Today, I watched Bolton Wanderers verses Aston Villa.
Why did I bother.
It was like attending a Southern Baptist church.
It was stale, boring, full of crosses, with Martin O'Neill acting like a nutty evangelical preacher - jumping up and down gesturing at nothing and remonstrating with his coaching staff over certain refereeing decisions such as throw-ins or offsides. Occasionally the crowd would sing crap songs - about how Bolton were the greatest team the world has ever seen. That world is obviously full of blind people and guide dogs. The Villa chant wasn't much better. It went like this:
Villa
Villa
Villa
I know what you are thinking. The lyrics are difficult to memorize.
On 43 minutes Villa scored. Ashley Young put in a cross, a Villa player missed the header and the ball went in off the post. The goal was a fluke. But the commentator started talking about Villa taking 4th spot. I laughed inside.
The second half was the same. Crosses, headers, long balls from the back, tough tackles and not much else. Those wankers that say that the English Premiership is the best in the world need to watch this game - it was worse than MLS.
On 60 minutes, Bolton equalized. A cross, a defensive error, a goal. Bolton's fans celebrated as though a revelation had just happened - no Bolton fans, it was the average Tamir Cohen scoring a shit goal.
The game painfully continued, just like a painfully boring sermon in some crusty Baptist Church. Both sets of supporters sang nothing songs about their loyalty to their clubs, and both teams played long, protracted, football. I was bored just like I would be sitting in a pew in any stale church in the South.
The ref only played 2 minutes of added time, saving me and plenty of others from the threat of being brainwashed by the commentator who kept on telling me that Martin O'Neill had worked miracles. Let's get this straight, not even Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela worked miracles so how the fuck has Martin O'Neill?
The commentator later said that David Moyes should win Manager of the Year. For what? Getting to an FA cup final, reaching 6th in the Premier league? Or for not even making the group stages of the UEFA cup and then losing to Blackburn in the Carling cup 3rd round.
I then came to a conclusion about Bolton and Aston Villa. Bolton are like a hemorrhoid on your penis, while Villa are the herpes of the Premier League. Every so often they have a good season by threatening to finish in the top six by playing really painful football. They then get knocked out of the UEFA cup by playing their reserve team, complain about their small squads and then try and enter the Intertoto cup in order to qualify for the UEFA cup again. Genius!
That pathetic competition has now been disbanded, so Villa will instead try and break into the top four by buying more average international players like Nicky Shorey and James Milner. Those players can't even break into the England squad. But the point is they're English, which is more than Arsenal can say about their squad!
It was 13 games ago when Villa last won a match. Yet Martin O'Neill says:
"Overall I have been delighted with the team and on the whole we have been playing pretty well."
12 games and zero wins is shocking. On the whole, Villa have played football similar to that of Stoke. Horrible! Overall, I would be disgusted by Villa's results, but I support Arsenal, so I find them a complete joke.
If Arsenal win their next two Premiership games, they can look forward to more Champions League football next season. Villa on the other hand will disappear, only to reappear some time later like a bad hemorrhoid or a dose of herpes on the Premiership landscape.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The Unfortunate Gareth Southgate
One time, while walking to the pub where I watch Arsenal matches, I was speaking to an Arsenal fan about Middlesbrough. I had told him that Middlesbrough had gotten a positive result against Manchester United, and he couldn't believe it. "How could such a crap team get points against United," he wondered. I told him that Gareth Southgate is a good manager. He laughed at me and told me I was wrong. I replied that Arsene Wenger said Gareth Southgate is a good manager, to which he replied, "Arsene says a lot of things."
Now, I'll avoid the obvious discussion point here, which is yet another Arsenal "fan" doubting Wenger's words in one way or the other. Yes, Arsene isn't always right (the number of times he's used to term "good player" to describe mediocre ones are probably too many to count), but perhaps his opinion on Southgate is based on other facts.
Like this one, for example:
In five games against Middlesbrough in the league while Southgate has been manager, we have won zero times, drawn four times, and lost once.
That is the bottom line.
I believed that Southgate first came up with the idea of pressuring this Arsenal team from the front, using their energetic attacking players Tuncay and former Gunner Aliadiere to win balls against our defenders and prevent our offensive players from receiving the ball. It has been effective.
There are other times where we dominate games and fail to get the points. Whatever it is, players like David Wheater show up and prevent us from doing our thing.
Gareth Southgate should be applauded for trying to play football and develop young players. For this, much like Tony Mowbray, he'll end up being relegated. I have faint hopes for an escape, but it's unlikely.
