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Three teams Arsenal will hope to avoid on the road to the Champions League group stages

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Bale out for a further two weeks as recovery stalls

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Apr 152013

Spurs have been rocked by the news that influential midfielder Gareth Bale could face a further two weeks on the sidelines as he recovers from an ankle injury sustained against FC Basel in the Europa League. The Welsh forward underwent a procedure on his right ankle to speed up his recovery and a reliable source has confirmed this procedure can take up to four weeks to recover from.

The controversial procedure dubbed ‘blood spinning’ involves the extraction of a small blood sample which is subsequently ‘spun’ at high speeds to increase the concentration of the growth hormone. This spun sample is then returned to the body in the affected area and can increase the healing time by up to 4/5 times its original rate. However our source suggests that the procedure can take up to four weeks to fully recover from, meaning Gareth Bale could well miss a further two games in the Barclays Premier League.

This news represents a huge boost to Arsenals aspirations of sealing the vital top four spot as they look to edge out their north London rivals for the second year running. With the end of the season edging closer make sure you keep an eye out on Spurs remaining results live at www.footballscores.com. Check out the Gunner’s results there too!

Fast forward to transfer season

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Mar 292013

This season is nearly over and we are not looking to shabby. Okay despite the fact that we are sitting fifth just under Spurs, we look like we have the (excuse my language) balls to take the fight to them. Today is not about that though, i have my own personal wishlist which doubles up as a strong suggestion list for next season, please if you don’t agree tweet me and we will discuss this and i’ll just be right. Taking into consideration that we have tons of potential at the club and seemingly almost as much experience, this time my cries are just not as painful but just as urgent.

I’ll start for the back because that’s the numerical order and it just makes sense.

Keeper

Although Szeczney is seriously amazing and has experience coupled with abilities that are beyond his years, the young man still needs to grow up. I think for a while now he has been getting really comfortable between the sticks and rightfully so as his club and international team mate Fabianski has been injured. I would love to see him (Fabianski) play a consistently threatening role to the number 1 keeper so that we do not have any complacency within the camp. In terms of an extra keeper, maybe one with more experience would be good to keep him on his toes? Well rumor has it that Valdez has captured the eye of Mr Wenger and for that i just have 3 words. DON’T DO IT. Although the Barcelona keeper has a whole lot of Cups In his gloves, he seriously is horrible. The combination of Alves, Puyol, Pique, Alba and Busquets aid the faulty keeper and help keep Barca at the top. I would love to see the Dutch International Steklenburg in Arsenal colours next year ( provided it’s not that pink kit). He really is quite the perfect balance between a keeper and a shot stopper and most importantly know how to command a defence which Szeczney really struggles to do or he is just not commanding enough. Jaaskeleinen is not having a horrible season at all I mean, if all else fails we could bid for him or Newcastle’s Krul.

Defensive line

This season our back four have been asked all sorts of questions and more often than we would like to admit, we have been left with no answers and just questions. The captain has not been too impressive at all this season and I know I’m not the only one that thinks so. The addition of Monreal on the left really made a huge difference in comparison to the dud we had in Andre Santos. It doesn’t look like Sagna is going to stay next season and in that case having Gregory V.D Wiel to replace Sagna i think would be a great boost to the back. I am aware that he just got to PSG so maybe that’s aiming a little too high. Dortmunds Lukas Piszczek is not a bad option either, though I’m not sure if they would be willing to sell such a quality player and crucial part of the back line. (something they have to learn at Arsenal). Please note that I am not in any way undermining the work rate or improvement of Carl, however just one more season and I think he will be ready to take up the responsibility. We do have a lot of center backs, Djrourou will be making his way back from Hannover and hopefully he has gained some much needed confidence and game time. Hummels is the only player I can think of at the moment that is within our reach and at the right price we could get him.

Midfield

Firstly I would all like us to agree that selling Diaby is a good idea, that or sending him out on loan. I do appreciate the French in this defensive position and for that reason I think that long time target, Yann Mvilla should be strongly considered. His pass rate, work rate are really off the charts with him having the ability to attack as well as defend, him or Etinne Capoue. If we could nab Yanga Mbiwa from New Castle and tempt him with Champions league (granted we finish top four and qualify) then that would be awesome as he can also play the defensive role in the middle. Diame from West Ham is an absolute beast and would be a serious asset to us defensively. Our attacking options are not too concerning, however I did hear a rumor that Rosicky could leave. That would be to our very own detriment as a club, selling our best players and most experienced players is the reason we are in this mess. Maybe a bid for Mario Gotze, Gourcuff, Kalstroom, Robben , Kroos, Gustavo, Granero and Michu. I think any of the 8 players would fit in well with the squad, granted they are an addition and not a replacement to what we already have.

