It is Written

Arsene Wenger described the Wednesday night second leg fixture against Roma as a game that may shape their destiny. The media is describing the performance as a poor one, but a breakthrough. I don't think we played poorly, but it was a game where we learned a lot about our players.

After suffering a setback and an attempt by Roma to overrun us in the first 60 minutes, we experienced moments of fortune (Clichy's penalty decision and Baptista reminding us of the lowlights of his Arsenal days), but we remained strong.

In the final 60 minutes of the game, I thought we controlled it while remaining cautious. Understand that the situation made everybody nervous. Roma certainly didn't want to concede because of the away goals. We certainly didn't want to concede in regular time, because that could have ended the game and were we to concede in extra time, we still would have had time to equalize.

It made for a nerve wracking tie. It wasn't the best display of football, but it was compelling football.

While I was watching the game, an older man behind me kept crucifying Bendtner throughout the match. Sometimes, it wasn't even Bendtner on the ball (it was van Persie), but he yelled at the screen screaming Wenger to take him off. I had enough, I turned around, and I said, "What did he do wrong now?" He replied, "he breathed."

That's all I needed to hear. Never mind the fact that Amy Lawrence (not necessarily a die-hard Wenger supporter, but a mild Arsenal fan) of the Guardian said Bendtner was the best Arsenal player on the night. These idiots refuse to even give him a chance. On the night where Eboue was booed off the pitch at the Emirates, a small contingent of Arsenal "fans" booed Bendtner's name when announced before kickoff. Frankly, this is completely unacceptable for a striker who has more goals than Gabriel Agbonlahor and was deployed out of position to boot on Wednesday night.

As extra time neared the end, I had two thoughts in my mind. One was, for whatever reason, when watching Diaby make a surging run forward, a thought popped into my head. "Diaby is going to score the winning goal for us," I turned and said to a friend. The second thought was far negative. I could accept a loss, but I feared that the fallout would be devastating. The "fans" would rip the team to shreds. The media would rip the team to shreds. Having extra games is far more easier to cope with than the devastating loss that could have been suffered on Wednesday.

Regardless of that, I turned my attention to the penalty kick shootout. Now, it's such a unique experience. It's essentially a coin flip, you could say, but nerves and determination count for a lot. If you lose, it's devastating to the point of depression. Totti claimed after the game that he would have rather lost 3-0 than lose on a penalty kick shootout (I take satisfaction in this, as a France fan, he knows how it feels now). He said it felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest. But if you win a penalty shootout, it means everything. It's a genuine breakthrough.

While watching it, I knew we would win, but I was still nervous. In retrospect, the whole shootout lasted 14 minutes in duration, and it felt like three hours.

Eduardo missed his first PK. Afterwards, it was revealed that even though he missed, he said this to Kolo:

"When he came back he just said ‘Kolo, we’re going to win,’ and I said ‘Yeah, I believe in that.'

What an attitude to have!

In the other kicks, we had Walcott emulating Beattie (I did notice this while watching and I wondered if he was influenced by him) barely slipping it through.

We had Denilson, a man who had never taken a penalty in his entire career, step up and take the fifth and potentially final penalty kick for us. That's all I need to know about Denilson and how much Wenger believes in him. He buried it. Like Cesc, who put the sword to Italy and destroyed Spain's supposed "curse" in big European competitions, I knew Neves would come through. Denilson really is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.

More penalties to come. But when Diaby stepped up, I knew it was over. I knew that this was our destiny, and that this was our way home.

And what a breakthrough it is.

Almunia, who admittedly didn't look entirely comfortable as a shootout goalkeeper (compare his body language to Lehmann's body language in the World Cup game against Argentina), said this type of game can give you two years experience in 120 minutes.

Theo said that they celebrated like they won the World Cup.

These sound like exaggerations, and they may slightly be so. But for a young team, it is the first step on the way to major trophies. Before you win trophies, you take steps like these.

You take steps like winning away at Bolton. You take steps like holding your own against an Italian team in hostile opposition. You take steps like winning penalty shootouts when the pressure is unrelenting.