Obviously, I do not want to drop points against them tomorrow. We'll be rotating a bit to stay fresh for the massive Champions League fixture, but with Guus Hiddink now publicly conceding the title to focus on the Barcelona tie, the opportunity to grasp third place is there.
Tomorrow, Chelsea play West Ham at Upton Park. If they lose that fixture, we'd only be three points behind with a game still to play against them at the Emirates. Frankly speaking, a trophy would have been fantastic, but finishing third in front of Chelsea wouldn't be a bad consolation prize (although we could have had both).
One thing we know for sure though, Arshavin will play.
The mighty Russian is one of the best players in the world.
Now, I'll avoid the obvious discussion point here, which is yet another Arsenal "fan" doubting Wenger's words in one way or the other. Yes, Arsene isn't always right (the number of times he's used to term "good player" to describe mediocre ones are probably too many to count), but perhaps his opinion on Southgate is based on other facts.
Like this one, for example:
In five games against Middlesbrough in the league while Southgate has been manager, we have won zero times, drawn four times, and lost once.
That is the bottom line.
I believed that Southgate first came up with the idea of pressuring this Arsenal team from the front, using their energetic attacking players Tuncay and former Gunner Aliadiere to win balls against our defenders and prevent our offensive players from receiving the ball. It has been effective.
There are other times where we dominate games and fail to get the points. Whatever it is, players like David Wheater show up and prevent us from doing our thing.
Gareth Southgate should be applauded for trying to play football and develop young players. For this, much like Tony Mowbray, he'll end up being relegated. I have faint hopes for an escape, but it's unlikely.
Obviously, I do not want to drop points against them tomorrow. We'll be rotating a bit to stay fresh for the massive Champions League fixture, but with Guus Hiddink now publicly conceding the title to focus on the Barcelona tie, the opportunity to grasp third place is there.
Tomorrow, Chelsea play West Ham at Upton Park. If they lose that fixture, we'd only be three points behind with a game still to play against them at the Emirates. Frankly speaking, a trophy would have been fantastic, but finishing third in front of Chelsea wouldn't be a bad consolation prize (although we could have had both).
One thing we know for sure though, Arshavin will play.
The mighty Russian is one of the best players in the world.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Arshavin's Anfield Adventure
I'm still trying to come to grips with the madness that enveloped Anfield last night.
In a see-saw, dramatic match yesterday, only two real things came clear. The first is that we have essentially ended Liverpool's title hopes. I don't say that with any sort of ill will, but twenty years after Michael Thomas flopped like a fish to celebrate an incredible title clinching goal, Andrey did the same, taking four shots and scoring foul goals. The last time somebody scored four goals at Anfield during a League match was 63 years ago. The second is that Andrey Arshavin is on his way to becoming a proper Arsenal legend.
Do not mistake what Arshavin said today as modesty. He couldn't be any more honest about his own performance. Stating that he was "invisible" in the first half, apart from his goal, he vowed to be even better next year after a full pre-season under his belt. The staggering thing about this statement is that it's absolutely true. A player of his ilk is floating by on talent alone at this point, and once he becomes accustomed to his teammates, watch out.
I cannot say enough about the quality of his finishing, but perhaps it would be better to go through the match in order to place them within a finer context.
Entering this match, in my mind, the most vital thing was giving a performance that proved that we had character. After a morale draining FA semi, most assumed that we were ripe for the taking, with Liverpool coming off a full week of rest. For Fabianski, it would prove an occasion for him to show some spine or shrivel up and vanish forever. Although Gerrard wasn't fit for selection, make no mistake, it was almost the first team XI for Liverpool.
At the start, we weathered a storm. Liverpool's energy levels were so high, and they had much more at stake than us honestly. To wrest the title from United's grasp, they would need to win every single game from here on out. And with their hardest remaining fixture coming against us at home, it looked feasible.
Remember last year when we went to Anfield? That was such a dominant performance by us, that a draw was an extremely flattering result for Liverpool in that match. We passed them off the pitch at Anfield, and I couldn't help but notice the gulf in class that day.
The first half was the reverse of that game, with key differences of course. We had 60% of our defense missing, as well as Adebayor and van Persie. It was really only the heroics of Fabianski that kept us in it. Torres looked lively, Kuyt looked energetic, and we weren't stroking it around.
And of course, we scored first. Cesc and Nasri worked to nick Mascherano near their penalty box. With clever movement, Cesc stayed onside to square for Arshavin; he buried the opportunity and the trademark celebration was unleashed.
We had scored against the run of play, but the movement and finishing was top class. The half quickly came, but I knew this game had more goals in it.
The second half, as mentioned before, was pure madness. It was a spectacle to rival any match in world football this year in terms of drama.
