AFROGUNNER

Mesut Ozil Is a Gunner: Pinch Me!

Gunner: Mesut Ozil

If you had offered me (after the Aston Villa game 3-1 loss) Matheiu Flamini and Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid? I would have bitten your entire torso off. Pinch me, I must be dreaming!! We wanted Arsene Wenger to make a statement of intent? Well he has. and in some style I must say. Kudos Wenger. He has smashed our transfer record by a few country miles in the Process: £42.4 Million for Mesut Ozil. wow!1

He spoke about the Domino effect and it very clear to see what has happened. We had to wait for Tottenham Hotspurs to sell their best player to Real Madrid before we could buy arguably the most creative number 10 in world football at the moment. I say arguably simply because if you compare him to Lionel Messi in that creative role behind the main striker, he might come second, although stats might say he is the best... yeah, let's leave it at "arguable".

Matheiu Flamini did not really get my pulse going when we signed him, he was a bit "meh" for me. But having watched him at the weekend, all things being equal, we shall have a very strong midfield this season. Flamini was shouting and organising and after the victory of Spurs, he called the guys over for a team hug. That was very good to see indeed. we need a warrior type of player in there to just rally the troops and break down the opposition attacks, thus seeing us over the line with a 1-0 victory.

And as long as we can keep clean sheets at the back, we will always score at the other end. We have Ozil, Cazorla, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain & Wilshere as creative midfielders. Behind them we have Arteta, Ramsey, Flamini & the forgotten man Abou Diaby. And this lot can play interchangeably in midfield and others like Cazorla and Oxlade-Chamberlain can also put in a shift on the wings. Suddenly we are looking stronger.

In the central striking role, we tried to sign Demba Ba from Chelsea but it would appear an agreement could not be reached for the Senegalese Striker. We do have Walcott and Podolski who can do a job in that area. including of course the young Yaya Sanogo. Also, it appears that a player whom many of us wanted to "just go away" and even described as "The Turd That Won't Flush" might just come back into the team. Nicklas Bendtner it would seem will be back in the squad after failing to move on else where. What are the chances that he will have an absolutely blinding season with us, scoring 20 goals and then refusing to sign a new deal and moving on at the end of the season? It is after all a world cup year... I expect Wenger to make a signing for a centre forward during the January transfer window.

And Central Defence is an area where we are a bit light at the moment with the 3 world-class centre-halves we have. Mertesacker, Koscielny and Vermaelen. Although Sagna can do a job in there, we could do with another body there, perhaps one would can play two positions across the back. But then we do have Matheiu Flamini who can fill in at right back should Sagna have to play Centreback...

I don't know about you but suddenly I am feeling very positive about our prospects for this season. If we can go through the season without major injuries and long absences by our squad... If we also sign a player or two in January... Who knows what will happen....

The signing of this transfer window in the EPL is undoubtedly Mesut Ozil to Arsenal. Statement of intent? You bet it is!

COYG!!
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Update: I forgot to make mention of Emiliano Viviano who also signed yesterday but that's just because he looks too much like Manuel Almunia for my liking. I hope he doesn't keep goal like him also.

Arsenal Finish Off Fernebahce

Arsenal 2-0 Fernebahce Aggregate 5-0

Well that was job very well done. I must be honest, I am sincerely disapointed by the overall performance of Fernebahce over the two legs of this tie. I am not however disapointed by our results. 5-0 aggregate? I would have never thought it after the defeat at home to Aston Villa.

Kudos to Aaron Ramsey who seems to love playing against Fernebahce. He is to them what Didier Drogba is to Arsenal. Long may that continue. I mean Ramsey scoring against them, not Drogba scoring against us.

Santi Cazorla was in the mood and it's too bad he didn't get a goal, but my word! That man has some sublime close control of a football. When he is in that form, he is difficult to dispossess of the ball. His passing and work rate is just exemplary.

Let me come back to Monsieur Ramsey. I am right to say that he has now found his scoring touch? whereas in the past he would panic and blast the ball anywhere but on target, he now seems more calm in front of goal. Hoping he stays fit, he might just score double figures this season. I am genuinely pleased for him.

The only negative is that Lucas Podolski, who also seemed in the mood, pulled his hamstring just coming out cold from the dressing room after half-time. Why do players have hamstrings in the back of their thighs? Why don't they use Nylon or elastic...? Anyway, that's him out for about 4 weeks I estimate.

Now to the part that really excites me or rather worries me: Arsenal are now a bona fide Champions League Club for this season... Does that now mean we will attract "top, top, top quality" players to the club before the end of the transfer window?

Fernebahce 0-3 Arsenal: Thank God!

Phew! am I glad we won comfortably in the end. Credit to Fernebahce, they were very poor indeed. I expected much more threat from them. We still had to dig out a result so credit to our boys for winning and not conceding a goal away from home.

3 nil lead going to the second leg at home? barring a serious footballing catastrophe, you have to fancy Arsenal being in the group stages of the Champions League proper now. This is where it gets interesting.

Now that Arsenal are virtually a bona fide Champions League team this season, will we now go and buy the type of player who otherwise would not come to Arsenal had we not qualified? Arsene Wenger said;

"... it starts now." According to Arsene Wenger, the buying window is now open for Arsenal. Make of that what you will. I choose to remain quietly hopeful. The links with Suarez have resurfaced although Wenger dismissed it as dead. Poker? I hope so. Else where we are linked with Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria. I wont bother to link...

I am not happy that the season has started and we are now talking about starting to buy players in the last 12 days but... better late than never.

Much has been said about our failure to buy players early and bed them into the team. We face a tricky tie at Fulham at the weekend. If we fail to get a result out of that game, the chanting will be louder this time around.

Please Arsene Wenger, wake up from your slumber and strengthen our Arsenal!

COYG!

Do We Know Where We Are Going?

"Out of my huge respect for Mr. Wenger, the players and the fans I don`t want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward.

I`ve thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract.

You guys, the fans, have of course the right to disagree with my view and decision and I will always respect your opinions.

I love the club and the fans, no matter what happens. I have grown up and became a man during my time with Arsenal FC."- Robin Van Persie, 2012.

When Robin Van Pussie said published this statement last year, the entire Arsenal world descended upon him and we (myself included) called him a traitor, among many other names that I do not care to repeat. But looking at what is happening at Arsenal right now, can we really say that he is a traitor? Since leaving Arsenal, Robin Van Pussie has won the Barclays Premier League with Manchester United and the Community Shield at the start of the current season. What have Arsenal won in 8 years?

We have now gone and made a bid of about £10M for Yohan Cabaye from Newcastle United. Yes, that's Yohan Cabaye. Now, Cabaye is a decent midfielder and that's all I can say about him. Is he the super, super quality (Wenger!) type of signing that we keep being promised? I don't think so. And when did we decide we needed Cabaye at Arsenal? Did we plan to have him in our squad for this new season? If so, why did we not bid for him 90 days ago? Will we even manage to sign him or is this another Luis Suarez? Certain Alan Pardew is not amused at our timing.

What was our plan, at the end of last season to bring in new players? Certainly Ivan Gazidis announced to the whole world that we can afford to pay the +£200K a week wages for quality players. Did we have targets to improve our squad for this new season? Who are they? Was Cabaye one of them? or are we reacting to the loss at the weekend?

Who else are we trying to buy? Are they top, top quality (Wenger!)? Or are we buying average players and hoping to win the League?

