Wigan Preview & FA Cup Draw

Morning folks,

After a pretty good weekend football wise, I'm stranded in my house due to the icey roads so I said I'd write a little preview ahead of tomorrow nights game. Yesterday Chelsea dropped more points as they could only manage a draw away to Newcastle. It means we are now level on points with the Blues, they are ahead on goal difference. We need to find consistancy now, we've dropped several points that we shouldn't have. Hopefully lessons have finally been learned and we can go on a good run of form.

Ahead of the game tomorrow night the boss has promised to retain his policy of playing a strong team in this years competition. It's clear he's really going for this cup, he knows the trophy drought has to come to and end this season. We won't settle for the Carling Cup alone, that's for sure. It is the minimum required but it's a start at least. Also, seen as the final is in the end of February, think of the boost it would give the players going into the final few months of the season. Massive is the only word to describe it.

There are a few rumours floating around that Havard Nordveit could earn a start and Icertainly wouldn't mind catching a glimpse of him in competitive action. For me it's not that big a gamble. He's 20 years old now and had a good loan spell in the Bundesliga last season in which he played 19 games. Pressure clearly dosen't faze him as he mentioned in an earlier interview. Over there he played in stadiums which contained over 50,000 people. He is similar in age to Kieran Gibbs who is really pushing Clichy at the moment so why not give this lad a chance? With Eboue out injured and Sagna in need of a rest, lets give this boy a chance to show us what he can do.

Robin Van Persie is also in with a shout. The boss will decide whether he should give him some match practice or another week of intense training. I personally would like to see him back on the pitch on a regular basis but we need to be cautious with him now. When asked about the Dutchman, the boss said:
“Van Persie? I don’t know. Do I get him a week of work or do I play him? I have to speak with him frankly to see how he feels. We will see [on] Monday.”
Anyway, Bendtner or Emmanuel Thomas can always fill in if he dosen't feature, the latter I am also keen to catch a glimpse of.

Here is the team I'm expecting to see:

Szczesny

Nordtveit - Koscielny - Djourou - Gibbs

Eastmond - Denilson - Rosicky (C)

Walcott - Van Persie - Vela

Szczesny should get his chance to shine once again. Nordtveit, if started, will be the only change to the back four from the previous two cup games. The midfield, I expect to be unchanged from the Newcastle game and up front I'd like to see Robin get the nod. There's more than enough quality to overcome the Latics of whom I expect to line up like this:

Al Habsi

Stam - Gohouri - Caldwell - Figueroa

Moses - Cleverley - Thomas - Diame - N'Zogbia

Boselli

I really do think we can many goals against this side if we're up for it. We will have many players who will be keen to make an impression as they look to break into the first team. The likes of Walcott, Vela and even RVP will want to impress Arsene. Wigan come into the game on typically inconsistant form. You never know which team will show up. They pose a big threat down the wings. Victor Moses has got pace and if he starts, Kieran Gibbs will have to be on his toes. Then you have N'Zogbia who really does deserve to be at a better club. Nordveit could be in for a tough night if he gets the nod. Then up front you have Argentine striker Boselli who has been pretty ineffective for them this season. He missed a penalty this on Saturday and isn't living up to his price tag. As far as I know Alcarez and Rodallega are suspended which is no harm on our part. I'm expecting a big performance from everyone, entertaining football and plenty of goals for hus hopefully.

Now the FA Cup draw took place yesterday. No doubt the talking point came when United were paired with Liverpool but I really couldn't give a toss about those two. We were drawn with Leeds which will take place on the 8th of January at the Emirates. It should make a good game, no doubt they will bring a huge army of fans with them. It is a game you'd expect us to win but we won't concentrate on it too much yet, we've got a big run in between now and the new year.

Not much else happening today. I'm off to light a fire and spend the rest of the day in the warmth of my home. Till next time, thanks for reading.

There Is The Arsenal We Know

Good afternoon everyone,

Well what a way to start the weekend eh? We've been slated my the press and even our own fans over the last few weeks so it was crucial we put in a display of courage and determination today. That was exactly what we got. In my preview I spoke of how this is the type of game the players would be pumped for and I was right (Blushing). Not everyone was as optimistic as me however. Sky Sports.com predicted we would lose 2-1, pah! What do they know? A defeat would have had unthinkable consequences but I wasn't even preparing myself for that, I knew we would take some beating today.

I had an early heart scare when I saw Nasri struggling in the warm up. He was clutching his groin and I was praying we wouldn't be forced into an early substitution but he started. Maybe it was just a case of getting the muscles warmed up. Some were surprised to see Koscielny start ahead of Djourou. I mentioned yesterday in my blog that Johan deserved a start after his recent good form and I also thought he would be better equipped to deal with big John Carew. Clearly Arsene felt the Frenchman could do just as good a job. Clichy was also welcomed back after he overcame a back problem so we were near enough to a full strenght back four bar Vermaelen of course. In midfield Wilshere got teh nod ahead of Denilson, again I felt the Brazilian would be the better option in this sort of game but Jack proved just why Wenger has so much faith in him. Rosicky started ahead of Walcott, you can understand the tactical reasons behind that and the usual suspects lined up as expected.

We came out of the traps straight from tip off and could have been ahead inside 30 seconds when Warnock's sloppy pass was picked up by Arshavin who played in Chamakh, his shot was somehow found it's way past Friedel but Collins was on the line to clear. The players took heart from this and kicked on from there. Rosicky wasted a chance soon after when Nasri created the opening for him but his shot flashed wide. The Czech was presented with another opportunity when he brought down Chamakh's flick on but his shot was tame and easy for Friedel. The chances continued to come our way, we were absolutely dominating this game, you just wanted the goal to come incase Villa went down the other end and punished us. They so nearly did when a Downing cross went past everyone and Ashley Young somehow flashed it over the bar. He looked offside in the replay but the flag never went up. The inevitable came about 6 minutes before half-time. A long ball was missed by the Villa defence, Arshavin picked it up, ran at them before cutting inside and firing into the bottom right hand corner. Friedel got a hand to it but it wasn't enough. The lead was well deserved and a minute or so later it should have been 2-0. Another poor back pass was picked up by Nasri, he rounded the keeper but couldn't finish from a tight angle. Shortly after a bullet header from Chamakh was pawed away by Friedel. I couldn't believe it was still 1-0. However, from the resulting corner, Nasri smashed a volley home. 2-0. It took a slight deflection but take nothing away from super Sammy, he met it perfectly. What a fantastic first-half display but we should know all too well what can happen when you take your foot off the pedal.

At half-time Delfouneso came on for the ineffective Pires, he wasn't as sharp as he'd like, I felt sorry for him but he will have better days. We now had two strikers to deal with, one with strenght and height, the other was fresh and pacy. This time Villa came flying out the traps putting us under pressure straight away. We had to scrap for a while but we were beaten some what controversially. It was a magnificent finish from young Clark but Fabianski wasn't helped by Carew standing right in front of him. He had no view of the ball until it was practically in the net, no chance. Carew was clearly interfering with play but the goal stood and you feared the players would begin to get edgy again. They say the best form of defence is attack and that is exactly what we did. After all Villa's pressure, we broke and Rosicky played a sublime ball through to Chamakh who poked home. It was just the response we needed and we could breath, for a while at least.

Our resistance was broke once again 20 minutes from time as Richard Dunne leaped and headed in towards Clark who knocked in his second despite the efforts Clichy on the line. Hearts were in mouths once more. The boss responded by bringing on Gibbs and Denilson for the superb Nasri and Arshavin. It was strange to see Arsene make a defence minded substitution. I thought he might have brought on Walcott to run at tired legs and kill the game. Villa hoofed balls into our box but we dealt with everything. Into stoppage time, we broke in numbers again. Chamakh found himself in the box with several options, he layed it off for Denilson who's shot was blocked, the ball fell back to Chamakh, he chipped it to teh back post for Wilshere to head in. Game over and I almost roared the house down with relief. We had just earned ourselves 3 crucial points. It was thoroughly deserved too, we didn't make life easier with the poor marking from set-pieces but at least it didn't cost us. Still though, that dosen't mean the problem shouldn't be addressed.

A spectacular gamr from the neutrals point of view, heart stopping from an Arsenal fan's point of view. We got the win we needed though. What frustrates me is that we can't do this on a weekly basis. I've been saying let's kick on from here for weeks now. Is this the time we actually do it? It has to be, we cannot afford anymore silly slip ups. Each player gave their all today, you can't question their committment and effort, it was first class but it would mean nothing if we drop points back at the Emirates against Fulham next week.
Here are the player ratings:
Fabianski: 6 - Didn't have a whole pile to do besides the goal to be honest.
Sagna: 7 - Assured and as comfortable as you like.
Squillaci: 7 - Wore his heart on his sleeve, love defenders like this guy.
Koscielny: 7 - As solid as you like but struggles against big defenders.
Clichy: 7 - Improved performance, didn't give Young much space.
Song: 7 - Broke up the play well and kept the ball flowing.
Wilshere: 8 - Lively, passed well and did everything you'd expect from a midfielder. He's learning so fast it gives me goosebumps and got his first goal.
Nasri: 8 - Superb once again. Took his goal well and tormented Warnock.
Rosicky: 8 - Captain for the day and led by example. Committed and tireless. Incredible pass to set up Chamakh's goal.
Arshavin: 8 - At the heart of everything. Scored a fantastic goal and surprisingly worked his socks off.
Chamakh: 7 - Great team player, love watching this guy. Took his goal well.

Subs:
Gibbs: 6 - Held the ball up well, exactly what the boss wanted.
Denilson: 6 - Did his job, helped see out the game.
Djourou : 5 - On the pitch for a matter of seconds, would be unfair to give him a low rating so halfway.

It's been a good day, United won so we weren't at the top of the league for long. We've got Wigan in the Carling Cup Tuesday night, attentions turned to that now. Well done Arsenal but there is plenty of work to be done yet to convince some people we are genuine title contenders. Till next time people, enjoy your weekend!

Villa Preview

Evening all,

Tomorrow we are faced with the task of proving the critics wrong once again except this time a win won't convince many Arsenal fans of our title creditentials. We're definately have the quality to mount a title challenge, there's no doubting that. The problem lies in the players' heads. We tend to switch off in games that we're expected to win and put in fantastic displays against the sides we've been tipped to struggle against. We've fought for some hard earned wins against the likes of Blackburn, City, Everton and so on but those wins have been overshadowed by defeats to West Brom, Newcastle and most recently Spurs. In previous seasons we would have had no problem in fulfilling our objectives against these teams. This season it's almost as if some players think they just have to turn up and walk away with the three points. Well tomorrow we have a game which the players generally do turn up for.