After Bacary (who looked completely off-color) failed to clear the ball properly, Kuyt's second cross was met by Torres' head with great force. It was an extremely professional finish that highlighted that Torres is for real; he is a quality striker. Soon thereafter, Silvestre asked way too much of Fabianski. His back pass was too weak, and Fabianski was pressured into making a weak clearance. The ball reached Gibbs, but Gibbs' clearance was poor also. A cross into the box saw Yossi Benayoun head in over the line. On this goal, our defense was a comedy of errors from four different players; Silvestre, Fabianski, Gibbs, and Toure in that order.
But there had to be more.
Arbeloa was nicked by Arshavin, and he unleashed a wicked right footed shot that was virtually unstoppable. Minutes later, a poor clearance from Aurelio gave Arshavin the opportunity to score another goal. His Anfield hat trick was complete.
A Riera long ball found Torres, and he turned Silvestre inside out before lashing a shot in the lower left right corner. When I saw this, I immediately flashed back to when Torres killed Senderos to put Liverpool up 2-1 in the Champions League Quarter Final last year. It was 3-3, and I remarked to a person standing beside me, "there is still 17 more minutes to go."
From a corner, nearly identical in a sense to the Champions League tie again, Theo ran off like a rocket. I didn't think there would be an outlet, but there came Arshavin, running like a speed duck. Theo squared the ball, and Arshavin smoothly took it in stride. Reina came out to make himself big, but no matter, Arshavin dispatched a howitzer with his left foot.
It was four. Four goals at Anfield in a pivotal tie. No offense to The Beast, but this was a more impressive double brace. Surely, the game was over.
We had been overrun by Liverpool. They needed the three points here, and we were on the verge of nicking all three.
I didn't rest easy though. Not with Benayoun on the pitch. I've seen my fair share of Benayoun winners, and there was one more twist to this tale. Abou Diaby, put on as a sub for Nicklas Bendtner, failed to win the ball from Xabi Alonso. In came the ball, and of course Benayoun poached it to tie the game.
4-4. Incredibly there were two more incidents, a goal disallowed because Cesc was offside and a Liverpool appeal for handball.
The truth is, a draw was a fair result.
There were defensive errors aplenty, but in terms of pure drama, there is no way this match will be topped this year. Unlike the Tottenham 4-4 draw, the finishing in this game was near majestic. There's a saying that the difference between the Championship and the Premier League is the ruthless finishing, and this match showed that in abundance.
What is the fallout from all of this?
Cesc was disappointed in the defending. We all should be, that is true. But it was a patchwork defense doing their best, against a Liverpool team that desperately needed the three points. I think Silvestre is trying his best, but he neither has the pace to keep up with his brain, nor the ability to keep up with his experience. He is a stop-gap, and he frequently asks too much of Fabianski. Fabianski is a quality prospect, a very talented one, but his footwork needs improving and needs to read the game a little bit better. We are deprived of William Gallas, and it does show.
That being said, when the final whistle blew, it was Liverpool who revealed that they had lost hope. Reina, Torres, Carragher, they all might as well have collapsed on the pitch. This fixture has drained them completely. It is the sort of game that sucks the life out of you, where superiority sometimes doesn't mean very much, where modern day gladiators roam and destroy teams with clinical precision.
It is not often where you get to witness the birth of a legend. One day ago, I claimed that Arshavin was a better player than Benayoun. I was right. If you want to put it in mathematical terms, it would be:
Arshavin > Benayoun
On this night, it was:
Arshavin = Torres and Benayoun
Let's take it even further:
Arsenal on three days rest, with 60% of our backline and two top strikers missing = Liverpool without Gerrard but at home with a full week's rest.
Next year, we will be serious title contenders. With some help in the defense, we have more than enough to make a serious run at it.
And to those that questioned Arsene's decision to bench Arshavin, well, he showed you why. Don't mistake this performance as evidence for Wenger's "mistake" in not fielding Arshavin at the start on Saturday. Instead, understand what was needed to conjure up this performance at Anfield.
About a year ago, Liverpool crushed my heart when Ryan Babel dived to win a penalty against us. Now, Arshavin has left their title hopes in ruins. Of course, we could have used the three points (seeing as Chelsea drew today against Everton), but the memory of witnessing this game will last for a lifetime.
In a see-saw, dramatic match yesterday, only two real things came clear. The first is that we have essentially ended Liverpool's title hopes. I don't say that with any sort of ill will, but twenty years after Michael Thomas flopped like a fish to celebrate an incredible title clinching goal, Andrey did the same, taking four shots and scoring foul goals. The last time somebody scored four goals at Anfield during a League match was 63 years ago. The second is that Andrey Arshavin is on his way to becoming a proper Arsenal legend.