And coming to the players we have, is the standard of coaching any good at all? From the evidence of Saturday, it appears that our coaching staff have run out of ideas. There appears to be serious sterility to our tactics. I have opined before that looking at the quality of players we have generally at Arsenal, a better coach would consistently get better results out of them.

"As a consequence of this policy, which is dressed up as prudent financial planning, it is down to our manager, and not the shareholders, to have to deal with the Club's tight finances, carry the burden of repaying the stadium debt by selling his best players and having to continue to find cheaper replacements. All of that, naturally, comes at the expense of performance on the pitch.

This policy is leading to the loss of our best players, often to our main competitors, and even causes the players themselves to question their future at the Club and the Club's ambitions. The situation with our captain and outstanding performer from last season Robin van Persie sums this up. Yet again we are faced with losing our true marquee player at the Club because we cannot assure him of the future direction and give confidence that we can win trophies. Where are the safeguards to ensure that this doesn't happen again and again in the future? As a top Club we should, at the very least, match if not beat the offers that other clubs make to try and lure our very best players away, and also provide a more compelling vision of the future. You can try and put a good face on a bad game for as long as you want, pontificating about the merits of this model, but it will not hide the obvious fact that it just does not allow our great manager to fully realize his managerial talent and deliver success for the fans who are paying the highest prices in the land. It appears that a place in the Champions League will be the pinnacle of our ambition again next season. Unfortunately, in the future we may see this ambition lowered further. It doesn't help to turn a blind eye to the reality of the situation and keep thinking of ourselves as being in the same league as Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona. To have a fighting chance of success, which means winning trophies, we need to match them in every aspect, including, if not first and foremost, financial.”- Alisher Usmanov- Open Letter to theBoard of Arsenal

I have read Usmanov's open letter to the Board and with hindsight, I think that I, along with many other self-righteous Arsenal fans were too quick to dismiss Usmanov. I think that we were all afraid of change and bought into the enemity which Gazidis and co were selling us as coming from Red & White. Make no mistake, Stan Kroenke did not just invest in Arsenal because he loves the club. He did so because he stands to gain financially. So too Usmanov.

But what we failed to do as Arsenal fans was to influence change at the club. We could have demanded that Red & White, having almost 30% stake in the club be given a seat on the Board. The deficiencies that have been identified in our Board might just have been addressed. Perhaps Usmanov would have placed David Dein on the Board, which is what I think was the whole idea behind David Dein selling his shares to Usmanov.

Yet we called David Dein a traitor too. Here we are, 8 seasons later with no trophy at all and worse still sinking into mid-table mediocrity. But what are we doing about it? Nothing. Whenever Usmanov comes out to question the club's Board, we label him the devil. Yet the very things that Usmanov is saying are what our very own players who have left said of the club Board: Show us your ambition!

I am sorry, but I am fast coming to the sad conclusion that Arsenal has no clear strategy to compete at the very top. We are mediocre that is why our manager celebrates 4th position every year and says it is like winning a trophy. Is that the height of our ambition? Isn't there anybody at Arsenal that can hold Arsene to account for stagnating our club? We are seelling our best players to our rivals and buying shit players from them. Look at the player we sold to Manchester United last year. And we bought Mikel Silvestre from them...

Our Board and Manager appear incompetent to me right at this stage. It is time we tried something new. Bring on Usmanov and see what he has to offer. As fans we can influence what the Directors and shareholders do. Regardless of the millions they put into buying shares, we hold the power to the value of those shares. It is time we start introspection and asking the tough questions: do we know where we are going?

Arsenal vs Aston Villa: Whatever Could Go Wrong Went Wrong

Arsenal 1-3 Aston Villa

Barclays Premier League

So, the new season has begun and Arsenal lost by 3 goal to 1 at home to Aston Villa. Kieran Gibbs got injured. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got injured. Bacary Sagna got injured. Laurent Koscielny got a red card. What ever could go wrong on the opening day of the season did go wrong.

What now from the Manager and the club? As fans we have been crying for signings since... well I dont remember anymore. The window is still open yes, but it begs the question, what were we doing all close-season?

Are we now going to see some last minute panic buys to augment a squad which is already so thin? And even if we do get players in, will they really be "world-class" quality players? or are we getting more Parks and Chamakhs and Campbells? Why couldn't we get the players in before the season started? Will they be any cheaper now that the season has started and we are desperate to augment our squad? will they hit the ground running?

Make no mistake. today's result is a complete disaster, although it was not entirely unexpected. cries to augment the squad have been coming from all and sundry, including our own players. This result has put yet another nail in a coffin which has several nails too many already. Will Arsene Wenger change his ways? Does he genuinely believe that this squad is good enough to win the league? The players made a bright start but had the wind knocked out of their sails. we never really, over the space of 90 minutes, looked like a team that is miles ahead of Aston Villa in terms of quality. we struggled to assert ourselves really and that should tell you something about our quality and our balance.

Jack Wilshere is not a defensive midfielder. He had an awful game, getting caught on the ball too often for my liking. yes he was at times fouled but I'd prefer he moved the ball faster instead of getting caught and exposing us to counter attacks. He also risks getting himself injured by being caught too often on the ball.

Ramsey was his usual self. Busy and hardworking without really being outstanding. Tomas Rosicky was our best player on the day I thought. He looked the only player capable of making something happen. Giroud did ok, considering the quality of the midfield and lack of supply. Theo was anonymous. Until his injury before half time, I thought Oxlade-Chamberlain was also sharp on the left wing.

But after all is said and done, as a team, we were again found wanting. Forget the 7-0 scorelines in the far east. This is the real deal. This squad is nowhere near being title challengers. And this result has gone some way to reminding Mr. Arsene Wenger of a fact that is obvious to everybody except him. You can blame the referee if it makes you feel any better. I wont bother.

The chants of "you don't know what you are doing" and "spend some fucking money" have started.

I know Arsene Wenger does not give a fuck. Like comedian Chris Rock said of George W. Bush; Arsene wenger does not give a fuck too. we can chant all we want and hail abuse all we want: he just doesn't give a fuck. We could be hanging on a cliff about to fall to our collective death as a Arsenal fans and all we needed was a fuck to save us but Arsene Wenger just wouldn't give a fuck.

Next up is the Champions League playoff game against Fernabahce. I sincerely hope we don't lose this tie because if we fall out of the Champions League for this season, I dread to think what will become of the rest of our season.

After all the hard work of the end of season, we are right back to where we started. Zero. Shame really.

But have faith, the transfer window is not yet shut. I remain hopeful but I have started to get a bad feeling in my gut. I expect to start shitting my pants soon.

What PFA Chief Executive Said: The Suarez £40M Buyout Clause

"It's created a real problem and that's why we need to be mindful in the future of such clauses and if it is going to be a buy-out clause it says that, and there's no ambiguity and no misinterpretations because it's obviously the case that that has happened." Gordon Taylor, PFA Chief Executive.

Now, before you start pointing out that Arsenal are naive and that they were mistaken to think that £40M + 1 would land Suarez, they actually were not. It is clear that the said clause in Luis Suarez's contract is ambiguous. Liverpool maintain that the clause only opens talks with possible buyers but they are not obliged to sell. This may well be, but they have clearly worded the contract clause such as to deceive Luis Suarez and his people into believing that this is the buyout point/amount.

