Arsenal 2-1 Olympiacos: Alex Song:- The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Arsenal 2-1 olympiacos

















Match report here and vidoe highlights here.

I dont care who says what, based on yesterday's performance, Alex song is the best thing to happen to Arsenal since man discovered sliced bread!!

He was by far my man of the match. He looked so comfortable playing in defence, calmly getting out of tricky situations with great intelligence when required. Metersacker was the big battering ram that we so often bemoan not having in the team. He bollixed the ball upfield a couple of times, much to my amusement.

Chamberlain scored, making history as the youngest englishman to score in the champions league. Personally, I don't care much for that, I just care that he scored.

The other new boy Andre Santos I thought had a decent game. He scored, battled hard and as the game went on, he looked more confident. He still lacks a little bit the sharpness... but the game last night will have done him the world of good.

Bearing in mind that we had nine first team players out, I think we cannot overstate the significance of the win yesterday. Had that been United, we would have been bombarded with shit about how strong their squad is. Infact United blew a 2-0 lead to draw 3-3 the other day. Had that been Arsenal, we wouldn't have heard the last of it till the end of the season.

Credit to Olympiacos, they really threatened and should have been ahead on a couple of occassions. Mikel Arteta cleared off the line while they struck the cross bar with thunderous short on 64 minutes. Had that shot gone in, I think the game would have really swung in their favour. But lady luck seems to be with us of late.

Generally, our midfield is still lacking that dominance... ball possession, passing, general fluency but we are getting there. Arteta did very well. I thought frimpong had a decent game but he could have done better. He gave the ball away cheaply at times. The Captain for the night Rosicky was too quiet for my liking. Arshavin had a poor first half but improved in the second half. I really would like to see Ryo play on the left... I think Arshavin should play inside as the creative midfielder... he has lost the pace of 2 years ago... but he is still tricky and can thread a ball.

So, we win and take 3 points. Next up is are the cuntz of Tottenham. Now, we all know this is a North London Derby, but please, they have Adebayor in their team!! Hellooo, Adebayor!!

Once an Arsenal legend in the making, Adebayor has stooped so low as to become the under-cunt. If there is such a cunt. He stamped on The Man, kicked song and Fabregas then ran the enitre length of the pitch to wind up the Arsenal fans. I would really love for us to thump Tottenham with him in the side....

I cannot stress how important 3 points are for our league position and confidence. We simply cannot afford to come out of Tottenham without a result. We have already lost too many games and can't afford to drop any more points. So, let's go there and win. Lets get back to the days of old when we'd make them bend over and we had our way with them. Let's give it to them up their Arsenal!!

Dare I say.... onwards walks the Arsenal..!!

Afrogunner: Back From The Brink of Death

The Man: RVP Still doing the business

Afrogunner is back from the brink of death. After eating some dodgy food, I was admitted in hospital last week with severe food poisoning. But being Afrogunner, I couldnt be put down by the Mancs, the Shities or the Chelts of this world. No. I'm back!!


So what have I missed while I've been away? well, we beat Bolton Wanderers 3-0 at the Emirates stadium. The Man is being likened to this little man of  FC Barcelona: 

Now, I like Messi very much as a player and i'm having a tough time deciding who is the better player between him and Christiano Ronaldo. But to liken The Man to Messi? I don't quite agree that they move or even play the same. The one Arsenal Player I thought had a bit of Messi in him is Carlos Vela. If that boy can ever make it at the top, he'll be the nearest player to Messi both in terms of play and stature that we shall see in this generation. He is short, tricky, chips the keeper, left-footed... Too bad he has thus far been a flop at Arsenal...

I've always told every man and his dog willing to listen to me that The Man is a very special talent, that if he could be fit for a whole season, he is likely to be top scorer in the League. I think he has now scored something like 26 goals in 30 matches.

Now, its easy to score so many goals when you play for Barcelona with the best midfielders supplying you with balls, but to do so in an Arsenal team that is not as strong as the other teams... well... I think only his injury record has prevented The Man from being the object of speculation ala Fabregas and many others before him at Arsenal. Expect Robin Van Persie, The Man, to be coveted by the world's best clubs this summer if he stays fit.

I also missed the 3-1 Carling Cup win against Shrewsbury. I really would have loved to see some of our new signings in action, but i lay in my death bed on the night... *weeps*...

The injuries just get worse... Jack Wilshere is out till around christmas. Personally, i have written off this season for him. That way, I'll not be disapointed with the 'minor' setbacks that he'll suffer when he returns after his long injury lay off. It's a real blow because this season should have been the season he takes over from Cesc Fabregas.

So, at the moment there is a slight change in the clowd of doom surrounding the club. I sincerely hope we beat Spurs. Not only do I think they are cunts, but we really need the three points. We cannot have the 'we lacked a little bit the sharpness speeches after the game' or that we lacked 'urgency' or 'concetration' or 'motivattion' or 'organisation' or 'failed to learn from the past' or 'we just have to bounce back'!! NO!!! We need to go about our business like proper professional, like the big club that we are, like a club with some heritage, like men willing to die for the cause.