Villa Park has been a ground of decent fortune for us in recent seasons and I see no reason why we should continue our good record there tomorrow. Of course life hasn't been made easier by the injury to Fabregas but the players should use that as a motivation to go out and prove they can win without the captain instead of using it as an excuse. This game's importance has increased over the last few weeks. Back to back defeats to Spurs and Braga means we simply cannot afford to come away from the Midlands with nothing. We have come under critisism from the media lately and rightly so. We're not showing the form of title contrenders at the moment and that needs to change rapidly if we do want to push ahead. I do believe we can win at Villa Park. Their defence has been leaking goals this season and who better to take advantage than the mighty Gunners eh? Still though, they are a side who are always pumped for these sort of sides. Both Chelsea and United have already gone there and come away with draws, and lucky to come away with draws. We are more than capable of going there and scoring goals if the sharp, committed and focused Arsenal turns up. Of course we come up against our old buddy Bobby Pires. He may not start but should receive a warm welcome from both sets of fans. The man was and still is an idol to many of us.

Now for the team news. As we all know, Cesc is definately out, as is Eboue. Almunia has been declared fully fit but I honestly can't see Fabianski being dropped. Clichy should be okay after a back problem. Van Persie and Arshavin will also return after being rested midweek. Here's now I expect us to line out:

Fabianski

Sagna - Squillaci - Djourou - Clichy

Nasri - Song - Denilson

Walcott - Chamakh - Arshavin

That defence looks good to me. You may be wondering why I left Koscielny out, it's because while he was suspended Djourou put in a string of solid performances and seemed to be forming a good partnership. On Tuesday night he was one of very few players who impressed me so why not keep him in there. Gibbs played okay midweek but I can't see him retaining his place, he needs to do more to prove he is worthy of a starting spot ahead of Clichy. In midfield I reckon Arsene will move Nasri back into Cesc's role. It is Sami's preferred position after all, interesting to see how he fares. I was torn between picking Wilshere and Denilson. I know Jack has sprung to life this season but away from home I feel Denilson would be more suited to that role. The Brazilian has really impressed me recently with his displays against City and Everton the games in particular where he stood out, no harm in keeping him in there. Up front we have a lovely misxture of pace, strenght and creativity. All we need is for each player to turn up and give all they've got in the tank. I'm not ruling out a start for RVP but I'm leaning towards MC for this one.

As for Villa Gerard Houllier has doubts over Agbonlahor's fitness so it is unlikely he will start. His pace can frighten any defence so perhaps it's better he dosen't take to the field tomorrow for our sake, the tricky Marc Albrighton is also out. However John Carew returns to the scene for Villians, his height could prove to be a major problem. Squillaci and Djourou/Koscielny will need to be on their toes. Here's how I predict they will line out:

Friedel

Young - Dunne - Collins - Warnock

Downing - Ireland - Bannan - Young

Carew - Heskey

Make no mistake, it is a good team and one capable of causing us problems tomorrow but I see weaknesses there that we can expose. Collins has been in and out of the team with injury so he may not be at his sharpest. Luke Young to be fair isn't the greatest defender of all time, if we can get the ball out wide to Arshavin and he's on his game, then perhaps Chamakh will have plenty to feed on in the box. On the opposite flank you have Theo up against Warnock, a man who is not the quickest so another who could be in for a long afternoon, let's hope so anyway. The midfield is very young and full of flair. This is where we need to be cautious. Song can't afford to go on one of his adventurous runs whenever he feels like it. Himself and Denilson will have to communicate well in order to keep Ireland and the talented Bannan abay. Also watch out for Young and Downing switching positions on the wings, both are capable of playing on either flank so Clichy in perticular will have to be alert at all times. Up front you have two very strong strikers but neither would be considered a goalscorer. Again, we cannot afford to underestimate their ability.

On to the other piece of news I've been meaning to get through now and it is that Aaron Ramsey has joined Nottingham Forest on loan until the 3rd of January. The reaction amongst fans has been spilt. Some feel it's a great move for him as he will get more game time and the Championship's physical nature will toughen him up. Remember too that the reseves only have one game between now and Januray 10th so that might well have been a factor in the decision to let him go out. On the other hand is he ready to be thrown straight into the deep end after just 45 minutes of competitive football? Hopefully there is some sort of agreement between us and Forest about how they use him and some of the medical staff from Arsenal will keep tabs on his progress I'm sure.

Well folks I think I'll leave it there for now. Hopefully we'll see an Arsenal side out to prove a point tomorrow and we end the weekend the happiest out of the top three. Till next time, take care.

Cesc & Eboue Face Spell On The Sidelines

Good afternoon readers,
It's a lovely day outside which might brighten my mood slightly this morning before I go off ranting. Yes it is a difficult time for us at the moment as we struggle to come to terms with why our team is performing so poorly as of late. We have all had our suggestions but only the players themselves know whats wrong and it's about time they address it once and for all and make a pledge to give everything they've got to bring home some silverware. They have all been optimistic in interviews and so on but have failed to back up their talk with action. We were all expecting a big reaction from the players after the Spurs defeat and we ended up watching a side that look mentally drained. On the positive side (if there is one) is that Arsene made seven changes to the side that lost at the weekend so hopefully those seven are pumped and ready to respond against Villa this weekend. We can only hope so. Failure to get anything in the midlands and the critisism from the media aswell as our own fans will continue. It's time to give them something else to rant about.

Our task hasen't been made any easier with the injuries sustained by Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Eboue. The Ivorian we can manage without as Sagna starts ahead of him anyway but the loss of our captain is a huge blow. He pulled up with his hamstring Tuesday night and faces a minimum of two weeks on the sidelines according to Arsene. Now before fans go off ranting and raving in two weeks time claiming the boss is a liar for telling us Cesc would be back in two weeks and he's not remember he said "minimum" and also he is just passing on information given to him by the medical team. Of course we're all worried he could miss the big game at Old Trafford but if he does then so be it. We went up there without him last season and deserved all three points but came away with nothing somehow. The main thing is that we don't rush him back and make sure we sort this problem out once and for all. I know he hasn't been on the best of form but how can he exactly? The man has been playing with the fear that one of his hamstrings could pull up at anytime. This has been going on for some time now and as I mentioned in yesterday's blog, perhaps it would be a better option to give him a few weeks off to rest rather than bringing him back early and making him play with the risk that he could get injured again. This would benefit both parties to be honest. We'd get a fully fit player raring to go and he would be much happier with the reassurance his body is able to cope. Some fans pointed fingers at Arsene because he took the risk and played him in the first place. Hilariously, these are the same fans that critisised the boss for resting him against Shakhtar Donetsk. Sort it out people please.

I haven't forgotten about Eboue. Arsene says he will be out for a minimum of four weeks. At the time I actually thought it was just Eboue doing one of his dramatic reactions but turns out the man was actually hurt, a knee ligament strain, ouch. Of course this means that if Sagna were to pick up an injury over the next month it would leave us looking rather bare in the right-back position. I'm sure if it came to that Djourou could fill in, can't see the boss recalling Gavin Hoyte from his loan spell, Nordtveit is also an option.

Now I was reading a few columns from John Cross of the mirror and one point stood out to me in particular, do players really care? It's been a question that many Arsenal fans have been asking of their team recently. Cross gives a few decent examples. He recalls how Spurs left-back Assou-Ekotto said football is just a job to him. As much as fans hate to hear things like this, it is true. They are professional footballers and are doing this for a living. Of course the massive rise in wages over the years has taken some passion out of the game. A player might get a bollocking from the manager after a poor performance but some don't give a shit, they see it as another game and will look forward to their pay cheque at the end of the week, that dosen't change. Now I'm not saying all players are like this. Cross shows a picture on his website of the Spurs players emotions after Kaboul's goal on Saturday. As much as it hurts our ears, it is true. They really wanted it and their hard work and determination payed off in the end. Players like Gerrard, Carragher, Terry and so on don't play for the money. They love their clubs, thats why they've spent their entire careers at those clubs. They play for the supporters, to bring trophies home and to create history for the team they are so passionate about. As much as we might dislike them, we have to show respect for what they are doing. Our players need to take a leaf out of their book if they want to achieve things with this club. We as fans deserve it. The majority of us have kept the faith for five years, it is about time we were rewarded don't you think?

Now onto the other column by Cross. The heading is "Arsenal would be romping the league if only Wenger had landed his first choice centre-backs and keeper." He talks about hoe we went for Reina and Schwarzer before settling for what we've got and that we were in for Jagielka, Mertesacker and Cahill but had to settle for Squillaci. This is what I don't like about journalists, they assume that stories are true too often. How does he know we made bids or enquiries for all those players? He dosen't. We nor any of those player's clubs relaesed statements confirming there had been contact so he shouldn't make stories out of this. Anyway, he goes on to say we would currently be sitting at the top of the table and well ahead had we signed one of those keepers and any of those defenders. Again, how the hell does he know this? It's not that easy I'm afraid John. I hate to break it to you but Fabianski has been on better form than Reina and Schwarzer this season. Both have made a string of poor errors so neither are as unbeatable as he makes them out to be. Also, I'm more than satisfied with our defensive recruitments. When Wenger spent £8m on Koscielny, he said he would need time to adapt to English football so I thought we might see a dodgy boy during his first few weeks but I was wrong. He began straight away with a solid performance against Liverpool despite being sent off and followed it up with another solid display against a very physical Blackburn side. Not the worst of starts you might say? He has of course but in many more good shifts and had the odd off game as would be expected in his first season. Remember Namanja Vidic's first season in English football? He was all over the place and look a waste of money but people with good knowledge of the game including Ferguson gave him time and acknowledged it takes time to adapt to England. Now look at him, considered one of the best in his position and has won several individual awards for his performances. It says a lot so I think Koscielny deserves more than a couple of months to prove himself.

Cross also claims Squillaci is not up to the demands of the Premier League, saying he is no more than a good squad player. Again, what is this based on? A couple of months? Give the man a break. He has been one of our most consistant performers this season and I haven't praised him enough. This season, for the first time in a long time, we kept three clean sheets in a row. Squillaci along with Fabianski played just as a big a part in that as the others. With him in the team we are much more organised at the back. Of course there are still areas we can improve on but remember we are yet to see the Frenchman partner Vermaelen. I am honestly relishing watching them playing together. Now I'm not trying to overly critisise Cross but like too many Arsenal fans, he is jumping to conclusions too early on.

