3-0 victory was a perfect way to start my day. On that day, we still had Robin van Persie in our side and we were a smooth offensive machine. The fact that we're still in the race after losing him for so long is nothing short of a miracle. When Wenger talks about van Persie potentially being in the class of Ronaldo, Messi, and Rooney, he might be overshooting the mark slightly, but not by much. Remember that Wenger scouted all of these players when they were young, and former Gunners, like Bergkamp, Henry, and Pires, would frequently say that Robin has every trick in the book. He's been out injured for so long that it's almost as if he's been wiped from our squad. And despite the fact that we're still in touch of the leaders, our team has suffered for it. The plain truth is that we've scored less goals and the method of our play had to be largely altered because of his absence.

- Robin van Persie is one of the finest false nine players in the world. When he initially went down injured, I noted that he was probably the most difficult player to replace in this side. Now, that shouldn't be the case. I believe that we should have a suitable player to back up each member of the starting XI if they go down to injury. Losing Cesc hurts, but we do have players who can play in that position. When van Persie went down, we had to use Andrey as a striker while waiting for Bendtner to recover. Robin will probably only make an appearance on the bench, but his return is very much welcome. It should be noted that he did not play against Chelsea in the league or United in the Emirates return fixture. He did play in the match against United away, and most would agree that we deserved something from that match. He would have made a difference in those matches.

- All that being said, let's not expect any miracles. I don't mean to undercut myself as I'm thrilled that he's back, but he's been out of football for quite a while now. The last time he returned from an injury that took this long, he struggled to find sharpness and generally frustrated a lot of Arsenal fans. If he can just act as a superb link up player and put away chances, we'll have to be content with that.

- For Arsenal, tomorrow is about a couple of things. One, staying in the title race. Two, clinching St. Totteringham's Day against Sp*rs. Lose and we achieve neither. The players must show a response after being outclassed by Barcelona.

- We will be missing Alex Song for another two matches. That is a big loss, but Denilson is capable. Equally, Palacios will be missing for Sp*rs and that's a similar absence for them. Additionally, Lennon and Corluka will be miss out. Having Aaron Lennon attack Clichy for 90 minutes would have been a huge boost for them. Gallas and Arshavin seem likely to be done for the year.

- Sol Campbell returns to play for us against Sp*rs once again. Harry Redknapp, the blue waffle himself, noted that Sol Campbell wanted to desperately leave Arsenal when he signed him for Portsmouth a few years back. That's the kind of stunning rehabilitation it's been for Sol. He wanted out, we wanted him out, and now he's back and happy as ever. If you don't think that's true, look at the amount of fist pumps he did after Bendtner scored a last gasp winner against Wolves. He loves it here, and he had to leave Arsenal to realize how wonderful Arsenal is. Players don't get that second chance, but he did, and he's grasped it.

- A brief tangent. Wolves chairman Jez Moxey was furious at the FA for the way that Arsenal had "influenced" the ref and got Karl Henry sent off. They can't just let this die, can they? For an excellent article about the matter, read this: http://www.101greatgoals.com/as-wolves-continue-defending-henrys-red-card-at-arsenal-english-football-needs-to-put-skill-higher-on-the-agenda/52701/. Spot on.

- Back to Sp*rs. We must pay attention to Peter Crouch. He's hurt us in the past, mostly with his feet instead of with his height. Other than him, Modric is a fine player who's proven himself in this league. And Gareth Bale is being hailed as some sort of left back wizard. He can deliver a nice ball, but we need his friend Theo Walcott to occupy him the entire match (instead of flittering in and out of games as he has been doing).

- We win this game, and we'll put pressure on Chelsea. I think most people expect us to drop points in this fixture. That's just the vibe I'm getting. There is no better time to play Sp*rs. Stewart Robson said on the Times Podcast that he didn't believe any of the top four sides have improved this year. He's wrong. We're much better this year than we were last year. It's time to finish strong and win this title.

St. Totteringham Day

The North London derby could turn into St. Totteringham's Day. If Spurs lose to Arsenal on Wednesday, then mathematically it will be impossible for them to go above Arsene Wenger's side in the Premiership. Victory for Arsenal will also deal a massive blow to Spurs chances of qualifying for the last Champions League spot.