There is an expectation that we will drop off against Blackburn tomorrow, and it definitely may happen. Here's where the Arshavin signing comes in handy. He will be fully rested and ready to go.

Blackburn have the deplorable walrus Allardyce back, but he has only recruited a few of his former players, notably El Hadji Diouf. They have injury problems of their own, but feature Jason Roberts (of Wigan lore) in attack.

We will rotate the squad some, but a breakthrough like the one in Europe sends a jolt of energy throughout the team. Those that did not play still celebrated on the pitch.

And Wednesday, on a night that had many twists and turns, only had one outcome that was written in the stars:

This team can grow into a juggernaut, but if players are not strong mentally, things will crumble. This team will not crumble.

Now Let's Concentrate on the Premiership

The last time Arsenal scored a goal in the first half of a home Premiership match was last year. Arsenal didn't win, instead they drew 1-1.

Arsenal should have won that game but Robbie Keane equalized for Liverpool and thus ended Arsenal's slim title hopes. It was also the last time that Cesc Fabregas played for Arsenal.

I hate Liverpool. Last seasons Champions League quarter-final defeat still pains me. There are many more similar games like it. We always have the better of the play against them, but get caught by Liverpool's counter-attacking sucker punch.

I also hate the way Liverpool play. It's like a military operation rather than a ballet performance. I'm indifferent about their game against Manchester United on Saturday. It's a result that I couldn't care less about.

My thoughts are on Arsenal's game against Blackburn Rovers.

I would love to see Blackburn go down. I traveled to Blackburn on Christmas Eve 1998. I went to a nightclub above a parking lot. The nightclub was huge but the rest of Blackburn wasn't.

It was a ghost town.

Blackburn is not a city. It's too small. Apart from the nightclub, there was nothing else going on in Blackburn. And as for the weather in Blackburn, forget about it. Blackburn makes dreary Cleveland look like Miami. It always rains there and never has a summer.

The place is a hole.

Racially the town is divided. Whites stick with whites and 3rd generation Pakistani's stick with 3rd generation Pakistani's. The nightclub represented this. It had two massive rooms. In one room techno music played. White guys on ecstasy would sweat away, with their jaws having gone AWOL and their eyes as large as the moon. In the other room popular hits of the day were being played. Pakistani boys with northern accents were downing pints of lagers and hitting on anything that walked their way. It was a strange place.

You could buy fish and chips there. I've never been to a club where you can buy fish and chips. Pop a pill, dab some speed, down a pint, pull a dog or as a last resort - eat fish and chips.

That's Blackburn.

I couldn't wait to leave.

That season 1998/99 Blackburn Rovers under Brian Kidd were relegated. I was a happy man. However, they soon returned like an old hemorrhoid on your crack cheek. Playing long, painful, brutal, football. Even when they won the Premiership they played this style of football.

Now that they have Sam Allardyce in charge, their style will just get worse.

The last time Arsenal won at home in the Premiership was January 10th. Two months ago. I just hope that after Wednesday night Arsenal have the motivation and energy to beat Blackburn.

I know I will be up for it but then I am a fan. And this brings me to my next point. Aston Villa verses Spurs on Sunday.

Spurs fans will want Villa to win on Sunday to stop us from getting into the Champions League next season. Even though they are in a relegation battle, they would still rather lose. That's how much they hate Arsenal.

The Spurs manager Harry Redknapp looks at the game differently.

He hates Villa fans. He hates them because of the abuse he received at Villa Park after his arrest last season for corruption.

"There were people behind me shouting filth," Redknapp responded after taunting Villa fans with three fingers after his Portsmouth team had just won 3-1. He then had the ignominy of running to the Portsmouth team bus to avoid the waiting Villa hate mob.

Unfortunately, in his haste, Redknapp missed a step and tripped, stumbling into the bus much to the delight of Villa's baying fans.

In the Premier League this season, Portsmouth drew 0-0 at Villa Park. Redknapp endured more abuse. This time a coin was thrown by a Villa fan, which injured assistant referee Phil Sharp. The coin was aimed for Redknapp.

