Vassiriki Abou Diaby, The Past and The Future

When Diaby was first signed by Arsene, people took a look at his frame and thought we had signed the new Patrick Vieira. People couldn't help making the comparison. They were nearly the same height, the same build, French, and operated in central midfield.

Everybody immediately believed that Wenger had discovered another gem when he delivered powerful, thrusting performances from the midfield. Jacques Santini, then manager of Auxerre, quickly tried to play down these claims. "Believe me, I've seen Diaby train and he is no Patrick Vieira."

At the time, there were even some suggestions that with Diaby's strengths, perhaps there would be a rotation where Cesc played in central midfield at home and Diaby would be played in the tough road matches. With a simple slot in goal against Aston Villa, in a 5-0 beating, Diaby was flying. In his first few games, it was clear he was not necessarily the second coming of Vieira, but he was a very promising player indeed.

Then, the horrible happened. A cunt from Sunderland destroyed Diaby's tackle during a match. I remember watching this game at my pub. I remembering literally being able to hear Diaby's screams from the television audio feed. Everybody knew it was a bad injury, and indeed it was.

After a lengthy rehabilitation, he returned in a sporadic capacity. By then, Cesc had fully integrated himself into the team as an undisputed first choice XI player. Gilberto had planted himself as a default captain of sorts and scored all kinds of important goals for us. Diaby was often fielded in the left midfield position, no doubt in order to improve his overwhelming propensity towards using his right foot. He was often effective, but everybody thought he was being groomed to play in the center, perhaps alongside Cesc.

During the Emirates Cup, it was widely anticipated that Cesc and Diaby would be partnered in the center and given a run to succeed. Many had predicted that Diaby would be the revelation of the season. Little did we know that Mathieu Flamini would graft his way to making that position his own. Diaby again suffered because he was a brittle player. Injuries were the only reason why Flamini had a chance to prove himself, and who knows what would have happened had Diaby not been injured.

When we have seen Diaby deployed there, he seemed tactically inept. Even Arsene acknowledged this much in some comments. Wenger took pains to point out that they're trying to instruct him, but he never seemed to be in the right place. Looking at him closely under the microscope, he was not strong in the tackle, he didn't play like a defensive midfielder, and it seemed as though he was far more interested in attacking then defending. In some games, he was actually deployed as a secondary striker.

Diaby does possess a wide range of offensive skills. He possesses a good first touch (which most every Arsenal player has anyway), he can dribble his way out of tight spaces, he's extremely powerful when he runs forward, and he has a very good right foot. In the past few weeks, he's shown his ability to loft aerial through passes with extreme precision. We also cannot discount his ability to finish. He scored the first goal in the Liverpool CL second leg, and he's also scored a wonder goal against Derby.

When most people were complaining about our lack of goals and the poor central midfield of Song and Denilson, I thought it was largely due to injuries that this was even happening. To my mind, the player that could have done a job for us there was Diaby. When I saw him appear in the lineup for Roma, I was convinced that finally we'd be able to produce a far slicker performance. That is what he delivered. His ability to retain the ball and powerfully burst through in key situations helps to break down defenses. Whether that'll happen against a team fully committed to defending, we'll see soon.

Luckily, he has been passed fit for the Fulham match tomorrow. I fully expect him to play in the center alongside Denilson. His contribution may be key while we're waiting for Cesc to recover. I finally feel as though he knows his role. He is far more comfortable in the center of the park. And he is far more useful as a blunt attacking instrument. His presence in the center will help keep Arshavin and Nasri wider and pass around a defense, rather than through it.

It's time to start winning games that we deserve to win. I believe we did enough to win against Sunderland, we just didn't convert chances. Now, let's see if we can bang in an early goal to rebuild our confidence in the Premier League.

It's Not Just Gibbs

Incidentally, just one Englishman, in the young left back, Kieran Gibbs, got on the field for Arsenal against Sunderland, and that, only as a 78th minute sub. As one who is writing a new (The Other Arsenal) book about the Gunners, it is interesting to read Wenger’s early declarations on the importance of using English players. Could he really find so few of them? Brian Glanville

I am a big fan of Mr. Glanville. And I’ve heard that he is a big Arsenal fan himself. But when Andrey Arshavin costs less than Darren Bent, what choice does Arsene Wenger have but to look to the continent or elsewhere for players who are ready to make a difference right now?

Our youth teams are laden with England internationals. Not least the very highly rated Wilshere, Lansbury, and Afobe. Jay Simpson - one of many players loaned out to gain experience and regular playing time - has signed a five-year contract with the club. Both Championship and EPL teams are always eager to sign our young players. Some people criticize us for not really having a youth system because we buy players from other clubs and don’t actually develop them.

File that under TAAC (Typical Anti-Arsenal Crap). Whether brought in at 9 or at 16 years old, they are taught how to play the Arsenal way. That’s what the Steve Bruces and Tony Mowbrays and Gareth Southgates find appealing.

So no Mr. Glanville, it’s not that Arsene couldn’t find any other English players. There are many coming through and many out on loan. They have to be brought in gradually lest we risk damaging their confidence. The ones who would come in and make a difference right away are ridiculously over-priced. In fact, they tend to be laughably so. Even you have commented on that. And let’s be honest, other than Wayne Rooney, have there really been many others in the past 10 years who could have walked into our team?

I long for the day when people stop drawing a line between the English and non-English players at our club.

Civil War

Arsenal fans are currently involved in a civil war.

There are mainly two camps: the pro-Gallas and the anti-Gallas. If you find yourself defending the likes of Song, Denilson, and Eboue then you are in the first camp. If you want to sell Bendtner, Eboue and Silvestre and think that Arsenal without Cesc is equivalent to the USA without nuclear weapons then you are in the latter camp.

It was a good win last night against Roma. The performance was a major improvement from last Saturday against Sunderland. But despite having one foot in the quarter-finals, the anti-Gallas fans are extremely unhappy.

"How the fuck can anyone defend Bendtner? He could not trap a bag of cement. He's barely a Championship player." This was written after Bendtner had missed two good chances. He also got into good positions to make those chances happen and was involved in a lot of Arsenal's good moves. One of them being his ball to Robin van Persie that won Arsenal a penalty.

"Eboue should never wear an Arsenal shirt again after that miss," one Arsenal fan wrote last night.

The Negatives will never be able to see the potential of Eboue. The man is probably one of our most important squad members. He can play right-wing, right-back and can be used in center midfield, if the situation requires it. With Walcott injured and Arshavin not fit, Eboue is our best option on the right.

Against Spurs, Eboue was our main attacking threat until he got sent-off. When he came on as a sub against Sunderland he added some much needed spark to our lifeless play.

Wenger once compared Eboue to Ray Parlour. The Negatives cried foul. How dare Wenger compare them both. Eboue in their eyes is a diver, a cheat, a theatrical idiot who needlessly gets sent-off and thus let the team down at crucial moments.

Booing Eboue or cheering at him when he gets subbed is The Negatives way of showing their disdain for the Ivory Coast international. They say he can't be trusted. That his petulance and idiocy out trumps any of his qualities. For The Nagatives, Eboue is a time bomb waiting to go off.

Maybe the pressure from the crowd, especially from The Negatives, played a part in Bendtner's and Eboue's misses last night. The constant moans and groans every time they touch the ball would certainly have a detrimental affect on me.

The true test of whether you are a Negative or not is the topic of Cesc Fabregas. The Negatives love Cesc. If Arsenal is The Negatives religion of choice then Cesc is their Jesus Christ.

Cesc has not had a good season. He came back from Euro 2008 looking tired and lethargic. He has set himself high standards to be judged on and there have been games where he has not lived up to his own standards.

But The Negatives are blind when it comes to Cesc. At times they hide behind the truth. If Cesc has a bad game, they will ignore this and instead focus their hate on another player instead. Usually Gallas, Song or Denilson.

Four seasons ago, The Negatives wanted Gilberto out. That was until he got injured and Arsenal started leaking more goals. Only then could they see his true worth.

The Arsenal player that The Negatives really hate is Mikael Silvestre. When he was at Manchester United I didn't like him. But that was mainly due to Manchester United being our bitter rivals. The Negatives say that Alex Fergurson would not have sold a player that he rated highly to one of his rivals. Silvestre in their eyes is old and injury prone. A bad buy.

Silvestre is experienced. He was excellent at left-back against Aston Villa. With Traore and Senderos out on loan, he's a decent stop gap until Arsenal find someone younger and better. He's done well when he has played.

The voice of The Negatives is Arseblog who deride players like Silvestre constantly. On the Arsecast, Silvestre is mocked as a gay, disco diva. When he was signed, Arseblog claimed that Arsenal were "scratching around the bins." That's what I feel like doing, whenever I am in the company of a Negative.

Simple Analysis and Roma

After the admittedly disappointing draw against Sunderland, the bloggers are attacking the team with a vengeance. Everybody seems to be on the brink of defeat, practically conceding our Champions League spot to Aston Villa when the cold fact is that we actually gained a point on them. We should have gotten all three points, but from my perspective, we created the chances to win. We merely didn't convert them, and some of our players looked downright nervous in front of goal at times (Vela). That sort of nervousness comes when you care about the result.

