Post Match View - Manchester United F.C.

Sometimes, I get the feeling that I've been here before. 'Deja vu' I think it's called. I've felt too much pain at the hands of Manchetser United. Worse, I've seen the same mistakes by the same players enough times to start wondering if they belong at Arsenal.

My gripe today is not with the Gooner who's had a go at Wenger. It's not with the match announcer who compared us to Spurs regarding our results against top clubs. It's not with being forced to watch an unacceptably poor effort undermine our title challenge. I'm not even upset with the guy who thought there was something funny about the team's display. And nor am I troubled by the guy who is eager to look for excuses for our dismal performance.

The problems I have are as follows:

Almunia and Clichy have shown more often than not that they are not up to it. I've said it before. On 7, Clichy allowed Fletcher to cross after an overlapping run that was easy to read. William Gallas got a boot in before the approaching Rooney. A minute later, Nani eased past the left back to cross dangerously. Alex Song cleaned up on that occasion. On 26, Nani beat Clichy again with alarming ease and then later on 29, a Thomas Vermaelen intervention was needed to prevent United's winger from going in clear from a Carrick through ball.

Clichy's been found out. He is a weak link in our back line. Any manager or player worth even a small portion of his wages can see it.

Nani persisted. On 33, he split the sad fullback and Nasri far, far too easily. He then dribbled into the penalty area where he was greeted by a late arriving and inept challenge by Denilson. The winger's lofted ball beat Almunia who's fingertips helped guide it into the net.

0-1 Man Utd

The pain was just starting. Thank you Gael! Thank you Samir! Thank you Neves! Thank you Manuel!

Clichy has shown that we need to address the left back position with a seriousness that is only outdone by the urgency to finally sign a top quality goalkeeper. After looking rather amateurish on the first United goal, Almunia was always going to be the one who kept us in the game (or not) because we had to commit numbers forward in search of an equalizer. I suppose the score could have been even more lopsided but let's be clear, United wasted chances on multiple breaks, even at the very end when Rooney could have done better. And when he shot from range on 50, Almunia looked fortunate to avoid embarrassment.

Their second came from a swift counter. Gallas was stuck very high as Rooney passed wide to Nani. He drove down field before playing it back to the on form striker. The rest was predictable. The goal was eerily reminiscent of last season's Champions League effort.

0-2 Man Utd

Denilson has to ask himself, 'who can do more damage on this break, Nani from a wide position, or any number of players who could be running into the box BEHIND me'? He never checked to see if the center of the pitch, the most direct path to goal, was vulnerable. Clichy was chasing the ball. Sagna had ventured over to cover. Vermaelen had sprinted back into position. Even with that many red and white shirts back the ball was allowed to make it to an unmarked Wayne Rooney. Denilson was just an observer who fancied a sprint. His contribution to preventing the goal was shockingly subpar.

You may feel it harsh to single out players since nobody in an Arsenal top played especially well. Disagree if you wish. Manuel Almunia and Gael Clichy were criminally at fault for the first goal. Denilson should have been more aware on the second.

The third also came from a United break. Denilson lost the ball in the United half. Maybe he didn't realize that Gallas had been part of the original attack when he lost it. It looked awfully sloppy and irresponsible. I wonder how he could be so unaware of his surroundings. Carrick collected. He exchanged passes quickly with Rooney and then lofted to the breaking Park. With Clichy the only man back, it was a matter of Park staying poised to make the right decision and Clichy closing him down before he could square to Rooney or Nani. It looked to me as if Almunia had done well enough positionally to prevent the goal as Park entered the area.

Surely Park had held it too long.

Surely Clichy and Almunia would redeem themselves.

Surely we'd prevent them scoring a third goal.

Not to be! Even when Almunia came off his line, positioned so that the only option Park had was to shoot near post, it just wasn't meant to be. He was not going to stop the third goal. Once again, Almunia has been beaten at the near post.

0-3 Man Utd

And to add icing to the unrisen cake, on 66 while we're chasing the game for something, for anything, he and Walcott conspire to gift the ball to United deep in our half of the pitch. On 84 he kicked the ball directly to Nani just outside the 18. I couldn't beg Arsene enough for a goalkeeper who won't jepoardize our chances of success.

It needs to be said that there were other culprits. My commentary on the keeper and left back doesn't absolve anyone of a poor performance. Arshavin was wasteful. Cesc failed to make an impact. Nasri and Rosicky were ineffective.

If you know me any at all you'll know that I covet Wayne Rooney. Yes, he is a proper bully at times but the boy can play. On 19, Vermaelen's clearance went straight up in the air but never left the Arsenal penalty area. Witness how deftly Rooney takes it down with Vermaelen draped over him. It was a moment of top technique. I highlight it only for comparison to Denilson's terrible touch that opened the door for United's third. That one really bothered me.

I have no time for Robbie Earle's gratuitous attacks on the way we play football. The man who loves to criticize our approach used the fact that we scored from a deflected goal to remark, "Arsenal can be a little bit more direct and still get the results they want". Ok, we'll keep that in mind.

Nice! A former Wimbledon man telling us how we should do our business. I hope this is the low point of the season.

Reasons to Hate Manchester United

A few years ago, there were many Arsenal fans who were actually openly rooting for Manchester United to overhaul Chelsea for the Premier League crown. The reasoning, I guess, was because they detested Mourinho's nouveau riche Chelsea. They figured, if we weren't going to be champions, please don't let it be Chelsea. A couple of years later, the same dilemma greeted Arsenal fans viewing the Champions League final. Even though Manchester United would have achieved a historic double on the 50th anniversary of Munich, the same type of Arsenal fan rooted for Manchester United. They wanted Arsenal to be the first London based club to win the Champions League.

I am not one of these people. To cut to the chase, I detest Manchester United with every fiber of my being. I hate them. Unless they approach me, you won't see me say a word to a United fan. Along with Tottenham, they are the club I want to beat the most.

There's nothing wrong with being a new Arsenal fan. As long as you support the club with your heart, I have no problems with it. But, the attitude towards Chelsea belong solely to the new Arsenal fans. That must be rectified soon.

These are few of the reasons I hate Manchester United:

- Sir Alex Ferguson, the "dustbin man who looks like Taggart". Personally, I find it highly irritating that Wenger and Ferguson are somewhat cordial now. I'd rather they hated each other's guts.

- They humiliated us at the Emirates last year in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal.

- Patrice Evra. His comments about our squad being comprised of babies should have been met with a swift slide tackle from behind. The fact that he complained he was targeted by our players (with tackles that weren't nasty enough for my liking) makes him sound like a baby.

- They clinched the title against us last year, forcing Cesc Fabregas to extend his congratulations to the aforementioned Taggart.

- Ryan Giggs, the Welsh Sheep Shagger. The image of his goal against us in the 1999 FA Cup semifinal will never be forgotten. I don't care if he's never played in a World Cup. The woman who was caught on camera giving him the finger while he was taking a corner is a legend. She's a true Gooner.

- They can potentially win a record-breaking fourth Premier League title in a row while surpassing Liverpool for total triumphs.

- Darren Fletcher. How a player becomes this overrated is a result of British pundits who confuse effort with actual skill. A couple of years ago, United fans didn't even want to see him in their team. Now, he's compared with Roy Keane. That comparison makes me laugh and vomit at the same time.

- Their fans are sensitive bullies. Calling a manager a paedophile is something they do with pride; it's become so routine that it doesn't even bother us anymore (even if it's still greatly offensive). During the Carling Cup semifinal second leg, a section of fans at Old Trafford made machine gun gestures at Emmanuel Adebayor. Clearly, I am no fan of Adebayor, but those are pathetic actions by cowards. The same group of cowards who if other groups of fans mention the words "airplane" and "Munich" can't take the heat.

- Nani. He could have been crippled by Mathieu Flamini after showboating against us during the FA Cup two years ago. Had he connected, Flamini would have been banned for at least eight games. It would have been worth it.