Redknapp will want to beat Villa and nothing will give him more satisfaction than seeing Villa fans watch their team throw away 4th place on Sunday.

The Translator Speaks

On Monday, I spoke via email to a gentleman who does translations for our company. He is based in Modena, Italy. As we chatted it became clear that his English is limited to technical matters that he makes a nice sum translating for us, but it is good enough for him to express himself. The conversation went as follows:

Me:
Do you watch Calcio? I am an Arsenal fan - big game vs. Roma Wednesday.

Translator:
Roma will win
No doubt about it
Regards

Me:
I hope you’re wrong, obviously.
We shall see.

Translator:
We'll see
X

Me:
When I was younger, I used to watch Calcio every Sunday. I remember the great Roma teams that included Di Bartolomei, Pruzzo, Conti, Falcao, Cerezo et al.

Translator:
I'm not young but I keep watching it every week

Have a great day
Regards
X

_____________________________________________________

Yeah! We shall see, Cunto!
COME ON ARSENAL!

Tension

In the 2006 Champions League Final run, we defeated illustrious teams on our way.

A declining Real Madrid were defeated by a lone Thierry Henry strike, an individual goal worth it's weight in gold. Next up was Juventus, a team not in decline, but easily mugged by our boys at Highbury. Robert Pires actually making a tackle against Patrick Vieira that led to a goal was the highlight in this tie.

Next was a fixture that everybody assumed would be a cakewalk, a Villarreal team led by Juan Roman Riquelme.

The first tie was a feisty affair, decided in our favor to a lone Kolo Toure strike. Going into the second leg, Wenger said all the right things. He stated that we weren't going over there to defend, and that a right balance of attack needed to be found.

The truth was that we were bombarded by a Villarreal team that on the balance of play just about deserved a draw. A Clichy that was coming back from a long injury recover looked terribly out of form and conceded an incredibly soft penalty to Villarreal at the very end.

I remember watching the penalty kick sequence. The tension was unbelievable. But deep inside, I knew that Jens would save the penalty kick. For me, it was in the way the sequence was edited. It felt like a film, and I knew this film would have a happy ending. Later on, Wenger would say, "I knew that if Jens could save it, we would be in the final."

When Jens did save it, I leapt for joy. A friend of mine grabbed me by both of my arms and began to jump up and down. I had heavy bruises from this the day after. He said, "the ref did everything to screw us." Right, he was.

Tomorrow, we go to Roma in a similar situation. The mark of a young team is one that cannot defend a lead in crucial situations. You require maturity and experience to get through something of the sort.

People say this team is young, and that it is, but we do have the experience to get through. Wenger knows exactly how difficult a situation it is, but perhaps a slender lead will give us more focus. Surely, if we get through this leg, we have a decent shot at winning the Champions League with our key players all returning quite soon.

It will be rough, but tomorrow, a balance must be struck, between experience and youth, attack and defense, flair and composition, glory and a simple result.

It is, as Wenger calls it, "our defining moment." I cannot wait for what this team will show us in the future, but bear in mind that the future had already started as soon as Wenger stepped into the marble halls at Highbury.

Smudger and Henry

Can you remember when Thierry Henry was in is pomp playing for Arsenal? He destroyed teams single handed. No striker in the Premiership could touch him. His goals and assists were world class.

Yet the debate about Henry underachieving in big matches still continues.

According to so called experts such as Tommy Smyth, the Frenchman never turned up for the "big games." The 2006 Champions League final is cited as one example.

For Tommy Smyth, scoring lots of goals against poor Premiership teams and weak defenses is not world class. In his eyes, Henry should have achieved more with the talent that he had, but because of his ego, he fell short.

Some Arsenal fans agree with Tommy Smyth. In fact, there are some that were happy that Henry was sold to Barcelona in the summer of 2007. These Arsenal fans view Henry's ego as having a negative impact because he didn't allow the younger Arsenal players to flourish. His demands for the ball and for Arsenal's play to be centered around him nearly ruined the development of players such as Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas. This is especially true at the end of Henry's Arsenal career, where his ego took over him. Henry became lazy and dominated the Arsenal team to its detriment.