It puts into light the kind of people Liverpool are really. They have not covered themselves in glory at all in this whole issue. And like somebody said to me, Liverpool may yet do a Manchester City- Tevez and punish Suarez by keeping him on the bench. Fine, they might win the war but they will lose the battle anyway. It has also exposed the fact that they knowingly put an ambiguous clause into their player's contract so that they could use it against him when this day came.

Now, I genuinely sympathise with Liverpool fans over this one. I know the pain of players coming out and openly questioning our club's ambition and generally making their position untenable at the club in order to force a move out. I don't like it AT ALL!! But this is the reality of football.

Arsenal do also have legal counsel; make no mistake. We also have very brilliant lawyers who can form a legal opinion that falls in our favour should it come to interpretation. Therefore, this Luis Suarez clause is a shit storm that will eventually come down to common sense and how much.

What is the point in Liverpool holding on to Suarez if he doesn't want to stay at their club? What is the point of Insulting Arsenal, who have quite rightly, offered the £40M stated as the starting point for negotiations in the said contract? What wrong have Arsenal done by going £1 over £40M in order to open negotiations for the purchase of the player? Are Arsenal naive? Are Arsenal stupid? Are Arsenal without class? Are Arsenal without sound legal councel?

I did not want Arsenal to get involved in this kind of shit storm, but after watching it play out, I would really love for Arsenal to 'if FEASIBLE, buy Luis Suarez AMICABLY' from Liverpool (now who said those words?). That will really show Liverpool for the classless, deceitful, disrespectful and naive morons that their owner and Manager are.

I am really sorry for what this situation is doing to the Liverpool fans, whom I have massive respect for. But I have little respect for the conduct of their Manager & owner after the way they reacted to Arsenal's private bids for Luis Suarez. Had it not been for Liverpool, the world would have never known that Arsenal had made a bid for Luis Suarez.

So who is the classless bunch here? It sure isn't Arsenal.

COYG!!

So Higuain Went, Suarez Is Not For Sale: What's New?

Calm the F**K down gooners! I read this morning comments on Arseblog News on his article about Liverpool's interpretation of Luis Suarez's £40M clause. It is interesting to note that "an unnamed Liverpool source" says that the £40M only requires Liverpool to discuss Suarez's future in "Good Faith" not that they are obliged to sell him. What the F is good faith? Unnamed Liverpool Source talking about this clause in the media isn't good faith where I come from. This appears more like a bluff to get Arsenal to up their bid.

I have made my opinion on Luis Suarez clear so I wont go into that. Let us consider the above noise coming from Liverpool. Does it make any sense? I am no contract expert but surely reading what this so-called unnamed Liverpool source had to say, this is pure Bull. I can go on to quote examples of players who had contracts with their club but were sold once the release clause or the fair-market valuation (what ever the f**k that means these days) was met by the buying club. Need I remind you of Cesc Fabregas? Van Pussie? Song? Ade-bye-bye? Na$ri? Christiano Ronaldo at ManU? Apparently SAF had to beg CR to stay one more season at United before the inevitable departure to Real Madrid came.

Fact: Once a player wants to leave a club, there is nothing a club can do other than to punish the player and keep him on the bench, accummulating high wages for free. Nobody in their right mind does that!( *cough* except Manchester City iro Tevez *cough*). If Luis Suarez wants to leave Liverpool, be it to Arsenal or any other club, there is nothing sane Liverpool can do really other than to sell him. I do not think Liverpool are insane... I stand to be corrected.

I see most Arsenal fans are screaming all manner of insults at Dick Law, Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis at not signing Gonzalo Higuain. Hello! Has any of you considered the fact that maybe Higuain himself chose not to come to Arsenal? Do you think Arsenal is that special to everybody out there? To you and me, we think Arsenal is Heaven on Earth but to a potential employee, it is just another employment destination. And given a choice between employment destinations, perhaps Senior Higuain chose Napoli over Arsenal. I don't think it was just a matter of £35M. Bear in mind Napoli has a history with Argentine players, much like Arsenal has with French Players (in the Wenger era atleast)

So while we are all frustrated at the fact that we are not signing big name players as we had hoped and had been given the impression by our very own Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis, the fact remains none of us knows the truth behind these transfers. Jose Antonio Reyes decided he didn't like the London weather and chose to return to Spain. Can we therefore blame Arsene Wenger for not changing the London weather to suite Senior Reyes?

Santi Cazorla wanted to come to Arsenal. So too Monreal, Arteta, Metersacker and Podolski. Had they not wanted to be at Arsenal, they wouldn't be. So before we start singing abuse and especially composing songs of abuse to be sung at the Emirates Cup this weekend, please consider what Arsene Wenger said "We try very hard but unfortunately transfers do not only depend on us".

I never really appreciated these words until recent events. Something happened to the Higuain deal that neither I nor any other Arsenal fan/blogger knows and probably never will know. I don't think Arsenal failed to match the financial demands of Real Madrid. But that's just me.

Whether we sign Suarez or not remains to be seen. I share your frustration at how our transfer business is going but hey, these things are not only about Arsenal. The language, the culture, the climate, finances, place in the team, Agents, wives, Girlfriends, parents etc etc all have a say on where a player goes to play his football. So please don't always blame Arsene Wenger and Arsenal for things that are honestly beyond his control.

I am getting worried that nothing positive will happen this transfer window. But I will not blame the club or the Manger for things I have no knowledge about. I will blame them though for not having done deals sooner and showing more aggression in the market.

Higuain is spilt milk. Don't waste your time crying of him.

COYG!! Spend Some F**kn Money!!

Of Suarez, Higuain & Arsenal

Luis Suarez: Hands of god (Source: Telegraph.co.uk)

Afro Gunner has been deliberately quiet. Too quiet for several months now because I had everything crossed- from my hair follicles to my toe nails. Hoping first that we make the top 4. Then that we don't lose any star players. Then that we sign star players. The season came and went, we scrapped into the top four on the last day of the season. Some said 'was there ever any doubt that we'd get into the top 4?'

Yes there was. Lots of doubt for that matter. But let by-gones be. We have yet another opportunity before us to strengthen the squad and really compete- yes just to COMPETE for trophies this coming season. A few weeks ago it appeared the Higuain deal was in the bag and any day it would be announced.

Now, we are all sitting here wondering what the fuck is going on. Arsenal have made a bid for Luis Suarez from Liverpool which has, quite rightly, been turned down by Liverpool. What do I make of it? I think Arsenal are just testing the waters here. I do not think Arsenal really want Luis Suarez. It is quite clear that our main striking target is Gonzalo Higuain from Real Madrid but for some reason, that deal seems to be failing. I suspect that Manchester City and Chelsea have stepped in and are promising Higuain much more than what we have put on the table.

Much has been said about Luis Suarez and his racism, cheating and biting. Honestly, Afro Gunner must put it on record that if we are going to break our transfer record to sign a quality striker, please let it not be Luis Suarez. I am also of the opinion that Suarez will one day do to us, should we sign him, what he has done to Liverpool. The man has shown no respect or loyalty to Liverpool despite their support for him when he let the club down with his behaviour. I also have never forgiven him for cheating Ghana out of a place in the semi-final of the last world cup in South Africa. So, NO to Suarez for me. It would be like re-signing Adebayor! urgh! There must be another proven striker out there whom we can sign who doesn't come with such baggage as Suarez surely?

If Higuain is available for £20M please buy him. If Madrid want £25M, please buy him. If they want £30M please buy him. It is time we took a chance on a quality striker. It not only elevates the club's image but it uplifts the players themselves. Look at what Van Pussie did for United and for only £24M. He was the 16 point difference between us and United at the end of the season.