There's not much else going on this Thursday afternoon so I'll leave it there. I should be back tomorrow evening with a preview of the Villa game. Till then, all the best.

Response? What Response? & Cesc Blow

Afternoon everyone,
It has been a while now since I've been able to deliver good news to you all through my blog. Unfortunately that is not my fault, it is of course down to our recent performances and the poor results that have come with them. Yesterday evening I was optimistic going into the game. I was sure we were going to see a response, the players were making all the right noises in their interviews and via their Twitter accounts. Also Braga weren't the most threatining team on paper and were sitting at 10th place in the Portugese league with something like one win in the last four games. Surely anything but a win was to be expected?

Going into the game all we needed was a point to ensure qualification. Arsene made seven changes to the side, Bendtner amongst those introduced to the team as expected. I was expecting a big performance from him after recent statements. The home support wasn't exactly what you'd call hostile and I was hoping that would work to our young sides advantage. We tried to come out of the blocks early on, Walcott giving the Braga full-back plenty to think about in the opening few minutes with his dazzling runs but too often he failed to produce a good cross. Kieron Gibbs was another who looked bright early on as he got forward at will. The fresh legs looked to bring a refreshed look to the side.

Braga had a chance of their own when Moises headed well over despite being unmarked, a reminder of our frailties when defending set-pieces. Our first real opening came when Bendtner received a pass from Walcott, played Cesc into a decent position but the Spaniard fired well over. We were awarded a couple of free-kicks just outside the Braga box butonly Cesc's dinking effort worked the keeper. The chance of the half fell to Theo when he was played through by Cesc but he just couldn't get the ball around the keeper. It was the best chance of the half and you feel he could have just chipped it over him. That was the last piece of real action of a dier half of football. Despite having the better of the play we were very poor, sloppy passing and so on. The only positive was the defence who were forcing Braga to shoot from distance.

The second half began and you could tell almost straight away we didn't look like upping the tempo. We threatened to score first however when Walcott's free-kick avaded the wall but it wouldn't come down in time. Braga should have opened the scoring when Squillaci's attempted clearance fell to Aguiar only for his left-footed strike to flash inches wide of Fabianski's post. The warning signs were there, failure to wake up and score could result in us fucking this up badly. Our plans weren't helped when Cesc pulled up with a hamastring injury and was forced off, I'll come back to this but he was replaced by Nasri. Shortly after the ineffective Bendter was taken off for Chamakh and Vela came on for Theo. We needed a fresh look going forward because nothing was coming off.

Shortly after, the substitutions combined as Chamakh's knock down fell to Vela who rounded the defender only to be taken out of it. Blatant penalty and when the referee blew the whistle you couldn't think of anything other than a peno. Instead the blind bat gave a free-kick to Braga and to rub salt in the wounds he booked Vela for diving. It was a truly awful decision, unexplainable, espeically with the extra officials. There was no excuse, they had to have seen it. Moments later Eboue was lamped, this time at the half-way line which the referee SPOTTED. *Claps*. Sadly however, he didn't get back up and looks to have strained a knee ligament which will keep him out for a few weeks. At this stage everything was going against us, we couldn't even replace Eboue as we had used all of our substitutions.

Then our bad luck was compounded. A long punt from a Braga defender evaded Denilson and our centre-backs to find Matheus who finished calmy passed Fabianski. We then poured forward desperately looking for an equaliser but Braga caught us on the counter again. Denilson's challenge was shrugged off, the ball found its way to Matheus again who was surrounded by four players but still managed to get a shot away and found the back of the net in extraordinary style. We were well beaten at this stage, there was no time for a comeback.

You can't help but point to the referee in this case. I know there was no excuse for that horrific display but you have to look at the penalty he denied us. I'm sick of looking at it on tv from all angles, no matter what way you see it, the defender clearly took Vela out and you could argue he should have been sent off as Vela was through on goal. Nothing we can do about it now though, the damage has been done and it leaves us going into the final game needing a win. Some people are saying thank God it's Partizan we're playing but the truth is we're in no position to make these statements. At the moment we're struggling to score, never mind win games playing well. I'm sick of hearing the same people talk shit everyday thinking they know the solution to our problems. "Sack Arsene", "Sell the whole team", "Spend money" is all you hear. It appears the solution to all our problems is to sell players who make half an error these days and replace them with £50m signings. Those people need to wake up and smell the coffee. I can't see anybody leaving in January and players will only come in depending on the injury situation then.

I know its hard to get behind the team at a time like this but we as supporters have to. They aren't going to bounce back on their own. Any team struggles when their fans are on their back or as in our case, don't even sing at home games. It's going to take a massive effort from everyone to get this club back on track. We're only two points off the top but we could well be further behind. We haven't been punished for our mistakes but its only a matter of time if we don't wake up.

The Fabregas injury is worrying, initially Arsene said a couple of weeks in his interview. It's a blow but it's also a sign that something needs to be done about it. I knows he pulled his other hamstring but still, something has to be done about this ongoing problem. It has been bothering him since the start of the season and the boy deserves to play without sorrying whether or not his hamstring is going to pull up. If it requires an operation then so be it. As long as we get a Cesc at 100% then I'm happy.

Almost forgot about the player ratings last night:
Fabianski: 6 - Had nothing to do besides the goals.
Eboue: 6 - Tried to create but couldn't.
Squillaci: 6 - People will blame him for the goals but those are fans that haven't a clue, decent display.
Djourou: 7 - My man of the match. Won every battle and gave his all, deserves a run in the team now.
Gibbs: 6 - Started brightly but faded.
Denilson: 6 - Gave 100% but still can't track back.
Wilshere: 6 - Another who gave his all but nothing came off for him.
Fabregas: 6 - Not fully fit, needs a break to be honest.
Rosicky: 6 - Tried but failed to make major impact.
Walcott: 6 - No end product, not his best night.
Bendtner: 5 - Failed to back up his recent talking up of himself.
Subs:
Nasri: 6 - Couldn't do much.
Chamakh: 6 - Made bigger impact than Bendtner did all game.
Vela: 6 - Should have had a penalty, unlucky.

I would love to talk more but I'm still feeling down after last night and not really looking forward to Saturday. We've got to keep the faith though, till next time people.

Braga Preview

Good afternoon readers,
Well Tuesday has come before I knew, it feels like only yesterday we crumbled at the hands of the yids. I haven't really been focusing on this game much in the past few days mainly because of Saturday's painful unexplainable defeat. It's proving very difficult to get that game out of the system and we it probably won't completely leave until we obtain revenge but for now we have a much bigger job to do in terms of domestic and Champions League games.

It's Braga tonight as you might have guessed and the players cannot afford to dwell on the Spurs game any longer. Let the past be the past, there's nothing we can do about it now as much as it pains me to say. There are 3 crucial points up for grabs tonight and if we take them back to North London it will ease some of the recent pain. We have never won in Portugal but records are there to be broken and this is as good a chance as we're going to get in my opinion. Braga are a side of 11 average players who work extremely hard for one another which pays off. Thats why they are in this competition, hard work and determination so perhaps our players could take a tip or two from them. Hopefully they don't show us what we're missing tonight but we should have too much quality for them in the end. That dosen't mean it's going to be a stroll in the park, it means if we give our all then class will tell unless we are struck my a severe does of hard luck.

The team news isn't as positive as we might have liked. Clichy, Arshavin and Van Persie haven't travelled with the squad. Gael is thought to have picked up a back problem, Arshavin is being rested and Robin is staying in London so he can work on his fitness for three days solid instead of coming all the way out to Portugal and then only playing a handfull of minutes. It's sensible work on Arsene's part to be fair. Chamakh is in the squad but I reckon he will be rested because he has played a lot of football lately and Bendtner can come in and be just as effective. Arsene said he would wait until this morning to see how Cesc is, no word on that yet. Heres how I think we'll line out:

Fabianski

Sagna - Squillaci - Koscielny - Gibbs

Rosicky - Song - Wilshere

Walcott - Bendtner - Nasri

That's a pretty strong looking line-up. Should Cesc not come true I think Rosicky deserves a start, he is one of our hard working players and will be handy in a tricky game like this. I'm also expecting to see Jack, he hasn't played since the Everton game so he should be welcomed back in. Walcott has had to be patient and sit on the bench recently because of Arshavin but he will probably get a chance tonight and like Bendtner he has to take every opportunity he gets to shine.

This is a bigger game than some might think. A defeat and the media will begin to stir all sorts of bullshit claiming we're in a crisis and so on. It is happening to Chelsea at the moment, lose a few games and Ancelotti is supposedly on the brink of leaving. It's a crazy world we live in but lets not give the sly cunts any reason to write such crap. A win would guarantee us qualification, put us in a great position to finish top of the group and go a small way to easing the anger and pain that came with Saturday's defeat. I think I speak for everyone in saying I expect a backlash from the team.

In other news and the Arsenal reserves are also in action today as they take on Wolves. In fact they are playing as I'm writing this blog, Aaron Ramsey put in a good shift and came off at half-time, he's still finding his feet but it is progress. Manuel Almunia has started in goal and has done nothing wrong as of yet as the scoreline is currently 0-0.

Elsewhere Wenger has spoken about this years title race being the most open yet since he took charge. I'm not sure if it will remain that way, it's far too early to tell but nobody has made a real statement yet that they will lead the way. When Chelsea pick up a few injuries their squad suddenly looks depleted. United although unbeaten have drawn far too many games andyou know the story with ourselves.

He also said in his press conference that he thought our centre-backs had a good game on Saturday. Some people will read this and question whether or not he is high but they should really think about it. I know everyone tends to try and pick the bones out of every player's performance when things aren't going right but fans like myself will always look for the positives and so does Arsene. Think about it, was the defence at fault for any of the goals? The first was due to poor covering from the full-backs and Denilson while Kos and the Squid went forward, the second goal was courtesy of a moment of madness from Cesc and the winner came about from poor marking by Van Persie. I'm sick of people yelling critisism at each player without being able to back it up, some fans are just as fickle as the media it's such a shame to see. Denilson was the victim of a barracade of abusive comments on Twitter the other night. In my opinion Denny was one of our better players Saturday. I don't enjoy picking out individual performances after a defeat. We win together so we'll lose together. To be fair there are quite a few of you out there who have never lost faith in this team and it is great to see.