Because of this result, the bloggers decided to attack. The main source of their anger is the central midfield partnership of Denilson and Alex Song. When Wenger stated that he has stats to back how effective Denilson has been, he was confirming my feelings about Neves. He's underrated. I'm not saying he's been one of the best players of the season; I'm just saying that the criticism is largely unjustified. The bloggers decided to use stats of their own to back their own points about how ineffective Denilson has been. Some said he didn't make a single forward pass in the game (not true, he put van Persie through on goal in a chance he should have converted), and all he did was pass short from side to side.

Now, what they're quoting is technically correct. The assumption though that the stats they're using and the stats that Wenger are using are one and the same is completely false. In a television interview, Wenger talked about how the computer data he has tells him all kinds of things about players. For instance, he talked about how he can measure the speed of passes and how saving a millisecond in a pass can lead to a faster attack. That was just one example. ProZone, which is so popular nowadays, is a pay service. The Guardian Chalkboards are a free service. In the worlds of baseball and basketball, statistics are being used more and more as ways to figure out meaningful numbers in order to analyze players. In football, it's much more difficult, because there isn't any sort of organized lineup (like baseball) which would give statistics equal weight. But I'm pretty confident that Wenger has access to stats we wouldn't even think of and utilizes them as such. He uses them to determine who may or may not need a rest and all kinds of other things.

To see bloggers use the very basic statistics to damn Denilson is just simple analysis. At first, Denilson seemed like a back up player to Cesc. They saw him as a playmaker, who had a similar game to Cesc. And in his first season, that's what Denilson was. I read about how in an FA Cup game, Denilson had as high a score as Cesc did. In that role, he was developing and was an intriguing player.

This season, he is not that player anymore. Instead, Wenger saw him as a foil player for Cesc. He is playing a completely different role to what he used to play, something actually more akin to his Sao Paulo and Brazil U-17 roots. He's had to make an adjustment, and he's done it quite well actually. He doesn't possess an all-action style like Flamini, so when they see the one play where he displays a "lack of effort," they immediately say we could have used Flamini there.

When we were destroyed by injuries and conceding goals, Wenger decided to deploy a system where he has two midfielders protecting our back four. Instead of relying on a central player to dictate the team (like Cesc), he's relying on our wing players (mostly Nasri for creativity, Diaby and Eboue for penetrative power) and van Persie to create the goals. We are playing a completely different style, and Denilson is being destroyed for not being creative. That is not Denilson's job in this team.

And just what has happened since Denilson and Song have played as a central midfield partnership? We've stopped conceding goals. Do you think that's a coincidence? It's not.

We may have to use Arshavin in the hole when Walcott gets back to provide more creativity, but to rip our central midfield partnership of the last few games for being the reason for our failures is incorrect.

The bloggers tried to play their little games and pretend that they were smarter than Arsene Wenger. The fact is, we are not.

Tomorrow, we'll play Roma in a game that should technically be more open. Roma have more ambition than most teams, but it will be a touch and go game. A clean sheet is the most vital thing for Arsenal to achieve tomorrow.

If the tie is alive in two weeks, when we'll have Theo and perhaps Eduardo, we stand a decent chance at going through. I'm excited to see what this team can do. Wenger believes this team will be untouchable in three years time, but if this team has as little as the media or some bloggers think he has, then he wouldn't say anything like that. He believes in this team, and I think we should believe in him.

Julio Baptista

Arsenal fans never saw the best of Julio Baptista. Maybe only fans of Sevilla have.

The man can be brilliant but also very average. In 24 Premiership appearances for Arsenal, he only scored 5 goals. Yet, against Liverpool in the 2007 Carling cup quarter-final at Anfield, he managed to score 4 goals and miss a penalty.

No man has scored that number of goals at Anfield post World War Two.

Four days earlier, Arsenal had beaten Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield in the FA cup 3rd round. To beat them at Anfield again, but with a reserve team 6-3, was stunning. At one point Arsenal led 5-1.

In the Carling cup semi-final against Spurs, Baptista showed his Jekyll and Hyde character. In the first half he was awful. He scored an own goal and missed a sitter from 4 yards after an Arsenal corner had landed conveniently at his feet. At that stage, Arsenal were 2-0 down and looking dead and buried. But after the break, Arsenal and Baptista were a different story. Baptista atoned his first half nightmare with a second half retort - scoring two and bringing Arsenal back in the game.

The man was on fire and I wanted to Wenger to sign him permanently. But it seemed that Baptista had peaked. He never repeated his Spurs and Liverpool goal fest. In fact, he only managed to score two more goals that season - at home to Reading and Fulham.

Baptista would argue that he only started 16 games for Arsenal. True, it was only after Thierry Henry got injured that he saw more playing time. 17 of Baptista's appearances were as a sub. In fact, he scored his first Arsenal goal as a substitute against Hamburg in a Champions League group match that Arsenal won 3-1.

Baptista, however, was the big transfer story of the summer 2005. For three months, like a fool, I stayed obsessed with the race for his signature. There were rumors that he wanted to stay another year in Spain so that he could claim his EU passport. Spurs had made a bid of 14 million pounds. Arsenal had a 13.75 million pound bid rejected. He eventually signed for Real Madrid, only to arrive at Arsenal a year later in a loan swap deal involving Jose Antonio Reyes.

Apart from his Carling cup goals, Baptista also missed three penalties. The first was against Liverpool in that famous 6-3 thrashing. The second was against Bolton Wanderers in a 4th round FA cup replay at The Reebok stadium. Gilberto also missed a penalty that night, which allowed Bolton to score a last minute equalizer.

Nevertheless, Arsenal eventually won the match 3-1 in extra time.

Baptista's last penalty miss was against Portsmouth in the last game of the 2006/07 season. It was to be his last game in an Arsenal shirt. Wenger couldn't off load Reyes to Real Madrid and therefore decided against signing Baptista. Madrid's asking price was too high, so Wenger signed Eduardo instead.

Tomorrow, Baptista returns to The Emirates with Roma. He's scored 6 goals in 18 games for them.

I like Baptista. Mainly because he reminds me of a striker Arsenal had in the late 1970's called Malcolm Macdonald or Super Mac.

Macdonald holds the record for scoring the most England goals in one game. He scored five against Cyprus in a match England won 5-0. Macdonald only scored once again for England, with his international career fizzling out after just 14 caps.

Baptista's Arsenal career also seemed to fizzle out after his Carling cup goal flurry. But Macdonald will always be remembered for his 5 England goals in one match. So will Baptista for his 4 goals at Anfield.

However, Macdonald is now only remembered as a trivia question. I get the feeling that the same will eventually be true of Baptista with his time at Arsenal soon to be forgotten. His goal record at Anfield will probably never be touched in my life time, but then Baptista will never be an Invincible either.

Change Is Good, Whingeing Is Not

When someone reaches out to you repeatedly you should respond. It is common courtesy. Recently I’ve been invited to watch matches with a small group of fellow Gooners. I have turned them down each time for one reason or another (all legitimate and true). The main reason I have always declined is because they are so negative. When I was asked this week, I said no again. When a second and then a third request came, I felt compelled to say yes. Mistake!

While I accept that different people deal with given situations differently, I cannot accept repeated rants and whingeing about the same issues. I cannot deny that if the same issues persist they must be addressed, but the repeated ranting and whingeing is more than I can ask myself to deal with. Besides, complaining does not befit grown men and nor has either individual provided answers.

I don’t want to be distracted with the same old ‘Wenger doesn’t get it’ nonsense. I don’t want to hear complaints every time an errant pass is made or a first touch is not as soft as it should have been. And I certainly don’t want to hear how much Diaby, Song, Denilson, Bendtner, Togo, Eboue, the tea lady, the car park attendant, and just about everyone who aren’t performing out of their skin are shit and must never wear our shirt again. To deal with that makes for a very bad experience. As if the result wasn’t bad enough, I endured an extra four minutes of men whingeing like flat-chested teenage girls with aspirations of porn careers.

The problem with expending all your energy on complaining – and I stress that the complaints from that lot haven’t changed – is that you miss the progress and the good things that have happened right in front of you. In no way am I endorsing Eboue’s inclusion as anything but a back-up, a squad player and nothing more. But in recent matches against West Ham and Spurs, he was our most lively and positive player for much of the time he was on the pitch. He even scored a legitimate but disallowed goal.

Certainly looking to a few good minutes from Eboue as a positive speaks volumes about our current state but when the cameras panned to Togo, Cesc, Eduardo, and that Czech bloke watching from the stands, most of the answers were there plainly for all to see. Before the injury, Diaby had shown me signs of the efficiency and tactical awareness that he lacked. Bendtner’s goals and overall contribution have been obvious – Sunderland aside. Denilson and Song are under-rated in my opinion. Are they outstanding? No but they are very useful players trying to run a midfield short of a play maker. Togo needs to respond. I have posted previously on the urgency with him. If I were busy complaining all match I wouldn’t have noticed any of the positives or improvements. Are they enough? Obviously they are not, but complaining never increased cup sizes – girls’ or boys’.