The media focus going into Wednesday's derby will be on Sol Campbell - the ex-Tottenham captain who left Spurs to join Arsenal on a free transfer in 2001.

Campbell has resurrected his career since joining Arsenal for a second time in January. He has also made Arsenal stronger defensively and tougher mentally. His performances may have changed Wenger's mindset on signing experienced players, while Campbell's recent comments may also affect the Arsenal manager's thoughts on what players he should sign in the summer.

Spurs fans despise Campbell. If I were a Spurs fan I would probably hate Campbell too. The thought of Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira or Cesc Fabregas leaving Arsenal to join Spurs on a free transfer is unthinkable - especially at the peak of their career.

Nevertheless, Campbell chose Arsenal ahead of a host of other top European clubs. He knew that if he signed for Manchester United his life would be a lot easier. But he must have been impressed with whatever Wenger had to say back in the summer of 2001 and made a very brave decision that took guts.

Arsenal needed Campbell. Vieira was on the verge of joining Real Madrid. Tony Adams and Martin Keown were coming to the end of their careers and their replacements - Oleg Luzhny and Igor Stepanovs - were not good enough. Campbell was a signing of intent and probably stopped certain players from leaving. He certainly helped to re-galvanize a squad that went on to win five trophies in four seasons.

To get back at Campbell, Spurs fans launched a gay witch hunt against him. Unfounded rumors spread about Campbell's love life including one preposterous claim of him having an affair with the boxer Lennox Lewis.

Campbell, however, has never been a favorite with the majority of Arsenal fans. Perhaps it was due to him being the ex-captain of Spurs or his aloofness and brooding that culminated in Campbell walking out at half-time during a Premiership match against West Ham in 2006 when Arsenal were losing 2-1. This made the big defender a pariah with some fans.

Whatever his past actions, one thing is for certain, Arsenal need Campbell on Wednesday night. In fact, Arsenal need Campbell for the rest of the season if they have any realistic hopes of winning the title.

Last word:

Yesterday, Rory Delap took 27 throw-ins against Wolves but attempted just 26 passes in open play. That's not right is it?

Stoke City and Tony Pullis need to leave football now.

Keep it Arsenal

Post Match View - Tottenham Hotspur vs. Portsmouth F.C. (F.A. Cup Semi Final)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Keep the faith.

Tired of It

- Barcelona deservedly advanced to the Champions League semi-final over us. Earlier in the year, I was watching Barcelona play and I openly wondered how somebody could tactically beat this team. Five months later, we brutally learned that this Arsenal team could not do that.

- When somebody pointed out the injured players for Arsenal, others quickly pointed to the fact that Barcelona had many key players missing as well. That is true, but the equivalents don't really match up. If Barcelona were missing Ibrahimovic, Messi, Xavi, Puyol, then fine, but it wasn't the same.

- Losing Alex Song was the final straw. Without him, we had to rely on Silvestre and Vermaelen as a pairing. That led to Vermaelen playing in the unfamiliar role as a right sided centre-back. Our whole team was virtually out of synch, and it showed. We were outpassed, outworked, and outclassed in the two legs.

- Most have conceded that Barcelona will win the Champions League again this year, but I'm not so sure. Frankly, playing against us suited them. We're not the most tactically astute team. We try to outplay people with our football, and the emphasis is always on our own football. Rarely do we target specific players defensively. When we do target the opposition, it's always a weakness in the opposition's defense, something we can take advantage of offensively. That happened when Diaby released Theo up the right wing that led to our brief moment of giddiness. One minute later, we could have created another great chance, but Diaby failed to spot Theo's run. After that, it was Messi, Messi, Messi, and Messi. Inter Milan is an entirely different animal. Mourinho will attempt to stifle Messi and Barcelona, and they possess the players to do it. They have numerous experienced professionals, and the tie promises to be tighter than most expect. What we learned was that this Arsenal team is not good enough to beat Barcelona yet. Not experienced enough, not astute enough, and we don't work nearly as hard as they do. It's a great lesson for this team to have to learn.

- With all that being said, I'm not overly down on the squad at the moment. We're still in this title race, and while we need our opponents to drop points, we need to focus on winning our own matches. A fixture against Tottenham is the ideal tonic. If the boys can't get up for this game, then our title hopes are as good as gone. But, if we win, it will put real pressure on Manchester United and Chelsea to win out.