Speaking of Denilson he has welcomed the competition within the squad. Himself and Wilshere have been battling it out recently for that final spot amongst the midfield trio. Both have impressed me lately but they will have incredibly stiff competition for places as the season goes on as Ramsey and Diaby close on returns to action aswell as Rosicky's presence. Hopefully it will bring out the best in every player.

Finally for today it has been confirmed that Henri Lansbury has joined Norwich City on a 28-day emergency loan. Personally I think he is capable of playing at a much higher level but it is only for this month and hopefully he catches Wenger's eye while out there.

Thats about it for today, a great night lies ahead...I hope.
Till next time.

Simply Not Good Enough

Evening all,
As you can imagine I'm not in the most ambitious mood today after the events that unfolded in yesterday's game. In the preview I explained how this game meant so much to everyone associated with Arsenal and that no less than 100% was required from every player. We didn't get that and as the heading reads its just not good enough. I'll give a quick run through the game.

As expected William Gallas was given a hostile reception. I couldn't have cared less to be honest. He came, he have his all and he fucked off, I don't think of him as a massive cunt like Adebayor but at the same time he hasn't exactly earned my utmost respect. You could say the same for Nasri who refused to shake his former team-mates hand. I had to have a little giggle, it was only the second time this had ever happened in the Prem, of course the other time was the Bridge-Terry scenario. I didn't think Samir despised of him so much that he couldn't even look the man in the eye. He must be quite the prick in the dressing room.

The pair clashed early on as Nasri appeared to be set through on goal only for Gallas to cut across and clear the danger and appeat to accidentally strike his fellow Frenchman in the process. We started brightly but I was refusing to get carried away judging by past home games. Then as the clock approached the 10th minute Fabregas played a delightful ball over the top of the Spurs defence to Nasri again, his touch looked too heavy as Gomes came out to collect but the Brazilian somehow lost control of the ball as Nasri rounded him and squeezed home from the tightest of angles. The Emirates erupted, it was the best possible start.

We were looking increasingly dangerous at this stage, it looked at any time as though we could cut through them like a knife through butter. They had no defensive midfielder, this being a big factor in them being over-run in midfield. Everytime Spurs lost possesion in our half we broke and it was only a matter of time before we punished them again. That time came in the 27th minute. A swift counter-attack starting off with Denilson who passed to Cesc who fed Arshavin out wide and he played a lovely ball into Chamakh who somehow flicked the ball past the defender and the helpless Gomes into the back of the net. At this stage it was a case of how many. Tottenham were lackluster, getting outplayed and looked disinterested for long spells.

Being as cautious as I am though I knew this one was far from over. We should all know that by now. We threw away a two goal lead to these scumbags in the space of two minutes in the 08/09 season, we were definately capable of doing it in 45 minutes. Tottenham brought on Defoe for the effortless Lennon at half-time. We knew this guy would provide much more of a threat and can punish you for the smallest of mistakes. It was crucial we kept the focus and didn't let complacency resurface. This wasn't helped by the oles at the end of the first-half. You'd be surprised how a relaxed atmosphere in the stand can pass onto the players just like a nervy one can.

We began okay and Spurs didn't seem to be anymore a threat than they were in the 1st half but I spoke too soon. A long ball from Ekotto was knocked on by Defoe, Van Der Vaart raced onto it and layed the ball to Bale who finished clinically. The Spuds were back in the game and we needed to wake up. It was a disappointing goal to concede to say the least. Everyone was rushing back when they should have been organised. Also Denilson was very tight on Bale until he began to run, then the Brazilian just gave up. There are no excuses for this sort of thing espeically only five minutes into the 2nd half when the legs are fine and fresh. You have got to track your man, it's one of the basic things taught on the training ground.

This injected an edgy atmosphere into the Emirates. You could sense it in the stands and on the pitch. The Spurs players were fully pumped for it now, they knew this was a great opportunity to go and get the equaliser. Luka Modric almost did so with a superb effort just outside the box which skinned the crossbar. The warning signs were there. Soon after Modric fell to the ground after a shoulder from Song. It really was a poor decison from the ref. I can't remember his name but I do recall yelling fat tits at home for some time. He didn't exactly help his reputation amongst Arsenal fans when he then awarded Spurs a penalty. It came about when the supposed free-kick Song gave away resulted in Van Der Vaart blasting it against the wall and Fabregas was adjudged to have handballed it. The decision seemed harsh at first but looking at replays Cesc's hand should never have been that high. It was over his head and he of all people must know you cannot do that. Van Der Vaart then stepped up for the penalty and sent Fabianski the wrong way. It really did put that sick feeling in your stomach.

We now needed a goal and Arsene responded by taking off Chamakh and bringing on Van Persie. We seemed to have awaken from our slumber and began to pile the pressure on the Spurs defence but they stood firm for long spells, Gallas being a standout performer as he intercepted several passes and made key tackles. We thought we had retaken the lead when a free-kick was met by Fabregas' head who knocked it down for Squillaci to score but they were both ruled offside. Tottenham then brought on Crouch for the poor Pavlyuchenko and we responded by bringing on Walcott and Rosicky for Arshavin and Nasri. The frontline had completely changed as we looked for that all important goal.

Fabregas went ever so close when he picked up a misplaced pass, cut inside Kaboul before forcing a fantastic save from Gomes. The man makes his fair share of blunders but he makes up for it with saves like that. Shortly after clever foot-work from Van Persie led to a dinking cross which Koscielny somehow headed over when the goal was gaping. It would prove costly.

Spurs won a free-kick just inside our half when Koscielny brought down Bale and was carded for his troubles. This time it wasn't red surprisingly enough. Van Der Vaart's inswinging free-kick was met on the head by Kaboul and the ball flicked on and passed Fabianski. My heart skipped a beat, I was in utter shock and disbelief. Had we really just thrown away a two goal lead to Spurs? How on earth were we 3-2 down? We had five minutes to respond. We pressed and pressed looking for an opening. Walcott had perhaps the best chance when he was found by Sagna only to flash his shot well over the bar. When the ref's whistle went I was on the verge of vomiting. It was the first time Tottenham had beaten us on our patch since 1993. This game will not be forgotten easily.

As the Emirates emptied I looked at the Spurs corner with anger and disbelief. The only thing going through my head was how? How the fuck did we manage this? I can get over defeats to West Brom and Newcastle but losing to the enemy stays with you forever. A scar had been left in our history and there was outrage wherever you went among Arsenal fans.

Many questions have been raised since then. What did Arsene say at half-time? Does he know how to motivate the players? Has this team got any character? I could go on for hours but there is clearly something wrong with this team. What it is we do not know. I for one don't think it has anything to do with the boss. He has made these players who they are ability wise but you cannot drill it into someones head to stay focused for 90 minutes. You can tell them but at the end of the day its up to them to deliver and our players are not doing it. The worrying thing is that all of these slumps are coming at home. I heard someone make the point yesterday that it is because of the atmosphere. It is well known that we have incredible away fans but at the Grove you'd compare the atmosphere to a funeral home. In the first-half it was buzzing but when we went 2-0 up the fans sat back and decided to cheer oles instead of keeping the players motivated.

I know the fans aren't entirely to blame and the players should be able to self-motivate themselves at this stage but arrogance in teh stands can easily transmit onto the players.
I have the usual player ratings here:
Fabianski: 6 - Faultless for any goals and didn't have much to do besides that.
Sagna: Very impressive, Bale couldn't beat him so he switched to the right flank.
Squillaci: 6 - Did okay but not his best game.
Koscielny: 6 - Was clumsy at times, should have scored too.
Clichy: 5 - Failed to make any real impact, defended okay though.
Song: 7 - Brilliant first-half but faded in the 2nd, cannot afford that.
Denilson: 7 - Like Song, impressive in 1st half but faded.
Fabregas: 7 - My man of the match, everything came through him.
Nasri: 7 - Scored a brilliant goal but was taken off in the 2nd half, looked like he picked up a knock.
Arshavin: 7 - Seems to put in more effort now, set up Chamakh's goal. Needs to do more though if he wants to play the 90 minutes.
Chamakh: 7 - Won every ball in the air and scored a good goal. Needs to be more ruthless in front of goal though.
Subs:
Van Persie: 6 - Created an opportunity for Koscielny with a brilliant cross but still isn't as sharp as he'd like to be.
Walcott: 6 - End product is still disappointing at times. Need him to produce when we're in trouble.
Rosicky: 6 - Tested Gomes but had no time to make impact.

The ratings sum it up really. Everyone began the game flying and working for each other but in the 2nd half we switched off and ultimately it cost us. I'm sick of repeating myself now. I thought the West Brom game was a one off but then we lost to Newcastle, it was then I began getting worried but now there is clearly a massive issue that needs to be addressed or we wre going to find ourselves in a fight for 4th spot instead of top spot. Sort it out lads, the motivation is there, get it into your heads!

Next month we should have Vermaelen, Diaby, Ramsey and Bendtner all back which will provide good competition and hopefully bring the best out of everyone. Luckily for our sake Chelsea also lost, they too seem to be in a spot of bother. They've only scored one goal in the last four games which is a really worrying statistic as far as their concerned. I'm not even thinking about that though because we have issues of our own that need sorting out. It wouldn't surprise me if the boys game out and responded with a win in Portugal midweek and then going on to beat Villa but this time I won't be fooled into enlighting myself with optimism.
Winning the next five home games will reinstall some belief but until then, you have my support boys but not my entire faith.

Till next time Gooners.

Tottenham Preview

Good evening readers,
Yes it's that time of the season again, it is indeed the North London Derby at the Grove. I don't think I need explain the importance of this game. This means so much to everyone associated with Arsenal so it's crucial every player comes into this game willing to give their life to contribute to a win. Of course we played them earlier in the Carling Cup in which we hopped them 4-1 after extra time but tomorrows game will be far more competitive. The last time we faced them in the league it didn't end as we would have liked. We went to the Lane missing several first-team players and were beaten by a side far more pumped for the occasion. Lets not dwell on that game too much but use it as an incentive to get some payback tomorrow.