In case you're wondering, I do not want to finish out of the top four. I want to win the league. I do not want to settle for anything less than excellence. I want every player who wears the fabled red and white to give his all every minute of every game. But I will not complain about every lost ball or mistake. What good does it do? I get frustrated like any other Arsenal fan but complaining is for aspirant porn divas with mosquito bite sized breasts. I don’t want to deal with that. It ruins the experience.

There were two positives however from the day’s experience. It dawned on me that the reporters who revel in writing all things negative about Arsenal are the same negative types who complain about every little thing, every chance they get. The other positive is that I have established a baseline for those with whom I watch Arsenal matches. Common courtesy not withstanding, they can invite me all they want. My conscience is clean.

On the game itself; I wish I had more game specifics to report on but with so many distractions my match analysis was fragmented. However I can say the following:
• Arshavin can help break down the walls of eight or more bodies
• We had enough chances to bury Sunderland - we were very inefficient
• Sunderland were effective briefly mid first half with counter attacks and raids down Clichy’s side and then they stopped doing anything positive
• The referee was typically inconsistent – Nasri’s yellow was farcical compared to the Sunderland player’s foul on Eboue which went unpunished
• Almunia looked more commanding in his box but he still doesn’t fill me with confidence though

In fairness to Sbragia, the post match quotes that I’ve read were fairly accurate – they are yet another team who are happy to leave with a point and are not embarrassed to reflect that attitude in their approach. They've accepted that their cup sizes will never be of porn standard and have budgeted their lives for limited glory from less spectacular fare.

We need to find answers to those teams’ tactics. I am confident that the answers were sitting out injured or are not yet fit (AA23). We must make changes to punish teams that use anti football tactics. I will change who I watch matches with. I will avoid whingeing men who sound like broken records. I'm partial to large melons anyway. That much will not change.

The Pleasures of Being at Home

When the Emirates officially opened for Premier League competition, our opponents were a brittle Aston Villa side. They were managed by the same person who is now spearheading their march into a top four place. They've come a long way admittedly, but they laid out a basic blueprint for how to play when you have zero ambition to win a game and settle for a point.

To their luck, they managed to snatch a goal with one of our few defensive lapses in the match. The rest of the match, we laid siege on their goalmouth, usually centrally, but we failed to pry them open until very late in the match.

The moment of inspiration came from substitute Theo Walcott, finally seeing his first meaningful action for Arsenal FC, never having actually worn the beautiful red currant kit he posed with when he signed with us. He provided a wide option, crossed a ball which was flicked on by van Persie, and ultimately lashed into the back of the net by Gilberto Silva.

Relief came, but it was only a signal of times to come. That first year, we logged way too many home draws, primarily because of this vary tactic. It worked so well that a lot of teams failed to deviate from it.

The next year, a variety of play was developed by us. Lambasted by the media for not having a Plan B, we showed more ways of scoring goals. Whether it was by the aerial prowess of Adebayor, the skill of van Persie, the midfield drive of Cesc, or the calm finishing of Eduardo, we were getting it done.

Tomorrow, we'll face a team that will probably use the exact same methods that Villa tried in the first competitive Premier League match at the Emirates. They may utilize Djibril Cisse as an outlet to launch a few counters, but that's as far as their ambition may go.

An option such as Carlos Vela on the left flank or Arshavin's vision may be required to break them down, but we've shown that with these kinds of fixtures, we will eventually create a chance that will be enough to win us the game. The acclimatization period is over for us, it's time to start getting the results.

The Other Greats

I’ve been fortunate enough to see many footballers ply their trade. So many that I’ve forgotten names and faces that perhaps I shouldn’t have. My memory isn’t completely useless though. I’ve been pulled some names from the bank and formed a very good squad. Some players you may have heard of and even seen play. Others might require a visit to their old clubs’ or national federations’ websites.

I’ve chosen a traditional 4-4-2 formation to be managed by Jean Tigana. In most cases, they are not household names. Some might have even been forgotten.

GK
Hubert Birkenmeier (Germany):
Even though he played for Cosmos (a club I despised) I always felt that he was a fantastic keeper. Good command of his area, sure hands, and an excellent shot stopper.

Claudio Taffarel (Brazil):
He won a FIFA World Cup winner’s medal and proved that Brazil can produce good goalkeepers.

RB
Leandro (Brazil):
A raiding right back and good defender. He was part of the 1982 Brazil World Cup team but controversially fell out with management and didn’t play in the 1986 team.

Manuel Amoros (France):
Ex captain of France, he was a strong, tenacious marker who didn’t have Leandro’s flair, but could be just as dangerous on the overlap. Tough as nails!

LB
Sylvinho (Brazil):
He played only 55 games for Arsenal but left a good impression on me. Good enough to play in midfield yet a determined and sound defender.

Branco (Brazil):
Another FIFA World Cup winner - solid defender with a powerful left foot.

CB
Pietro Wierchowod (Italy):
Old fashion no nonsense defender. Powerfully built, tactically sound, reliable - all the good things a central defender should be.

Ricardo Ferri (Italy):
Much like Wierchowod and partner of the great Franco Baresi at Italia ’90 – they were AWESOME together. Ricardo Ferri was very under-rated.

Agostino Di Bartolomei (Italy):
A classy defender with a powerful shot. One of my favorite players. He captained Roma in their European Cup Final defeat to Liverpool in 1984.

MF
Toninho Cerezo (Brazil):
Another member of Brazil’s 1982 FIFA World Cup team, he was a reliable holding midfielder who won a scudetto with Sampdoria in Italy before later managing in Japan.

Jimmy Hartwig (Germany):
I’m a bit partial to Jimmy. I watched many Hamburg matches when I was growing up. A no frills hard man who did the simple but essential things that successful teams must do.

Manfred “Manny” Burgsmuller (Germany):
When Borussia Dortmund played, I always watched because of Manny Burgsmuller. A high energy, skillfull midfielder. I loved this guy. What a player! As foil or play maker, he graced the middle of the park with German industry but with no shortage of flair.

Enzo Scifo (Belgium):
Another player from my favorites list. A true no. 10 with the guile, vision, and flair.

Johnny Van 't Schip (Holland):
Not an out an out winger but versatile enough to play on the right side of my midfield. A key member of the 1992 UEFA Cup winners Ajax. Excellent technique.

Paulo Isidoro (Brazil):
An efficient and versatile winger who also played on the 1982 Brazil team. He was a key member of the Gremio side that won the Brazilian championship in 1981. Voted the best player in the country in fact.

Eder (Brazil):
A powerful winger (also from that 1982 team). Scorer of some fantastic long range goals. I remember a friendly played vs. England in the old Wembley Stadium. He didn’t score but the man shot from near the 90˚ angle where subs cross the touchline to enter matches. It was not only on target but the ball never rose higher than the height of the crossbar on its way to the England goal.

STRIKER
Francois Omam-Biyik (Cameroun):
He won EVERYTHING in the air and was also quite good on the deck. But for immaturity and lack of tactical discipline, Omam-Biyik’s Cameroun would have gone further than the ¼ finals.

Ramon Angel Diaz (Argentina):
It is said that Diego Maradona demanded that Diaz not be picked for the national team because he felt that Diaz stole the spotlight. I don’t know how true that is but Ramon Diaz was a fantastic player.

Sunderland

In 1985, Arsenal suffered one of their worst defeats, losing 1-0 in the FA cup 4th round, to Third Division York City. Playing as a center-back that day for York City was the current Sunderland manager Ricky Sbragia.

Ricky Sbragia was a journeyman footballer, having played the majority of his career in the lower leagues of Scotland and England. He won a Fourth Division championship medal in 1984.

His coaching career, however, is more impressive. He started out as the youth team coach of York City, reaching the FA Youth cup quarter-finals in 1993. A year later he became the youth team coach at Sunderland, eventually being promoted to reserve team manager. In 2002, he took the reserve team job at Manchester United winning a title in the process. In 2005, he took the first team coaching job at Bolton under Sam Allardyce before rejoining Sunderland as Roy Keane's number two in 2007.

Born in Scotland with Italian heritage, Sbragia has asked for his Sunderland players to adopt a positive approach to Saturday's game away to Arsenal.

But being positive in Sbragia's mind means:

"We (Sunderland) don't get drawn into playing just football...We can't go out there and let them continue playing. We've got to stop them and have a plan of our own."

His last line makes no sense because Sbragia has already outlined his plan - to try and take a point by putting all eleven Sunderland players behind the ball. Every Sunderland man playing as a defender. This means defending on the edge of the 18 yard box just like they did at Old Trafford when they lost 1-0 to a last minute Vidic goal.

Sbragia's plan is to play negative football.

Sunderland have not played for nearly two weeks. Their last game was a 2-0 victory at home against a 10 man Stoke City. That game was dull with Sunderland scoring twice in the last 15 minutes.

Sunderland's record under Sbragia is: won 5, lost 4 and drawn 4. However, Sunderland have only won one away game under Sbragia. That was a 4-1 drubbing of Hull City just before Christmas.

Sunderland will not repeat that scoreline on Saturday.

But Sbragia will be hoping to emulate his friends and ex-employers - Fergie and Fat Sam - on Saturday by stopping Arsenal from playing. Remember, Arsenal have no plan B.