The players must be getting nervous at the apparent lack of star additions to the side. Yes we must not underestimate Olivier Giroud, Lucas Podolski and Theo Walcott in attack. Nor should we downplay the 11-game unbeaten run at the end of last season, but that was painful and we cannot hope to play that way for a whole season and hope to win the League. Or any trophy for that matter. This squad is 3-4 quality players from seriously challenging for the Premier League (How long have we been saying this??)

If we fail to land Higuain or some other big name striker in this transfer window, it shall put to shame the club and the CEO Ivan Gazidis who has been singing about our financial muscle. Even the players are now calling on the club to flex this new found muscle. For once, we are not at risk of losing a star player at Arsenal but we are in a great position to sign 2-3 star players and really give this squad belief that it can compete for trophies.

It is time to flex that muscle Messrs Wenger and Gazidis.

Second Place Is Up For Grabs

I have missed a lot of Arsenal football lately, thanks in no small part to work and lack of reliable internet connection. Our latest victory was a 1-0 away to Sunderland with 10 men for most of the second half after Carl Jenkinson was red-carded.

I have not seen the match nor any highlights as yet, but from what I read, the boys really had to dig deep to earn the 3 points. Thats really how it should be. I always say that I can accept defeat when my team is putting in a shift. What makes defeat unacceptable, for me anyway, is the way we can turn up for some games and not put in an effort at all.

Of course it helps that key players are back from injury; Arteta and Diaby in particular are players we really need to keep fit for the rest of the season. Jack Wilshere has been outstanding thus far, that he is a quality player is not in doubt. I sincerely hope that his injury on Saturday is not serious and he is back soon.

As we get closer to the Bayern Munich clash, our central defenders Vermaelen and Koscielny seem to be picking up niggly injuries which may affect their form or at worst availability for this crucial period of the season. I would love us to spring a surprise on Bayern Munich and knock them out of the Champions League in our up-coming clash. It wont be easy but it's not impossible either.

I took a look at the Barclays English Premier League table this morning and I had a funny thought which has fast grown in my head... well my heart mostly: Second place is there for Arsenal to grab, along with our rivals Chelsea and our foes Tottenham, away from the grasp of current Champions Manchester City!

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
1	Man Utd	26	21	2	3	62	31	31	65
2	Man City	26	15	8	3	48	24	24	53
3	Chelsea	26	14	7	5	55	28	27	49
4	Tottenham	26	14	6	6	44	30	14	48
5	Arsenal	26	12	8	6	50	29	21	44

After 26 games, Arsenal lie 5th on 44 points, 9 points (only 3 unanswered wins away!) behind the current champions.... Now, based on current form, I would opine that Manchester City are feeling the pressure both from United who are running away with the title by a couple of miles and the chasing pack of Arsenal and the other two cunt teams.

I don't care what the other cunts do, but if Arsenal can find some winning consistency in the remaining 12 matches, I think 2nd place is actually achievable. If performances like Stoke and Sunderland can be kept up until the end of the season, then we mite just finish 2nd, behind the Mancies because I expect the 3 teams above us (who can lose points just like us on any given day) to lose points in the next 12 games. Apart from Manchester United, the gap from 2nd to 6th is very tight and in this league, anything can and will happen. I hope it all happens in favour of Arsenal.

One can but dream and live in hope.

COYG!!

Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool: Great Game, Bad Result

Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool Match Report

Hello fellow gooners. I have been away from the blogosphere for some time now, mostly due to a combination of 2 things: work and no internet. The lack of the internet mostly is the problem. I live in a country where a service can just be terminated without any explanation, apology or compensation offered... Anyway, let me finish and post this blog before the internet goes again and I have to get on with work... argh!!

So, Liverpool came to the grove last night and they were in the groove. Right in the groove baby. I had spent the evening giving my car some love up until 5 minutes before kick-off. So I thought I would take a shower then settle down to watch the game. When I emerged from the shower the scoreline was 1-0 in favour of Liverpool!! I thought we were up the creek for this one.

Arsenal went with the team that hammered Westham a last week. For the most part, I think we looked decent and a bit more balanced going forward with Ramsey playing centrally and deep. The problems however showed when Liverpool counter-attacked. I was really starting to have a quizzy feeling in my gut about this game.

But we soldiered on and we began to dominate the match completely. There were some fantastic passages of play resulting in shots off target by Giroud and Podolski. I thought Theo came to life midway throught the first half but then he started to fade away towards half time.

And just before half time, Kieran Gibbs pulled something in his left leg that saw him substituted and replaced by Andre Santos. I think this affected our rhythm a bit.

After half time, Arsenal started brighter, closing down the Liverpool players, passing at a faster tempo. Wilshere was doing what he does best and that is run through the Liverpool midfield with the ball before making key passes to team-mates. Cazorla looks to have regained his mojo because he was excellent too with his distribution and trickery in midfield.

However the threat of Liverpool on the counter remained and it proved costly once more. Henderson got the ball on our left, cut inside and easily between Metersacker and Santos, Ramsey tried to clear the ball but the 3 Arsenal players and the goal keeper got in each other's way and the ball bounced off one of them, fell kindly for Henderson to tap into an empty net. 2-0 to Liverpool. Arsenal were doomed. Or were they?

We got a very luck free kick when Jack Wilshere tripped himself and fell. He floated in a ball which Olivier Giroud headed downwards emphatically to beat Pepe Reina in the Liverpool goal. Game on. 2 minutes later, some brilliant pressure and interplay saw Giroud lay a pass in the path of Walcott on the right. Walcott absolutely thumped the ball past a helpless and hapless Reina. 2-2. I was by now very confident that we would go on and win the game.

However, Liverpool regrouped defensively and started hitting us on the counter. The game was hanging in the balance. Both teams could have won the game by a margin of 2 or more goals. Thats just how entertaining and open the game was. Thankfully, we didnt concede any more goals.

Afterwards Arsene Wenger was very honest in his post- match interview. Asked if we would make any signings today, he was none- committal. what else is new?

so from being 2-0 down we came back and drew 2-2. that's a very good draw I must say. However, I can't help feeling we wasted another chance to gain 3 points. with a bit more defensive organisation (and a defensive midfielder in the transfer market!! ahem...!!) we could have gotten 3 points last night.

But, a point is a fair result on the performance last night. I thought Liverpool were very good value for their 2 goal lead for an away side.

Today is transfer deadline day. I'm not holding my breath.

COYG!

F5.... F5.... F5... Still No Arsenal Signings

Afrogunner wokeup feeling great this morning! The weather was cool last night, little Afrogooney slept quietly with daddy as she so loves, especially when Mrs. Afrogunner is away on duty. I kept looking at her pretty little face and wondering... 'Holy crap, she is half me and half Mrs. Afrogunner'... The wonders of nature and biology... Then I would browse the channels hoping to find a breaking story about a new Arsenal signing... eventually I lay my head down next to Afrogooney and passed into dreamland.

I woke up at 4:45am, went jogging at 5:15am and was back home at 6am.. eh in time for Sky Sports News... but still no signing for Arsenal. I did the school run, got in the office and I have been F5-ing my keyboard since 8am...