Tottenham haven't won on our soil in the league since 1993, some 17 years and lets hope that record grows with every season. I am relatively confident going into the game. The stats don't lie, Spurs simply have not been good enough against us in recent times and the fact that they have only kept two clean sheets in all competitions this season doesen't exactly help their mental state. Of course it will be interesting to see what sort of reception William Gallas gets tomorrow. Arsene Wenger has called on Arsenal fans to show respect to our former captain but then again he has said the same about other former players returning and lets just say his call fell on deaf ears. Gallas knows he made a very controversial decision moving down the road. Today Harry backed him and said Arsenal fans should be cheering him instead of booing him and asked what Gallas had done wrong. I mean is this man serious? Insane? High on cocaine? Who knows? One things for sure, Gallas is definately not the innocent party here and any critisim that comes his way tomorrow is more than deserved.

Now for the team news. Here is how I'm predicting the two sides will line up beginning with ourselves:

Fabianski

Sagna - Squillaci - Djourou - Clichy

Fabregas - Song - Wilshere

Nasri - Chamakh - Arshavin

There are a few tricky decisions Arsene has to make. Six of the players in that side played for their countries mid-week and that might well be a factor. Sagna played the majority of the game for France while Nasri completed it. Djourou and Arshavin also completed 90 minutes while Cesc and Chamakh were also given run outs. Koscielny is back from his 2-game ban but I can't see him starting ahead of Djourou. The Swiss man has formed a solid partnership with Squillaci, has far more Premier League experience and is better equipped to deal with Crouch. The 45 minutes Fabregas got could be just what he needed, Wenger has spoken of his lack of sharpness over the past few weeks so Wednesday's game can only have been a positive thing for him. Wilshere today passed a fitness test and will be fresh and raring to go. Nasri was fantastic against England, hopefully he can reproduce similar if not more magic tomorrow. Chamakh scored for Morocco all be it with a bit of luck but it was reward for his determination to close down the opposition. He could face competition for the game though with Van Persie getting sharper by the day, the Dutchman played 45 minutes the other day so just maybe he will nick a place in the starting 11. Finally you have Arshavin in there, the man played 94 minutes midweek but I'm still expecting him to start. I reckon Walcott will be more effective off the bench against Assou Ekotto's tired legs, lets wait and see.
Now finally onto Spurs possible team:

Gomes

Hutton - Gallas - Bassong - Ekotto

Jenas - Modric - Palacios - Bale

Van Der Vaart

Crouch

When I look at this team I immediately see weaknesses in that back four. Hutton and Ekotto are average full-backs who can be taken apart by any decent winger. If Arshavin and Nasri are on their game tomorrow I can see them giving these two lads a very hard time and I haven't even mentioned Walcott's speed yet. In the heart of the defence you have the unpredictable Gallas and the vulnerable Bassong. Both are reasonably small for centre-halves so if Chamakh starts we should try and play as many crosses into the box as we can. In midfield you have plenty of quality. Jenas, Modric and Bale are all technically gifted players and each have an eye for goal. Palacios will play the holding role and will no doubt have his work cut out. Crouch might well play up front on his own supported by Van Der Vaart. These two pose a massive threat. We all know what the Dutch star is capable of and Crouch's height will provide a stern test for Squillaci and Djourou but we've kept him quiet in the past so no reason why we can't do it again.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Gareth Bale in recent weeks and the question before each game seems to be "will he tear this right-back apart?" Tomorrow he comes up against a man very much in form in the shape of Sagna. I think the Frenchman can contain him, he has the speed and physical presence so why not? All about concentration for the whole 90 minutes. I don't even think Bale deserves speical attention, the stats don't speak volumes. Both he and Walcott have scored four goals and created one in the league this season and thats not even half the story. Gareth Bale has played 1170 minutes. Theo Walcott has played 304 minutes (that’s 25% of Bale’s minutes) plus the man has delivered 114 crosses for that one assist. Shove that up your arse all you senseless baboons in the media out there.

If we win tomorrow we got top at least for a few hours. It is a big motivation for the players and might well put extra pressure on Chelsea who face a tough game against Birmingham without Terry, Essien, Lampard etc so who knows?

Aside from tomorrows game Bendtner has made more comments but this time they seem a little more positive. He has admitted he will have to be patience and work his way into starting 11. I understand why he has been frustrated, he practically carried our title challenge for over a month last season, then he gets injured and falls down the pecking order. Still though all you can do is put in the effort in training and shine when given opportunities.

Theres not much else going on at the moment but I doubt anybody really cares with whats instore for us tomorrow. Fingers crossed for a comfortable win and lets send the Spuds home with their tale between their legs. Come on Arsenal!
Till next time.

Priceless Three Points

A very early good morning to you all,
Well what a fantastic weekend it was wouldn't you agree? Looking ahead to it I felt Chelsea would be the ones waking up Monday morning smiling. United and ourselves had very tricky trips to Villa Park and Goodison while they hosted Sunderland in a game you would really have expected them to win. We wouldn't have been more wrong though. The Mancs kicked things off and were lucky to escape with a draw having been 2-0 down. I was disappointed Villa allowed them to claw their way back into the game but it was still 2 points dropped so it wasn't all that bad. I know City drew and you may be wondering why I never take note of their results but to be honest I don't see them as a threat. Why would we? Bar the Chelsea game they have showed no major signs of beeing title contenders and with the way their playing recently and with Mancini on cocaine or something they will do well to make the top four. That was about as interesting as it got Saturday although Liverpool were shown up for the laughing stock they really are once again, quite funny indeed although at this stage you do feel pity for them and yes I know their fans can be pricks but still. (Giggles)

Anyway I woke up Sunday morning with a terrible hangover and with no clock to be seen I was beginning to worry I'd missed the match but thankfully I soon found out it was only 12pm. I'd a good feeling about today, I didn't have that usual nervous feeling because we have been very good on the road recently. You'd nearly be more worried about the home games nowadays.

The line-up was expected, the big talking point was news that Nicklas Bendtner had been left out of the squad. People were immediately suggesting that he'd been punished for his midweek remarks about not playing as much as he'd like but Wenger soon revealed he had a medical issue. He didn't say what was wrong with him but said he could also be out of Denmark's friendly. It still puzzles me that he didn't say what type of injury, fingers crossed its not the one that was ongoing throughout the summer and beginning of the season.

Anyway back to the action. The game began rather sluggishly with both sides strugglin to keep possesion, it was just a matter of winning the ball and play the game at our tempo which we soon did. We had an early opening as Nasri sprung down the right wing before seeing his eventual shot blocked by Distin. From there Everton broke, Coleman out-ran Fabregas before chipping the ball into the onrushing Cahill who flashed his header over the bar, should have done better and we'd been let off the hook.

It was a decent start from both sides but we looked the better on the ball and were always looking the more likely to carve open an opportunity. It nearly came when Chamakh's lay off was back-heeled by Nasri to the oncoming Wilshere whos shot was blocked. It was a beautiful move which if finished would have been a contender for goal of the season in my opinion.

Our fans were doing all the singing, Goodison Park reminded me of the Emirates which is saying something. We continued to probe forward looking for an opening and it came when Nasri had a left footed shot well saved by Howard but he could only parry it to Arshavin who pulled it back for Sagna, he took a touch and blasted it into the roof of the net. It was quiete a finish for a man that has only scored one competitive goal for us since joining. Our next objective was to hold the lead to half-time and we did so, not without difficulty though as Saha headed against the clueless Fabianski from a corner, we were let off the hook but keepers get that sort of luck when their on form, a year ago it would have bounced off his head and in.

At half-time we brought on Denilson for Wilshere. The boy had been suffering from fatigue I hear and Arsene wanted to rest him because don't forget he's on international duty Wednesday night so it wasn't worth the risk of him picking up an injury to be honest. Everton made a change themselves, Jack Rodwell replacing the red card bound Heitinga.

It was that man Denilson who was involed in the goal shortly after the restart. He broke up the play in midfield, ran forward before laying it off to Cesc who megged the defender to Chamakh who returned the pass before the Spaniard finished well to give us a deserved second goal. We were well on our way to a big win but there was work to be done yet as United will tell you.

Immediately after we nearly gave the home side a lifeline as Squillaci brought down Saha and was also last man back. Thankfully Webb saw that Clichy was covering him and only produced a yellow much to the home fans disgust and our releif. From the resulting free-kick Fabianski collected easily from Baines. Shortly after Cesc was shown a yellow for supposedly fouling Distin. He attempted to block down his clearance and ended up getting stamped on, not sure how thats a yellow Mr. Webb? Cesc was hurt too but thankfully came back on.

We should have wrapped the game up when Nasri danced past Jagielka but his shot was well saved my Howard. Moments later Chamakh fired over from an open goal. "Taxi for Chamakh" as they said on fanzone. Not his finest moment, thats for sure.

As the game wore on Moyes decided to throw on two more strikers in Beckford and Yakubu. The defence had their hands full now. The Toffees piled on the pressure and it took a string of wonderful saves from Fabianski to keep them out. They eventually found a breakthrough when Saha knocked down a cross for Cahill to finish strangely with his foot! I was well and truly on the verge of shiting my pants now. We have a history of letting leads slip late and if it happened yesterday I could guarantee I'd be buying a new television this week. The four minutes of added time didn't help my blood pressure but we hung in there for the 3 points. 3 priceless points. I punched the air in delight for a good 10 minutes.

I mentioned in my preview that if we could play our game and if everyone put in 100% then we would beat them and thats exactly what happened. We've seen these performances before though and then been embarrassed at home by lesser teams so now we will find out if the players are honestly up for it. We definately have what it takes, its just a matter of producing the goods on a weekly basis.

My player ratings are as follows:
Fabianski: 9 - Incredible again, man of the match again, critics proved wrong again. What can I say? Love the man.
Sagna: 8 - Best performance in an Arsenal shirt for a long time, got forward well, defended well and scored a rare goal. Delighted for him.
Squillaci: 8 - Solid as a rock, he's experience is priceless, amazed at how quickly he has adapted to the Premier League.
Djourou: 8 - Just as good as his partner, this man is getting better with each game he plays and we've won 84% of the games he has started. Impressive stat.
Clichy: 7 - Still has a few jittery moments here and there but overall had a good day.
Song: 8 - Commanding & cool performance.
Wilshere: 6 - Taken off at half-time with fatigue, no fault there.
Fabregas: 8 - Finding his way back to his best again, got on the scoresheet too.
Nasri: 8 - Brilliant, this boy has so much talent it gives me goosebumps.
Arshavin: 7 - Nobody can fault his effort today and he assisted Sagna's goal, not a bad day in the office.
Chamakh: 7 - Got involved in all team moves and was good overall but missed an absolute sitter.
Subs:
Denilson: 7 - Came in for Jack and did his job very well, always seems to impress away from home.
Rosicky: 7 - Did exactly what was needed, I really admire his work-rate.
Eboue: 6 - Had no time to do anything.