- Manchester United have lost five games after Champions League fixtures. It's too bad they'll be playing Blackburn over the weekend. Allardyce is Ferguson's lap dog, and his team will surely cave and allow Berbatov to bag a brace. Chelsea have Bolton midweek after the FA Cup semi. They'll be tired as well, but Chelsea seem to be focused on the league.

- I'm getting a bit tired of reading about Lionel Messi. Yes, he's the best player in the world. No, he's not the best player of all time just yet. Yes, his performance against us was majestic. But enough already. While I was still cheering the boys on, even while 3-1 down, I couldn't help but wonder how the Invincibles would have done against this Barcelona team. I'm not suggesting that they would have beaten this classy Barcelona side, but it would have been an intriguing contest for sure. Is this Barcelona side the best club side ever? They could be, but personally I'd still put Sacchi's AC Milan ahead of them, but that could change.

- Tony Pulis really has a thing for Arsene Wenger. He's hit out at him yet again for attacking McCarthy's selection way back when he fielded a team of reserves against United. In his argument, he states that seven of the players are now enjoying an extended run in the side. That is true, but at the time, he made ten changes and clearly punted the game. Even McCarthy couldn't deny that, and the fine amounted to a mere slap on the wrist. I wish Wenger really did have that much influence, then perhaps we wouldn't get yellow cards after one foul every match. He also said that the Arsenal players got Karl Henry sent off. Karl Henry got Karl Henry sent off. Seeing the tackle in full speed, I thought it looked like an orange card bordering on red. Only the English would suggest that it wasn't a sending off. Tomas Rosicky had four visible stud marks on his calf, and Pulis claims the fact that he could play against Barcelona is suggestion enough that it wasn't a violent tackle. Think again. Maybe Pulis is just peeved that Aaron Ramsey himself didn't let Ryan Shawcross off the hook for the tackle. Wenger makes a comment about it, Pulis dismisses it. Ramsey says Shawcross could have pulled out of the challenge, other parts of the statement are used to support the claim that it was an accident. Pulis was in contact with Mike Riley, the head of the referees, about how Mike Dean unfavorably refs games when Stoke City are involved. What is worse, players sticking up for their player when he was clearly hacked down (illegally or not) or a manager trying to gain a decisive advantage by not having a certain referee ref their games? Unbelievable. We are vilified for defending our players, while the tackler gets away with an England call up and a pep talk by Steven Gerrard.

- Arjen Robben's goal against United was a beauty. At least Bayern knocking United out provided me with some entertainment this week.

One Man Team Are Out

"The young boy (Rafael) showed a bit of inexperience but they got him sent off, everyone ran towards the referee - typical Germans." Alex Ferguson speaking after Manchester United had been knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich.

"When an Italian tells me it's pasta, I check under the sauce to make sure." Alex Ferguson before Manchester United played Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-final 1999.

Gary Neville lacks class but so does Alex Ferguson. The man is a sore loser and cannot admit that his team lost to the better team. Instead he attacks officials or opposition players and coaches.

Manchester United have to win the Premiership this season, otherwise the Glazers will face a massive backlash from fans. Darren Gibson is not Christiano Ronaldo and the 30 million spent on Berbatov could have kept Tevez at the club. I know which player I would rather have in my team.

United fans will point to Arsenal having won nothing for the past five seasons rather than the $77 million annual debt payment the Glazers have to pay. Ferguson cannot afford to sign an expensive big name flop. But the fans will demand a big name signing if they fail to win the Premiership, otherwise the Glazers will feel their anger.

Tensions are already high at Manchester United. Police are now using tactics at Old Trafford to suppress fans protests. Anti-Glazer banners have been confiscated, the official explanation being that they block the view of other supporters. There's also an increased police presence at home games, with officers standing in the aisles of the Stretford End - where United's most vociferous supporters sit - to dilute any potential trouble. There is no relationship between the Glazers and the fans. Instead the atmosphere at Old Trafford is akin to that of a police state.

The Glazers are safe as long as Ferguson continues to win the major trophies. But when the trophies dry up, the campaign to drive the Glazers out will only intensify.