This story on the Arsenal website made me laugh but then it started to irritate me. I sincerely hope he is just playing his cards very close to his chest. According to Arsene Wenger the club is "working hard" to find what they want. Now, I love cars. In fact I want cars, lots of cars. I want a Bugatti Veyron, a Range Rover Sport, an ML63 AMG, an Audi RS6.... But what I need is a double cab bakkie. I realise due to my lifestyle, something in the mould of a Toyota Hilux, VW Amarok or Nissan Navara will suit me just fine. Can I afford to buy a brand new car in this economy and on my current pay? No! So what do I do? well, I can look at the used car market for such a vehicle. Alternatively, I could look at Chinese products such as GWM, Foton etc. Do I really want those brands? No! But can they deliver what I need? Hell yes!

You are, by now wondering what I'm going on about... Well, you see, for me to buy the double cab Toyota Hilux or VW Amarok that I need, I must start saving and planning when to acquire it in the near future. I did not just wake up this morning and realise or decide that I need a double cab.

So when Arsene Wenger says this:

"First of all we want to sort out the injuries we have, and we are trying very hard to close the deal with Walcott. Once we have done that, we will certainly do something else. At the moment I cannot tell you more.

Sort out the injuries we have? really Arsene? How do you 'sort them out'? This is the most stupid thing a manager can say to fans who are hoping to see some fresh faces added to the squad. Our injuries are always the same every year so what the hell is Arsene talking about when he says he is 'sorting them out'? Why didn't he 'sort them out' for the past 7 years running?

And trying very hard to close the deal with Walcott? Give me a fucking break! If that boy wanted to stay he would have long signed. Two years ago. Stop wasting time with him. By the time you finish with him and turn to 'something else' the transfer window will be closed.

He goes on to say:

"It has become more difficult [to buy players in January] for one simple reason: we have a good squad. I know we swim against the stream a bit because people don’t believe that. I say we have a very good squad.

First of all Arsene, our squad is not that good, if you need evidence of that, just look at the results we have had so far this season. Take a look at the gap between our team and Manchester United who sit top of the table. That should show you that our squad is not that good.

This bit really rubs salt in the wound:

"But we have some improvements to make and we know exactly where. In January it is difficult to find the players that are really better and can give something special to the squad. The number is right, we have a good balance and we are working very hard to find what we want."

For fuck sake Arsene get a grip man! First You don't buy players in summer because they are difficult to find and you have a very good squad. You play half the season and the results show you that your squad is not as good as you thought when you went into the season but instead of strengthening you stand up and say you have a very good squad and it's difficult to buy good players in January? This is insanity.

Where is the planning? Where is the forward thinking? I am not suggesting that we should start tapping up players, but in football, deals start getting done during the season and come the transfer window they are formalised. Thats how it works. We didn't just up and sign Marouane Chamakh; it's becasue he had an understanding with Arsenal that he wound down his contract at Bordeaux. And that's how transfers are done.

What the hell is the so-called scouting team doing when the season is running? Ins't that the time they should be 'scouting and identifying' potential signings? If Arsenal were really serious about turning this club into a serious title contender, we would be seeing evidence in the manner is which they go about trying to strengthen the club. But instead there is a sense of 'we are ok as long as we finish 4th'.

I really hate this finishing 4th business. Arsene Wenger and the Board must stop setting the bar so low because even our players are picking up on it. They know their manager is aiming for 4th so that's what they aim for too. When they eventually want to seriously win trophies, they will leave our club and go elsewhere. Meanwhile, they are playig for a big club, getting huge pay but aiming for low targets. We can insult Robin Van Pussie all we like but the truth is the truth. Arsenal's ambition is to finish 4th every season, not to win the League and it shows in the conduct of the club, the manager and the players.

Until the Board change their ambitions and apply pressure on the Manager, we shall continue to shit our pants wondering if we shall finish 4th every season and when we do, we shall be content with Champions League football. Forget about the Premier League; Arsenal don't aim to play in the Champions League to win the competition, we want to be in the competition of financial reasons every season. It is the same with the League I suppose. If we can finish 4th every season and continue to bring in match-day and television revenue, then the Board is happy.

This club has stagnated and unless something transforms very soon, we shall disappear into mid-table mediocrity for good as other clubs progress past us. By the time Wenger goes, we shall be worse off than we were when he took over because the game has changed a lot since then.

I would really love Wenger to go out on a high, but it is looking ever more unlikely.

Arsenal 0 - 2 Manchester City: Excuse:- We Only Had 10 Men

I don't know if I'm really sad or disapointed at the result of yesterday's game. But I think I am more relieved than anything else. Relieved because I can live with losing 2 nil at home with 10 men for 80 minutes than losing 2 nil at home with 11 men.

I know it's strange, but I didn't fancy our chances in this game even with 11 men. Yes, we played very well (especially Jack Wilshere!) in the second half, but I think it was because we had now pressure on us at this stage of the game. We know we had lost the game by half time so we could just have a go at City and hope for the best. So indeed, losing Koscielny in the 10th Minute for a rugby tackle in the penalty box gave us an excuse.

A lot of fans think the referee was not fair. I disagree. He applied the letter of the law to the situation; if that had happened at the other end of the pitch, we would have all wanted to see a red card brandished. Even Manchester United fans were of the opinion that Arsenal were mistreated by the referee. Please! The only reason why Manchester United fans would sympathise with Arsenal was simply because they wanted Arsenal to help them open up a 10 point lead at the top of the League Table.

Besides the referee's best efforts to even out the match by red- carding Kompany for a tackle which at most should have been a yellow card, we failed to get on the score sheet. We created enough chances to atleast score two goals but we equally survived several attacks on our goal which could have made the result even worse. In as far as that loss goes, we can only look at ourselves. When it comes to the big games, we choke. We choked in the Champions League Final in 2006, we choked in the Carling Cup final in 2010, we always seem to choke up in the big pressure games these days. Our big players are nowhere to be seen when it matters. Cazorla, Podolski, Walcott for me could and should have done better. That a 20 year old Jack Wilshere was the sole combatant in the team says a lot about the courage and application of the so-called star names.

I maintain that our problems are a combination of poor coaching and lack of quality/squad depth. Arsene Wenger said we lacked authority and did not impose ourselves early on in this game. I wonder if the problem could be team psychology and application? Isn't that the sole preserve of the coaching staff?

It's also telling that Arsene Wenger didn't have a go at the referee for the decision, it is an acknowledgement on this part that the decision was correct from the referee. That we could not regroup and tighten up atleast for the first half is again a problem of coaching and organisation. We gave away 2 easy goals which not only killed our spirit but ended the tie as a contest effectively. That we rushed Abou Diaby back from injury after 3 months out also tells it's own story. Why didn't Ramsey start in midfield? under the circumstances, surely he is a better bet than Diaby?

Now, Arsene says it's difficult to find good quality players in January to strengthen the squad. That's exactly the same thing he says in the summer; that he is looking for super super quality, only to buy an average player - if at all he actually spends money.

Tomas Rosicky and Abou Diaby are good players but with their injury records they would not be getting a sniff at most of the big clubs around Europe. Diaby I would keep as a squad player because he is still relatively young and may just come good one day and play 3- 4 good seasons in his career before he has to either retire or drop to the lower leagues. Rosicky on the other hand....

Andre Arshavin is a waste of squad space. ABG is thankfully away with Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. It is very clear that we need signings in midfield and attack. I think that currently we need atleast 5 good players to really kick some life back into this team. We seriously lack a threat in attack and in wide midfield positions. If we do not buy players we shall continue to win in patches but continue to drop into mid-table mediocrity.