- They snatched Chris Smalling from us. Smalling, who was an Arsenal fan growing up, somehow decided to snub us and join "the biggest club in the world" instead. I now hope he fails and that Aaron Ramsey leads Wales to the World Cup after Ryan Giggs retires.

- Wayne Rooney. He dived to end our 49 match unbeaten streak. The contrast between how Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are judged says everything. A man who would kiss the United badge in front of the same Everton fans who worshipped him is clearly a scumbag.

If those aren't enough reasons, I'm sure we can think of more. Please feel free to list more in the comments section.

As I sit here typing this, I can't help but look forward to the match on Sunday.

A true culture of hate for Manchester United must be a requirement for any Arsenal fan. Players like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, and Rio Ferdinand hate Arsenal. It's time to have some of our players show that sort of hatred. I want that to see that type of anger on Sunday.

Nothing would make me more happy than to start our run towards the Premier League title by destroying them at the Emirates.

Sunday. I. Can't. Fucking. Wait.

Left-Back Worries Me

It's a strange world that we live in. We can get a man on the moon but can't get one on Rosie O'Donnell. Last night we were told that Vermaelen had broken his leg thus ending his season. Today he's OK.

It's a strange world.

So Arsenal drew 0-0 away to Aston Villa. This has caused some Arsenal fans to have heart attacks. Two reasons why: Last night Chelsea won and on Sunday Arsenal were knocked out of the FA cup - by playing a bunch of rookie teenagers.

Throw-in Stoke now play away to Man City in the 5th round. They're out and will now play the rest of the season trying to stay in the Premiership.

If Arsenal were still in the FA cup then I think yesterday's 0-0 draw at Villa would have been deemed a decent result. But Arsenal have now gone two games without a win and for some Gooners that's a crisis. Villa have beaten Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool and drawn with Man City. They've only conceded seven goals at home in the Premiership.

With the injury scare to Vermaelen and the disappointment by some Arsenal fans in losing out to Man United in the signature of Chris Smalling, calls have been made for Arsene Wenger to sign someone - anyone.

The striker position is the number one area that Arsenal fans want a signing made - even though Arsenal already score a ton of goals. And what striker should Wenger sign? Eduardo is now injured but while Bendtner is back, expecting him to play twice a week for four months is asking too much.

The other alternatives are Vela and Walcott who seem to do better on the wings and are not yet the answer.

The positions that concern me the most are goalkeeper and left-back. I've resigned myself to the fact that Almunia will not be replaced this season. I therefore hope that he rediscovers the form that got him the man of the match award against Manchester United in the Champions League semi-final 1st leg last season.

The left-back spot is more of a worry. Traore has shown that he is not a left-back. His positioning is poor and his marking is even worse. Clichy had a poor game last night and has not been the same player of two seasons ago. He's only just got back from injury so maybe with a run of games, he will find his form.

The plus side for the defence is the return of Song and Eboue. Song in particular will provide defensive cover and muscle - something that we lacked against Stoke.

Rio Ferdinand is banned for Sunday's game for deliberately elbowing a Hull City player in the face. Until the FA had charged him for his cowardly act, nothing was mentioned in the media or by Hull City boss Phil Brown. During that game, Man United scored a goal while a Hull player was down injured. Again nothing was mentioned of this incident by Phil Brown or the media.

Sky Sports have been banned by Alex Ferguson from attending any post match interviews because of their continual coverage of the Tevez/Gary Neville spat. Ferguson did a similar thing to the BBC. Therein lies your reason behind the silence of Phil Brown and the media towards Manchester United. Ferguson holds too much power.

"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Lord Acton 1887

Keep it Arsenal

Good News Bad News

The much anticipated run of big matches has started with a draw at Villa Park. The 0-0 result was not the worst but it has moved us down to third place. Still, we weren't supposed to be here. The "experts" can lick a pig's crack.

All is not lost. We have United Sunday and can make jump above them with a victory. As important as the next three league matches are, we won't be hurt too badly by draws. Obviously, we want three points every time.

There's good news in that we had to replace our brilliant signing Thomas Vermaelen yet we still ended up with a clean sheet. The bad news is that reports are suggesting he might have a broken leg. Can we trust Sol for the remainder of the season?

Other good news is that we can call on Niklas Bendtner again. He's back from the groin injury. Bad news is Eduardo has a hamstring problem. If I were superstitious I'd swear that we're cursed.

Time Waits For Nobody

The trophy pictured above is from the 03-04 Invincibles triumph. Red and White ribbons haven't been attached to the trophy since.

In that miraculous season, we had wrapped up the league with four games to spare. At that moment, with the FA Cup and Europe no longer possibilities, the team could have relaxed and taken it easy. To an extent, they did, but they had a bigger target in mind, immortality. Their names would already be in the history books, but here was an opportunity to write an entire chapter of English football, something that will probably never be achieved in England again. With that pursuit in mind, Arsenal pressed on and completed the Invincible season. They defined themselves as legends.

As Wenger's new experiment is rapidly approaching the maturation date, we currently stand level with Chelsea (albeit with one more game played) and two points behind United (but we have a game on them). We have an opportunity to score a resounding victory for football by wresting the Premier League trophy from the clutches of Manchester United.

These next four games will not decide the season, but they very well might define the season. Wenger has placed his faith in these players over and over again, refusing to sign players both out of principle and belief. They are the players who will be responsible for Wenger signing off in a blaze of glory or trailing off like a failed idealist.

In life and in sports, you are sometimes fortunate enough to get a small window where you can either succeed or fail. Of course, it's somewhat foolish to define things in those terms. There are many players who never get to play in a Champions League game. There are athletes whose careers have been destroyed by injury. There are wonderful players, like George Weah, who have never played in a World Cup. Circumstances decide what situations can be defined as successes and failures.

And in that regard, we can already regard Wenger's experiment to be a success. They have thrilled neutrals and played with a style that Wenger refuses to abandon. They have proven that a team can compete without being financially irresponsible. Others see it differently. Others see a defiantly stubborn man who has thrown away opportunities to win real trophies, charges that were leveled at Arsene as recently as Sunday when we lost to Stoke in the FA Cup. Wenger has shown the courage to laugh in the face of his critics and believe in this team.

In the next four games, the players at Arsenal FC will be given the choice to be regarded as championship material or pretty pretenders. Make no mistake, this team will challenge for the next few years, but there is no moment like the present. We do not know what will happen in the future. Cesc Fabregas may be swayed by Spanish riches. William Gallas may seek a different challenge. Tomas Rosicky might suffer a career ending injury. Arsene may lose his passion in the game. None of these scenarios are likely, but we cannot predict the future.

Teams and athletes often come to a crossroads. They are greeted with challenges that will define their careers. Great players can break through and become legends, while "just good enough" players enjoy their time being some kid's fifth favorite player on a team before they ride out their mediocre careers.

As it stands, this Arsenal team of the past few years have given us personal memories that will never be forgotten. What they have not done is write themselves into the history books so that everyone else can remember as well. I believe that Wenger's experiment will be remembered forever, but I do not want to read an epilogue in a book that tells us that it ultimately failed. The onus is on the players. The chance to play for Arsene Wenger comes but once in life. The difference between immortality and mere greatness is definitive success.

It is time for this team to make a clear statement. That begins against Villa.

Stoke - The Octomom of Football

The first decade of the 21st Century brought us the Bush Administration, the horrific 9/11 attacks, the anthrax scare, Hurricane Katrina, the stock market collapse, and the protracted and painful Iraq and Afghanistan wars - as well as a debilitating two-year recession and high unemployment.

But the first decade of the 21st Century gave us something a lot worse than the above events. It gave EPL fans Stoke City - one of the most disgusting teams to play in the Premiership since the days of Wimbledon.

If Stoke City were a porno, it would star the Octomom giving birth to eight kids and then having sex with a Rory Delap throw-in.