Attacking

We have Ox, Walcott, Gervinho, Podolski, and Giroud. Now, while all of these players are World Class, they are seriously struggling to connect with each other. The goal tally between them is really not that bad at all. We do however need an enforcer in the front there. Someone that is big like Drogba, Henry and Ibra. If we do not get a big striker then a clinical finisher like David Villa, Lewandowski and Dzeko would be our next best plan. Cisse is looking pretty good upfront. Taarabt from QPR and even Wright-Philips would be a good addition to the team. We are struggling with goal scorers at the moment, not really pace. Edison Cavani was also tipped to be on the transfer list radar. We would be a threat going forward if we had him on the starting line up or Milan’s Cassano. Fernando Llorente was linked with us, not having the best season but still, his finishing abilities are way above average. Aston Villa’s Benteke is a problem at the moment. He can seriously run for 90minutes of the game and still have some energy left for extra time and while doing all that, he poses a threat all the time.

These are obviously not all the most amazing players but they are the players that can add something more to the squad and force the current crop to work harder and grow a lot faster.

I will be back tomorrow with the ideal match situation for Reading. Reviews and preview for the game. This really cooked my brain though so as I recover, enjoy the reading.

By Ntokozo Hlongwane

Arsenal V Spuds – The Fight for Fourth

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Mar 282013

Thank heavens proper football is back this weekend! However, before I move onto matters Arsenal, am I the only England watcher (I struggle to summon sufficient enthusiasm to call myself a supporter these days), who wonders if the influence of Chairman Gary Neville might be stretching a little too far? In the second half against Montenegro Cleverley should have been replaced very early and Ashley Young instead of young Alex as a substitution? Still, if it continues then it’s all good as far as I’m concerned, if the Nevster is chewing Roy’s ear off, demanding that England is 75% made of up Manchester United players then it’s a double whammy – their players will be wiped out and Ferguson will spend huge tranches of the season in a state of near apoplexy.

Reading at home on Saturday, the first of five winnable (and to be honest must win games). Obviously Reading will be buoyed by “new manager syndrome” and we’ll also be missing both Walcott and Wilshere, but I’ve got a good feeling for this one and the rest of the games in April. Unless Mr Wenger has had a total relapse over the international break, and if we stick to the same shape and formula that was so successful away to Swansea and Munich, the loss of Wilshere and Walcott isn’t as critical as it would have been some time ago.

At home to Reading, we can afford to play Arteta or the very much improved Ramsey as a single holding player and I’m really keen to see Oxlade-Chamberlaine feature more. Cazorla will have had a nice rest and looked very sharp in South Wales, but in the away games at the Hawthorns and Craven Cottage, I think that we should revert to two holding players holding a line in front of BFG and Koscielny. The manager was spot on in dropping the skipper and the keeper; it was very reassuring to see him make bold decisions in high pressure situations. Of course, Fabiansky is often a disaster waiting to happen, but if the defence in front of him is dependable and doing their job (bolstered by the excellent Monreal), that will take a lot of pressure of his fragile shoulders. Nevertheless, we must buy a new keeper in the summer and a centre half of real strength and quality.

A week or so ago, I write down all the remaining fixtures for Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Everton to gauge who might finish 3rd, 4th and 5th. At first glance I wasn’t terribly heartened by the results that I’d guessed; in fact I had us missing champion’s league qualification by four points. However, the one aspect that’s hard to account for, is Arsenal’s experience of winning these mini-battles and that year after year, Spurs have bottled it. We have a manager who has ensured ECL qualification every year since 2001, Villas Boas? Although Van Persie’s goals were a dominant contribution to successful qualification last season, the rest of the team weren’t passengers, it’s time for every single player to step up and show the same passion that Carl Jenkinson has for the shirt.

Let’s get off to a belting start by beating Reading on Saturday afternoon.

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Arsenation’s 1st Birthday!

More cup frustration for Arsenal

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Mar 142013

Arsenal’s players were left shattered and frustrated after coming agonisingly close to completing one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League betting history in Germany on Wednesday.

The Gunners went into the second leg of their last-16 clash with Bayern Munich needing a miracle to progress after a nightmare at the Emirates Stadium. A 3-1 defeat left Arsenal staring down the barrel of a humiliating aggregate loss.

Wenger and his men responded in spirited fashion with one of the best European performances in recent years. They were rewarded with a 2-0 victory at the home of one of Europe’s top sides. However, the end result was a Champions League exit.