Do not mistake what Arshavin said today as modesty. He couldn't be any more honest about his own performance. Stating that he was "invisible" in the first half, apart from his goal, he vowed to be even better next year after a full pre-season under his belt. The staggering thing about this statement is that it's absolutely true. A player of his ilk is floating by on talent alone at this point, and once he becomes accustomed to his teammates, watch out.
I cannot say enough about the quality of his finishing, but perhaps it would be better to go through the match in order to place them within a finer context.
Entering this match, in my mind, the most vital thing was giving a performance that proved that we had character. After a morale draining FA semi, most assumed that we were ripe for the taking, with Liverpool coming off a full week of rest. For Fabianski, it would prove an occasion for him to show some spine or shrivel up and vanish forever. Although Gerrard wasn't fit for selection, make no mistake, it was almost the first team XI for Liverpool.
At the start, we weathered a storm. Liverpool's energy levels were so high, and they had much more at stake than us honestly. To wrest the title from United's grasp, they would need to win every single game from here on out. And with their hardest remaining fixture coming against us at home, it looked feasible.
Remember last year when we went to Anfield? That was such a dominant performance by us, that a draw was an extremely flattering result for Liverpool in that match. We passed them off the pitch at Anfield, and I couldn't help but notice the gulf in class that day.
The first half was the reverse of that game, with key differences of course. We had 60% of our defense missing, as well as Adebayor and van Persie. It was really only the heroics of Fabianski that kept us in it. Torres looked lively, Kuyt looked energetic, and we weren't stroking it around.
And of course, we scored first. Cesc and Nasri worked to nick Mascherano near their penalty box. With clever movement, Cesc stayed onside to square for Arshavin; he buried the opportunity and the trademark celebration was unleashed.
We had scored against the run of play, but the movement and finishing was top class. The half quickly came, but I knew this game had more goals in it.
The second half, as mentioned before, was pure madness. It was a spectacle to rival any match in world football this year in terms of drama.
After Bacary (who looked completely off-color) failed to clear the ball properly, Kuyt's second cross was met by Torres' head with great force. It was an extremely professional finish that highlighted that Torres is for real; he is a quality striker. Soon thereafter, Silvestre asked way too much of Fabianski. His back pass was too weak, and Fabianski was pressured into making a weak clearance. The ball reached Gibbs, but Gibbs' clearance was poor also. A cross into the box saw Yossi Benayoun head in over the line. On this goal, our defense was a comedy of errors from four different players; Silvestre, Fabianski, Gibbs, and Toure in that order.
But there had to be more.
Arbeloa was nicked by Arshavin, and he unleashed a wicked right footed shot that was virtually unstoppable. Minutes later, a poor clearance from Aurelio gave Arshavin the opportunity to score another goal. His Anfield hat trick was complete.
A Riera long ball found Torres, and he turned Silvestre inside out before lashing a shot in the lower left right corner. When I saw this, I immediately flashed back to when Torres killed Senderos to put Liverpool up 2-1 in the Champions League Quarter Final last year. It was 3-3, and I remarked to a person standing beside me, "there is still 17 more minutes to go."
From a corner, nearly identical in a sense to the Champions League tie again, Theo ran off like a rocket. I didn't think there would be an outlet, but there came Arshavin, running like a speed duck. Theo squared the ball, and Arshavin smoothly took it in stride. Reina came out to make himself big, but no matter, Arshavin dispatched a howitzer with his left foot.
It was four. Four goals at Anfield in a pivotal tie. No offense to The Beast, but this was a more impressive double brace. Surely, the game was over.
We had been overrun by Liverpool. They needed the three points here, and we were on the verge of nicking all three.
I didn't rest easy though. Not with Benayoun on the pitch. I've seen my fair share of Benayoun winners, and there was one more twist to this tale. Abou Diaby, put on as a sub for Nicklas Bendtner, failed to win the ball from Xabi Alonso. In came the ball, and of course Benayoun poached it to tie the game.
4-4. Incredibly there were two more incidents, a goal disallowed because Cesc was offside and a Liverpool appeal for handball.
The truth is, a draw was a fair result.
There were defensive errors aplenty, but in terms of pure drama, there is no way this match will be topped this year. Unlike the Tottenham 4-4 draw, the finishing in this game was near majestic. There's a saying that the difference between the Championship and the Premier League is the ruthless finishing, and this match showed that in abundance.
What is the fallout from all of this?