Arsenal also face off the field issues regarding it's ownership. American Stan Kroenke has until Monday to decide what he's going to do with his 40% stake in the St. Louis Rams American Football Team. Kroenke is 10 shares away from owning 30% of Arsenal Football Club - a threshold where he will have to make an offer for the remaining shares.

On Monday Kroenke can either:

1) Accept the $300 million buyout from pending new owner Shahid Khan.

2) Elect to keep his 40% stake

3) Exercise his right of first refusal and match Khan's bid for the 60% shares of the Rams that he doesn't own.

Option number 3 is highly unlikely since the NFL has rules banning the cross-ownership in other major sports in the same market they compete. Kroenke owns NBA and NHL franchises in the Denver Nuggets and Avalanche respectively.

Which leaves Kroenke with options one or two.

Kroenke's decision on Monday will probably not affect his decision making with regards to his ownership issue of Arsenal. If he chooses option one, it does not mean that he is going to make a take-over bid just because he suddenly has $300 million. Likewise, taking option two, does not necessarily mean that he will refrain from a takeover bid either.

According to Forbes, Kroenke is worth $2.7 billion. He therefore has plenty of money and resources to buy Arsenal without being relieved of his stake in the Rams. Therefore, Kroenke's decision on Monday may not have the domino effect that most people are predicting.

Keep it Arsenal

Wow!

Shock

a sudden upsetting or surprising event or experience

a feeling of disturbed surprise resulting from such an event

I've gone on record stating my admiration for the footballer Wayne Rooney - I can't stand the sight of him in United colors but the boy can play. Lionel Messi is beyond amazing though. I won't bother describing his performance. His imprint on football is plain to see. Scary that he's only 22.

I thought I could make a good argument as to why I favored Rooney but clearly Messi is like no other player I've seen since Zinedine Zidane. We had no chance as long as he was on the pitch. I can say Diaby and Rosicky were shyt until my mouth hurts but it really was never about Diaby or Rosicky.

I can tell you that Denilson was as effective as Theo was, which was not effective at all even for all the running they did. Saying it though wouldn't mean a thing. Messi ruled the day. That's all that really mattered.

There was a time when Thierry Henry was other worldly. He has embarrassed a few teams while wearing our uniform. Just how he felt watching Messi perform against us on that super human level is something I would love to know.

What now?

We certainly don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves. Wipe the blood on Scum next Wednesday and chase down Chelsea. That's the agenda for the rest of this season.

Will we hear the Arsene must go chorus if we fail to catch Chelsea? I would bet that we will. Human nature demands it.

The Negatives are warming up the band. I'm sure of it. They don't want to hear about injuries. We should be deep enough to cope. We should stop being so frugal and pay top level players to fill our bench or play in the reserves while even higher level players comprise our first team. That's how they see it.

It's an argument we've heard before. What do you tell those people? I gave up arguing with them a long time ago. They are not important right now but I had to bring them up because they are just waiting in the background for us to finish empty handed so they can have another go at Arsene.

I'm more worried about finishing strong and lifting the EPL title.

Keep the faith.

Resurrection

- We've been left for dead many times. Here's a small list: when van Persie was injured, when Chelsea beat us 3-0 at home, when United beat us at the Emirates, when Chelsea beat us at Stamford Bridge, when we went down 2-0 to the World Champions Barcelona one week ago, when we entered the 93rd minute against Wolves. We fought back from every single situation. There is a great spirit in this team. Wenger speaks about it routinely, and this year the team has been backing his words. We are not the complete package, but you can never count this team out.

- We needed a miracle after being down 2-0 to Barcelona, and we concocted a resurrection. Now, with Cesc, Arshavin, Gallas, Song, and van Persie all out, we need another titanic effort. Wenger has never seen such an injury list before, but it's something we've been dealing with for the whole year.

- In the first leg, Barcelona rightly earned plaudits for their possession exhibition in the first half of the game. But, we did not possess the right mentality to start the game. We were in awe of Barcelona and it showed. We allowed Dani Alves to run amok on the right flank, which is where most of their dangerous play originated from. Noted as massive underdogs, we must come out as if we have nothing to lose, because that's simply the truth. Lose, and nobody can knock us for it (except for people like Myles Palmer). Win, and everybody will single out the dogged determination that this team is increasingly becoming known for.

- At the same time, let's not forget that Barcelona will be missing their two first choice centre-backs, Iniesta, and Ibrahimovic. They have their share of selection problems as well.