Sbragia, plans to frustrate Arsenal by concentrating on defense. Play physically, imposing players, like Kenwyne Jones and Anton Ferdinand. Don't give Arsenal time on the ball. Play the game in their half. The first 20 minutes will be crucial. If Arsenal don't score during that period then Sunderland will gain the upper hand. This will allow Sunderland to go for Arsenal's weaknesses - perceived as set pieces and high balls into their penalty box.

This is not the way the beautiful game should be played, yet Sbragia is seen as one of the best football coaches in Britain.

I've never liked Sunderland. In the 1990's under Peter Reid, they played a physical, long-ball game. Defenders would hit the ball long into the air for the tall Irish striker (and current chairman of Sunderland) Niall Quinn, while workmanlike midfielders such Kevin Ball would scrap to win the ball back. I remember being at The Stadium of Light on the first game of the 2000/01 season. It was mid August, yet Sunderland was windy and cold. Arsenal had Vieira sent off that day, after he was kicked to pieces by the Sunderland midfield. Ray Parlour missed two open goals and at the death Niall Quinn scored from a header. I left the game angry and have not been back to Sunderland since.

The game at Highbury that season didn't fare much better. We were two up and coasting. Then the ref decided to give Sunderland a penalty for no apparent reason and with minutes to go Kevin Phillips scored the equalizer and gave Sunderland a undeserved point. Phillips celebrated by gesturing at the Arsenal faithful and I've hated him ever since.

That last minute cup defeat to York in January, 1985, is, however, up there with a woman that you love leaving you for another man. Wrexham in 1991 is still number one.

Keith Houchen (who later scored the winner in the 1987 FA cup final for Coventry against Spurs) scored from the spot, after Steve Williams committed a foul in the penalty area. Afterwards, the media went nuts. I tried to go into hibernation.

That cup upset in 1985 was Sbragia's only victory against Arsenal. It was a massive low point in my career as a Gooner. I was depressed for a long time.

Beating Sunderland on Saturday would be a good way of afflicting some pay-back on Sbragia - a man who is an adherent of Sam Allardyce's style of tactics and sports science - otherwise known as anti-football. The style that mediocre teams like Sunderland have been playing for decades.

The Parasites or: Why He Could Care Less What You Think

With great success comes great exposure.  When we went out and achieved the impossible, becoming Invincible, becoming Untouchable, we were naturally going to acquire more fans.  The buzz surrounding Arsenal FC was higher than ever, and we were irresistible.  The following year, we started on fire, but eventually succumbed to dodgy referee decisions and fading confidence.  To some surprise, all of the fans stuck around.  They trusted our foundations, mostly Arsene Wenger, and for a lot of people, they had found the football club they were going to support.

Unfortunately, this has downsides.  Most of it is greatly positive.  New fans buy more products, ensure that the Emirates will be full, and strength in numbers is usually a good thing.  The unfortunate elements are as follows.  Because of such unparalleled success, fans get impatient too easily.  This is a symptom of the bandwagon fan.  Except, for some reason, even with such "disappointments" as not winning a trophy for three years, they stuck around.  Only, they were growing increasingly vocal about it.

This year, there were so many suggestions that Wenger should be fired.  Blogs, left and right, lending support to such faulty reasoning, without ever suggesting who could possibly replace Wenger.  The Board has been slaughtered by some for favoring profit over winning.  Fans can say what they want about the two I just mentioned, but their attacks lack any real credibility.

So, the next natural target are players.  The William Gallas hate train began as soon as he came over from Chelsea.  He could never really be "Arsenal", he was always Chelsea, and nothing he could do could convince them otherwise.  Even formerly respectable bloggers came down on this end.  I once heard from a friend that an Arsenal supporter told him that he couldn't support Gallas because "he threatened to score an own goal against his former team."  After dealing with the English media being anti-Arsenal, here was an Arsenal fan who actually took words written by them and actually presented it as if it were fact.

Last week, Sagna stated how he couldn't believe how everybody had it out for Gallas, and how he has no idea how Gallas got over the demotion and continued to play so well for Arsenal.

Emmanuel Eboue was next.  To be completely fair, there is some justification for this behavior.  Eboue is prone to theatrical dives, sometimes doesn't try hard enough, and is generally perceived as a clown.  I've previously stated why I value Eboue as a commodity in an earlier post, so I won't go over that again.  Let's just say that the people willing to rip Eboue the most are the fans we attracted after we went unbeaten.

Which brings me to the main player I wanted to discuss, Nicklas Bendtner.  Bendtner is a 21 year old full Denmark international.  At age 19, he was the best player in the Championship for half of the season until he unfortunately broke his leg while playing at Birmingham under Steve Bruce.  At age 18, Bendtner eclipsed Lupoli as the most impressive striker in the Reserves.  His combination of playing with the ball, accurate finishing, and link up play drew praise from anybody who saw these performances.  He is now valued highly by Michael Laudrup, a proper legend, and Bayern Munich.  He has never had a consistent run of starts with a proper partner (contrary to popular belief, he can play with Adebayor, but it's not the most favorable partnership).  He has played out of position (on the right wing) and done well for us.  He has scored crucial goals in substitute appearances.  He has scored a goal in his first touch against SCUM.  He has a bright future ahead of him, and he will be a good player somewhere, hopefully with us.

He supposedly made comments that he believed that he should play every minute as the leading striker at Arsenal FC.  To these comments, I didn't understand what the fuss was.  Isn't a striker supposed to think this way?  Perhaps he shouldn't make these comments publicly, but I want all our strikers to think that way.  He has previously stated that Arsenal FC was his dream club, but stories painted him as wanting away if he didn't play frequently.  Again, do we really want players who would be satisfied at staying on the bench merely because he was an Arsenal player, instead of trying to improve himself?  No, we don't.

After the match, he clarified that his quotes were taken out of context, and that his teammates would never believe that he said that.  He didn't have to clarify his remarks, cause it didn't bother me in the least.

That didn't prevent the English media ripping him for being deluded.  That's fine enough, it sounds like fodder for weak journalists with little imagination.

What bothered me was that at the pub where I watch Arsenal games, an Arsenal fraternity, recently formed of idiotic fans creating senseless songs, decided to rip Bendtner every time he made a mistake in yesterday's match.

Taking away from the great vibes gained from Eduardo's spectacular resurgence, every time Bendtner made a tiny minute, this group of Arsenal "fans" started to chant "every fucking minute" repeatedly.  When Bendtner scored a remarkable header, going against four Cardiff players in the air, they naturally celebrated and smirked.  They couldn't believe he delivered.  Right before the half, when he missed a sitter, they turned on him again.  One of the Arsenal frat boys said, "Nobody wants you here, you Cunt!  Yeah, I said it!"  Well, I want him here.  I want him to blossom at Arsenal.

Yesterday, he scored a crucial goal, had an assist, and could have had another one if van Persie had converted a sublime cross.  He missed a sitter, sure, but we were up 2-0, and such aggravation was unnecessary.

These parasites feed to destroy our club from within.  They support our club, but only in their comfort zone.  If they hate a player, they're done with them.  It takes a mountain to win them back.  It started similarly with Adebayor, and it's only after scoring buckets of goals last year that they've embraced him.

These fans do not represent who I am.  These fans do not represent the club well.  These fans are the byproduct of our success.  We have to deal with it, but it doesn't mean that we have to like it.

And for all these fans who mercilessly ripped Bendtner yesterday.  He could care less what you think.  He's playing at Arsenal FC, and Wenger supports him.  Who cares what you fucking idiots think?

On a final note, there was a story in the Daily Mail today about Martin "Tiny" Taylor.  Why should I care what this guy has to think?  In the interview, he didn't utter the word "sorry" once.  He said he didn't feel guilty cause he didn't mean to injure Eduardo.  Suffice it to say, I wish this guy would just go away, and I wish it wasn't such a blatant attempt by the English press to absolve a guy of blame who does deserve some blame for his role in destroying Eduardo's leg.  The real story is the resurrection of our Crozilian striker, not how his foolish aggressor feels.

Eduardo, it's so wonderful to have you back.

Eduardo

Eduardo had not played for Arsenal for over a year, after a horrific injury that could have ended his career. He did not come on as a substitute. Tonight he started.

He scored twice. That takes character.

Arsenal won 4-0.

We now have two new signings:

Arshavin and Eduardo.

With Cesc, Silvestre and Walcott coming back, the good times are coming.

Fock Villa and Emille Heskey!!

On Player Ratings

After we destroyed Everton 7-0 in 2005, Moyes and most other managers around the country decided that trying to play against us is suicide. It’s best to defend, try to “nick” a goal, and then hold out for the remainder of the 90 minutes. Or just play as doggedly as possible and hope for a draw - survival tactics.

Put ten men behind the ball against Arsenal, “get in amongst them”, and play it high and long into their box are the common approaches used against us. Is that entertainment? No, it is not.