Later on I decided to watch the Chelsea game. I was probably going to turn it off when they scored but they really struggled to create anything. Sunderland were giving them a real game and ripping their defence apart so I said to myself we could have ourselves a game here. When the Mackems squandered several chances I was just waiting for Chelsea to go down the other end, score and see out the remainder of the game in typical fashion. Then the ball fell to Nedum Onuoha, he ran at the defence, rounded several players before putting the ball past Cech. It was quite a sensational goal and Terry looked on in the stand on the verge of puking hehe.

In the second half the Black Cats didn't sit back and soon enough Gyan found himself one on one with Cecj and he finished as cool as ice. I honestly couldn't believe my eyes. Sunderland were dominating the champions in there own backyard. The Blues never looked like getting back into the game, Sunderland just passed the time and late on a hilarious blunder from Cashley allowed Welbeck to tap in and complete a humiliating route. 3-0, yes you read correctly 3-0!

Sorry for the detailed report on a game not involving Arsenal but its not everyday Chelsea are raped on their own turf and the boos at the end were like music to my ears. The good news is they've got Birmingham away next week who will be reasonably confident having gone to Eastlands and earned a 0-0 draw. We've got the North London Derby which I am absolutely buzzing for already.

Right well I think its time to shut my chap for a bit. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend, I certainly did! Till next time Gooners!

Everton Preview

Evening everyone,
Tomorrow we travel to Goodison Park looking to end a mixed week on a high note. Our record there in recent season has been very good indeed, most notably last season when on the opening day we hammered them 6-1. I wouldn't mind a similar score-line tomorrow but any win will do. Some people will settle for the draw but as Arsene said recently we go into every game looking to win and the attitude will be no different tomorrow.

If we can play our game tomorrow and put in 100% like Wednesday night then I have no doubt in my mind that we will come out on top. At times we may have to put the body on the line and scrap for every ball but so be it. Squillaci and Djourou will more than likely be faced with the task of controlling Yakubu, they may find it tough but they just need to stick to him and get the needed support from Song. Our recent good record should have no bearing on this game. Everton have a good record at home against the top sides so the fans and players will be pumped for this one.

We should welcome Nasri back into the first team and possibly Arshavin with Walcott coming on late on to run at tired legs. Everton will be without Marouane Fellaini which is a good thing to us. He breaks up the play in midfield and is a big presence in from set-pieces so his absence can only be a good thing from our point of view. Heres how I think the teams will line-up beginning with ourselves:

Fabianski

Sagna - Squillaci - Djourou - Clichy

Fabregas - Song - Wilshere

Nasri - Chamakh - Arshavin

As for Everton:

Howard

Neville - Jagielka - Distin - Baines

Coleman - Cahill - Heitinga - Pienaar

Yakubu - Saha

A few selections you might question there. First of all I know Gibbs is back in the squad but I wouldn't throw him into a game of this importance just yet. He won't be as sharp after the injury and in my opinion he has a bit to do before he can overtake Clichy. I know the Frenchman is prone to the odd mistake but his positioning is that bit better at the moment. Then you have the trio of Cesc, Song and Wilshere in midfield, no complaints there surely? Diaby is still out, Rosicky could come on later if we need new ideas and Denilson for me is too defence minded. Again if we're winning perhaps he will come on late in the game. Nasri and Arshavin will operate down the wings if you ask me. Arsene said he would tinker with the team so I reckon Walcott will drop to the bench, he does seem to make the biggest impact off the bench when running at tired legs and that isn't a bad thing to be honest but it means he has room to improve. Chamakh should provide an aerial threat up front. At times we may need to go long if we're struggling to carve them open so it's not a bad option to have. We will also have Bendtner and Van Persie on the bench so plenty of quality at our disposal.

As for Everton, well there are many questions as to what team Moyes will field. It could be the one above or he may opt to play a 4-5-1 formation by dropping Saha, move Neville into midfield and play Hibbert at right-back. Who knows? I don't really care aslong as we play well and get the required three points.

What amazes me is that our injury problems don't seem to be mounting as they usually do but I'm sure they will rise as the season goes on and issues such as fatigue come into play. Speaking of injuries there is still no good news on Thomas Vermaelen. He went for a scan which came back ok but Wenger says there is no explanation behind his pain. It means he won't require surgery but the fact that they can't put a timescale on his injury is rather worrying. There was also a hint that if his situation dosen't improve Arsene may dip into the transfer market in January. Not ideal but we could be forced into spending. Abou Diaby's situation is similar. He has had tests and the results have been encouraging but again their only taking it day by day and won't rush him back and rightly so. Manuel Almunia is set to return to training on Monday and it's going to take one major effort and turn of form to win back his shirt.

Now I've heard stories about Bendtner being unhappy coming out of the Danish press. Well first of all we don't know for sure that this is true, the media abroad can often be as inaccurate as the media in England unfortunately and Arsene himself said he has heard nothing from big Nick. If he is in the slightest way upset then he needs to be patient and take every opportunity he gets. Moaning won't get him anywhere, he needs to take a leaf out of Walcott's book. Hard work and patience has brought on his recent good run of form and has Arshavin take note. Nick has had a decent run of form himself scoring against City and Newcastle since returning from injury. If he performs consistantly when called upon then the boss will take notice and will reward him with more playing time.

Elsewhere I know people have been questioning our disciplinary record and because we have four red cards we're suddenly a "dirty team" too. That is not the case, if you look at the reasons behind the red cards. Bar the Wilshere tackle they have been for nothing. Koscielny's first at Anfield was a dubvious handball, his second was for denying Newcastle a supposed goalscoring opportunity. Song's red was for two yellows, both arguable decisions. So there you have it, disciplinary records don't tell the whole story. Just look at Stoke, they have a good record but everyone still knows their squad contains some of the biggest scumbags in the league. Oh if only the media could read this.

Anyway I'm off out for a bit, fingers crossed for a win tomorrow.
Till then.

Vital Win & Szczesny signs new deal

Evening readers!
Well it's been a mixed week to say the least wouldn't you agree? And guess what? It ain't over yet. It began miserably as Newcastle stunned us at the Emirates and it left us heading into Wednesday nights game needing a win. A lot of other bloggers said they would have settled for a draw if every single player gave their all. Not good enough for me, we've thrown away enough points for my liking and to show the characteristics of title contenders, which we haven't done at times, you need to go to places like Wolves and be able to grind out results. There was a nervous feeling amongst the majority of Arsenal fans coming into this game and understandably so because we've not been consistant enough so far.

There weren't too many surprises in the starting eleven. Nasri was rested as expected after the slight knock he picked up at the weekend. He was replaced by the ever reliable Tomas Rosicky. Theo Walcott dropped back to the bench and was replaced by Arshavin, it seems both will battle it out all season long for that position on the wing. Finally Djourou came in for the suspended Koscielny. There was more than enough quality on show to beat Wolves convincingly but we said the same heading into the West Brom and Newcastle games. Effort was required for sure.

Our problem lately has been getting off to good starts. Well we couldn't have asked for a better start for this one as Alex Song's pin point cross was met with Chamakh's head and the Wolves keeper had no chance. 1-0 after 39 seconds, brilliant start. Another thing we have struggled to do recently is kick on from good starts, this time we so nearly did too only for Arshavin's shot to be well saved by the keeper. We looked really up for this one as more attempts from Cesc and Arshavin again told the home side we meant business.

As we tend to do though, we left Wolves back into the game. They got a foothold and nearly equalised when a Kevin Doyle header flicked inches over the bar, you could argue that Fabianski had it covered. As the half came to a close they piled on the pressure but credit to our defence, there wasn't much going through them.

Wolves nearly began the 2nd half as we did the 1st with a goal only for an incredible tackle from Sagna to deny Stephen Hunt a tap in. It was an early sign that we would have to be on our toes for the entire 45 minutes ahead. We should have struck an early blow though as Rosicky intercepted a poor clearance and fed Cesc only for him to uncharacteristaclly blast the ball wide with the goal gaping. Wolves hit back again, Doyle found the target this time but was denied by a superb Fabianski save. The ball was heading for the top corner only for the Pole to tap it over with an out-stretched hand. Ffrom the resulting corner Rosicky was forced to clear a tame effort off the line. We were very much under the cache at this stage.

Even when you have this Arsenal team on the back foot, they are always a threat and we showed that a lot last night. Arshavin again weaving his way down the wing before cutting inside and firing a shot against Hahnemann's left hand post. It should have been 2-0 moments later as Djourou's shot was flicked off the line by Karl Henry. With chances for both sides you felt this game could go either way. I thought it would be a repeat of Sunderland and had the nails eaten off my fingers which remained crossed. A few minutes from the end Cesc was lucky to not have been sent off as he could Stephen Ward with his stoods in the follow through after an attempt to block the ball. He escaped with a yellow. Then Fabianski had to pull off another world class save as Berra blasted the ball through a sea of bodies but the Pole got down on time as he looked to cap off his best night in an Arsenal shirt with a clean sheet and more importantly three points. That was secured when his throw out set up a counter attack, the ball fell to Cesc who set Chamakh away and the big man notched home his second of the game.

It definately wasn't as easy as we might have liked but we have shown that when the effort is put in we are capable of doing great things. The trouble is being consistant with it, you can't play good in one game, slack in another and expect to challenge for the league. It dosen't work like that, you are punished for every mistake you make in this league so consistancy and hard work is the key to survival. My player ratings are as follows:

Fabianski: 9 - Best game to date, he is growing with confidence and its a joy to see.
Sagna: 7 - Solid game, keep it up Bacary!
Squillaci: 7 - Consistant player, I've grown on him.
Djourou: 7 - Improving all the time, still areas he needs to work on though.
Clichy: 7 - Wasn't troubled down the right wing thank God.
Song: 7 - Assisted the first goal, I'm loving his new attack minded game.
Wilshere: 7 - Worked hard, good lad.
Fabregas: 7 - Mixed evening, better than Sunday but still not at his best. Could have been sent off before assisting last goal.
Rosicky: 8 - Worked his arse off up and down the pitch. Definately an example to the younger players.
Arshavin: 8 - Very bright, realises now Walcott is hot on his heels and it seems to bring out the best in him.
Chamakh: 8 - Scored two vital goals, this guy is proving to be some signing. Well done Arsene!
Subs:
Denilson: 6 - Came on to see out the game, booked too.
Bendtner: 6 - No time to make an impact.
Nasri: 6 - Likewise.