There was a time when Arsenal losing was the exception to the rule. these days, winning is the exception and drawing is the norm. Where is our club going? If there is money to spend, why do we not spend it? Isn't there any decent player we can sign from anywhere? Germany? Spain? France? Russia? Belgium? Brazil? Argentina? Egypt? Japan? Uruguay? Portugal....?

I refuse to believe that there are no players out there who we can afford and who can add something to this squad. If our scouting network is failing, then I hereby offer my services.

Come on Arsenal: Spend Some Fucking Money!

Signings? What Signings?

Hello Gooners. I trust you all had a wonderful Festive Season wherein the festivities demand that you;

Spend all you have, without regard to the fact that come January you will be broke
Drink a lot of alcoholic drinks regardless of the time of day
Have sex with a girl you always wanted or the girl who got away (... ahem... it's a time to be kind and ladies become generous this time of year...)
Have sex with workmates
Buy useless stuff just because it looked good in the shop window
Go to church to remind yourself about the history of the story of Jesus' birthday

This particular December was interesting because according to the Mayans, the end of the world was upon us. A lot of people got laid in the name of the end of the world. Now, I could go on to mention the things wish yours truly managed from the above list, but hey, who really wants to know such boring stuff?

I tried to keep up with all things Arsenal during the holidays, but sometimes I suspect when I watch an Arsenal game, we lose! huh! How about that! Then it messes up my day and I become moody and bad tempered. There is always a Mancie nearby, waiting to rub me the wrong way...

We started this year with a draw, after much talk by our manager Arsene Wenger about consistency and sharpness and quality and mental strength (if I had a penny for every time I heard that one- mental strength!). Our last game in the FA Cup against Swansea was 2 points dropped. we were leading with 3 minutes left to play when they equalised. Now we have to replay that match, in between a game against Manchester City and Chelsea. In Fact our next run of fixtures for January are; Manchester City (H); Swansea (H); Chelsea (A); FA Cup (assuming we beat Swansea); Liverpool (H).

Focussing only on the league games, that is a run of 3 very tough games and potential banana skins, if we haven't fallen already. With our team's consistency being as consistent as a bout of diarrhoea, we could get all 9 points or we could get 0 from this run of fixtures in January. My gut tells me we shall get a maximum of 4 points... but then that could just be diarrhoea playing tricks with my gut...

I have long maintained that this squad, given better coaching should be achieving better results. I look at the Manchester United squad and when you compare our squads player for player, except in attack (Robin Van Pussie!) Arsenal have the better players. The problem of consistency is down to coaching and man-management. It is my honest opinion that a better coaching team would get better results from this group. Case in point, look at Everton and David Moyes...

Yes we do lack some cutting edge in some areas of our team. I wrote a piece for makeusdream.com which you can find here in which I said we need 1 Striker, 2 Wingers/Wide Forwards, 1 Defensive Midfielder and 1 Left Back to see this team rise to the upper reaches of the EPL.

Do I foresee us buying 5 players during this transfer window? no. Do I foresee us making any signings that will improve the squad? I hope so. Arsene Wenger does not seem to have any signings in the pipeline. He seems focussed on making Theo Walcott sign a new deal. Talk of sawing your own leg... Trying to get Theo to sign is just that. If he wanted to stay at the club a deal would have been reached already. A gooner friend of mine recently asked, "Is this all Arsene Wenger is going to do this summer, talk to Walcott?"

I really hope not. Yes Walcott is having a stellar season, as all Arsenal players do before they fuck off (Van Pussie, Flamini, Song, Fabregas, Hleb, Van Bronchorst, TH14, Viera....). What we Arsenal should be doing is looking to flog him off to the highest bidder while we can because honestly I have lost patience with him. I do love Walcott (in a fan-player way you dirty-minded person!) but I still think he is not as good as he thinks nor as good as his recent form suggests. Maybe he will one day join the niche of elite players. That day is still some way off.

And herein lies the problem for Arsenal. Our most potent player (in patches yes) is looking to leave on a Bosman. We do not seem to have any replacements lined up. Surely the club should have seen this coming? What happened to our renowned scouting network? Why can we not seem to find players who can improve this team when we need them?

If we do not make any signings this January, our Chances of winning our perennial 4th Position cup are in serious jeopardy. our inconsistency is not only borne of poor coaching but also lack of quality and rotation in the squad. This problem can only be fixed by ahem! SPENDING SOME F**KN MONEY.

Come on Arsenal, Spend some F**kn Money!

Le Boss... Le Joke

Le Boss

Le Joke

Nowadays, all you hear from Arsenal is "bouncing back". Why we always have to bounce back I never fully understand. In fact I don't understand why we bounce away in the first place. No wait, I think I do know why.

Every time we go through a bad result (which is nearly every week of late), we hear the same sound bites. It used to be Djourou mostly, then everybody else would chime in but with the same results following. Now they have resorted to putting the "new" man Wilshere out there to do the sound bites... shame on them all.

There was a time when Arsene Wenger was Sir Alex Ferguson's only rival in the Premier League. The Frenchman had a swagger about him. He was cocky, he had a perma-smirk on his face, making him look like he always had a trick up his sleeve. And he did.

Year after year, Arsene would tap into the French Market and sign up or produce gem after gem in players. Arsenal's scouting network was touted as the best, possibly in the whole of Europe. We had all the wiz kids on our radar and we would snap them up and turn them into world class players in no time. Those were the glory days of Arsenal and Arsene Wenger's reign at Arsenal.

Sir Alex Ferguson, gum-chewing , irritating Manc that he is has managed to produce winning team after winning team, regardless of the obvious drop in technical ability of his players. I mean, take a look at the current Manchester United midfield... does any name really stand out as being technically gifted? I don't think so. Now compare to Arsenal's Cazorla, Arteta, Wilshere, Diaby and Rosicky. Clearly Arsenal have the more technically gifted players in this department.

Yet we see season after seson the manager tell us how this team is good enough to win the league, even the Champions league. We are mesmerised by a few decent results and we begin to believe and hope. But just when we really think we are on to something, reality kicks in. First our perma-crocked players get crocked, despite being told that this season they will last the distance. Then we start to lose games and produce abject performances for which there is no proper explanation. We are told the players are "jaded", yet they play the same amount of games as their rivals.

The cycle goes on and on and we eventually get back to the usual sound bites about bouncing back, standing up to be counted, being serious, lacking a little bit the sharpness... But the truth is that we are lacking a lot the quality, application and brains.

It is not fair to blame the manager when an International striker misses an empty goal from 3 yards out. Nor is it fair to blame the manager when 11 Internationals fail to beat a fourth division team in 120 minutes of football, worse still, when the same internationals miss penalties; I mean not hitting the target at all. It's not the manager's fault.

However, it's the manager's fault when he puts out 11 internationals who are not consistent, who can be technically brilliant but also poor when they so-choose. It is the manager's fault when the tactics he employs do not get the best out of the players he has. It is the manager's fault when the players he buys turn out to be a waste of money and time for the club. It is the manager's fault when he simply can't acknowledge that the squad he has is not good enough to compete for the league title. It is the manager's fault when he continues not to strengthen his squad because he thinks he has enough players, who are permanently crocked at that.

It is the manager's fault when he sells his best players but doesn't replace them in the transfer market. It is the manager's fault when he doesn't SPEND SOME FUCKING MONEY! despite being told there is money to spend.