- It would be highly beneficial to us if Sol Campbell was passed fit for the match. Playing Silvestre would give us two left-footed centre-backs, something that may be a bigger disadvantage when having to face Lionel Messi. Messi had a subdued match (on his standards) in the first leg, but at the Nou Camp, he will be itching to deliver a vintage performance. If you look at the two goals that Barcelona did score, both came off of poor attempts to play offside traps, an error that came from Alex Song having to shift back into defense. Our keeper failed to cancel out those errors, but to his credit, he did pull off "a thousand saves" according to Guardiola.

- In the midfield, we should start Denilson, Diaby, and Nasri. As noted yesterday here on 1886, Denilson may thrive more in a European style fixture. He was one of our better players in the first leg, and his passing may help to absorb some of the pressure that Barcelona will definitely deliver. Diaby may be told to put in more of a defensive effort. We must contain Barcelona at all costs and play like an away side. A 0-0 halftime result would not be a bad thing for us. Nasri must become the talisman he was for Marseille. He is capable of big performances, and his cameo role at Wolves showed much of his class.

- Up top, I would play Walcott on the right wing. There has been debate about whether he should start or not, but with Rosicky being a 50-50 for the match, the team shouldn't take the risk of having to make an early sub. We were forced to make two early subs in the first leg, which deprived Wenger of making game changing subs. Thankfully, Theo did make a big difference, and Barcelona are only talking about Theo. Abidal has talked about how it's not how fast you are, but what you do with the ball. He said Walcott will have to go through four defenders. Frankly, that would be a huge boon if Walcott attracts that much attention. That would create space and take away defenders from Barcelona's line. Whether he does anything with the ball or not, Theo should be fed balls in between the Barcelona's centre-back and Abidal. Guardiola responded by stating that the way you stop Walcott is by not giving up the ball. He's a smart man.

- On a quick note, what ridiculous statements by the English media and Karl Henry. During the match, there was a moment when they showed Rosicky's calf and it had four stud marks with blood. So, after three leg breaks in four years, we're already running out of "sympathy"? Our players crowded the ref and forced him to make a decision? What team doesn't do this? An outrage? Give me a break.

- Bendtner is a given up top. He scores crucial goals and provides variety in our attack. On the left side, I would like to see Eboue start. That would help alleviate Clichy's duties with Dani Alves. We must pay attention to that man. He is a dangerous, dangerous player.

- It's been noted that the Nou Camp has a huge pitch, but it's actually no bigger than the Emirates. That being said, it's one tailor made for Barcelona and their style of play. Guardiola has already suggested that whoever keeps the ball will win. I can almost guarantee that Barcelona will keep the ball more, but actually, it'll be who converts their chances which will be more decisive. For all of Barcelona's devastating play, we could have equalized soon after Ibrahimovic's first goal if Bendtner took his chance when he headed straight at Valdes.

- We have failed to keep a clean sheet away from home in the Champions League for 11 matches. That means that we may need to score two goals. That could lead to extra time. Anything could happen, but we must be the first ones to score.

- History is made when you seize an opportunity. This team has a chance to grab that opportunity by the throat. Everybody is ruling us out, and if Barcelona play the way they did in the first half of the first leg, we'll be lucky to be in it. But could they really play much better? And could we really play much worse? That may be tempting fate, but we go into the match with confidence after staging two late shows. Whether we win a trophy this year, we'll have to see. But I do know this much about this team, we've learned how to fight. That's usually when talented players graduate to becoming champions.

- A great man once wrote that football is not predictable. Don't ever forget those words.

Let's Prove the Critics Wrong Like We Did in 1980

On 23rd April, 1980, Arsenal shocked the football world by beating Juventus 1-0 in their semi-final, second leg, Cup Winners Cup clash in Turin. It was the first time a British team had beaten Juventus at their home stadium.

The first leg at Highbury had ended 1-1 with Arsenal scoring an equalizer in the 86th minute after Juventus had scored through a twice taken penalty. Arsenal suffered injuries during that game with Roberto Bettega taking out David O'Leary and Marco Tardelli being sent-off for a similar challenge on Liam Brady.