When Stoke City were drawn against Arsenal, they must have punched the air with delight. They love to try and beat a team that plays passing, flowing football with their own style of boots, kicks, flicks, tackles, corners, lofted balls and headers.

Stoke score goals in the same way that thugs get into a club: by kicking down the back door, rushing through like a pack of animals and knocking over the bouncer or anyone else who gets in their way.

Who gives a fuck how you get into the club as long as you get in!

Arsenal have never beaten Stoke or even got a draw against them at The Britannia Stadium. On February 27th, Arsenal will need to get three points at Stoke. Every team that wants to be a champion has to play against horrible teams and in horrible weather conditions. Stoke are that team - the new Bolton.

Aston Villa on Wednesday. Not an easy game, especially away. But there is some good news. We will have players back for that game. And by Sunday we should have Diaby, Song, Eboue and Bendtner back.

What we need is a new goalkeeper. Fabianski is a joke. We now know why Almunia is first choice.

Look at Stoke's first goal: The ball is thrown in, it arrives in the 6 yard box at chest height, yet Fabianski allows Fuller to beat him to the ball. It was disgusting! I wake up at 5:30 am and drive to Denver to watch a game that kicks-off at 6:30 am. At 6:32 am Arsenal are a goal down and I'm contemplating drinking drain fluid. Fabianski needs to realize how big Arsenal are globally because I know that there's a bunch of Gooners in California who watched the game an hour earlier than me.

Wenger needs to sign goalkeeper and fast because we have Laurel and Hardy sharing the No.1 jersey and for a club like Arsenal that's not a enough. It's like having the Octomom in charge of health care.

Keep It Arsenal

Post Match View - Stoke City F.C. (FA Cup Fourth Round)

Much of the talk leading up to this match had been about how Stoke would pose a physical challenge to Arsenal. They didn't disappoint. Unfortunately, certain Arsenal players did. Not in how we dealt with the kicking and pushing and all that but in our end product, positioning, and concentration.

Stoke was the first in a series of six matches that could ultimately define not just the season but an entire era for Arsenal Football Club. Arsene himself admitted back in August that this season would be the defining moment for the youth development vs. buying experienced players policy. The approach has taken a serious toll on many Gooners. It has been controversial to say the least. The F.A. Cup would have helped appease the disgruntled.

Match number one of the six has been a disaster but all is not lost. We have the league and Champions League to concentrate on. They were always the main priorities anyway.

Due to injuries and a run of crucial matches in the next few weeks, the manager's selection choices were limited. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas made his first start. Francis Coquelin, and Craig Eastmond started as well. The bench looked potent with Arshavin, Eduardo, and Ramsey to choose from.

We started as badly as you possibly could - in less than two minutes, a Rory Delap throw-in was headed in by Ricardo Fuller. Stoke using Route 1 strategies is nothing new. Stoke being super physical is nothing new. Stoke playing us like it's their last match ever is nothing new, especially considering it was a cup match. Us allowing them to score so early was not in the script and was worse than unforgivable.

Ideally, you'd want either Sol or Mickey marking Fuller on set pieces. Not this time! Mistake number one.

Delap got his towel, cleaned the ball, and then did what he does best. Fuller was allowed to run freely into the box. Mistake number two.

My biggest issue with the first goal is not how we weren't prepared but how Fabianski stood on his heels waiting for the ball to reach him. I'm sure he never saw Fuller coming but instead of going to meet it, he waited for the ball. Mistake number three.

1-0 Stoke

We won a free kick on 41 just outside the Stoke 18. Cesc squared to the unmarked Denilson. His low shot might have been deflected but it was enough to find its way past Sorensen. Game on!

1-1

Stoke continued pumping long balls that Sol dealt with quite well. Silvestre was steady. The out of position Coquelin was as solid as could be expected for a youngster playing out of position. Traore on the other hand was appalling. A few weeks ago, he looked to be improving. His last three performances have been scary. Add a shaky Fabianski and there were the weakest links.

I imagined that Wenger would release the hounds on or about minute 65 if we were still down a goal. In the 68th minute, he used all three subs - Walcott, Coquelin, and Emmanuel-Thomas made way for Eduardo, Arshavin, and Ramsey. The expected effect was not to be. Instead, we were caught on a counter-attack ten minutes later.

Traore stayed upfield. Denilson showed that he has no pace as the big Sidibe ran by him to deliver an inch perfect cross for Fuller to head past Fabianski. Could Sol have done better? I'm not sure. Could Denilson have done better? Certainly not from the standpoint of keeping pace but sometimes (even in the era of automatic booking for a professional foul) you have to foul, you have to make a decision. He did nothing.

2-1 Stoke

We did little to suggest a comeback was imminent. And with more important fixtures just around the corner, at that point I could forgive Gooners for not being too down about the impending result. Stoke's third came in a manner much like their first two. Woeful marking by Arsenal! I pleaded with Traore to get goal side of Wheatbread after Eastmond lost the ball. Not to be. His positioning was shocking. Etherington crossed for an easy goal from close.

3-1 Stoke.

Losing in the manner that we have and to whom we've lost bother me more than being out of the F.A. Cup. I will support all players who wear Arsenal colors but I don't have to do it blindly. I've seen enough from Fabianski to feel that he is no better than Almunia. He may do certain things better but he is not any more reliable. Would that change with a run in the team? It might do him some good to know that he's first choice, which begs the question of why he has been so poor when given a game. There were moments today when he looked like he could have used one of Delap's towels to dry his hands.

Traore has done himself no favors these past few weeks. I was convinced he was on an upward path to improvement, to challenging Clichy and Gibbs. He's gone back several steps in that regard.

Theo Walcott is young. He has time. Does that sound familiar? Bare with me. I might have to use it a few more times this season. What else can I say? I wouldn't be surprised if even the most fanatical believer is starting to wonder a little about whether we'll ever see any significant improvement from the player once thought to be the "next Thierry Henry".

Let's shake this one off and move on. Villa Wednesday. Important, era-defining matches are fast approaching. Plus, we get Stoke again next month. I'll be looking not just for a convincing victory but also for someone to clean Robert Huth's clock.

Wenger Bombs Media

Much of today's post will feature words from Arsene himself, as he brutally enacted some degree of revenge on the media while also defending William Gallas.

Arsene Wenger: What is more funny is that, when we get kicked, some people say before the game 'we know how to play Arsenal, we have to kick them' and nobody in the whole country is upset by that. I am absolutely amazed that people get away with it. When we get kicked and lose the game, the question I get from the press is 'oh, you did not fancy that'. But nobody is upset or shocked by it. When we are kicked they find that it is absolutely all right.

Fabregas has two clear penalties at Bolton and one or two here. At Bolton there was what happened after when they pulled his hair and stood on his neck. Why is no one sensitive to that? Does that not make a story? You wonder why. We saw it three or four times when we watched the tape afterwards and we spoke about it. How can that not be a penalty?

And with those words, Wenger delivered a stunning attack on the state of English reporting of sports. These were words that were clearly on the minds of many Gooners over the years. One minute, they praise our football (something that they should most definitely respect) while casually mentioning that Wenger's teams racked up x amount of red cards. Their initial instinct was to protect Martin Taylor for his horror tackle, and Gallas gets flayed alive. The tackle made by Gallas was nowhere near as high as Martin Taylor, and when viewed at full speed, you can even understand why Alan Wiley didn't give a free kick, even though it was most definitely a foul.

So, there's your lazy journalism. When we win, teams didn't "pressure" us enough and gave us too much "space". When we lose, we don't "fancy" it and we were "closed down". The fact that they merely reported on Arsene's comments and did not attempt to defend themselves says it all. It's borderline worthless to read most of the English press. We only do it to glean some stories that concern the Arsenal team directly rather than for their analysis of our games. It only took one tackle to turn us into a potentially nasty team, but that's more than fine by me. We have the three points and Bolton have none.

But Wenger also revealed this quote about the media:

"But I don't get upset any more. It just glides over me."