Cesc was disappointed in the defending. We all should be, that is true. But it was a patchwork defense doing their best, against a Liverpool team that desperately needed the three points. I think Silvestre is trying his best, but he neither has the pace to keep up with his brain, nor the ability to keep up with his experience. He is a stop-gap, and he frequently asks too much of Fabianski. Fabianski is a quality prospect, a very talented one, but his footwork needs improving and needs to read the game a little bit better. We are deprived of William Gallas, and it does show.
That being said, when the final whistle blew, it was Liverpool who revealed that they had lost hope. Reina, Torres, Carragher, they all might as well have collapsed on the pitch. This fixture has drained them completely. It is the sort of game that sucks the life out of you, where superiority sometimes doesn't mean very much, where modern day gladiators roam and destroy teams with clinical precision.
It is not often where you get to witness the birth of a legend. One day ago, I claimed that Arshavin was a better player than Benayoun. I was right. If you want to put it in mathematical terms, it would be:
Arshavin > Benayoun
On this night, it was:
Arshavin = Torres and Benayoun
Let's take it even further:
Arsenal on three days rest, with 60% of our backline and two top strikers missing = Liverpool without Gerrard but at home with a full week's rest.
Next year, we will be serious title contenders. With some help in the defense, we have more than enough to make a serious run at it.
And to those that questioned Arsene's decision to bench Arshavin, well, he showed you why. Don't mistake this performance as evidence for Wenger's "mistake" in not fielding Arshavin at the start on Saturday. Instead, understand what was needed to conjure up this performance at Anfield.
About a year ago, Liverpool crushed my heart when Ryan Babel dived to win a penalty against us. Now, Arshavin has left their title hopes in ruins. Of course, we could have used the three points (seeing as Chelsea drew today against Everton), but the memory of witnessing this game will last for a lifetime.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Fabianski and Anfield
The knives are out for Łukasz Fabianski.
The neutral journalists have written what they think, but fortunately, the bloggers haven't stuck the knife in all the way just yet. A large part of that is due to the fact that he'll still have to play today against Liverpool.
Wenger has quickly come out to defend him, while not absolving him of blame. That is the correct move. One cannot deny that the two goals may have been averted.
That being said, in both situations, it was a combination of mistakes that led to the goals. In the first goal, where Malouda was clearly offside (and not written about very much in the papers), Eboue failed to close down Malouda. This allowed a virtually free shot that crept in at the near post. I've seen the replay several times, and I have no idea how it just crept in. Fabianski's positioning is what let him down here, and he'll have to improve in that department. On the second goal, Silvestre should not have let the ball bounce. Fabianski rushed out, wrongly, and tried to cut Drogba off. The ball was virtually identical to the one that Agbonlahor latched onto when he beat William Gallas with his paced and fired a quick shot that beat Almunia. In that situation, Almunia stayed behind but was beaten anyway. What Fabianski did shows that he's brave, but he's not savvy enough yet to realize that when your rush out for the ball like that, you must stay within the box so that you can use your hands. When a goalkeeper cannot use his hands, he is half as effective. Thus, Drogba easily swept past Fabianski to score the goal. That Silvestre gave up is cosmetic, there was no way Drogba was going to miss. If Fabianski didn't come out, Drogba would have had a 1 v 1 against Fabianski, something we would take now surely instead of what happened. Perhaps, if we had our normal back four, he wouldn't have come out so quickly.
So, there you have it. Three days after an excellent game against Villarreal, a game in which he showed similar aggressiveness playing sweeper to effect, Fabianski had a horrid day on his 24th birthday.
And with that came the rage of the fans. Incredibly, my roommate pointed out a remark he read on his Facebook page from an Arsenal "fan." He told me it upset him so much, and he could really care less about Arsenal. The remark:
"That Polish idiot should have stayed home for his birthday."
While getting some ice cream, I ran into Arsenal fans (they had Arsenal jerseys on). They were ripping Fabianski and had read that it was his birthday. He also said, "maybe he'll get better like Alex Song." I replied, "I never killed Alex Song." He said back, "I sure did." He almost said it with pride.
What is it about our fans that takes such joy in ripping our players? Surely, they've made mistakes, but this is absurd.
I was saddened by the loss. I felt that we could have won, but we didn't. It ruined my day. But I wasn't about to savage our team members to make myself feel better about it.
As for Fabianski, Wenger said everything that I believe. I do believe that he can be an excellent goalkeeper. His reflexes are top notch. He is brave. He is not scared. He is young. At the age of 24, he has been capped 14 times for Poland. He is two years younger than Ben Foster and Craig Gordon. He is a capable backup with the potential for great things. He didn't have the best game to be sure, but let's not kill the lad just yet. Arsene said he can be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, it was rebuilding confidence to be sure, but he does mean it.