Arsenal will reflect on 2012-2013 as a season of missed chances. The Gunners blew a golden opportunity to end their silverware drought when they fell to lowly Bradford in the Capital One Cup, while the FA Cup defeat by Blackburn was equally inexcusable.

Arsenal covered themselves in more glory in the Champions League, but the same frustration applies. Bayern will await Friday’s last-eight draw, with Wenger’s side left dreaming of what might have been.

The Gunners must now use the win at the Allianz Arena as a springboard for the rest of the Premier League season. A place in next season’s Champions League is up for grabs and Arsenal have 10 games to overturn a five-point deficit.

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal can take heart from their performance in Germany.

“Coming here, not many teams win here. They have shown that they are a top side in Europe this season, so the lads deserve credit and the boss as well because he believed from the start that we could do it. We tried our best,” he told Sky Sports.

Arsenal’s best during the run-in could well be enough to earn another crack at the Champions League.

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Honestly…

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Mar 122013

Good evening my Arsenal family. Tomorrow we face a Bayern Munchen that are in hellish form. I know we were all celebrating when we heard all the news that it could be a “depleted” squad. Then we heard that Jack will not be playing and all of a sudden we lost all faith in the other 10 players on the field and the 7 on the bench. If my memory serves me well, Jack was not at the AC Milan game either and it was the same full strength Milan squad that hammered us 4-0 at the San Siro. Before I carry on Rosicky is the best player at Arsenal at the moment and you can argue with me till you are blue in the face but it won’t change a thing. Okay back to Jack. I am actually glad he won’t be playing and before you think I don’t know what I am talking about, just sip your coffee and read on.

The kid needs time to grow up, see, I like what Wenger is doing to the Ox and in a couple of seasons he will be absolutely dynamite for arsenal down that wing. There is an experienced player in his position and even though he [The Ox] is a part of the first team and is being called upon to his weight, it does not change the fact that he is still a kid. The same with jack, all he needed this season was to watch Rosicky and Arteta play, granted the Czech and the Spaniard have had their fair share of injuries this season and when called to stand Jack did that and more.

At the moment the hopes of our team are placed on the shoulders of a 22 year old instead of the experienced campaigners. Rosicky is our best chance tomorrow night. That man has the ability to find space, create space, use what little space he has to his advantage, can find a player ANYWHERE on the pitch and as simple as that sound it’s all we need.

I am officially calling for Vermaalen’s head as Captain. I’m sorry but the man is a pathetic leader and is having an appalling season. Give the band to Arteta.

I woke and went straight to twitter and an interview by Arteta was up.

“You can’t keep saying we played well but lost. It’s not good enough”.

This is him speaking about the FA Cup opportunity that we flushed down the toilet. I do however feel that with that was our “Top Club” status.

Every time we hear or read about the post-match press conference it’s the same thing over and over and over again. “We played well but we lost” or “We fought hard, now we have to bounce back” it’s sad to have to read these comments from the manager and players. We need a midfield General, with a relatively young squad we need a leader and Arteta is exactly that. Yes, I know he lets the ball slip to easily at times but more often than not he is solid, reliable, loud (which is always a good thing) and can rally up the troops.

As for the rest of my/our team. All we need is a good wake-up call and for me that was at the Capital One Cup already but maybe they are delayed so the FA Cup was next. All we want is an all-out performance. Win or lose I will be a proud Gunner if come on that field and leave with our heads held high.

By Ntokozo Hlongwane

Was Bale right?

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Mar 042013

It hurts to have to write my first piece about my beloved Arsenal in about a month and I have to write about the poor display of passion at the North London Derby. The worst part about all is that we, well I sort of saw it coming. At the moment Spurs are looking way more consistent than we are and unfortunately they have Bale. I have some amazing Arsenal Related accounts on twitter and at some point I thought nobody loved them (Arsenal) more than I did, clearly I was wrong. It was really amusing to see all the pictures directed at Spurs, however at the back of my head I just couldn’t help but think, what if Bale was right?. It’s difficult not to have a lapse of support and just fall into a slight reality check. I really don’t know why Wenger left Podolski off the field, does he not learn at all? The same thing happened against Blackburn and we came off second best. Surely, surely a manager with that much experience knows that fielding your strongest team is the first step to victory especially because it’s such a crucial match.

At the moment we have the Spirit of Chamandter (Chamakh and Bendtner) and it seems to have possessed the whole team. The movement off the ball was absolutely shocking. Yes, we had times where we looked and had shown ourselves as the North London Kings but that soon came to an end as soon as Bale put himself on the scoreboard and The Spurs ahead. Then with a lapse of concentration and a defence exposing through ball by Dembele, Lennon quickly added to the tally and put his team 2-0 up ahead of the Gunners. I don’t know what is up with Vermalen but I personally do not think he is “captain material”. We need a leader, and he is not the man for the job. It should have been given to Arteta or to Rosicky, purely because they command respect in their respective positions and they have the experience to lead the young ones.