Back to the Cesc issue for a moment and yes I have to use the word issue because that is what the fickle media and Alan Hansen decide to make of it. Okay we admit it, he went over the top and both Arsene and Cesc apologised to Mick McCarthy about it and he accepted. Close the case? Nah they'll bitch about that on until next week and you know what the funny thing is? Karl Henry made a tackle on Arshavin that was just as bad, studs up on the shin, potential leg breaker but it dosen't even get a mention amongst the media or Match of the Day. No surprise there anti-Arsenal bastards, it was the same when Robinson took out Diaby. Alan Hansen then basically contradicts himself by saying there was nothing wrong with a two footed Michael Essien challenge in one of the other games yet he makes out Cesc's tackle to be some sort of brutal assault. Give me a break.

Anyway, to some good news now and hot prospect Wojciech Szczesny has signed a new long term deal. His previous contract was due to expire in the summer and the thought of losing him on a free to some other big club was quite scary at the time but thank God its all over and done with now and he can look forward to a bright future with the club. Interestingly enough, Arsene has come out today and challenged Manuel Almunia to win back his number one shirt. His injury has meant he has fallen well down the pecking order leaving some fans thinking he had played his last game for the club but clearly this is not the case. I've a feeling we'll be seeing his face for a while yet.

Also this week Arsene has quashed reports we could loan out Aaron Ramsey so he could regain his sharpness. Instead the boss wants him to work his way back to fitness here which isn't a bad idea really because he will be treated with teh right precaution here whereas at another club they really couldn't give a fuck about him. I'm hoping he will be back as soon as possible and continue where he left off trying to cement a place in midfield.

On the injury front we're not looking too bad. There was the bad news on Monday that Thomas Vermaelen had suffered a set-back in his recovery from an achilles problem and the boss says he can't put a time scale on the injury anymore. Van Persie was on the bench again Wednesday night and is set to play for the Dutch in their upcoming friendly, hopefully he comes out unscathed and the only thing it does is improve his sharpness.

Well I think I've gone through just about everything. We've got Everton on Sunday, hopefully there will be a preview tomorrow fingers crossed. Till then Gooners, thanks for reading.

Damaging Defeat - Lessons not learned

Good morning readers,
I decided not to type up this blog for a few hours after the game so I wouldn't say something I'd sooner regret. I had a good feeling about this weekend all week. United had a tough game against Wolves without Rooney, Berbatov and Nani, Spurs and City had tricky away games while Chelsea took on former giants Liverpool (Notice former hehe). It had all the makings of a great weekend and I was really confident Arsenal would do their part.

It kicked off on a good note as Bolton took apart Spurs in a 4-2 win. Everything seemed to be going according to plan at Old Trafford until Wolves decided to switch off in injury time AGAIN. It was rather sickening, now I know how others feel when we score late goals at the Grove. I remained optimistic though that we would do our job.

This morning I woke up still feeling good about getting the win we needed. I know Newcastle were on a good run coming into the game but we were on a good run domestically ourselves and with all the players making the right noises, a good performance was on the cards.

Last night I revealed the rumour that Van Persie was going to start via my Twitter and Facebook accounts. It took a while for me to even consider that it might be true when I first heard it. Arsene revealed in his press conference on Friday that Robin had just completed his first full training session since August and didn't give the slightest hint he would be in the squad for today. He wasn't even asked by the media and rightly so because it sounded absurd at the time.

That was just about the only shock as far as the team selections went. Walcott started ahead of Arshavin,  inevitably in some peoples minds. Jack was welcomed back into midfield alongside Cesc and Song. It was a very strong line-up and the bench was full of quality too, more reasons for me to be optimistic.

The game began as all games do at the Emirates with us having all the possession, moving it around looking for an early opener. We looked bright early on but I wasn't getting too carried away because we have said the same for games we have gone on to struggle in. With just ten minutes gone, a Cesc free-kick was deflected onto Tim Krul's bar and over, nearly the perfect start. The Spaniard had yet another opportunity when Newcastle were carved open but he flashed his shot across goal.

Just before half-time we gained momentum as Nasri superb effort destined for the top right hand corner was brilliantly saved by Krul. This was followed up by Cesc finding space in the box yet again only to fire his shot into the side netting. Then on the stroke of half-time the Emirates was left stunned as an inswinging Barton free-kick was met on the Carroll and his header found its way into the back of the net despite the challenge from Fabianski. I know everyone is pointing the blame at the keeper but to be honest, there wasn't a whole lot he could do. People say he should have stayed on his line, not for me. Seeing as Chamakh decided to give up on tracking him Fab had no option but to come out and go for it, unfortunately the ox beat him to it. If he didn't come out Carroll would have had a free header and if he scored people would say, well why didn't he come off his line. It's a win win situation for the critics to be honest. It was obvious that when Fab made a mistake everyone would eventually jump right on his back again. Let them think what they want, he's our number one for now and I can't see that changing for a long time and rightly so.

At half-time I'll admit it, I feared the worst. Newcastle were looking really solid and we lacked creativity. There was nobody on the pitch who looked like taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Chamakh is a fantastic player and deserves all the praise that has come his way but he is not a goalscorer like RVP. I'm not critisising him, I'm just saying when you really need a goal maybe there are better options, thing is Robin ain't 100%.

We began the 2nd half looking for an early breakthrough and we nearly got one when Walcott crashed his shot against the bar. Moments later neat foot work from Song nearly left Chamakh with a tap in but he was beaten to the cross by Williamson. If we were going to introduce RVP I would have expected it to be in the final ten minutes or there abouts but incredibly he was introduced with 35 minutes to go in place of Chamakh as expected. Shortly after Nasri picked up a knock and was replaced by Arshavin who brought new life into the game to be fair. Still though, the lack of creativity was really beginning to concern me and Wenger too clearly as he brought on Bendtner for Wilshere. Very much desperation stuff at this stage. I was expecting a flurry of chances and constant pressure in the last quarter of the game but I couldn't have been more wrong. It was as though we got more sloppy as the game wore on. Cesc's passing was woeful, the midfield looked tired and couldn't get the ball into the forwards, it was just strange to be honest. It wasn't the Arsenal we know. The final chance fell to Cesc but his diving header was straight at Krul but the action wasn't over as Ksocielny brought down Ranger and because he was the last man back, Dean felt he had no other option than to give him a straight red card. If you ask me or Arsene he did have another option. Was it a clear goalscoring opportunity? It's debatable as he still had a long way to run and Squillaci was sprinting back too, make up your own mind but it means he misses the next three games.

As the final whistle went you couldn't hear the boo's as they were over-roared by the celebrations at the away end. Fair play to Newcastle but what the fuck Arsenal? That final quarter was dier. There was no pressure to win the ball back off Newcastle, instead we waited for them to misplace a pass, no urgency going forward no nothing. The players looked as though they'd been put through a rigorous training session the night before. Arsene has said since the West Brom game we have learned our lesson but clearly we haven't. He can give them as many earfuls as they want but at the end of the day, the players need to get their heads right. These performances are not good enough and its been coming if you ask me. We've scraped past the likes of Birmingham and West Ham at home. I don't want to sound arrogant but we should be beating these sides comfortably.

Fortunately enough we were let off the hook as Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-0 at Anfield. It means we remain 5 points behind Chelsea when it could well have been 8 or if you want to squeeze your balls for a second...2! So my good feeling about this weekend is now a distant memory. Hopefully the players went home this evening with sore arses and we won't have to watch such a lacklustre display again. We've got Wolves away next, far from an easy game but a must win considering the fixtures that follow it. Hopefully Vermaelen will be back for the run in, we really have missed his presence even though the others have filled in well.

Now for the player ratings:
Fabianski: 6 - Mistimed jump for the goal but other than that he did everything right.
Sagna: 5 - Not his day.
Squillaci: 7 - Solid performance, I really have taken a liking to this guy.
Koscielny: 6 - Just as good as Squillaci but red card spoiled his day.
Clichy: 6 - Did okay but still looks vulnerable, thankfully Newcastle didn't have a natural winger on.
Song: 7 - Good performance.
Wilshere: 8 - My man of the match, looked the sharpest going forward.
Fabregas: 5 - Very disappointed with Cesc, I know he's having difficulty with his hamstring but I still expect better than that.
Walcott: 7 - Looked sharp but his end product was frustrating at times.
Nasri: 6 - Glimpses of quality but far from enough and was forced off injured.
Chamakh: 5 - Lacked service, nothing came off for him today and was replaced early in the 2nd half.
Subs:
Van Persie: 6 - Looked bright but will need time to get back to his old self.
Arshavin: 7 - Injected life into the game and gave his all, thats all I ask.
Bendtner: No service at all, couldn't possibly do anything.

Well the ratings just about sum it up, good here, poor there. Just not good enough if you want to fight for the title. This inconsistancy issue needs sorting out fast. I think I've said enough for today. Possible Wolves preview in the next few days. Till next time!

Midweek Stutter, Newcastle Preview & Wenger Rumours

A very good early morning to you all,
For the 4,000th time I apologise for the lack of blogging, I should be able to do it daily from Christmas onwards fingers crossed. Plenty to get through now and I'll start with Wednesday nights game. I know it was four days ago now and most of you will have just about gotten over the disappointment but I'll give a run through it anyway just to piss you off hehe.

We went into the game only needing a point to qualify from the group and it would have also put us in poll position to top the group. Beforehand I would have taken a draw if I'm being honest. Shakhtar were unbeaten at this ground and we were missing several key players. It was going to require a solid performance and unfortunately the boys didn't bring their A-game.

We couldn't have had a better start, with only ten minutes gone Jack Wilshere punted up field to Walcott whos sensational burst of pace allowed him to latch onto the pass and finish superbly. He took the shot a little earlier than some of us might have expected but it was proof of the confidence that he is brimming with at the moment. I was hopeful we would kick on from there and try and put this game to bed as soon as possible, it wasn't to be. Shakhtar immediately went on the offensive and hit the post just six minutes after conceding before Chygrynskiy forced a brilliant save from the very much on form Fabianski. Then came a moment of controversy in the build up to the home sides equaliser. Jack Wilshere was fouled, we had about half a second of possesion which the referee somehow thought was an advantage, then Eboue fouled Jadson and was yellow carded along with the player who impeted Jack. From the resulting free-kick they scored, Chygrynskiy's header deflected off Craig Eastmond and flew into the back of the net. Huge slice of luck to the Ukranians but you couldn't say they didn't deserve it with all the pressure they were applying.