It is different vs. Spurs. Although deep down inside every Scum supporter knows that they cannot match us on any level, it is absolutely imperative that they try. It is mandatory to have a go when they face us. A very, very reluctant part of me wants to give them credit for that but…

So when we went down to ten men at their ground last Sunday, you could have expected Spurs to end The Streak. I certainly didn’t expect them to play the counter-attacking football that Liverpool so embarrassingly resorted to at The Grove after Togo was sent off back in December. The fact that Alex Song has not received the proper acclaim for playing such a large part in destroying anything Spurs attempted is a travesty. Typical but still a travesty. Yes, Keane the messiah and Modric missed chances but Song was all over the park. He more than made up for Eboue’s dismissal.

In a match that we could not afford to lose, plus being down a man, Song was quality. I’ve learned not to pay attention to others’ player ratings. A great man posted this week on their inaccuracies. I’ve found it worthwhile nonetheless to list my season ratings to date. A minimum of ten league matches are required:

Almunia – 6/10
Sagna – 6.5/10
Gallas – 7/10
Toure – 5.5/10
Clichy – 6/10
Silvestre – 6/10
Djourou – 6.5/10
Eboue – 5/10
Walcott – 7/10
Cesc – 6.5/10
Denilson – 6.5/10
Diaby – 6/10
Song – 6.5/10
Nasri – 6.5/10
RvP – 7.5/10
Togo – 5.5/10
Bendtner – 6/10

Verdict: There's much more to come from this team.

The Incredible Hulk

He might not have been booed at the Emirates, but I'm pretty sure that most people have aired their grievances about Alex Song. On first viewing, with a slightly clumsy dribbling style and wild hair, it was hard to notice what exactly he possessed that would enable Arsene to pick him for the squad.

His first appearance I remember in the senior squad was in a rather uninspired performance against Fulham at Craven Cottage. That was during the first year at the Emirates, and people equated our team performance with Alex Song's performance. He was promptly dismissed. Most called him a donkey. Rigobert's nephew wasn't good enough.

Read columns like Myles Palmer (who nobody should actually take seriously), and he'll still call him a donkey. In today's column, he said Denilson and Song are "average, dull, and unpopular." He then goes on to say that Denilson will never be a Xavi, but could yet be a Dunga. (What the hell kind of reasoning is this?) In any case, at the pub where I watch Arsenal matches, whenever Alex Song is in the team, people automatically assume the worst.

Back to his progression, he was farmed out to Charlton Athletic under Alan Pardew. I watched a couple of matches, just to get a sense for how he was in his natural position. To my delight, he was a warrior. He was strong. He delivered sharp (granted, simple) passes. He could pass with both feet. He worked hard. He was a player. Alan Pardew wanted to keep him permanently, but Arsene said no thanks.

Next season, we saw Alex used in central defense. Thrown into the fire at Old Trafford, he gave a performance that was good enough. He made tactical mistakes, but stood up to Rooney. After the season ended, as if Arsene was issuing a challenge, Wenger said that Song was suited to play in central defense because he may not have the stamina needed to play in the midfield.

This year, with our rotten rut of injuries continuing, Alex Song has only been played in central midfield. Earlier in the year, a great man I frequently chat with about Arsenal told me that Song often seemed to be out of position. I said that I could see his point, but to me he was trying, a mark of an inexperienced, but willed youngster.

Later in the year, during the infamous Tottenham game at the Emirates, Alex Song was slagged off for smiling and laughing when being subbed into the game. We won't speak about the rest of that game, cause it's somewhat painful.

All the while, we could say things about our team's effort, but there wasn't any single, big mistake you can attribute to him. Something you could not say about Clichy or even Gallas.

Come full circle to the Tottenham fixture last week. With the unfortunate incidents of Eboue, most felt that we would withdraw van Persie from up front, place him on the left wing, and go with a five man midfield. We did not.

Instead, we had a narrow midfield, with Denilson and Alex Song acting as shields to the defense. After the sending off, Alex Song turned into The Incredible Hulk. He was everywhere breaking up attacks. He had the best opportunity to score in the game (I forgive him for blowing that chance, he's not at his best when shooting). He was two men in the midfield. So much so, that Denilson wasn't really needed.

When I read most English newspaper recaps of the game, they gave Alex Song a rating of 5. Wilson Palacios, who was the player that Wenger referred to when talking about the player who fouled 14 times without getting a foul, got ratings of 7 and 8's. That's all the evidence I'd ever need to condemn the English media. Some blogs followed along with this train of thought, but there were some that saw the light.

They saw that Alex Song does hold promise. I don't know if he'll ever be an automatic choice for the starting XI. I just know that it's never wise to judge a player negatively too early that Wenger believes in.

An Invincible Speaks

'Suddenly, things changed, young players came in to have their chance, some players left the club. They need time and this is the problem at Arsenal — when you are in a big club you don’t have much time to grow up and they don’t know how to cope under pressure. I don’t know if they are missing a player like me, but the team is very young. The young players need a lot of support from the experienced players to get them through. What matters at this time is the experienced players stand up for the club and make sure everyone works together.' Gilberto Silva

When an Invincible speaks, you must listen. Gilberto Silva is an Arsenal legend. His views and opinions are of great value. Admittedly, I have not watched his interview. I have extracted quotes attributed to Gilberto from reports online. There’s not much in what he has said that we haven’t heard or read before. We all know that the players are younger than when he played an important role for us, and that many great Arsenal players have left to create room for this new, emerging side. New in that the players are different, emerging in that they haven’t played but a few seasons together since the departure of the invincibles.

What Gilberto hasn’t talked about is how he himself was next to useless the season before he was sold. And if Matthieu Flamini hadn’t decided that he preferred to “play” in Milan, we would still have a player who was arguably as good as Gilberto had ever been for Arsenal.

He doesn’t mention how Patrick Vieira has played only one full season since leaving Arsenal and has been injured for most of the time he has been at his current club. And that Cesc has been lauded time and time again as the premier play maker in the EPL.

Gilberto does not detail the ups and downs of Robert Pires and Edu, who have averaged less than 20 games per season since leaving Arsenal, while having suffered long term knee injuries. And what of Pires’s replacement Samir Nasri who regardless of his inconsistent season so far has done nothing to suggest that he will not be a big player for Arsenal – perhaps not a Pires clone but certainly good enough to play for Arsenal.

The Brazilian also fails to note that while Thierry Henry has done fairly well at Barcelona, he has yet to regain the imperial form displayed for so many years in North London. He has actually had to defer to stars such as Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o. And would anyone bet against Robin van Persie becoming a top star in the game if he can stay injury free? And certainly Adebayor had all of football taking notice of his 30 goal season last term.

Freddie Ljungberg has had his contract terminated by West Ham and is now attempting to salvage the remains of his career in MLS. And surely Theo Walcott – a favorite of the current England manager – has shown dynamism and great promise.

Lauren has struggled to get into Portsmouth’s first team. And it is not even necessary to make comparisons to the best RB in the EPL last season. A player whose injury was arguably the key to us not winning the title.

I don’t think I need to mention Cole and Campbell.

To my mind, the experienced players who were brought in to replace some of those who left have not delivered for various reasons – Rosicky is STILL out injured, Eduardo nearly lost part of his leg last season, Hleb decided that London was suddenly not the place to be, and in Arshaviin, Arsene has finally found that “special talent” that he’s wanted for so long. It took some time and effort but he’s now a Gooner. More than anything else, this team needs time. I agree with Gilberto on that point.

I also agree that time is a luxury that we cannot afford. But I’ve read a fine post by a great man this week in which he puts the Arsenal “crisis” in perspective. I’ve got a lot of time for people who can take a deep breath, step back, and look at the bigger picture. We may have lost the aura of invincibility but we’ve gained the foundation for establishing long term supremacy. Whether or not you believe or feel that you can withstand the bumpy ride is up to you

Imagined Communities

Any kind of nationalism is disturbing. It brings out excessive patriotism, separatism from other nations and unquestioned loyalty.

Benedict Anderson wrote that nations are "imagined communities." In his eyes, a nation is a community that is socially constructed. It's constructed mainly by the media and politicians who create imagined communities, through targeting a mass audience or generalizing and addressing citizens as the public. This makes people imagine that they are part of a large group that have common interests and culture.

Mark my words, if you are born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, then you have next to zero in common with an American Puerto Rican from Harlem.

The British media have xenophobic tendencies. Arsene Wenger was the first foreign manager to win The Premiership. That hurt a lot of people, mainly borne out of jealousy and realization that English coaches are not world class. It's their coaching methods that have brought through players like Carlton Cole, Stuart Downing and James Milner. Average Premiership players that will face up against the European champions Spain tonight. The statement below speaks volumes:

No English manager has won The Premiership.

The last English manager to win the title was Howard Wilkinson, when his Eric Cantona led Leeds team pipped Manchester United to the old 1st Division in 1992. The closest since then was in 1996, when Kevin Keegan's Newcastle team finished runners-up - that was 13 years ago.

In today's Premiership the only English manager that has impressed me is West Brom's Tony Mowbray. That may surprise a lot of people because West Brom lie bottom of The Premiership and look certain to be relegated.

Mowbray was a no-nonsense defender for Middlesborough, Celtic and Ipswich Town. During his time at Celtic his wife died of breast cancer - an incident that influenced him when he sacked West Brom goalkeeper Carlo Nash for cheating on his wife after filming a threesome on his mobile, while wearing a West Brom top.