It's been twenty years since we pulled off the shock of the decade to win the title at Anfield. Without Steven Gerrard, they'll rely on Xabi Alonso to be the creative outlet. The player I fear the most though is Yossi Benayoun. That guy seems to make things happen at an absurd rate. We'll be without both Adebayor and van Persie, but Eduardo may play a part.
Despite what people think, we're not resting players for the United tie in 8 days time. Finishing third should be a big priority now. Arshavin didn't play a full 90 minutes on Saturday, and Arshavin is a better player than Benayoun.
The neutral journalists have written what they think, but fortunately, the bloggers haven't stuck the knife in all the way just yet. A large part of that is due to the fact that he'll still have to play today against Liverpool.
Wenger has quickly come out to defend him, while not absolving him of blame. That is the correct move. One cannot deny that the two goals may have been averted.
That being said, in both situations, it was a combination of mistakes that led to the goals. In the first goal, where Malouda was clearly offside (and not written about very much in the papers), Eboue failed to close down Malouda. This allowed a virtually free shot that crept in at the near post. I've seen the replay several times, and I have no idea how it just crept in. Fabianski's positioning is what let him down here, and he'll have to improve in that department. On the second goal, Silvestre should not have let the ball bounce. Fabianski rushed out, wrongly, and tried to cut Drogba off. The ball was virtually identical to the one that Agbonlahor latched onto when he beat William Gallas with his paced and fired a quick shot that beat Almunia. In that situation, Almunia stayed behind but was beaten anyway. What Fabianski did shows that he's brave, but he's not savvy enough yet to realize that when your rush out for the ball like that, you must stay within the box so that you can use your hands. When a goalkeeper cannot use his hands, he is half as effective. Thus, Drogba easily swept past Fabianski to score the goal. That Silvestre gave up is cosmetic, there was no way Drogba was going to miss. If Fabianski didn't come out, Drogba would have had a 1 v 1 against Fabianski, something we would take now surely instead of what happened. Perhaps, if we had our normal back four, he wouldn't have come out so quickly.
So, there you have it. Three days after an excellent game against Villarreal, a game in which he showed similar aggressiveness playing sweeper to effect, Fabianski had a horrid day on his 24th birthday.
And with that came the rage of the fans. Incredibly, my roommate pointed out a remark he read on his Facebook page from an Arsenal "fan." He told me it upset him so much, and he could really care less about Arsenal. The remark:
"That Polish idiot should have stayed home for his birthday."
While getting some ice cream, I ran into Arsenal fans (they had Arsenal jerseys on). They were ripping Fabianski and had read that it was his birthday. He also said, "maybe he'll get better like Alex Song." I replied, "I never killed Alex Song." He said back, "I sure did." He almost said it with pride.
What is it about our fans that takes such joy in ripping our players? Surely, they've made mistakes, but this is absurd.
I was saddened by the loss. I felt that we could have won, but we didn't. It ruined my day. But I wasn't about to savage our team members to make myself feel better about it.
As for Fabianski, Wenger said everything that I believe. I do believe that he can be an excellent goalkeeper. His reflexes are top notch. He is brave. He is not scared. He is young. At the age of 24, he has been capped 14 times for Poland. He is two years younger than Ben Foster and Craig Gordon. He is a capable backup with the potential for great things. He didn't have the best game to be sure, but let's not kill the lad just yet. Arsene said he can be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, it was rebuilding confidence to be sure, but he does mean it.
It's been twenty years since we pulled off the shock of the decade to win the title at Anfield. Without Steven Gerrard, they'll rely on Xabi Alonso to be the creative outlet. The player I fear the most though is Yossi Benayoun. That guy seems to make things happen at an absurd rate. We'll be without both Adebayor and van Persie, but Eduardo may play a part.
Despite what people think, we're not resting players for the United tie in 8 days time. Finishing third should be a big priority now. Arshavin didn't play a full 90 minutes on Saturday, and Arshavin is a better player than Benayoun.
Monday, April 20, 2009
English Managers
It's strange how Aston Villa have slipped away from people's thoughts. Villa have now failed to win in eight Premiership matches. A shocking record that would have seen most managers sacked by now. Paul Ince was fired as Blackburn Rovers boss for only winning 3 games out of 17 Premiership matches. Tony Adams was sacked as Portsmouth boss for only winning 2 games in 16 matches - this was after he sold his two best players - Defoe and Diarra - in January.