If you look back at Henry's Arsenal career, there are certain goals and games that stand out. His Champions League goal against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu. His solo run and goal from the half-way line against Spurs. His twisting and turning of the Liverpool defense at Highbury in 2004. His header against Manchester United in 2007. His turn and volley against them in 2000. His 25 yard screamer against them in 2004. His hat-trick against Roma, his double against Inter Milan in the San Siro.

All were big teams.

All were big games.

In the civil war that is raging among Arsenal fans, the Henry debate is crucial. If you are a Negative you downplay Henry's contribution to Arsenal. The Negative's view Henry as egotistical and an underachiever. They will tell you that Henry cost us the Champions League in 2006.

They would prefer Alan Smith or Smudger in European finals. Why? Because Smudger was the last Arsenal striker to have scored a winning goal in a European final. He didn't pout, he didn't strop and moan. Smudger was a team player and more importantly, he turned up for the "big game."

Sumdger now writes for the Daily Telegraph. He's a critic of Arsenal and also of Arsene Wenger. In his article a week ago, he questioned whether it was time for Wenger to leave Arsenal. He offered no replacement.

Henry broke the Arsenal goalscoring record. In fact, he smashed it. I probably will never see it be broken again in my lifetime.

That record is what Henry will be remembered for - not his ego.

Smudger on the hand will be remembered for the wrong reasons by me. His goals that helped us win two Championships, a League cup, an FA cup and a European Cup Winners cup are vanishing from my memory. It's his negative articles for the Daily Telegraph that are dominating my memory bank when someone mentions his name. Not his goals.

Smudger - his name says it all.

Rogue International

A certain left fullback who plays for a London rival was arrested early last Thursday morning. The drunk England international was taken in after shouting expletives at policemen. Although he apologized later for his behavior, I don’t think it’s inaccurate to say that the England international’s actions were unlike that of any Arsenal player during the Wenger era.

I could criticize the England international player until I run out of words but I won’t. Judging from past history, he isn’t very intelligent or a man of much character. And I remember a few years back when a teammate of said England international, an England international himself, was “roughed up” and left shirtless in the early morning hours by the boyfriend of a Page 3 model.

Not that ours are saints but I cannot remember too many such incidents involving Arsenal players. Quincy was once involved in what was called a brawl but I don’t believe he was arrested - please correct me if I’m wrong. Robin van Persie was locked up in Holland for a short time but eventually set free after it was proven that he’d been set up. Charges were dropped. Armand Traore got into a bit of trouble for arming himself (with a knuckle duster) on a trip to watch the derby at White Hart Lane. He was not arrested.

There is a striking contrast between Theo Walcott and the rogue England international. To date, Theo’s only character flaw is that he hasn’t developed a bit more steel – an edge if you’d like to make himself tougher. Otherwise, he seems like a very well mannered and polite young man with what could be a fantastic future. Some call him our Golden Boy. He is in many ways the opposite of the aforementioned rogue rival.

Back to the England international who incidentally is an ex Arsenal player, in case you didn’t already know. I ask the following:

Who's a bigger clown, foul-mouthed arrested left back or the maligned Manou Eboue?
Do you regret that foul-mouthed arrested left back left our club?
Would you want your child to look up to foul-mouthed arrested left back?
How would you take your daughter wanting to marry foul-mouthed arrested left back?

Consider that in William Gallas and Manou Eboue, we have two players who are as unpopular if not as hated by our own fan as any in recent history. Yet it is the foul-mouthed England international who shames his club with behavior that would seem very out of character for our former captain or boo boy Eboue.

In fairness, things could be a lot worse for us on and off the field. Golden Boy is back from injury and could end up facing Ashley Cole at some point in the very near future, with much at stake.

Capital Punishment

This is the motto of Burnley's season thus far.

Tomorrow, we'll reverse those words back on them.