Exactly. Most Gooners have tuned them out as well.

Manchester United - A Warning to Others

Half-way through the second half of last Saturday's game between Manchester United and Burnley, two United fans draped a banner over the scoreboard at the Stretford End. It read: "Love United, Hate the Glazers."

Within in minutes, Old Trafford stewards had quickly removed the banner and then proceeded to aggressively eject the fans who had put it over the scoreboard. The ejection of the United fans, however, sparked the Old Trafford crowd into life with the whole stadium - bar the Burnley fans - chanting "Glazers Out!" This included the South Stand, which is not known to be vocal.

The appearance of the banner is significant. It sent out a message - that there is strong opposition against the Glazers. Opposition that will not allow the Glazers to bankrupt Manchester United.

United fans are now fighting back - angry that the Glazers have saddled Manchester United with debt over $1.1 billion. Signs that the Glazers are in major financial trouble surfaced with their NFL franchise team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The NFL has a salary cap. As an owner of a team you're fined if you go above the salary cap, but you're also fined if you don't get anywhere near close to it. Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on the brink of being fined for not getting anywhere near the basic minimum of the salary cap. The NFL doesn't like teams to be uncompetitive - and it's an example of the of the Glazers bad financial situation that they struggled to meet the required spending on wages set by the NFL's salary cap.

The Glazers are in major financial trouble. They will have to refinance and find someone to buy part of the club. Last summer, the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo helped ease some of Manchester United's debt. However, this summer, unless they sell Rooney and Vidic, Manchester United will not make anywhere near 80 million pounds.

The bond issue is confirmation of how much financial trouble the Glazers are in. The Glazers also published a prospectus stating that they want to sell United's Carrington training ground and then lease it back. Many fans fear that United are on the first road to bankruptcy.

The 80 million pounds generated by the sale of Ronaldo has not been reinvested into the team. There's no dialogue between the Glazers and the fans. The American owners refuse to acknowledge the fans. If you have dialogue with the fans, you're able to diffuse the situation. But the Glazers have a militant attitude towards United fans and even to some extent toward the players. Season ticket prices have doubled since the Glazers took control. Demonstrations of any sort are banned and players are now banned from using any social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter.

Last month, against West Ham, Manchester United were unable to play any defenders. That's shocking for a club claiming to be the biggest in the world.

There's something wrong at Manchester United.

Arsenal must never sell their assets to anyone who has to borrow money in order to buy the club.

What's happening at Manchester United and Liverpool could happen at Arsenal in the future - that's if Arsenal sell to a group or individual who borrows money and then burdens their debt on the club.

Let's hope that doesn't happen.

KEEP IT ARSENAL

Here Come The Arsenal

"When we beat them 3-0, I thought they were out of it to be honest. Arsenal are right back in the frame again." John Terry

There is a long way to go before we can call Chelsea champions, even if they look the part. They are almost everyone's choice to win the title but if they slip up, United will be in a good position to capitalize. Ferguson is a wise old man. The most intriguing team in all of football however is Arsenal F.C.

After Chelsea beat us at the Emirates back in November, we were written off. Wenger stated then that Chelsea would drop points and that the title race was not over. Add his comments that Drogba hadn't really done much in that match (he scored a brace, nothing new, really) and you had all manner of headlines referring to how much of a bad loser our manager is.

Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser. More important, show me a manager with the strength and vision to make those observations and I'll show you Arsene Wenger. Kudos also to the players for not dropping their heads.

Start looking over your shoulder John Terry. It seems that Arsene knew a little something about Chelsea that others might have missed. I am not diminishing their ability to look like an all-conquering side but Chelsea are not invincible.

Let's be clear, if Arsenal were a race car today, we'd be the one with second hand parts but still competing with the super elite models at the front. Our injury list is scary. The rate at which our players get injured is scarier. We have no business being on the verge of going top of the league.

Again, there is a long way to go. Nothing is won yet. We have to stay grounded. All familiar and often heard cliches but no less welcome. How many people predicted we'd be in this position?

So far we've experienced the loss of Robin van Persie, a player who's form was comparable to what we're currently seeing from our captain. We've managed quite well with a brave but less than 100% Andrei Arshavin. We've practically run our central defenders into the ground. We fielded the promising but very inexperienced Craig Eastmond at the Reebok Sunday to "replace" the outstanding Alex Song. Most impressively however, we've stayed in the title race with a clown in goal.

I always said doubt us at your peril. To my fellow Gooners who've kept the faith I say hold on for the ride. The fun is just starting.

Depth

Many pundits like to point out that Arsenal have no depth. They say we have too many similar types of players.

This year, the following players have been injured and missed multiple games for us:

Manuel Almunia, Abou Diaby, Cesc Fabregas, Philippe Senderos, Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri, Eduardo, Robin van Persie, Carlos Vela, Theo Walcott, Denilson, Aaron Ramsey, Mikael Silvestre, Jack Wilshere, Johan Djourou, Lukasz Fabianski, Gael Clichy, Emmanuel Eboue, Kieran Gibbs, Fran Merida, and Nicklas Bendtner.

Additionally, William Gallas and Andrey Arshavin clearly is carrying some knocks but playing through the pain and Alex Song has departed for the Africa Cup of Nations.

So what does this tell us?

One, we have depth. We have real depth. If we didn't, we'd be closer to 8th like Liverpool.

Two, Vermaelen and Gallas have been huge for us. If they get injured, both Sol and Mikael need to step up big time.

Three, Alex Song is one of the best holding players in the Premier League.

We can be frustrated by our injuries, but clearly the team pushes on. That is the mark of a winning side.

Wenger Shows He Has Balls

Above is the victorious Arsenal youth team of last season. Apart from Jay Emmanuel Thomas (who is pictured giving someone a piggy back) none of these boys scare me. They're skinny - to the extent that I can grate cheese on their ribs. But they're also just boys. Teenagers trying to make it as a professional footballer at one of the world's most elite clubs.

I tend to forget that last fact.

At the front of the photograph is Craig Eastmond pointing towards the camera. He's the latest Arsenal youth team graduate to break into the first team. Back in October, he was the surprise pick to start the game against Liverpool in the Carling Cup 4th round. By all reports he did well. He next appeared for the first team as an 84th minute substitute against Portsmouth just after Christmas.

Yesterday, against Bolton, Eastmond was named in the starting lining-up.

I was shocked.

Last month was Eastmond's 19th birthday. Age is not a factor when you're playing a team of brutes and thugs. Afterall, Mike Tyson was heavyweight champion of the world at 19.

But at 19 Iron Mike had the body of a man. At 19, Craig Eastmond doesn't.

The ability must be there, otherwise Wenger wouldn't have picked Eastmond yesterday. But it takes fucking balls by Wenger to play a skinny 19 year old rookie in a key midfield role, against a big, physical team like Bolton - at their ground, with the euphoria of having a new manager and especially with Arsenal's poor record at the Reebok.

Wenger I salute you.

For the record, Eastmond played well. Not a bad full Premiership debut in which he nearly scored.

Keep it Arsenal

Post Match View - Bolton Wanderers F.C.

I like beating Bolton. I'm over the moon not just from our 2-0 victory at the Reebok but also because I know we get another chance to beat them Wednesday. That the match today and the one upcoming midweek are very significant in the title race makes facing them even more exciting. We've answered some tough questions so far. This Bolton fixture may not be as difficult as it has been in the past but the result is just as sweet.

Craig Eastmond came in to play the holding role. Cesc returned and it was good to see that he hasn't lost the form of his life. Noteworthy inclusions on the bench were Emmanuel-Thomas, Coquelin, and the returning Gael Clichy. Our no. 22 has missed 15 games with a back injury. I haven't forgotten his performances were pretty bad before getting hurt. Let's hope he sorts that out.

Bolton were up for it. In the first two minutes they'd already shown their intention to take the game to Arsenal. Armand Traore was too willing to let that happen. Yet in fairness to the boy (and to Mark Bright who also said as much) maybe he should have been given more support. Chong-Yong Lee will never have an easier opponent marking him.