If Villa fail to beat Bolton on Saturday, then the vultures should be circling over Martin O'Neill's head - but they won't. O'Neill has immunity from the sack. This season has been deemed a success for him:
Knocked out of the Carling 3rd round by QPR at home
Knocked out of the last 32 of the UEFA cup after squeezing through the group stages
Knocked out of the last 16 of the FA cup
Last won a match February 7, 2009
Compare O'Neill's record with Wenger's this season:
Carling Cup quarter-finals
FA cup semi-finals
Champions League semi-finals
Unbeaten in the last 18 Premiership matches
This season was Villa's only chance of making the top four. They blew it. Next season Arsenal, Manchester City, Everton and even Spurs will be stronger. Villa will be weaker. Gareth Barry will leave and so will Ashley Young if he has any sense. Their replacements will be players in the class of Stuart Downing or Tom Huddlestone. Pretenders to international football.
Ever wondered what happened to Barry's replacement this season - Steven Sidwell? The player who left Arsenal to enhance his career by being a sub at Aston Villa and an expensive reserve at Chelsea.
No neither have I.
The 29 year old Stiliyan Petrov is deemed a better player by O'Neill, so much so that Villa have offered him a new three year deal. Clowns!
Below is the current top 10 Premier League table:
Alex Ferguson
Rafa Benitez
Gus Hiddink
Arsene Wenger
Martin O'Neill
David Moyes
Gianfranco Zola
Roy Hodgson
Harry Redknapp
Mark Hughes
The rest of the Premiership is full English managers such as Gary Megson, Phil Brown, Sam Allardyce, and Paul Hart. It doesn't take a genius to see why the FA appointed Fabio Cappello.
And for any Gooners out there who still have hopes of Tony Adams managing Arsenal I leave you with a quote made by the ex-Arsenal captain back in November 2008:
"I don't actually like people. I'm a loner and if I had my way I would just walk my dogs everyday, never talk to anyone and then die."
Foreign coaches in my opinion are still the best. Apart from Roy Hodgson, name me one current English coach that has been a success abroad. Exactly!
Louis van Gaal yesterday won the Dutch title with AZ Alkmaar - it was the second title the Dutch club have won in their history. His budget was 25 million pounds and that includes transfers and players wages etc. This is much less than what most Premier league clubs receive from just their TV rights income.
Van Gaal has won 4 Dutch titles and 2 La Liga.
If I were the owner of Aston Villa, I would seriously consider hiring him for the start of next season. But then we're talking about Aston Villa and an owner called Randy.
What a joke.
If Villa fail to beat Bolton on Saturday, then the vultures should be circling over Martin O'Neill's head - but they won't. O'Neill has immunity from the sack. This season has been deemed a success for him:
Knocked out of the Carling 3rd round by QPR at home
Knocked out of the last 32 of the UEFA cup after squeezing through the group stages
Knocked out of the last 16 of the FA cup
Last won a match February 7, 2009
Compare O'Neill's record with Wenger's this season:
Carling Cup quarter-finals
FA cup semi-finals
Champions League semi-finals
Unbeaten in the last 18 Premiership matches
This season was Villa's only chance of making the top four. They blew it. Next season Arsenal, Manchester City, Everton and even Spurs will be stronger. Villa will be weaker. Gareth Barry will leave and so will Ashley Young if he has any sense. Their replacements will be players in the class of Stuart Downing or Tom Huddlestone. Pretenders to international football.
Ever wondered what happened to Barry's replacement this season - Steven Sidwell? The player who left Arsenal to enhance his career by being a sub at Aston Villa and an expensive reserve at Chelsea.
No neither have I.
The 29 year old Stiliyan Petrov is deemed a better player by O'Neill, so much so that Villa have offered him a new three year deal. Clowns!
Below is the current top 10 Premier League table:
Alex Ferguson
Rafa Benitez
Gus Hiddink
Arsene Wenger
Martin O'Neill
David Moyes
Gianfranco Zola
Roy Hodgson
Harry Redknapp
Mark Hughes
The rest of the Premiership is full English managers such as Gary Megson, Phil Brown, Sam Allardyce, and Paul Hart. It doesn't take a genius to see why the FA appointed Fabio Cappello.
And for any Gooners out there who still have hopes of Tony Adams managing Arsenal I leave you with a quote made by the ex-Arsenal captain back in November 2008:
"I don't actually like people. I'm a loner and if I had my way I would just walk my dogs everyday, never talk to anyone and then die."
Foreign coaches in my opinion are still the best. Apart from Roy Hodgson, name me one current English coach that has been a success abroad. Exactly!
Louis van Gaal yesterday won the Dutch title with AZ Alkmaar - it was the second title the Dutch club have won in their history. His budget was 25 million pounds and that includes transfers and players wages etc. This is much less than what most Premier league clubs receive from just their TV rights income.