Three days later, Arsenal played out a 0-0 draw against Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final. A week later, in the second leg in Turin, Arsenal left it even later to score, with substitute Paul Vaessen heading in the winner in the 88th minute. What makes this result even more remarkable is that the Italian club had not lost at home in Europe for 10 years.

Five days after their historic win in Italy, Arsenal drew 1-1 with Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final replay, eventually winning the third replay 1-0. They would meet Valencia in the Cup Winners Cup final that year, who had knocked out Barcelona 5-3 in the quarter-finals.

Thirty years have passed since Paul Vaessen's winner. Vaessen tragically died of a heroin overdose at 39 in 2001.

Arsenal are expected to lose against Barcelona in tomorrow's Champion's League quarter-final in Spain and the latest injury news isn't good. Song is out and Campbell is doubtful. This means that Denilson starts alongside Diaby and Nasri.

With Fabregas injured the onus is on Nasri to produce. Fabregas absence isn't as bad as that of Song. Arsenal have played very well without Fabregas in the team. But in Nasri the Gunners have a ready made replacement. Nasri plays better when he is in an attacking central midfield role. He has improved a lot over the last few months and is justifying his 14 million pound transfer.

Ex Arsenal and Bacelona player Emmanuel Petit thinks the absence of Fabregas will help Arsenal.

"When he plays he is always asking for the ball and every ball comes through him. That's quite easy for an intelligent team to defend against, as we saw against Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona."

Tomorrow's game is also a big game for Denilson who will fill in for Song. The young Brazilian seems to play better against teams with a South American style of play and therefore could surprise us.

Back in October, Rubin Kazan beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Nou Camp. Playing that day was the Mexican center-back Rafael Marquez. He starts tomorrow.

Keep it Arsenal

Post Match View - Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.

On 86, frustration and gravity pulled my head down against the bar. I wanted to bang it repeatedly but that would have hurt. I wanted to curse at the screen but that would have been most disruptive to the other patrons. When Nik Bendtner headed in a precise Bacary Sagna cross on 94, I leapt from my chair like a frog placed on a hot tin roof and screamed his name with joy.

What patrons?

A superb ball from Nasri had given Theo a chance to redeem himself on 93 but he fluffed it. It was an embarrassing miss. It was the type of miss that forces managers to avoid eye or any kind of contact with a player. Fitting though, it can be said, for Theo has put in a performance that typifies him. Much like our keeper, we've seen fine moments flanked by moments ranging from mediocrity to sheer folly, leaving us in fits of raging disgust.

Witness the keeper gitfting possession on 89 with a kick into touch when there was absolutely no pressure on him. We've seen his superb shot-stopping abilities before in heroic measure but we've also seen him undermine the dogged efforts of his teammates with sloppiness that just makes one shake his head. No period in their Arsenal careers have been better examples of the range of emotion that Theo and the keeper can stir in us than the past two weeks.

I imagined Gooners pulling their hair out while Marcus Hahnemann lived up to the reputation of American goalkeepers. They could be as under-rated as Martin O'Neill and Aston villa are over-rated. Like England international Joe Hart last week, he has kept his team in the game. Shot after shot after cross after cross were stopped, snatched, or pawed away. I've almost forgotten what it's like to have confidence in a keeper wearing the right shirt.

Among the more frustrating moments were some efforts that had nothing to do with Hahnemann though. Sure, Wolves played with practically their entire team behind the ball after Karl Henry was sent off but we were wasteful with our chances more times than a champion should be. And when we (Theo) weren't crossing too close to the Wolves keeper or just to nobody at all, we were failing to make the most of our man advantage.

On 88 Denilson tried from distance but it went wide. On 87 Theo crossed only for Hahnemann to get his large frame to it first. As if the tension from knowing that only three points would do wasn't enough, we managed to let Matthew Jarvis win a corner which resulted in a goal line clearance by Tomas Rosicky. Replays showed that the ball would probably have gone out for a goal kick but just. And why are we allowing ten man Wolves to win corners?

We were not guilty of not shooting though. And as the match announcer kept repeating, Hahnemann's performance was proof positive that he deserves a new contract. A good Rosicky effort was saved on 76 and Bendtner had a header stopped on 73.

The barman (a Pool supporter, I think) said that he feels Samir Nasri has been our most improved player this season. He certainly has stepped up but not quite to the level required for that accolade. I say the man he replaced on 72 gets that honor - Alex Song.