By the fifth minute, we'd weathered the early storm. Cesc threatened Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal after a decent spell of possession. Eduardo was beaten to the ball in similar fashion by Jaaskelainen on 7 and 17. Sandwiched in between, Diaby lost the ball three times and Cesc had a clear penalty not given. On 15, Traore was caught in possession. Seconds later, Almunia spilled a very easy ball to handle for a corner. The cynical Gooner could been forgiven at that point for feeling that it was going to be one of those days.

Arshavin was having yet another fairly anonymous game up top while we'd tried and failed to spring Eduardo on at least three occasion. It was going to take something special from someone else on the pitch. Step up somebody, please. Chelsea and United victories on Saturday made three points an absolute must.

Vermaelen headed away bravely on 20. Traore was at fault again. What the Italians call a tiro cross found its way past Jaaskelainen on 24. It looked like Diaby might have got there if he wanted it more or had at least anticipated better. At the other end, Gallas was forced to give Bolton an unnecessary corner. His stare at Almunia was telling. Again, it was clear that our no. 1 does little to help take pressure off the men in front of him.

On 26, an Arshavin shot won us a corner. He shouted instructions to Eatmond after. The debutant was having a so-so game. Anyone hoping to see glimpses of perhaps the next Alex Song will have to wait a bit longer. On 27, he escaped a booking after a clear and clumsy challenge on Lee. Maybe a more experienced player would have spotted and dealt with Lee's threat to Traore better than Eastmond did.

On 28, Diaby sparked a quick scramble on top of the Bolton 18. The ball fell right for Cesc. He exchanged a quick one-two with Eduardo and then buried a neat shot past the far post.

1-0 AFC

On 30, Traore headed well back to Almunia to stop a potential one on one for Lee. It was one of the very few bright moments for the left back. Two minutes later, Eastmond shot through a crowd but Jaaskelainen saved it. Meanwhile, Mark Bright might have forced a few viewers to mute their televisions with gems like "11 men are always better than 10", "Bolton must not concede a goal", "the next goal is crucial, Bolton hopes it's them", and my favorite, "all good free kicks go in".

On 34, a series of assaults on our captain started with a boot to his face and a tug of on his hair by Taylor while he laid face down in the Bolton penalty area. A minute later, he was taken down from behind by Robinson. On 38, Almunia saved from the aforementioned hair pulling Wanderer. On 40, Almunia saved well from a Klasnic shot that was not easy to see through the crowd in front of his goal.

I've heard the term 'total football' used may times in ways that didn't necessarily describe anything that had to do with total football. Vermaelen's run down the left wing to receive a ball from the Captain exemplifies total football - any player on the pitch can slot seamlessly in almost any position, at any time. We saw the same run from Gallas down the middle in the second half. Neither player ended up with the final ball but the concept was evident.

There were a couple more Traore mistakes for Lee to capitalize on and at least one more foul on Cesc by Robinson before the Half Time whistle. The Second Half would require a better performance from the nightmarish Traore, green Eastmond, anonymous Rosicky, sloppy Diaby, ineffective Arshavin, and as always, sure hands Almunia.

On 46, Klasnic could have done better after beating Gallas to a Davies knock down. I can't remember him doing more than beat Vermaelen for that header the entire match, the sorry thug. On 48, Almunia, who looked steadier in the Second Half, did well to get to yet another Lee cross before Taylor could pounce.

Gallas headed a Cesc free kick high on 51. It looked like a decent chance. Lee would force a corner off of a Gallas deflection on 54. Bolton were winning all the battles at that point.

Taylor and Diaby shots were wide and high on 60 and 61. Zat Knight did well to clear a low Traore cross as Eduardo approached. On 63, Wenger sent Merida on for Eastmond. Clearly the turning point in the game from a tactical point of view. Bolton were working hard to win midfield but the addition of another Arsenal player to keep possession or to just make better decisions with the ball was a key to the final outcome.

On 65, Cahill's vital clearance prevented a free header from the well positioned Eduardo. One minute later, Zat Knight stooped to head away with Eduardo on his hip. On 71, Taylor beat the trap but shot wide. He's done well against us in the past but he must have forgot to put in his contacts today, such was his accuracy.

Clichy came on for Rosicky on 74. Vermaelen's free kick on 76 went just over the bar. On 78, a good run by Cesc and then a good cross by Eduardo found Merida at the far post. He slotted home with his right foot.

2-0 AFC

Bolton pushed a high line and maintained pressure in pursuit of a consolation goal. I wondered if we'd catch them out for a third. The away support was fantastic at the Reebok with ONE ARSENE WENGER echoing throughout the stadium. Traore and Taylor continued their nightmares with a give away and an errant shot respectively. Perhaps Wenger wanted to let Traore work his way through what was an awful performance. He cannot play worse than that and will learn from it. I hope.

Eduardo's form of late has been a concern but he has scored in three of the last five matches and assisted on both goals today. I'll take that. I'm confident that he'll find his form and make a difference.

Bolton Wednesday. I can hardly wait.

On Silvestre/Campbell

I'm not going to dodge the issue. A large part of me was finished with Sol Campbell when he walked out of Highbury at halftime when we were down 2-0 to West Ham. Plagued by personal issues, he disappeared for three days without contact. Interestingly enough, he surfaced later for us in the Champions League final, much like Ashley Cole in what was also his last Arsenal appearance. He scored a goal in the match, and that moment made me go apeshit with joy. It wasn't to last.

We all know what happened next. Sol claimed he wanted to try football abroad, and after some time, he signed for Portsmouth. I won't go into what happened after, but it's quite a rehabilitation for a man if Arsene breaks one of his own transfer policies.

The re-signing of Sol Campbell is being greeted with much applause. I think it'll be a decent piece of business myself. I think I've only heard a few dissenting views, and admittedly there is a real risk that Sol might not be able to hack it in the Premier League anymore. But, we'll have four and a half months to judge that.

The reason why I point all of this out is to portray the negative vibes that surrounded the signing of Mikael Silvestre. In a way, it's not all that different from Sol Campbell. They're both Premier League champions with bucket loads of experience. They're both veterans that are hungry for success. They both provide real leadership.

Now, I'm not entirely pleased with Mikael Silvestre on the pitch. He's simply not the player he once was, and I know his Manchester United link rubs Arsenal fans the wrong way. But Sol Campbell also played for Tottenham at one time, so all can be forgiven. It's only if a player moves in the opposite direction that he deserves scorn (see David Bentley). Making that move is bold and negative associations should be erased once it happens. Sir Alex Ferguson reluctantly allowed Silvestre to join Arsenal, as he didn't want to stand in his way, much like Wenger allowing Senderos to leave for free.

The reaction of most bloggers to the signing of Sol Campbell is largely the opposite of the signing of Mikael Silvestre.

My feelings are that Arsene would not sign a player for any sentimental reasons. Something must remain in the tank, and if Sol showed that desire in training, he's going to be a worthwhile stop gap signing.

He won't be available for Bolton tomorrow, but Cesc will. And with Cesc on the pitch, everybody seems to play better. I didn't approve of the crucifixion of William Gallas, but Cesc may end up being a decent captain himself.

SCUM

The mother fucker above is Pat Robertson - a conservative, Southern Baptist, televangelist. He is the founder of a number of businesses, educational institutions and has media holdings in Asia, Africa and Britain. His estimated wealth is between $200 to $1 billion.

This is what Pat Robertson had to say about the earthquake disaster in Haiti:

Back in the 19th century the Haitian people "got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said we will serve you if you get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, OK it's a deal."

The obese, drug addict Rush Limbaugh also waded in, claiming that the Haitian earthquake was made to order for President Obama because it would allow him to "burnish his credibility...with both light skinned and black skinned" African American's.

I know that Arsenal play Bolton tomorrow but these disgusting comments by two mentally disturbed men have to be published for all to read.