Van Gaal has won 4 Dutch titles and 2 La Liga.
If I were the owner of Aston Villa, I would seriously consider hiring him for the start of next season. But then we're talking about Aston Villa and an owner called Randy.
What a joke.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!
I understand the fans’ frustration as I am deeply disappointed myself. I received several calls after the match yesterday. Most were from people who had more to say than a little about why Chelsea walked away with the right to return to Wembley for the final. I so wanted to get to that final. It really hurts.
I’ve taken a quick glance at what the blogs and the rest of the media are saying – nothing more than reading banners and headlines. I can’t be bothered to go through the myriad negative articles and posts that lie waiting.
The consensus seems to be asking for answers from Wenger. Some want to hear explanations about the starting lineup and others about the substitutions. I am in no mood to read them at the moment. Plus my head is still clouded with images of Malouda and Drogba celebrating two very avoidable goals. They took them well but they were gifts. Let’s be clear, the two Chelsea goals were not products of fine build ups or super strikes. We should have dealt with them.
The Malouda goal was made possible by Eboue’s choice to not close down the winger. An errant Theo cross was sent forward. Eboue ball watched, allowing Malouda to receive and control before shooting. It was an effort that should have been stopped at the near post. Fabianski will stop more difficult efforts than that. I am sure he is disappointed.
The Drogba goal was made possible by a high line that was breached. Our center-halves were made to look, frankly, like schoolboys and left Silvestre chasing our main bane, Didier Drogba. Fabianski will again be disappointed that he didn’t do better. I feel that he’s made the wrong decision to come that far off his line. It was a disastrous outcome but he will learn from this. I feel his pain. It was a sad 24th birthday.
Overall, I understood the lineup – Song was our only remaining player who could slot in at CB so he had to start on the bench. Diaby was chosen over Arshaviin in essence because we needed his height and the added presence in midfield to combat Ballack, Lampard, and Essien. With seven of Chelsea’s outfield players at six feet or taller, Diaby was a reasonable choice. As it turned out, not he or Denilson were able to provide enough touches for Cesc. We needed Cesc to be involved far more than he was. Robin and Theo worked hard but the goal aside they and Togo were largely ineffective as a consequence. Gibbs was our best player. Let that be our silver lining. It’s wonderful to see him do well in such a moment but it is scant consolation to be honest.
I don’t think it is unfair to state that we didn’t play to our potential. We were not able to manage midfield and made errors at the back. The pain from losing and the misdirected analyses that I had to endure from fans afterward were very difficult to take.
We let it slip away. That is most unsettling.
I’ve taken a quick glance at what the blogs and the rest of the media are saying – nothing more than reading banners and headlines. I can’t be bothered to go through the myriad negative articles and posts that lie waiting.
The consensus seems to be asking for answers from Wenger. Some want to hear explanations about the starting lineup and others about the substitutions. I am in no mood to read them at the moment. Plus my head is still clouded with images of Malouda and Drogba celebrating two very avoidable goals. They took them well but they were gifts. Let’s be clear, the two Chelsea goals were not products of fine build ups or super strikes. We should have dealt with them.
The Malouda goal was made possible by Eboue’s choice to not close down the winger. An errant Theo cross was sent forward. Eboue ball watched, allowing Malouda to receive and control before shooting. It was an effort that should have been stopped at the near post. Fabianski will stop more difficult efforts than that. I am sure he is disappointed.
The Drogba goal was made possible by a high line that was breached. Our center-halves were made to look, frankly, like schoolboys and left Silvestre chasing our main bane, Didier Drogba. Fabianski will again be disappointed that he didn’t do better. I feel that he’s made the wrong decision to come that far off his line. It was a disastrous outcome but he will learn from this. I feel his pain. It was a sad 24th birthday.
Overall, I understood the lineup – Song was our only remaining player who could slot in at CB so he had to start on the bench. Diaby was chosen over Arshaviin in essence because we needed his height and the added presence in midfield to combat Ballack, Lampard, and Essien. With seven of Chelsea’s outfield players at six feet or taller, Diaby was a reasonable choice. As it turned out, not he or Denilson were able to provide enough touches for Cesc. We needed Cesc to be involved far more than he was. Robin and Theo worked hard but the goal aside they and Togo were largely ineffective as a consequence. Gibbs was our best player. Let that be our silver lining. It’s wonderful to see him do well in such a moment but it is scant consolation to be honest.
I don’t think it is unfair to state that we didn’t play to our potential. We were not able to manage midfield and made errors at the back. The pain from losing and the misdirected analyses that I had to endure from fans afterward were very difficult to take.
We let it slip away. That is most unsettling.
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