Mowbray started his coaching career with Ipswich Town before taking the manager's job at Hibernian, where he won the Scottish Football Writer's Manager of the Year award in his first season. Hibs finished 3rd that season and 4th the next. It was the first time Hibs had finished in the top four in consecutive seasons since the 1970's. They were known to play fast flowing, passing football. Season ticket sales almost doubled, while the team progressed to the semi-finals of the Scottish cup and qualified for Europe.

In October 2006, Mowbray took the West Brom job after they were relegated from the Premiership. That season he took West Brom to the Play-Off final, where they lost 1-0 to Derby County - even though they dominated large periods of the match. The next season Mowbray guided West Brom to the Football League Championship title and an FA cup semi-final, in which they were unlucky to lose 1-0 to Portsmouth.

Mowbray's footballing philosophy is to play attacking, passing football that is attractive to watch. His career interests me. He seems to have been bypassed by the managerial radar. Teetotal since 19, Mowbray would be an excellent number two to Wenger - a position Mowbray probably would never accept. Nevertheless, his philosophy matches that of Wenger's.

At Hibs he inherited excellent young players, the best of which were sold to Celtic and Lokomotiv Moscow. At West Brom, he got rid of disruptive, high profile players such as Koumas, Kamara and Curtis Davies. He replaced them with the best young talent outside of the Premiership.

But the English media ignore Mowbray. He manages an unfashionable club that are going to be relegated. He wasn't a big name player. He lacks charisma and ultimately he's not the manager of Blackburn, Bolton or Aston Villa - teams full of English players, managed by English managers that play the English way.

The English have suddenly made Martin O'Neill their own - even though he was born in Northern Ireland and was raised by a family of Irish nationalists. If Ireland becomes one nation, O'Neill's family will explode with joy. Yet O'Neill loves to revel in the media acclaim of Villa being a mostly all English team.

O'Neill played Gaelic football when he was younger, a game similar to that of Aussie rules football. A sport that is pure Irish in origin. An up and at them game, where players kick long balls from the back for fast players in attack to catch. Villa play a similar game under O'Neill.

On paper, Villa are the British underdog who are upsetting the established order with the attitude of a snarling Bulldog. Managed by a man who seems to have all of the attributes that the English love: grit, fight, determination, doggedness, passion and graft. Milner, Agbonlahor, Barry, Davies and now Heskey all typify this spirit, thus making the English classify O'Neill as one of their own. This is despite the fact that O'Neill is Irish and that his nationalist sympathies lie with a foreign country that has fought a guerilla war against the British for 30 years.

The English die hard fan hates teams like Arsenal. They're not English. Neither are Chelsea or Liverpool. Not with coaching staffs, managers and squads full of foreigners. Arsenal, however, will always be No.1 on Xenophobe Hate List. They were the first club to have gone foreign in the sense that they had an entire squad that was non-English. At Arsenal, English players don't stand a chance.

Liverpool have Gerrard and Chelsea have Terry, Lampard and Cole. This English contingent gives them xenophobic immunity from the English press.

Arsene Wenger is a frog who makes Arsenal play continental football, which has helped create a diverse fan base from across the globe. Arsenal have more nationalities than Benetton and always sulk and complain when things don't go their way. English lads never complain. They just get on with it. Just ask ex-Villa and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore.

For every Milner that Villa have, Arsenal have a Gallas or an Eduardo - "Martin Taylor didn't deserve to be sent off." (Radio 5 Live commentator Allan Green)

But Villa are not an English team. Their style of play is similar to that of a Gaelic football team - crosses and long kicks, to big, pacy, strikers. They're owned by an American, their captain is Danish and they are managed by an Irishman whose patriotic loyalties are with Ireland. But we're told otherwise by those who create these imagined communities.

So imagined in fact, that we are led to believe that Martin O'Neill's team play great football and that Aston Villa are going to play in the Champions League next season.

Imagine that.

The End of Eboue

I’ll be honest. I care about Emmanuel Eboue. Can I defend him? Certainly not. Am I quick to slaughter him like virtually everyone else has done? Absolutely not.

This weekend, he did something extremely dumb. His first booking was harsh, but after he swallowed it, he should have known better. He admitted as much by apologizing on the official website. Footballers have hearts and are not robots, that’s for sure. Look at Zidane. Look at Patrick. Did the actions of Modric require such actions? No.

People have had it out for Eboue ever since he dived to win the free kick against Barcelona. At that point, Eboue was considered to be one of the most promising right backs in the entire world. If you think that’s an exaggeration, you don’t remember that Eboue was nominated for UEFA Champions League Defender of the Year in that year we went to the Champions League final. Do you remember who Wenger compared Eboue to? Garrincha. His defensive game wasn’t completely found out yet, but he had huge potential.

After the season of transition at the Emirates, his performances were lacking and Arsene acted quickly and brought in Sagna. This resulted in Eboue being pushed up to the right midfield position, and I thought he brought balance into the squad. Eboue may have been a poor defender as a right back, but as a midfielder, he provided the defensive balance we required. As Capello stated, Arsenal attack with 8 men and defend with 10. That was the key to the team.

This year, Eboue has been slaughtered for misplacing passes, for “simulation,” for not trying, and other reasons. The truth is, some of these accusations are in fact true. Eboue is not the player we were hoping that he would be. A part of me is saddened by that, but we must realize that not all of the players will make it. For all the sparkling starlets we have, Wilshere, Ramsey, Jay Simpson, Merida, Afobe, Sunu, on and on, not all of these players will make it. Eboue may fall in line with that.

After Sunday’s actions, I feel as though Eboue is at a point where he cannot win the fans back. Am I being harsh? I don’t know. There was a calculated movement towards rehabilitation with Eboue, and in this same week, he shot himself in the foot.

Now the bloggers will be relentless. Most fans will be relentless. Ask yourself, if Theo Walcott earned two yellows in the manner that Eboue did, would they be so quick to call him an idiot? Especially with the first booking. What has Rooney said to refs in the past and gotten away with? Virtually nobody defended Eboue, and most have said he actually deserved the first card. As for his second yellow, it was merited, but did the referee see it? Is that an important point? Yes, it is. The way the card was produced suggested that it was for another action and not the trip. That means that Eboue could have been suspended later, but not for the rest of the SCUM fixture. People have it out for Eboue, and for that, I’m disappointed.

What is Eboue?

He’s a servant of the club who will play wherever Arsene asks him to. No matter if it’s on the left midfield, in central midfield, or left back.

He’s the glue that holds the locker room together. Think this is nonsense? Well, for a family dynamic to develop (which Arsene desperately wants as a mechanism to increase team output and keep his players together), he needs a player like Eboue. He keeps things light in the locker room. Ask Kolo or Theo (two vastly different types, from ethnicity to player-type) who keeps the locker room fun, they say Eboue. This seems like a cheap bit of praise, but it’s really not. Three teammates personally drove to his house to cheer him up after our “fans” booed him mercilessly.

Honestly, I feel that after the season is over, we will see Eboue leaving our club. That doesn’t affect our football, but he’ll be slaughtered much in the way that Cygan was. We need to provide an environment for our players to thrive. Arsene does that with every fiber in his body. But after seeing Brazil and Italy at the Emirates today, with the Emirates being at least 50% louder than for any Arsenal matches, it’s hard to say that our fans are doing the same.

Crisis

In the past 20 months, four directors have been told to leave the Arsenal board. This season Arsenal have had four different captains. As I write, Arsenal are five points adrift of 4th place in the Premier League. They are 12 points behind leaders Manchester United who have a game in hand. Everton, meanwhile, are only four points behind Arsenal in 6th place.

For the first time in a long time, The Emirates stadium has quite a few empty seats on match day. The apartments at Highbury are not selling as planned. Demand for season tickets are down and the boardroom are in the middle of a battle to stave off the threat of total control by Mr. Usmanov.

Arsene Wenger only has 18 months left on his contract. Theo Walcott has yet to sign a new deal. He's a free agent at the end of next season. Cesc Fabregas will probably leave if we fail to qualify for the Champions League.

According to the media, Arsenal are in a crisis.

Arsenal are in the last 16 of the Champions League. They face a Roma side that they are quite capable of beating. With a lot of seeded teams meeting each other in the last 16, Arsenal could get a favorable draw in the quarter-finals.

The FA Cup quarter-final also beckons. Cardiff City and Burnley are good Championship teams, but they're not Premiership. We should have beaten Cardiff at Ninian Park. Our reserves should have beaten Burnley in the Carling Cup. We will beat them both and advance to the last 8.

We have had some tough games in the The Premiership and not much luck. The Everton game was a poor spectacle. Both teams created very little but because Arsenal scored in the last minute we were deemed to be lucky.

West Ham are on a good run. Yesterday, Manchester United experienced how difficult an opponent West Ham are. Zola has shown that he is a good coach. If Adebayor was on the form that he was when we won at Upton Park earlier in the season, then we might have beaten West Ham. Perhaps his current injury is a blessing in disguise?

Playing against anyone with 10 men is difficult, let alone your arch rivals Spurs. I was pleased with a point considering the circumstances. I was more shocked with Spurs. Pavlyuchenko is an average striker. So is Darren Bent. 14 million pounds for the Russian and 18 million for the Englishman. Shocking!