Haitians - suffering their most lethal earthquake for two centuries - are digging for survivors with their bare hands. And in such an inaccessible country the death toll can only be guessed at. The people of Haiti need help not comments from cunts like Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh.

Keep it Arsenal

Bolton Wanderers Back to Back

It's been an eventful week so far. Liverpool were knocked out of the FA cup 3rd round by Championship side Reading who are fighting a relegation battle. Liverpool cannot afford to fire Benitez. It would cost them over $25 million. I have no sympathy for Liverpool fans. Growing up in London during the late 1970's and 1980's a lot of kids supported Liverpool because they won trophies. They were glory hunters - the original Man U fans. They hated Arsenal when George Graham turned the club's fortunes around. They still do but even more so because Wenger has got Arsenal playing better football than any of the Liverpool teams that played throughout the 1970's and 1980's.

Liverpool are in trouble. If they don't make 4th spot at the end of this season, then Torres will have to go. Gerrard may follow. Off the pitch they are financially unstable. An average team and bad finance do not bode well.

Eight Ghanains from the victorious Under 20 World Cup team are in Ghana's squad to play Ivory Coast today. With a number of notable names missing - such as Essien and Appiah - from Ghana's team tomorrow, we could see one or two of them make their African Cup of Nations debut.

Certain English managers have been complaining about losing players to the tournament. In France, 66 players have left to play in Angola. Haven't heard many complaints coming from their club managers and coaches.

Haven't seen an Arsenal hat-trick for a long time, especially in the Premier League. I wonder if Sunday's game against Bolton will provide one for Arsenal. Eduardo step forward.

Two back to back games against Bolton. What joy!

Keep it Arsenal

But Why Sol Campbell?

Many Gooners fear that January will have come and gone sans significant new signings. It’s clear that we need cover for Gallas and Vermaelen, but in the form of Sol Campbell??? Why would Wenger sign HIM?

If it happens, this move is one that I’ll have to accept blindly and one for which I’ll just trust our manager. I’ve had sleepless nights thinking about what would happen if one or both of our first choice central defenders suffer long-term injuries. Sol Campbell doesn’t exactly make me feel safer but neither does Senderos.

I’m not so trivial that I’ll dwell on it but it must be said, my issues with Sol are simple; he walked out on his teammates at Half Time of a match. Worse yet, it was a match that we lost. That is as unacceptable as it gets. Why would Wenger sign him?

When Arsene subbed Campbell at Half Time, the AWOL center-half had already been at fault for two West Ham goals. We finished the game with Seb Larsson and Mathieu Flamini at FB, and Johan Djourou and Phil in central defence. It was an awful experience.

Maybe Campbell can still offer something good enough to help us win games. His interviews suggest a hunger that could actually help him push for more than a place on the bench. Well, a First Team place might be a stretch at this point but then why else would Wenger sign him?

He’s played in the EPL for nearly his entire career so there won’t be an assimilation period. There were reports a while back that he could end up at Manchester United. If he signs for us, he at least won’t be lining up for a rival. Heh! Spurs fans could see Sol Campbell winning another trophy in an Arsenal uniform. THAT would be glorious.

If Wenger does sign Campbell, he will have made a serious volte face. Has he seen enough in Sol to give him a contract? I suppose the answer could be yes. Why else would Wenger sign him?

I don’t hold grudges but nor do I forget. I welcome him if Arsene does. We’ll see what happens.

Sol Campbell Returns

Sol Campbell owes us big time.

Ramsey Failed at a Corner

The Everton game exposed certain truths. Number one: Young players do not have the mental concentration that more experienced players like Gallas have. Take the first Everton goal. It came from a corner kick. Whenever Arsenal defend a corner kick, they defend using zonal marking. For me zonal marking does not work for set pieces such as corner kicks. For corner kicks you need old fashioned man to man marking. Zonal marking leaves players marking an area not a man. When Everton took their corner, Osman was standing on the edge of the penalty area. He then sprinted into the zonal area that Aaron Ramsey was covering, only Ramsey was staring at the corner kick not having a clue on who he should mark. His awareness was completely off, so he missed Osman's run.

It was Ramsey's job to pick up Osman. Gallas and Vermaelen were marking Cahill and Fellaini. Sagna was trying to help protect our pathetic goalkeeper Almunia from Saha. No goalkeeper should have his right back acting as his bouncer. The sooner Almunia gets injured the better.

On the goal line, covering the right and left posts were Nasri and Denilson. Traore was covering the area between the front post and the corner kick while Diaby was acting as back up for Gallas and Vermaelen.

On the edges of the penalty area were Arshavin and Eduardo. The Russian was closer to Osman. He watched Osman make his run but decided not to act. Instead he raised his arm - for what I have no clue. If Arshavin had taken responsibilty and tracked Osman maybe the scores would have stayed at 0-0. He didn't and instead passed responsibility on to Ramsey who failed miserably.

Almunia once again showed why he should not be in the Arsenal first team. He can't command his box, he can't punch the ball, or catch the ball. He is a HIV goalkeeper spreading uncertainty throughout the Arsenal players. OK he made a great save against Vaughn but that's what Arsenal goalkeepers are expected to do. Every time Arsenal have to defend a corner or a cross I worry - are we protected? Because with Almunia as our condom, you know we're not!

Traore is not a left back. He had a shocker. He's a left winger. He had no help at all. Aged 20 he needs help playing in a position that he's not comfortable with. Who was in front of him against Everton? Aaron fucking Ramsey - King of the Markers when it comes to defending corners. Traore did not have a good game. Positionally Traore was poor. Every time there was an Arsenal set play or corner kick, the two center-backs would go up into attack and leave Traore as the last man, which is what happened for Everton's second goal. If you're a 20 year old center-back you need someone more experienced to stay back and help you.

Everton got into Arsenal very quickly. They were fast out of the blocks and disrupted Arsenal's fluency. Led by the cunt Phillip Neville who had a good game at right-back. But when Everton gained possession, they played the ball very well. All over the pitch Everton were first to the ball. They snuffed out Arshavin, Arsenal's best player going forward. To stop Arshavin you have to cut off the service to him. For the first 20 minutes of last Saturday's game, Arshavin hardly touched the ball. It was only in the last 10 to 15 minutes that he was a threat.

Everton hussled and harried Arsenal's midfield. Moyes got his tactics spot on.

Bolton will be different.

Man City are now in the title race

I'm not worried

Keep it Arsenal

Three Points Dropped, One Rescued

- During a season, there is a big emphasis placed on beating teams that you should beat. For the Big Four, this basically means that you should win all your home fixtures against teams that are not in the Top Six. Everton are currently not there, but they certainly could be by the end of the year. After defeating them 6-1 earlier this year at Goodison, nobody could have expected a waltz, especially when you factor in the terrible weather.

- That being said, we were slow to start the game once again. I don't know why this happened yet again, but it made me wonder if Wenger was going to unleash another tirade at the team. Allowing Leon Osman, the smallest figure on the pitch, to score off a corner is not acceptable. Earlier this year, much was made of the odd stat that we hadn't scored a goal in the first 15 minutes (which ended when Cesc scored against Burnley). That stat makes perfect sense to me. We're frequently slow starters, and frankly it's getting increasingly annoying.

- Both are goals were technically "lucky", but they were the result of slick passing moves. Why don't you tell me how many of these "lucky" goals that Frank Lampard scores every other week? You don't have the British media stuffing the word "lucky" down our throats when he does that, do you?

- Manuel Almunia was atrocious once again. He almost got Sagna injured when he threw a ball to him and Pienaar quickly tackled Bacary in an attempt to try to win the ball. He collided into Traore when it appeared that Armand had it covered. He flapped out a cross which made him effectively concede an open net. He went down to ground far too early and allowed Pienaar to chip it over him with ease. He failed to communicate to Traore that nobody was near him, allowing us to concede another corner. He made a decent 1 v. 1 save against James Vaughan, but did little else. How many times does he have to be told that a goalkeeper's duty is not to start attacks but to relieve pressure? How many times is he going to toss a ball to one of our sidebacks when they're not ready to receive a pass?