And we badly need to improve that goal difference. That means aiming for cricket scorelines in every game that we play. I believe goal difference will matter a lot come end of the season.

So onwards crawls the Arsenal!!

Blackburn 4-3 Arsenal: Time For a New Manager?

Asernal collapsed again on Saturday against lowly opposition at Blackburn Rovers.


This picture (Courtesy of Arseblog) says a lot you need to know about Arsenal right now.

We have been hearing time and time again about how good our team is, but we haven't seen any evidence to support it. We have heard time and time again that that we would win a trophy soon, but we have failed dismally. We have heard how Fabregas and even Nasri were going to stay at Arsenal and the team would be strengthened, but instead, our best players were sold, taking us backwards. New good quality players have arrived, but the weaknesses of old remain. We hear after every loss how we did not defend well or concetrate well in the game. We hear how we lacked a little bit the sharpness. We hear players talking about bouncing back:  

Djourou: we just have to bounce back? my arse!!

We hear players saying we need to learn from previous mistakes but they don't learn. We still coast through games, making the same errors, playing the same lazy way, defending the same calamitous way, missing our chances in front of goal, lacking urgency until we are in the dying stages of the game and losing.

I once opined that Wenger should demonstrate that he is not insane. Insanity, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. To his credit, Wenger has brought in some experienced players. Why he didn't do it sooner only he knows. The whole world knew Fabregas and Nasri were leaving Arsenal this summer except Wenger, but thats for another day.

Much has been said about the game yesterday but indulge my thoughts for a moment.

1. We are on a bad run of form for months now.
2. We have lost 3 out of five games and chances are that we'll lose atleast 1 of the next two league games.
3. We have brought some very good new players in the squad but there doesnt seem to be a change of attitude or organisation.
4. Our players are failing to be motivated and to concentrate for 90 minutes.
5. Our style of play is too predictable and not very efficient often times.

Bearing in mind the foregoing, we have literally changed everything at the club in an attempt to change our fortune except 1 thing. That 1 thing we haven't changed is the Coaching team...

Could it be that perhaps the time is fast approaching when Arsene Wenger and his coaching staff, brilliant manager and person that he is, should part ways with Arsenal? In most other clubs, Wenger would have been sucked by now. There is always a fear of the unknown. Most Arsenal fans cannot imagine Arsenal without Arsene Wenger. I can. It's not a nice thought, but I can. Look at Barcelona and Pep Guardiola. Look at Liverpool and Dalglish. Look at Chelsea and Villas-Boas. I'm not advocating that we start chopping managers like chelsea, but I'm saying perhaps a new coach and coaching staff will breathe new life at the club, not just new players. On the evidence we have so far, I'd say we could sign Messi, Ronaldo, Pepe, xavi, Iniesta, Vidic and Jagielka but our frailties would be the same. Poor organisation, poor attitude, poor application, flactuating concentration and low motivation.

I am a die-hard Arsenal supporter, but I am fast reaching the conclusion that perhaps the club and manager should part and begin a new era with a new manager. I'm not saying that we should spend like City, but I want us to change our attitude and efficiency on the field of play. We have the players but perhaps not the coaching staff to turn things around. Could it be that players such as Fabregas, Clichy and Nasri didn't have faith anymore in the manager and his methods? To me, the only thing left to change at Arsenal, the only constant thus far is Arsene Wenger. Perhaps the formula could work if we introduce a new variable.

Besides, for his own health, Arsene Wenger may need some time away from the game or the club. He needs a break and a new challenge I think.

I would hate to see Wenger go, but the way the club is going right now, there can only be 1 outcome at the end of this season. We could see Arsene Wenger's reign at Arsenal come to a disapointing end. By all means, lets give Wenger time to fix things at the club and judge him at the end of the season. We must lower our expectations greatly though. That fourth place is starting to look very unattainable right now.

Down & out?

Tick.. tock..tick..tock...

5 games into the season and we are out of the title race!! This has to be a new record low for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.


Backwards crawls the Arsenal!!!

Blackburn Rovers vs Arsenal Preview

Can Blackburn stop THE MAN?

Steve Kean, The Blackburn manager is fucked! Arsene Wenger has given him the kiss of death, just as Ferguson did to Wenger before the thumping at United. Arsene says

 I have a lot of sympathy for Steve Kean. He is a young manager and you want to give him time to do his job.


What Wenger is actually saying is;
Steve kean and Blackburn Rovers are fucked. Keep him in the job long enough for us to get 6 points off his team.

Ferguson also had sympathy for Wenger and look what happened. sympathy between managers comes when one knows that the other possesses no threat to his team. The last time I heard Wenger say something similar I think was for Juande Ramos when he was at Tottenham. Look what happened there.

Our Opponents for tomorrow?
 I know its early days in the league yet, but if Arsenal are fucked in terms of form, then Blackburn are double fucked and pissed upon. For all their efforts thus far, they firmly remain the foundation of the league table. They have brought in a couple of cunts into their team who are yet to piss straight into the pan. like us, they have only managed to score 3 league goals. If they don't do something soon, they are going to be relegated come end of the season.