Just before Nasri's introduction, Hahnemann was at it again, saving point blank from Rosicky on 67. Match winner Bendtner was swapped in for Eboue on 64. Sandwiched between was the controversial point of the match. Recipient of Steven Gerrard's V-sign, referee Andre Mariner saw Karl Henry's foul on Tomas Rosicky in minute 65 fit for a straight red. There may have been no malicious intent but it was a clear foul from behind. The red marks that the Wolves captain's studs left on Rosicky's leg didn't help matters. I felt no sympathy at all for Henry - not that I would anyway. He escaped unscathed after stamping those same studs on Theo's calf earlier in the match. And it's not as if he brought much more to the game than a sly push or a tug of the shirt. He certainly didn't bring anything that sent me home thinking we'd better sign him before Bayern, Inter, or United get their filthy hands on him.

My pick for Most Improved Player did not shine as he usually does. In fact, his laziness in getting back and equally so in tackling/fouling on 61 led to a free kick. I did see him feel his groin on 48. I wonder if we'll hear tomorrow that he too has gone down with an injury. Thankfully all free kick routines engineered by the Wolves captain were wasted in this match. Thankfully there was no harm done on 60 when Sol was positioned to clear a low cross. Thankfully so because our keeper was beaten.

By the time another good Rosicky effort was saved on 59, we'd built a gap in possession that read Arsenal 76% Wolves 24%. Regrettably, ball possession sans end product only counts for embarrassment. Were we watching our season come to a screeching halt at the hands of Coward McCarthy's 'hard-working, fatigued, great bunch of guys'? Had the Barcelona match drained us of anything remotely close to a performance befitting title contenders?

It must be said that early on, Theo was electric and as busy as a bee in early April. However when there came moments when there needed to be less directness and more thought, he let us down again and again. It must also be said that Eduardo looks nothing like a big time striker any more. I'm afraid he has lost that special something he had when he joined us. His miss on 54 showed that best.

Michael Silvestre did not disappoint. He was solid enough and even had a couple chances. He needed to be far more alert though on 50 when a good Theo cross was wasted. Had he managed to score, it would have been the best way to start the Second Half after wasting so many chances in a First Half that ended 0-0.

It really should have been 3 or 4-0.

The half ended with Eboue fluffing what could have been a breakaway three minutes into injury time. Ten minutes prior Sol had made sure that Karl Henry knew how he felt about him standing on Theo's calf. It's good to see us stand up to that kind of challenge. I don't like dirty players. I have loads of time for someone who calls a cunt a cunt when the cunt has shown why he is a cunt with such a cunt-like gesture.

If Sol's reaction after Bendtner's winner shows how much he wants this team to do well then his effort on 32 magnified that desire. His pressure on the Wolves defence forced them into conceding possession deep in their own half. That kind of influence goes a long way in me forgiving the walkout. I won't lie, there's still some lingering effects from that West Ham match but if he helps us win a trophy, I'll forgive him completely.

Many of us were excited by Theo's performance midweek. We couldn't have hoped for a better sequel than what we were witnessing in the first 20 minutes against Wolves. George Elokobi was no deterrent for his pace and movement. It looked like the Theo we want to see ALL the time. Pity that his wonderful first act was ultimately followed by a denouement that proved anti-climactic. Signs were there as early as the 30th minute when he was utterly wasteful, crossing to nobody. While on 23 he'd volleyed sweetly from distance with his left foot.

On 13, 12, and 6 he'd produced some dazzling stuff to set up Sagna and Eduardo. There were moments in this match when Mr. Capello must have been drooling. There were also moments when he was wondering if he'll be England manager long enough to see a more polished and consistent Theo Walcott.

Credit due to Michael Mancienne. He's worked hard and done the little things that mean so much but often get little recognition. Kudos to Marcus Hanehmann. He was very good. Joe Hart was very good last week too.

We can afford a good goalkeeper. We have the cash. That's all I'll say on that topic for now.

In closing I must say that this season, win a trophy or not, will be the making of this group. What they've lacked in consistency they've shown in character, heart, and will. As I said Wednesday, those things may not win us a trophy but they are not just nice to have qualities, they are MUST HAVES, just like a trophy.

Keep the faith