- The James Vaughan 1 v. 1 was created in a moment of incredibly poor sportsmanship by Everton. Denilson was on the ball and suddenly crumbled to the ground. He was not tackled or put under pressure by an Everton player. We were down by a goal, so this was no attempt to stop Everton's momentum nor was it time wasting. Now I understand that you're supposed to play to the whistle, but they should have kicked the ball out. Instead, they launched an attack and created a massive opportunity for Vaughan. After that chance died, Cahill kicked the ball out of bounds and the commentators saluted Everton for their sportsmanship. That's frankly ridiculous.

- Andrey Arshavin was a peripheral figure, as were our other forwards for most of the match. Nasri linked well, but we created very few chances during the match. We need to get Andrey the ball more. The fact that Landon Donovan, who gave Traore a torrid time, had more of the ball than Andrey is a galling fact. It's both Andrey and the team's fault.

- Quite honestly, without Cesc and Alex Song, our midfield was light and it was always going to show. After a couple of sparkling displays, Ramsey added nothing to the match other than some tidyness. Denilson was effective, but we failed to control the game for large patches of it. Everton were simply the more eager side, closing down on our players fast.

- At around half time, I wondered how fair it was that we were playing in such atrocious conditions, when most clubs didn't even try to get their matches off. Fulham, also in London, postponed their match. There are not as many scheduling conflicts for teams like Hull, so why would they try to get their match in?

- At 1-1, I thought to myself, with this weather, we need to score soon. Anything could happen, and when Rosicky gave away the ball, they scored. At 2-1 down, conceding two corners in a row, an equalizer and a point was most welcome. The fact is, we could have scored again after the second goal and we really did go for it.

- The elimination of thinking that "a draw is a good point" is what led to us conceding the second goal. Throughout the year, we've been going for winners more frequently than in past seasons. That's both a good and bad thing, but in this case, a draw really is a decent point.

- When Gallas, Vermaelen, and Denilson all went down during the game, I feared for the worst. Apparently, the central defenders are both fine, but how much longer can they continue to be durable?

- I've been reading a lot of reports saying that Everton were robbed of the three points. While we were outplayed in the first half, we largely dominated the match in the second half. The only reason we went down is because we were aggressively trying to go for the winning goal. We had 65% of the possession. Just because a smaller club comes and frustrates a club like ours for large stretches does not mean that they deserve three points. It just means that they competed. A draw was the correct result.

- As it stands, a draw means we are now three points behind Chelsea. That still means that we can beat them at Stamford Bridge and be ahead of them. That is why the single point has value. This is the opposite of when we threw away two points at Upton Park. As disappointing as the performance was, an actual loss would have stunted our momentum. We prevented that, and Rosicky atoned for his earlier mistake by having a huge hand in winning us the point that moments earlier seemed gone.

Patrick Vieira

Good one, Myles.

Theo Wankott

Theo Walcott is like a woman that is reasonably hot, who has a good career, above average intelligence, well traveled, with a great body.

You take her on a date.

The cinema is out, so is the bar - you have a feeling she is above that shit - so you take her to a fancy wank restaurant that you usually reserve for Valentine's Day. The waiter tells you about the specials as if he is describing the diet of an Amazon insect that you've never heard of. He then describes a wine list - you immediately switch off wanting to get the fuck out of there. The waiter is now akin to being a Man United aficionado, and is therefore a cunt. However, your pretentious date seems to be enamored by the tosser.

She orders the special and makes you buy a $100 bottle of wine. At this point you think - she better give me the goods tonight. But she doesn't. Like Walcott she gets injured at the crucial moment.

You take the phony bird home and get frisky. Things between you get heated. To the point where she tells you that the film "There Will Be Blood" will appear if you carry on.

15 minutes into the game and Walcott is off injured again. What a let down.

I want my women to be like Alex Song. Non-stop action for 90 minutes. Commands her box. Aggressive going forward. Good head. Knows how to play her balls. Comfortable under pressure.

Instead, I get Theo Wankcott. Falls over like a drunk. Heads the ball with her teeth. Can only last 15 minutes then complains about cramps. Talks about dating a celebrity like Wankott talks about playing for England in the World Cup.

Is it fucking worth it? With a bird like Wankott - fuck No!

Walcott is all hype and no orgasm.

Give me this 6 foot 8 giant that plays in Romania.

I'm sick of this constantly injured Theo Wankott.

Keep it Arsenal

Great Players, Memorable Matches - 1981 European Cup Winners' Cup Final

In 1981, Georgian/Soviet Union side Dinamo Tbilisi faced Carl Zeiss Jena of East Germany in the Cup Winners' Cup Final. It was one of the most entertaining matches I have ever seen. The match sticks in my mind for its entertainment value as well as for the indelible image of the classy David Kipiani.

Kipiani is the mustachioed guy in the center of the picture above. He wore the no. 10 and played like one - superior technique, skillful, great vision. He would manage Dinamo after retirement before his unfortunate death in 2001. Unfortunately, he didn't feature in a FIFA World Cup Finals tournament.

If you can get your hands on that 1981 Cup Winners' Cup Final, buy it on sight.

1 -

Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers is OFF

Due to heavy snow in London today's game is OFF.

Substitute

What do Emmanuel Petit, Gilberto Silva, and Alex Song have in common? They all started their careers as a central defender.

Last year, when Mathieu Flamini departed for AC Milan, Denilson inherited the role of being the defensive shield for the back four. He was largely dismissed as being ineffective, even though statistics may prove otherwise. Slowly, Alex Song started to step into the breach, as Wenger started tweaking our team towards the 4-3-3 formation at the end of last year.

This year, Alex Song has been the revelation of the season for most people, but not here at eighteen86. We were pretty confident of his ability, going so far as to name him our Player of the Season last year. Easily capable of filling in for Gallas and Vermaelen when they go forward, Song has sometimes played deep enough to be considered the third central defender on the pitch. He's also broken up attacks, generally been all over the pitch, and played fine passes as well. So, saying that he's just a player who sits deep and helps to defend is selling him short. That being said, his upbringing cannot be overlooked. In fact, at the end of last year, Arsene himself stated that Song was more suited to being a defender than a midfielder. Whether or not those were meant to be inspirational words for Song, that's up to you.

Patrick Vieira was a dominant box to box midfielder. He was never a defensive shield for Arsenal. He was never a holding player for Arsenal, not quite. Emmanuel Petit and Gilberto Silva did that job for us when Vieira was in the team. The fact that Patrick could tackle like a demon and intimidate opponents added to his awesome ability. It helped stabilize our team defensively and made opponents shake in their boots. When Wenger tried to play Vieira and Cesc, that did not work. We didn't have enough to repel attacks and nothing clicked. Had it been given more time, it may have proved more fruitful, but we'll never really know.

After Vieira was sold, Wenger paired Gilberto with Cesc in the middle. This worked on and off, but without the penetrative power of Vieira, something felt missing. At the time, Cesc's defensive abilities were nearly non-existent; he has actually improved quite a bit in that regard. So, that partnership never quite worked either.

Two years later, Gilberto was off on international duty with Brazil. Wenger decided to pair Cesc with Flamini and things started to click. The reason for this seems quite clear. Despite his small tactical brain, Flamini provided aggression and hustle, things that rubbed off on newly permanent starters Alexander Hleb and Tomas Rosicky. That year, we defended as a unit. Everybody except Robin van Persie tracked back and applied pressure on the ball. Capello made the observation that Arsenal attacks with eight men and defend with ten men. We were the dominant team, until Cesc got an injury. But the formula made sense. 4-4-2 still worked.