What of Arsenal?
Aaron Ramsey, I suspect, was rested during the week and he will be back tomorrow. I don't buy the story about an ankle injury in one article then a knee injury in another.

There is no new injury news, so we should see an Arsenal team of;

                            Chezny
Sagna   Mertesacker   Koscielny Gibbs
                             Song
                Ramsey          Arteta
      Gervinho                          Arshavin
                          The Man 

This is the league so there is no time to talk about going to Blackburn to get confidence. Bullshit. We should be going there to get 3 points and nothing less. Anything less than 3 points will be a big disapointment in my book and one that will come back to poke-a-haunt us at the end of the season.

We need to be more clinical with our free kicks. We need to attack with more forward runners. If Gervinho or Theo is running on the wing towards goal, I'd like to see 4 players busting a gut to get in and around the box to attack any cross that might be delivered from the wing.

When we defend corners, I would like to see the ball released fast out on the wing with 3 players sprinting towards the Blackburn goal on the counter attack. I would like us to keep the ball better and make those angles for triangular passes.

I would like us to pass and move quickly between the Blackburn players in the final third with one-touch football. We tend to be too slow in the final third, often taking an extra touch when a 1-2 pass would have seen a player through on goal.

I would like to see more shots taken from outside the box!!

Yes, its a long way till the end, but results compile into league position. We need to take each game as if it were a cup final. Let's give 100%. Lets kill off opponents. This allows the manager to rest key players for future games and also bring in some fringe players to gain some much needed game time.

I would like us to wrap the game up with 30 minutes to go and then bring on the young players Ryo, Chamberlain and even Ju and let them run riot. But we cannot get to enjoy such players' talents when we are under the cosh for 90 minutes and barely holding on.

So, come on Arsenal, lets talk less about confidence etc and act. Like Wenger said.

So, lets claw back our rightful place in the upper echelons of the league and fix that negative goal difference. It really makes for painful reading.

Upwards crawls the Arsenal!!                                        

Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Arsenal

0-1 Van Persie (42)
1-1 Some cunt (88)

Match report here.



Van Persie- man on fire

Sorry for the late post, but the internet has been a bitch. Now, before the game I could have settled for a point, but after watching the game, I think we squandered a great opportunity to get all three points. Indeed Dortmund are a good team, but on the day, it was a combination of us being very poor and them being very good. We were quite pathetic at times really.

Gervinho- lacking a little bit the sharpness

Gervinho had 2 chances against the keeper which he missed. The second one in particular, he could have passed it to his left were Theo was waiting to tap into an open net. Instead he give it to Dortmund. After We scored the first goal, all we had to do was sit back and hit them on the counter attack. We failed dismally. We were giving the ball away cheaply in dangerous areas. Our midfielders, Benayoun and Arteta were poor. Only Song, my man of the match by a country mile, did himself proud.
I said before the game that Song has been a big miss. Not only does he defend well, he helps set up attacks. Yesterday  he was strong in the tackle, in dangerous areas, winning the ball cleanly but unfortunately there was no outlet to send the ball to.

Theo was neither here nor there. Gervinho did ok, he tried to work the ball along the line, but he was getting crowded out as there was no support from his team mates. I have said before that very often we lack forward runners when we are in possession. We really have lost our counter-attacking prowess that we had in the days of the Henrys and Ljungbergs. Gervinho, Theo, Van Persie and Benayounn could have been the 4 counter-attacking players with the rest of the team sitting back. Those four have enough pace and skill to make a counter-attack strategy work. But no, it was not to be.

Gibbs did very well. I had thought that Santos would start, but on yesterday's showing, I understand why Wenger is going with Gibbs at the moment. The guy looks shot of match fitness. When he came on, all he did was fall down a couple of times.



Koscielny- Underated but very good defender

Metersacker was assured in defence, but great credit to Koscielny. This guy had a tough start to the game, losing possession and making several errors but he kept going, in the end he made several blocks and interceptions.

Reading around the Arsenal website today, everybody is talking of the team getting confidence from the game. Well, i'd prefer not to talk about confidence but rather improving quality. Quality. Quality of play. Quality of passing. Quality of attack. Quality of controlling the game. We are failing to play keep ball. Keeping the ball better yesterday would have reduced our opponents' threat and also demoralised them. Perpetually handing them the ball simply enourages them to attack more. Lets get back to playing keep ball.

Overall, a draw from Dortmund is not a bad result at all. But when it comes as a result of a late goal against a team whom we could have scored a second goal and sealed all three points, you have to be very disapointed.

However, i'll take the 3 points and head to Blackburn, hoping we can inflict some pain on them and compound their misery. Lets do unto them worse than what United did to us. we really need to claw back that goal difference deficit...

We have some work to do on the training ground so lets get on with it. We are barely crawling right now, soon we'll be walking, then running and eventually flying. In a month's time from now, things will be different at Arsenal.

Upwards crawls the Arsenal!!