Sometimes I wonder, does Arsene Wenger know where to spend some fucking money in order to improve his squad? I honestly fear that he doesn't. He pride and stubbornness make blind to the obvious deficiencies in his squad. Does the coaching set up at Arsenal allow those under the boss to air any different opinion on how to change things? I don't think so. Much as I like us promoting from within, I also realise that this is the safest way for the manager to ensure that he get's (for lack of a more respectable term) "yes men" to work under him. This is what autocratic leaders do.

I do not think that any of our coaching staff can talk sense into the boss' head to change the way he does things. I also fear that the boss himself has had his eyes peering down his nose too long that he has failed to adapt to the times. Other teams have studied our methods and caught up, some are improving on them. As Arsenal, we are too proud to realise that perhaps the captain of our ship has lost the way and perhaps we need a new captain to turn change the course of the ship.

Arsene Wenger was the right man for Arsenal in the past 2 decades. He was the right man, just as the great Herbert Chapman was in his time, to transform Arsenal from an over-achieving medium club and put it on par with the biggest clubs in Europe. There is no doubt at all in my mind that Arsene Wenger has managed to achieve this.

But can you, dear reader, honestly see Arsene Wenger successfully managing Barcelona? Real Madrid? Manchester United? PSG? Borussia Dortmund? Bayern Munich? Inter Milan? AC Milan? Juventus? Manchester City? I wish I could honestly answer yes to at least one of those teams, but in my heart of hearts, I believe that Arsene Wenger is over the hill as an elite Manger.

I do not see Arsene Wenger leading Arsenal back to glory, nor leading any other top European team to glory. Where once there was a swagger and an air of knowledge to the man, there is now a weakness, a desperation, a hopelessness, a lack of ideas on how to move forward. Where once there was fresh thinking and cunning, there is now staleness and idiocy.

Whenever Arsene Wenger speaks after a defeat, I do no feel sorry for the players, but I feel sorry for him. He is a man hitting his head against a brick wall time and time again yet hoping for a different outcome. There is a word for that type of behaviour... but I just cant remember it...

The club has got new sponsorship money coming in from the Emirates deal; the transfer window is fast approaching. What Arsene Wenger does will prove once and for all if he still has it in him to battle at the very top.

COYG!

Bring Back Our Arsenal, Please.

Now, I know writing a blog after a disappointing result is not always the best nor most objective thing to do, but hey, I'm an Arsenal fan and not a reporter. I am not bound by any professional ethics and the like. I say it like it is.

Last night I forfeited my beauty sleep to watch what should have been a difficult but winnable match end up in penalties. From the moment Cazorla missed the first penalty, I just knew we were out of the cup.

Now, I could go on to say a lot of stuff that I think is wrong with Arsenal and what needs to change. I wont bother, I will be regurgitating what I and several other people have been saying about what is wrong with and at Arsenal.

I invite you to read my previous posts on this blog.

COYG!!

Groove Missing From The Grove

It is very rare that Arsenal teams, at least in recent years are found wanting in their attacking play. It is also equally worrying that Arsenal seem to have lost their ability to dominate ball possession like they used to. Yes we still tend to average 54-55 percent possession, but I want the days when we had 60- 70 percent ball possession at the end of 90 monutes of football.

I suspect that the two things (reduction in ball possession and striking potency) are linked. It follows that the more of the ball you have, the more questions you can ask of the opposition. Equally, the less questions you allow them to ask you....

The recent loss to Swansea was a case in point. I noticed how for significant periods, Swansea out-passed us on our home turf. We could not (and generally we do not these days) get the ball quickly by pushing up as a team and putting pressure on the man with the ball. When we do have the ball, we don't seem to know how to wreck havoc, or as some would say, we lack ideas in attack.

Tomas Rosicky, one of many players whom I love seems to be the solution to our current woes. He is a brilliant mover of the ball and seems to speed things up in the side. I was glad when he scored the in the Champions League match against Olympiacos in midweek. It was really a meaningless game to me, win or lose, but it will do him the world of good... until he has another injury....

Why do I think it was meaningless? Finishing top in your group does not guarantee you an easy fixture in the next round of the Champions League. If you are in this competition and still hoping for the so-called easy draws, then you probably don't deserve to be in this class of clubs. And besides, Arsenal are no push-overs themselves. Other teams will want to avoid Arsenal too. It's all about psychology really. I don't fear anybody. No. Not even Barcelona. Why? Well, because I know we'll get knocked out anyway so why fear what you know?

But Rosicky cannot be the only solution to our current woes. I always maintain that we have as good a squad as Manchester City in this league, in as far as player for player ability is concerned. I mean, take a look at this: Szecsny, Sagna, Koscielny, Metersacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Santos, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla, Diaby, Ramsey, Walcott, Gervinho, Podolski, Giroud, Djourou, Oxlade-Chamberlain... This is not a squad to laugh about.

Where we differ with Manchester City and others is in application and organisation. Currently our form has been so poor that we are afraid to even do the basics- which is to keep the ball. Worse still, our lack of tactical organisations means that teams know how we are going to line up and how we are going to play.

Our build up from the back is so poor because teams put two strikers up against our central defenders, forcing errors and hurried clearances up field. Equally, our attack is suffering because, apart from Theo, we lack genuine pace and directness in our attack. Think back to the days of Pires, Henry and Lyungberg and compare Podolski, Giroud and Theo/Chamberlain.

Be that as it may, I still believe we have enough talent in this squad to turn our fortunes around. But most importantly, the boss needs to buy some attacking players in January. Until then, he must use what he has to fix this situation.

Let us see what happens in the coming weeks.

COYG!!

Arsenal Back On Track: Quick Review of Events Past

Arsenal qualified for the Champions League round of 16 for the 12th year running after a 2-0 victory over Montpellier, the French League 1 Champions.

Following the convincing victory (as usual) at the weekend over our so-called rivals ( but not in our class) Tottenham at the weekend, qualification from the group stage of the Champions League was a very welcome thing indeed. I must admit that I have become so used to qualifying from the group stages that I never really think of us failing to qualify. A lot is made of finishing first in the group because you get the team which finished second in another group. Well, all these teams are very good and you can't go into a competition hoping not to play certain teams. If you are afraid of a team, then you probably don't deserve to win the competition anyway.

I know a lot of you Arsenal fans worry about facing Barcelona, and we just might get them in the next round. But honestly, much as we fear one or the other team, they too are afraid of Arsenal. We are not exactly a pushover. Let's give ourselves some credit.

The positives were the goal by Jack Wilshere after nearly 2 years from the game through injury. He is looking increasingly sharper and fitter game after game. Just wait until he plays for England and... arggh! Olivier Giroud was responsible for nodding the ball into his path and Wilshere just clipped it over the on-rushing keeper. That goal will do him the world of good and his celebration showed. I hope he can now start to score regularly from midfeld, cause we need goals from that area of our team

Lucas Podolski did what his left foot is very good at and that is to fire fierce shots into the net. In this case he fired in an amazing volley after a chip from Giroud. Podolski for me is a very good finisher, perhaps even better than (ouch!) Robin Van Pussie. No doubt Van Pussie is a good striker, but I think Podolski is better than him all round. Time will prove me wrong I guess.

African Brother Gervinho has returned from injury, just in time to start preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations I guess... But I hope he continues the good form he was showing before his injury because he does bring something to the squad.

So, two very convincing wins in spite of our dodgy defending... I know, I know.