In January 2009, Spurs spent 15 million on Defoe, 12 million on Palacios, 14 million on Keane and an undisclosed fee on Chimbonda. Not to mention the large signing on fee for Cudicini. Arsenal in comparison only spent 12 million on Andrey Arshavin.

Spurs spent a similar amount of money last summer and in January 2008. They also paid off Juande Ramos when they sacked him and gave Portsmouth over 5 million pounds for Harry Redknapp.

Spurs currently lie 2 points off the relegation zone.

Spurs will not win the Carling cup. A trophy that makes them feel that they are part of the elite. They will not win the UEFA cup. Next season they will not play in Europe. Their hopes of rebuilding their current stadium will be put on hold for some time - just like Liverpool's have.

Spurs are 24 points from 4th spot, Arsenal are only five.

Arsenal are now unbeaten in 11 games. By next Monday it will be 12.

Spurs only have Defoe out injured. Arsenal have seven players out. Four of those injured players will be back in March and our captain will be back in April just when the Champions League and FA cup semi-finals start.

Chelsea fired their manager today. Their third in less than two seasons.

You tell me which club is in a crisis.

Scum vs. AFC

Which doesn’t belong and why?
A) Pascal Chimbonda
B) Michael Dawson
C) Harry Redknapp
D) Wade Elliot
E) They all belong

Top marks if you chose E. You could be forgiven if you picked D but they have all gone on record as being eager to face Arsenal.

I say be careful what you wish for.

I love playing Scum and if we get them in the cups, all the better. I didn’t see the home fixture this season. I was in the American Midwest. I was away from any football news – imagine how I felt receiving text updates of that match. Once I'd read the final text of the final score I nearly smashed my phone.

After seeing Portsmouth and Villa’s performances yesterday, I can hardly wait for kick off. A great man said this week, “Enough is enough.” I echo that. It’s time to put up a solid performance and remind the nay sayers, including the glass half empty Gooners, that we are The Arsenal.

I often get the feeling that some Gooners are afraid to play Scum. They are afraid we could lose. They are afraid we could be ambarassed. Ridiculous! It's time to put things right.

COME ON!

King of the Chavs

Look, it's Harry.

Be Thankful For What We're Not

Everybody likes to complain all the time about how much our team is struggling. It seems like a favorite pastime for everybody, as if none of these teams bothered supporting teams when they were rubbish.

I'm not going to lie. In my time of supporting Arsenal, they have always been a great club. It wasn't a bandwagon issue; I was trying to follow the careers of one Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira after the 1998 World Cup. That's how I chose this club, and if anybody is not satisfied with that, then that's on them. It never concerns me if somebody calls me a bandwagon fan, cause I know that's patently not true.

In my life, I'm sure I will experience a team without Arsene Wenger at the helm. That scares me a little bit, but it also means that he'll have left it on sound footing. His influence is such that it has permanently imprinted class onto the Arsenal brand name. That cannot be ignored, especially when there was a period of football where the SCUM were considered the great entertainers. By stealing their thunder, these SCUM fans are more bitter than ever. Their current pawn shop approach to football is laughable at best, but their supporters are even more laughable.

This club rarely produces any youngsters of note. Buys the wrong Southampton players (Walcott v. Bale), the wrong Ivory Coast international (Zokora, I bet we were never interested in the player, even though he says Wenger called him), the wrong managers consistently (they even sometimes get rid of half-decent ones), and the list goes on.

We are not the SCUM, and we have to be very thankful for that.

We do not buy players to plug into positions. We buy gifted footballers who can blend into our team.

We do not let our players hold us ransom and completely ruin the momentum of our squad.

We do not roll over and die.

We do not buy useless forwards.

We do not have a stadium located three miles from the nearest Tube station.

We do not have a betting company as our sponsor.

We are not the SCUM, and we have to be VERY thankful for that.

Victoria Concordia Crescit, never forget it.

You Can Get What You Want

I stood outside the pub. It felt like the coldest day of my life. It really wasn't but my extremities would dispute the point. They have the final say. The front door was locked and my body ached and my head hurt. I just wanted to be inside. That's really all I wanted at that moment.

I was on the shaded side of the street. In a moment of sheer brilliance, I decided that the short walk to the opposite corner would provide the comfort of the sun's bright rays. I walked across. As I stood there with a good view of the front door, I noticed a couple approaching. I could see Arsenal tops under their winter gear - one even looked a bit foreign to me. "Do I have that shirt?" I wondered. I imagined myself inside the two large duffle bags I have that contain not just Arsenal tops but a number of other tops that I haven't worn in a long time, if ever at all. I struggled to remember when I got most of them. I saw the Nantes Atlantique top, the Spain top, the red Sunday league club top worn when I played for NSC. We (NSC) were actually a decent collection of players but we were mostly users of some drug or another at the time. We never really reached our potential. No surprise there. I comforted myself in knowing that I have MANY Arsenal tops that they’ve probably never seen. I drew mental picture after mental picture of some football top or another. I remembered the Hamburger Sport Verein top that was given to me by an ex teammate and good friend. I gave that shirt away. I still cannot figure why I did. I felt a rush of anger coming on so I moved on to the Nigeria top. It brought back fond memories of the 1994 FIFA World Cup Finals. Well, fond until Robbie Baggio brought the Flying Eagles crashing down to earth. Of course I rarely wore those tops even when they were new – I am Arsenal through and through - but they and many others in those two bags, helped me manage an exercise that could have ended abruptly and angrily. I still wish I had that Hamburg top. That’s really all I wanted at that moment.

By the time I came back from daydreaming about the precious contents of those two duffle bags, the couple had made it to the front door. There was a man standing in the doorway of the building abutting the pub. I walked over. I wasn’t cold any more. I just wanted to watch the match. That’s really all I wanted at that moment.

The couple were engaged in idle chatter with the man in the doorway. The topic turned to what caused our failure to win the league last season. Yawn! Never one to eavesdrop or interject or more importantly, to discuss things Arsenal with total strangers, I surprised myself when I did interject a key point at a key moment in the on-going conversation. My contribution was short but calculated, “We only needed four more goals last season.” Silence from the space that the male half of the couple occupied would have more than made up for the cold. He’d been talking too much crap about the team. Silence! That’s really all I wanted at that moment.

The man in the doorway asked me to explain. The male half of the couple shut his hole. “YES!” I thought. He too seemed interested in my explanation. I said, “Would it have been unfair to ask for four more timely goals last season?” Essentially, to say that four draws would have been victories if we’d scored when we really needed to. The male half of the couple had stopped his rant about how Gallas (yawn!) was guilty of murder at St. Andrew’s. His other half was just there as a sidekick. She just wore the shirt. I can’t imagine that it meant much to her. It is trendy to wear football tops. He then began complaining about the price of season tickets at The Emirates Stadium. He expressed how he was ready to give up his tickets. I looked at the time. There were five minutes until kick off. The door opened. I sat at the bar, ordered a Bloody Mary, asked for a menu, and focused on the match. We needed three points. That’s really all I wanted at that moment.

The couple were joined by three more individuals – a West Ham fan, and two of the most non-descript people I’ve ever seen. They could’ve been invisible if not for using their outdoor voice. I easily overheard them blabbering. One of them stated that he felt Arshaviin was over-priced at ₤15mil. I thought, “David Bentley cost ₤15mil – the man who cannot get into Spurs team and certainly can’t touch AA23.” Another shouted, “He did nothing against Spain.” I thought, “Wow! It took the European champions to stop him.”

We’ve signed a dynamic, versatile footballer who scores and creates chances for others when he isn’t scoring. The thought of any combination of RvP, Eduardo, Theo, Togo, and Bendtner teaming up with Cesc and Andrey gives me more hope that we will challenge for honours. I longed for the player who would allow us to not depend so much on Cesc. I wondered who that could be, how much it would cost, if he’d be willing to join us. Arshaviin kept coming to mind. I wanted the player. I got what I wanted.

The Impact of Arshavin

Simply put, the impact of the arrival of Andrey Arshavin is big.  It's big news on several fronts, and I'll try to detail some of the key points here.

- For footballing reasons, his arrival was vital.  At the moment, van Persie and Nasri were carrying the team as the hubs of invention, but the truth is that we need more.  Our attacks have lost their verve, and we just do not punish teams enough with our counter attack.  We don't have very many counter attack opportunities in the first place, so what's hindering us is our players failing to choose the right options or having Adebayor finish off the created chances.  The bad options is down to the fact that our midfield has been torn apart by transfers and most importantly injuries.  Even before Cesc went down, our offense has been somewhat lacking.  Without Rosicky and Hleb, the spark had vanished.  We could still be great on our day, but not nearly in the same way.  It was mostly on the shoulders of Cesc or the pace of Walcott.  When both those options went down, our offensive game was always going to struggle.

Arshavin will change that.  He's quick, very strong for his frame, inventive, decisive, two-footed, and a winner.  I've only seen roughly 15-20 matches in full of Arshavin, but apart from the occasional off game, he is electric.  Let's not kid ourselves here, we signed a world class player, one that can walk into almost any team (barring maybe FC Barcelona at the moment).  He finished 6th in the Ballon d'or voting.  And did I mention that in the end, he took a pay cut, took a private jet to London, gave back money, just to prove himself in the highest level of club football.  That should not be ignored.