The next year, when Flamini left, Wenger tried to continue with 4-4-2, but abandoned it near the end of the year. Denilson is a fine interceptor of the ball, but he's not quite the player that Petit, Gilberto, and Song are. That's no knock on him, but he's not the partner for Cesc in a 4-4-2 system. That's what precipitated the move to 4-3-3. With Arshavin and van Persie in the team, Wenger realized that he needed an extra body in midfield to protect our defense.

When Robin van Persie went down and Alex Song proving his worth beyond all doubt, I thought a change to a 4-4-2 could be possible. Now, Cesc, with a few years experience and adding more to his all around game, and Alex Song could form a partnership and we could play 4-4-2 with Arshavin in the hole. That didn't happen. Instead, Diaby has stepped up and proved that he can provide an impact from central midfield in an advanced position. Remember, when we first acquired Diaby, we thought that Diaby would play the tough road fixtures and Cesc would play the home fixtures. They were never supposed to be partners in the middle, so let's dispel that possibility immediately.

Which brings us all the way back to Denilson. He will be the one to fill in for Alex Song. Denilson has not played that role in a 4-3-3 system, but that base can only help him. Ideally, a 4-3-3 is a dangerous system because it's a 4-3-3 while going forward and a 4-5-1 when we defend. He'll also have Diaby alongside him and Ramsey, who can also put a foot in occasionally.

I believe Denilson can do the job. But will his back hold up? That's the real question.

Round Up

West Ham will not go down. This is mainly because Burnley are about to lose Owen Coyle and also because Hull, Portsmouth, Wigan and Wolves are crap.

Owen Coyle joining Bolton should have no bearing on Wednesday's game. Coyle is expected to be officially announced as Bolton's new manager on Thursday and will watch the game from the stands at The Emirates. Coyle leaving Burnley means relegation for the Lancashire club.

The attendances of some clubs in last weekends FA cup was atrocious. Wigan only managed just over 5,000 fans to watch their tie against Blackburn Rovers. Last season just over 4,000 fans attended Wigan's home fixture against Notts County in the Carling Cup. Wigan are currently bottom of the Premier League average attendance table with an average of 18, 464. But they are not alone. Ex-EPL outfit Middlesbrough only attracted 12,400 fans to their 3rd round fixture against big spending Manchester City.

Both clubs belong in the Championship.

Leeds beating Manchester United was sweet. Leeds deserved their win. Shame that Man United loving and Fox Soccer Channel host Jeremy St. Louis (what a wank name) did not show Leeds hitting the crossbar in the second half. Viewers of his corny show only saw Leeds goal and then Man United chances. It was biased reporting. To lose to a team two divisions below you is disgraceful. Most managers would have lost their jobs over that defeat. Instead Fergurson blamed the referee as he always does when Man United lose.

Stoke City away in the next round is not going to be easy - for Stoke that is. I think that this is the ideal draw for Arsenal. We know it's going to be tough so the players are going to be up for it. If Arsenal were drawn against QPR away the players may have dropped their guard a little.

The win against West Ham was excellent. A great game with great goals. Eduardo looks as though he is back. His goal was class. It came out of nowhere. Totally unexpected. Ramsey is turning into a very good player. He reminds me of a young Paul Scholes. Vela's cross to Eduardo was also great. His tussle with that hot-head Diamanti was a growing up experience.

Sol Campbell will not be signing for Arsenal. Vieira will join Man City and not Arsenal. So Myles Palmer you can eat horse shit. Dzecko is off to AC Milan in the summer when Arsenal will sign the Ajax full-back van der Wiel.

Stay tuned.

Keep it Arsenal

No Replay

I started with this picture just to point out that Jimenez did not receive a yellow card for this challenge. I do not care if he didn't mean to do it, a foul is a foul. Diaby went down in a heap and started clutching his right shoulder. I feared the worst. I assumed that this was another one of those "strange injuries" Diaby tends to pick up.

After being incensed on the ground, Diaby got back up and pressed on as usual. To lose the presence of Diaby right now would be a massive blow. He is majestic at the moment. He's not Patrick Vieira, and he should not be compared to him. Diaby has provided the thrust that this team sorely needed, and when the substitutions were made, they made a substantial difference.

To recap the first long stretch of action, you need to start with Lukasz Fabianski. He is a very proactive goalkeeper. That means, he'll come out for balls, catch them when you should, and punch when you can't catch. He made a stunning save on Stanislas, an effort that could have left us done and dusted. When Diamanti easily beat Silvestre's attempt at an offside trap, he was 1 v. 1 with Fabianski. Some have blamed the Polish stopper, saying he got a hand to the ball and couldn't do more. I'd suggest the fact that he got a hand on it, from such a short distance, would reinforce my view that his reflexes are top notch.

Wilshere was ineffective, and Merida's ideas never came off. Give some credit to Wenger, for the most part, he really did want to win this match. He might have settled with losing the match as well, but he definitely did not want to draw. He brought on Diaby and Nasri for the jejune youngsters because Wenger wanted to win the game.

They made an instant difference, adding initiative and slick passing to the team. Soon, a Robert Green double save only kept us out.

With a touch of luck, the ball fell kindly for Ramsey who dispatched it wickedly past Green and into the net.

1-1, time to go for the kill.

Eduardo rose to meet a Vela cross to score a superb striker's goal. He may not have confidence shooting the ball with his feet, but that header was a peach. It was placed perfectly, and you knew West Ham was finished.

After the match, we drew Stoke City away. I obviously do not fear anybody, but I would have preferred a minnow. The reason for that lies in the fixtures. This is the series of games after the FA Cup match away to Stoke: Aston Villa away, Manchester United home, Chelsea away, Liverpool home, followed by FC Porto away.

Methinks that the FA Cup may be sacrificed, but for the moment, I'm happy that we're still in the FA Cup and that Ramsey chose us over Manchester United.

Diaby & Co. - On Their Way Up?

"...we have everything here to be a great team and we have got to give our best and give everything to win something this year." Abou Diaby

When we lost our lead in the title race in 2007-08, we had a squad with key players who haven't exactly made the difference we hoped for. Hleb hit top form with us but then faded quickly before giving in to Nastia and leaving for Barcelona. Rosicky seems to have Darren Anderton disease. Sagna has been good but not exactly EPL XI material as in his first season at Arsenal. Poor Eduardo nearly lost his leg and has not been the player he was. Those were the 20-something year olds who were supposed to make the difference.

At the halfway point of this season, we are well positioned to make 2010 our year. A game in hand, top scorers, best goal difference, and with a dodgy keeper, no less. Cloning Vermaelen, Gallas, Cesc (RvP and Arshavin too) is probably the best way to guarantee that we'll win the title. That's probably what it will take to be convincing enough. But wait, the kids Wenger brought in to play alongside those 20-somethings are beginning to look like they finally are ready to do the business.

We've been getting the right results but I'm also encouraged by the quote above. Abou Diaby gets it. There is an urgency this season that recent victories over Liverpool and the humbling of Top Four wannabes Aston Villa have done well to address. Diaby & Co. seem to know what's at stake. They know they have to win something it they're to be taken seriously. Sure, we've heard before that they have the spirit and the togetherness but the difference this year is that Song, Nasri, Ramsey, Traore, and Diaby are walking the walk.

Arsenal fans are starting to accept that maybe the kids aren't as bad as they thought. A big Chelsea fan I know recently told me that he rates Diaby. He put him on Essien level. I'm sure he wasn't taking the piss.

High praise!

Premature praise!

I'm just happy he's starting to look like the potential may be realized after all. I've always felt that Arsenal fans just aren't patient enough. Understandable I guess, especially after The Invincibles' success. Let's be clear however, if Wenger buys a player, there is a big chance that he will be a positive contributor to our cause.

More and more I sense that we've turned the corner. What an exciting season so far and it looks to get even more exciting. If Abou and the boys stay on form, if Cesc, Niklas, and Neves come back from injury before the difficult run of matches in late January/early February, we can make this season memorable for the right reasons.

First things first! West Ham and Bolton must be dealt with.