In other "events" Thierry Henry could return to Arsenal in January for a loan spell- again. I say no! Please go and buy a striker once and for all, I like Thierry but we need some more fire power up front. It's not like we are broke so please Arsene: spend some fucking money this January!

And that's yer lot for now, i'll be back soon with more rumblings on all things Arsenal.

COYG!

Manchester United 2 - 1 Arsenal: Thoughts- Arsenal Get The Last Laugh

Arsenal had last laugh at United

Arsenal once again came away from Old Trafford with their tails coiled firmly between their legs but with the last laugh. Yes, scoring with the last kick of the game was nothing but a kick in the teeth to United from a dying horse. The 2-1 scoreline is very flattering really. It was a one-sided match and very embarrassing to be an Arsenal fan. It was a gutless performance from Arsenal.

I am surprised and honestly embarrassed by Arsenal fans blaming the referee for our loss. Come on people, for the first time, in years, I actaully think the referee did well for us at Old Trafford. We cannot blame him for our loss. This is one that falls flat at the feet of Arsene Wenger and his coaching staff.

We did not have any attempt on target during the 90 minutes of normal play and the 2-1 scoreline really flatters us. Of the team that got hammered 8-2 last year, only Aaron Ramsey remained for this fixture yet the result is probably worse. We had no injuries to use as an excuse. The players just were not up for this match.

Arsene wenger said that the defeat last season was due to "exceptional" circumstances. This defeat was due to one circumstance: the sum of the differences between Manchester United and Arsenal. Put simply; the difference between the two teams.

Thomas Vermaelen must be dropped. His confidence is so low right now that he can't do anything right. The weight of the Captain's armband is making it worse for him and the team as a whole. In big games such as these, you need strong characters and I'm sorry to say he appears to be a very weak character at the moment. He is making the kind of errors you get from a player who knows he is playing out of his depth. He lacks the fire, drive and anger required of a Captain or a senior player in short. He looks like Pascal Cygan reincarnated.

He was responsible for undermining the team spirit early in both halves, thus encouraging United. His first mistake lead to the Robin Van Pussie goal. Then in the second half, when you thought the team would have regrouped and come out fighting, he made a similar mistake which lead Van Pussie to cross for Valencia, who missed the ball completely and fell on his ass, when the net was empty. That sort of performance from the Captain undermines the whole team and must be punished. How can the team ever pick themselves up when the Captain is making a mockery of the importance of the occassion?

Football is about psychology. When a team is psychologically weak, the opponents pick up on that vibe and you are fucked. Thankfully United don't know how to fuck or they would have really fucked us. Right in the Arsenal. Yup.

Andre Santos for me, is an embarrassment. Running for Robin Van Pussie's shirt at half time? What the fuck was that all about? He was not only shaming himself but also the Arsenal fans and Arsenal Football Club! where is your pride for fucks sake? If I was in that dressing room, I would have punched him in the face and made sure he can't come out for the second half. What sort of fight can you honestly expect from players who have that sort of mentality? No pride to wear the shirt, no sense of shame! Or was he doing it to wind up the Arsenal fans? I honestly hated Santos in that very moment. He didn't play any worse than others on the day, but FFS! Santos! There was a moment in the second half where Arsenal were on the attack, the ball was passed to him by Cazorla and instead of delivering a cross into the box, he opted to shoot into the stands. That summed up the fight in this Arsenal team for me.

Aaron Ramsey was played out of position on the right-again. I twitted at half time that Wilshere should come off, Ramsey play centre midfield and Theo on the right. This was also because of his early yellow card and the fact he is off the pace and generally prone to do a Paul Scholes kind of tackle in any game. Instead Arsene Wenger left him on the pitch and as we all know, he got a red card. Ferguson on the other hand took off some cunt in his team to avoid a red card. Arsene Wenger says he left Wilshere on so that we could be more offensive! I'm sorry Arsene, but currently Wilshere is far behind Ramsey in terms of match fitness. Ramsey could have done a better job with his energy and ball retention in there, perhaps allowing Arteta to move further up the pitch. Again, these are all tactics that a manager must be able to try throughout the course of a game, instead of being rigid in your tactics when clearly they are not working.

This for me is the key difference between Ferguson and Wenger. Ferguson will let Rooney play as a midfielder whenever they play Arsenal because of his energy and general ability to cause us problems all over the pitch. Arsene Wenger will never set up a team to negate the threat of the other team, even though clearly this never works. Even Barcelona change their team formation to counter the strengths of the opposition and thus make themselves superior in a match.

Furthermore, the team should have been more fired up for this game than what we saw. I mean first Van Pussie insulted them and the club in the manner he left. Then there is the whole wanting to be the better team in a big game clash. I'm sorry, but I can only blame the manager here. The team lacked belief/fight/spirit/confidence/purpose/ideas/conviction/edge- name it all- they lacked it. It's like they went there hoping not to be embarassed by the scoreline at the end of 90 minutes. That was not a team which genuinely believed it can compete with Manchester United.

The whole situation adds credibility to Van Pussie and Nasri's allegation that we lack ambition. We can insult them all we like but at the end of the day, I think it is becoming clear that we just are not competitive enough to win the league.

Without being too negative, I have said in the past that we keep changing players/teams every year. I mean from the same fixture last season, only Aaron Ramsey was in the starting line up! It means we have a completely new team yet the gap is not closing. we always have the best players (technically) in the league yet we never deliver when it matters.

I have also said in the past that we have changed everything in the about the club except the coaching staff. Much as I love Arsene Wenger, I cannot shake this ever-brighter realisation that his time at the top of elite coaches might be up.

Perhaps he would be better off moving into a director's position or better still being the youth team coach because honestly, the man just never seems able to get the best out his senior players, brilliant footballers they always are. And worse still the players never seem to play for him. They join the club because of him (especially the young ones) because they are guaranteed first team football and a rise to stardom under Wenger.

After they outgrow him, they piss on him and buzz off. And the pain on his face and his body language when we are losing so harplessly like a team of little girls playing against grown men is just too much for me to bear. I feel so embarassed for Arsene wenger. Surely a gentleman as dignified as he is out to realise that he mustn't be subjecting himself to such humiliation?

WE LOVE YOU ARSENAL!! WE WANT OUR ARSENAL BACK!!

The Arsenal supporters were class on the day (except when they started calling Van Pussie a rapist! WTF!). come on Arsenal fans, we are better than that. there must be a difference between an Arsenal fan and a fan of any other team in the league! get a hold of yourselves and stop letting us all down. Remember that it takes one imbecile to paint all Arsenal fans imbeciles.

But chanting went on long after the game. If I was an Arsenal player, I would ask myself "what have I done for the fans today"? and most importantly, WHAT I'M I DOING FOR THE PRIDE OF THE SHIRT I'M WEARING? Santos clearly has no pride. Running after Van Pussie to collect a sweat- soaked table cloth from a bitter rival and take into our dressing room is a mockery of your team, your club, the fans and yourself! Shame on you Santos! I don't condone him being abused with his wife, but surely he must be shamed. I would, at the very least, tar him, feather him and send him out at half time in our next home game to apologise to the fans and the team at half time.

The usual defeat sound bites can be found on the official Arsenal website. I will not bother.

We have a tough away Champions League fixture against Schalke tomorrow. We really have only one thing to do and that is to go and win that game. But looking at our current form and attacking threat, I wont torture myself hoping for 3 points.

I will support the Arsenal, not because I believe we can win the League, Champions League or any cup/bucket or dish placed before us, but because I LOVE ARSENAL.

COYG!!