Our defense has been savaged by the critics, but we're failing to score the goals to win the games at times.  That cannot be discounted.  We've actually been fairly solid in the last couple of months.

- This team needed a psychological boost.  The fans needed one too (not necessarily me, but this was very, very welcome).  There were fans waiting in the snow, record-level snow, to see if the transfer would be completed.  No, not for a press conference and the ability to see Arshavin.  No, they were there just to be with other Gooners when the transfer was finally confirmed.  Some Gooners are non-believers, and I don't care for them really, but the fact remains that their support can actually help the club on the pitch.  We are on a good run, but that run is marred by a distinct lack of goals.  Any excitement generated can help our club.  They may vocally support the team more (even though they should be doing that anyway).  If we failed to sign Andrey, there would have been a dangerous negative reaction towards our team and Arsenal.  Our players would have been strong enough to withstand that, but I'm glad that we didn't have to deal with that.

- We played a game of brinksmanship with crazy jokesters, and we came out ahead.  Arsene looked Zenit in the eye and refused to blink.  For this reason, we got our man for half the price Zenit wanted (remember that SCUM offered 16 mil pounds in the summer, when the pound was worth more, and they were turned down).  We refused to cave on Xabi Alonso, and we got harsh criticism for that.  We now have won this battle, and we get smashed for that too.  You cannot win with the English media.  Even though if you compare transfer fees, we got a world class player for less than Craig Bellamy, Nigel de Jong, Tosic, and Robbie Keane (HAHAHAHAHAHA).

- We may be too far off the top to mount a title challenge this year, but let's keep this in mind.  Next year, without a summer tournament to play, we will have a fit squad with Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Andrey Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott, Tomas Rosicky, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Denilson.  The midfield will be loaded with creativity and will excel even more than the Spice Boys trio of Cesc, Hleb, and Tomas.

This is a good day.

Arshavin Signs!

I can count on one hand the signings Arsenal have made that have made me excited.

Charlie Nicholas was the first.

In the summer of 1980, Arsenal fans were in an optimistic mood. The past three seasons had seen them reach three successive FA cup finals - which was a big deal back then - and a European Cup Winners Cup final - the clubs first European final in 10 years. Although the club only won the FA cup - in 1979 - during that period, the future looked bright.

That was until they sold Liam Brady - the clubs best player - to Juventus. His departure left me absolutely gutted. The man was my first Arsenal hero, and was, in my eyes, irreplaceable.

The following summer they sold Frank Stapleton to Manchester United. He had replaced Brady as my new Arsenal hero. But I couldn't understand why he joined a team that had finished the previous season in 8th place - five places below Arsenal. United in my eyes were not bigger than Arsenal.

I soon became disillusioned. Arsenal were now a selling club.

The 1981-82 season was a major disappointment. We were knocked out of the UEFA cup by Belgian part-timers K.F.C. Winterslag, got beaten 2-0 by Everton in the FA cup 3rd round and finished 5th in the league - behind Spurs, who also knocked us out of the League cup. It didn't help watching Spurs win two back to back FA cups -1981 and 1982 - as well as play more attractive football. They had Ardilles, Hoddle and Villa. We had league defeats to Swansea City - both home and away - Notts County and Stoke. The country was in the grips of a severe recession, unemployment was up and my spirits with regard to Arsenal were down.

In the summer of 1982, Arsenal tried to appease fans with the signings of strikers Tony Woodcock and Lee Chapman. But both were disappointments, especially Chapman, who only scored 4 goals in two seasons.

The 1982-83 season saw some improvement. Arsenal reached the semi-finals of both the League and FA cups. However, this achievement masked the real truth. We were average, as was shown when Manchester United beat us 6-3 on aggregate in the League cup and then 2-1 in the FA cup. United were superior in those games and to add insult to injury Stapleton was banging in the goals. I've hated them ever since.

That season United finished 3rd, Spurs 4th, while we finished 10th in the league. We had an average home attendance of just over 19,000. Both statistics were a better indication of how bad we had become. The football we played was boring and made any team managed by Sam Alladyrce look like Brazil.

During those depressing days you never mentioned winning the title. It was something that was never going to happen. The equivalent would be vacationing on Mars next year. You get the picture.

But in the summer of 1983, everything changed.

We signed Charlie Nicholas, the young, exciting, Scottish striker who played for Celtic. Nicholas had just scored 50 goals and won the Scottish Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards. Every club seemed to be after him.

His transfer was a real saga. One week he was going to this team, the next week he was signing for that team. He held talks with Manchester United and champions Liverpool. The top Italian and Spanish clubs were also interested. So when Nicholas eventually signed for Arsenal, I was stunned but over the moon. I felt that we had finally replaced Brady. Although, I, like many other Arsenal supporters had never seen him play. I believed the hype.

I was wrong.

Nicholas turned out to be another disappointment. He only scored 11 goals in his first season, but for some reason he held cult status. The fans worshipped him. Young men copied his mullet haircut, which was known as a"Charlie." Fans sang a song about him to the chimes of Big Ben. This could have been due to his "champagne lifestyle" of partying, drinking, and sleeping with Page 3 models. It could have been his wonder goal against Spurs where he went past 3 Tottenham players before beating the keeper.

It could have been that we were desperate.

The early 1980's recession was bad. We were still in the middle of the Cold war and constantly reminded that we could have nuclear war with the USSR at any time. The Falklands war had only ended a year before. Lee Chapman was crap and so called England star Tony Woodcock had palyed his best days at Nottingham Forest.

I needed Charlie Nicholas. I needed good news and his signing provided it.

Just over twenty-five years later we find ourselves in another recession. The Cold War is over but the threat of nuclear attacks still hangs in the air - if you believe what you are told. The world is different today but the economic news is gloomy - just like it was back in the early 1980's.

But I am a happy man.

At 12:00 noon today, I watched SKY Sports news. Reporting live, outside The Emirates stadium, standing in the snow was a man holding a microphone surrounded by smiling Arsenal fans. "The Arshavin deal is all but done," he said. "The Russian midfielder has completed his medical, the two clubs have agreed a fee. The transfer just has to be finalized by the Premier League."

A big cheer went up by the fans. They didn't care that they had only seen him play in Euro 2008. They didn't care that he could be another Charlie Nicholas. They just wanted him. The gloom was over. The transfer saga was finally done.

Togo No Go

Below is the match report which barely mentions the shock of that horrendous miss by Emmanuel Adebayor away to Portsmouth in 2006.

http://www.arsenal.com/match/report/0708portsmouth-1-1-arsenal-match-report

It is exhibit A in the case against the off-form striker. That miss made me as angry with an Arsenal player as I've ever been. I questioned his ability to ever make the grade.

Exhibit B is the player's public fallout with Niklas Bendnter. That it happened versus Spurs made it infinitely more embarrassing.

Exhibit C is the player's inconsistency. We're seeing it in full bloom at the moment.

Yesterday was a match in which Togo had to score. Instead, he disappointed almost every Arsenal fan who watched the game. Many wrongly directed their anger at the man who for the first 20 minutes was the most effective player on the pitch, Emanuel Eboue – he being the default scapegoat since nary a bad word could be said about the solid performance by ex-captain William Gallas. In reality it was Adebayor who was absolutely dismal.

While I admit having made a drastic turn around from harsh critic to sincere, patient, and admiring supporter of the player since that miss at Fratton Park, I can no longer point to the extreme work rate, the near record-breaking output of 30 goals last season, nor his commitment to our cause as positives. In a troubled season, his has been a poor return on a well publicized promotion.

My disappointment peaked yesterday when Carlos Vela delivered a ball to the big man's feet from the left wing position, deep inside West Ham territory. Togo managed to lose the ball and instead of making what became his trademark sprint after the lost ball, he ambled back from deep within the offensive third as West Ham tried to pretend they had an interest in attacking. Vela was next seen recovering the ball on the right touch line, inside Arsenal territory – he covered the amount of ground and made the kind of effort that would normally make one forgive Adebayor's wage dispute with the club last summer. The same club that he himself admitted has given him the platform to be a marquis name.

Yesterday's three points were absolutely vital. I was at The Emirates Stadium on New Year's Day 2008 for the same fixture. Eduardo opened the scoring with a typical Eduardo clinical finish. Togo would later score an amazing goal from what seemed and impossible angle. He worked hard all match, causing Matthew Upson and Co. all manner of problems. Yesterday's less than mediocre performance by the team in general and Togo in particular just about ended out title hopes. My only solace is that for much of last season, we were top dogs and cruising. I never give up but it looks very difficult indeed.

If selected for Tuesday's FA Cup replay, anything less than a Man of the Match display from the under-performing striker will leave his value to the club in major doubt. I will no longer be able to defend him when his critics point out that six of his 30 goals last season were scored against relegated Derby County. I will no longer be able to defend him when they question his commitment. I will no longer be able to hold back my anger with him when he fails to hold his end of the controversially re-negotiated deal his agent forced on the club during the close season.

I might have to accept that Togo can go.