We failed to recover from this blow and the home side continued to pour forward looking to take the lead. The somewhat inevitable second came on the stroke of half-time. Clichy delayed an opportunity to clear the ball and was dispossessed by Srna who squared for Eduardo to finish neatly. Before the game he promised the Shakhtar he would score and clearly he is a man of his word. More worryingly though is that it was as a result of yet another Clichy error. It is becoming an issue for me now as its happening far too often. No doubt Gibbs will be pushing him for the starting spot when he returns from injury. Anyway back to the action and we started the second half brightly and Wilshere looked destine to equalise but his curling effort skinned the post. This was followed by several tame long range efforts from Theo before the chance of the match fell to Squillaci when he found himself in acres of space but could only point his header straight at the keeper. We continued to hold possession for long spells but the lack of creativity was frustrating. Late on Wenger brought on Jay Emmanuel-Thomas but there was to be no way back. The defeat leaves us needing a point from our two remaining games to qualify which I know for a fact we will get. Still though, the opportunity was there to get something out of the game and leave us with the luxury of being able to rest key players. The player ratings are as follows:
Lukasz Fabianski: 8 - Did everything right and made some good saves. Confidence continues to grow.
Emmanuel Eboue: 6 - Not his best game in an Arsenal shirt, needs to improve defensive side of his game.
Sebastien Squillaci: 7 - Positioning was as good as ever, adapting very well.
Johan Djourou: 7 - Once again started shakily but grew in confidence as the game wore on, improving all the time.
Gael Clichy: 6 - Bad mistake that led to goal, needs to cut them out asap!
Craig Eastmond: 5 - Looked nervous again, not sure if he's ready at the moment.
Jack Wilshere: 8 - Big games just don't seem to faze this kid, my man of the match.
Tomas Rosicky: 6 - Saw plenty of the ball but failed to create much.
Samir Nasri: 6 - Started brightly but faded.
Theo Walcott: 7 - Scored a great goal but lacked support from midfield.
Nicklas Bendtner: 6 - Looked off the pace, still regaining sharpness.
Subs:
Marouane Chamakh: 6 - Lacked service.
Carlos Vela: 7 - Did okay for once, needs to keep the head down and work his arse off.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas: Had little time to make an impact but looked sharp.

Attentions immediately turn to Newcastle now. A win is a must as it is in every league game we play and we cannot under-estimate the Toon. We beat them with ease in the Carling cup a fortnight ago but that was a completely diiferent team to the one Hughton will field today. Andy Carroll is a man on form and we saw how dangerous he can be when he caused us a few problems when he came off the bench in the cup. He may be partnered by another giant in Ameobi so Koscielny and Squillaci will have their work cut out for sure. Also they are on the back of a 5-1 demolition of Sunderland so confidence will be high within their squad. Hopefully all of our players will be fired up after Wednesday night and will want to make ammense.

In Arsene's press conference on Friday he brought some very good news indeed for a change. Cesc Fabregas, Denilson, Alex Song and Andrey Arshavin will all return for the game. He also confirmed Robin Van Persie is now taking part in full training and Thomas Vermaelen is only a matter of days away from returning to action. Of course though, it't not an Arsene press conference without bad news, that being the injury to Abou Diaby. Arsene dosen't know when he will be back, they are still trying to get to the bottom of the injury which he sustained in a tackle from that horrible cunt Paul Robinson. He has played games since of course but has never been the same and it wasn't helped when Michael Essien tested how far an ankle can bend without snapping. Hopefully its not too serious. Manuel Almunia is still not fit suspiciously. I don't think anybody is too bothered though because of Fabainski's incredible form.

Now to the rumours surrounding Arsene Wenger. Some of you may not have heard yet but some dude on Twitter is claiming a story will break tomorrow about Arsene having an affair with another woman. The Sun is the paper supposedly reporting it. Here is what its meant to look like: http://twitpic.com/348gqk. Notice the person didn't manage to capture the actual name of the paper, just coincidence? Lets wait and see. I don't want to say anymore until we know more.

Now I mentioned the good news that Van Persie has returned to full training and of course Holland are going to do all they can to make sure he dosen't make a full recovery by calling him up for their upcoming friendlies. Do they have any consideration whatsoever? Of course not, their not the ones who have to pay his wages and medical bills. If he gets injured on international duty I will literally fly to Holland and punch the coach Van Mardick or whatever his name is right in the face!

Apologies for that little outburst. During the week Arsene spoke of his plan to eventually turn Theo Walcott into a striker, the man himself later echoed the bosses comments. Since he arrived he has played on the right wing but has shown glimpses of his ability to finish, espeically in recent weeks. He clearly has an eye for goal but it will take a while to transform him into a centre forward. First of all we already have three quality players in that position and number two he is quite small and not the most physical striker out there so that is a factor and more so because we play a 4-3-3 formation at the moment. It would be easier if he had a bigger strike partner but for now I think we should stick to the current setup.

Back to Arsene's press conference once again and the news that he plans to open negotiations with Nasri and Clichy over extending their contracts was very welcoming. I see both of them here for many years to come and the sooner we tie both of them down to long term deals the better.

Thats about all for now, hopefully I'll be back later to talk about the Newcastle game. Till next time take care of yourselves, thanks for reading and heres to three points!

Crucial Win & Wilshere signs on

Morning all,
Well what an eventful weekend it was wouldn't you agree? In my pre-match preview I mentioned would it be too much to ask of Arsenal to pull off a convincing win in which my heart dosen't appear in my mouth for once. You bet it fucking was. It concerns me a bit that we are making work of the lesser teams this season. More on that later but now to the action.

Everyone knew before hand that this was a must win game. Lose or draw and we were staring down the barrell of a 8 point gap between ourselves and Chelsea aswell as the unthinkable amount of critisism that would have come from our own fans and the cunting media. We started the game reasonably well, Arshavin making a few darting runs (rare I know) but failing to really trouble Robert Green. Probably the best move of the match came when Song played Sagna through, he pulled back for Cesc and his goal bound effort was brilliantly saved by Green who seems to suddenly turn world class everytime he sees the Arsenal jersey. The early signs were positive, we were the ones doing all the pressure. Mark Noble tested Fabianski with a 25 yard shot but the Pole was on his game once again and dealt with everything the Hammers threw at him which was rare in all fairness. Before half-time Alex Song had a decent effort saved by Green and Squillaci had a header tipped over the bar. It was truly backs to the wall stuff now for the Irons.

In the second half I was hoping we would break the dead lock early on, I felt it was important just to calm the nerves and also it would open the floodgates. Moments into the half Scott Parker completley took out Denilson and somehow escaped without a yellow card at least. It was poorly mis-timed and the Brazilian was lucky to escape without injury. We continued to look for openings, Sammy Nasri took it upon himself to open the scoring and very nearly did, his 35-yard free-kick with barely any run up came crashing off the bar. It was a fantastic attempt and deserved a goal. As the half went on the crowd became more and more anxious which is understandable being an Arsenal fan. The team kept pushing though and Arshavin attempted to win a penalty when there was a coming together with Da Costa but in my opinion there was nothing in it and he was looking for it. People critisised Arshavin for his performance but I don't think you can fault his committment, he did try and although nothing really came off for him, effort is all you can ask of a player at the end of the day.

Anyway back to th action and it was Arshavin himself who provided the next chance. His inswinging free-kick was met by Chamakh who's header was straight at the keeper despite claiming to have been held by the defender. It was getting to the desperation stage now and Wenger inevitably brought on Theo and Bendtner, off went Denilson and Arshavin and we now had fresher legs going forward. Walcott made an immediate impact as his pace allowed him to latch onto Fabregas' through ball only to see his effort come back off the post and into the fortunate hands of Green. This was followed up by a Cesc snap shot which was again well saved and at this stage I had become resigned to the fact that we would only take a point. Then the ball fell to Clichy out on the left wing, he cut inside Faubert onto his right-foot where not many people would have bet he was going to produce something with but he did. His cross with his RIGHT FOOT was met by the head of who else but Alex Song, the man who has been questioned by some fans for going forward too often but I don't think theres a fan in the world who will now. The Emirates erupted, those that had stayed and kept faith in the team were rewarded and it was great to see. I personally nearly broke my couch when I kicked it with joy, something I would later regret when it swelled but fuck that, it was all about Arsenal and we had nicked it right at the end.

After the game there were nothing but scenes of releif around the stadium, the players knew they had got off the hook, Arsene was also a relieved man as he shook his fist to the fans.
Now to the player ratings and here they are:
Fabianski: 7 - Didn't have much t do but was assured when called upon and made some good punches.
Sagna: 7 - Solid game, put a few good crosses into the box.
Squillaci: 7 -  Wasn't troubled by Piquioinne or Cole but was solid too.
Koscielny: 7 -  Again, wasn't really bothered but cleaned up where necessary.
Clichy: 7 - Provided the cross for the winner, thats all that matters.
Song: 8 - Was lively throughout, always a threat, accurate passing and of course got the all important winner. Man of the match for me.
Denilson: 6 - Looked a bit tired as this was his third game in a week, he covered well while Song went forward.
Fabregas: 7 - Not his best game but he was playing on with a hamstring injury. Despite that he created opportunities and could have scored twice, credit to him.
Nasri: 6 - Wasn't at his creative best but gave 100% and almost scored a scorcher of a free-kick.
Arshavin: 6 - Put in the effort today but nothing came off for the man.
Chamakh: 6 - Couldn't get any space as the Hammers put 10 men behind the ball, took part in decent team moves though.

Thats about that as far as the game is concerned, a crucial three points in the bag and at teh end of the day a win is a win.

Now, there was brilliant news announced yesterday as the official website confirmed Jack wilshere had signed a new long term contract, he even announced it himself via his Twitter which is becoming quite handy these days. For me he is the future of this club. I was saying yesterday that when Cesc was 18 I didn't think for one second that he would be the player he is now, seeing what Jack produces on the field now gives me goosebumps of what he will be like in a few years time. Arsene also announced that he wouldn't call up Aaron Ramsey to first team action until December and rightly so. We need to be cautious with bringing him back, because we have seen what can occur when you rush players back from serious injuries.

Anyways, enjoy your Tuesday I'm hoping to be back with a Shakter preview, if not heres to three points!