Giroud and Walcott are probably the saddest excuses for CF’s. Walcott was never in his position, thus leaving our right wing one man short and when Jenkison had to cover the wing he left the defence wide open for the counter. When the ball was played in the box it just forced me to questions such as, where is Walcott? When I eventually found him I had to ask, does he know anything about keeping formation? When I came to the conclusion of no I asked myself one more question, what the hell do these guys learn at practice? I just figured that finishing, passing and defending were not amongst the pressing issues at the training sessions.

We have relatively easy games in the next couple of weeks and they should be sure winners. I just want to see my team finish to four this season so we can have a limb called Champions League to stand on when we bid for players. We have nothing to lose so going all out and having the intention to dominate at all times is our only chance at even sniffing fourth place this season. We have the players, we have the quality and we have the ability. So what are we missing? Balls (pardon my language please) Arsenal need balls and maybe a new striker but most definitely balls.

Even though this is very angry, nothing changes. Arsenal Till I Die lads, Arsenal till I die

By Ntokozo Hlongwane

In Arsene we trusted

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Feb 182013

The most eloquent statement on Arsenal’s defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon was the picture featured in most of Sunday’s newspapers of Jack Wilshere crouched on the turf, looking into the middle distance, almost inconsolable. It would be wrong to superimpose my thoughts onto the picture, but perhaps he’s thinking, “did we just get knocked out of the only competition we had a chance of winning this season by Blackburn Rovers?”

I’m not taking anything away from the Lancashire team, they came with a plan, stuck to it, defended stoutly and scored from their only goal scoring opportunity of any note, the scorer was a Gooner, just to make the scene complete. This is what happens when we have a manager and a board who believe that coming 4th in the league is actually silverware. There is a philosophy in business and politics called “groupthink”. It exists when there are insufficient voices of dissent within a powerful group and basically, they slavishly support each other’s point of view. I think this is the state that exists in the Arsenal boardroom at the moment.

I believe that there are seven constituent elements in a football club: Manager and coaches, team, directors, ground, training ground, supporters and marketing/media/merchandising. They are all important contributors to the success of a club but all are temporary apart from people like you and me, the supporters. The manager will always eventually leave the club, usually with his tail between his legs, grounds change – we’ve had at least three, the badge kissers will inevitably break your heart by leaving for a chance to triple their wages and the remainder are highly paid executives who will jump ship for a better pensions package from Shell or Coca-Cola without blinking an eye, even owners come and go. We are left behind, we’re stuck with Arsenal and we are the ones that pay the highest price for our devotion to the club.

On Radio Five’s excellent Sports Week programme with Gary Richardson on Sunday morning, Ian Ridley spoke of a prevailing “sadness permeating Arsenal at the moment”, as opposed to the legitimate anger you might expect as a reaction. I think he’s nailed it, after Saturday’s game I just felt flat, almost as if it was always going to happen. The team didn’t gel, wasted good chances, but critically, if the forward line had included Walcott and Podolski, with Cazorla and Wilshere playing in behind them from the off, would the outcome have been different? Yes, it probably would have been.

Management is all about judgement and we have a manager who thought it was a good idea to rest 5 or 6 players for a game in a competition that we had a good chance of winning, so they would be fresh for a game in a tournament that we have a snowballs chance in hell of winning. Well, I think the situation will be a lot clearer in a couple of weeks, I expect Bayern Munich to beat us by a margin over two legs and then Mr Wenger will be able to pursue the golden ticket that seems to be keeping him in a job for life – coming 4th in the league, again. Welcome to the world of Silent Stan, as a supporter you are an emotional stakeholder in an entity that cares little or nothing for you.

If you would like to comment, please do so, or feel free to follow me @CMJIanB.

By Ian Byrne

Two Cup Games – Which is the most important?

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Feb 132013

In the next week Arsenal will play two matches against vastly different football teams in competitions poles apart in terms of their supposed value to the club. On Saturday we host Blackburn Rovers of the Championship, (that’s the 2^nd division to those who remember football Before Murdoch), in the FA Cup, a genuine chance of silverware. Next Tuesday we play the home leg of our tie against Bayern Munich, FC Hollywood of the Bundesliga, in the glittering European Champions League, previously the European Cup – a competition which used to be for champions rather than teams that come fourth. We won’t win this trophy.

But which game will have the highest priority at London Colney? Got it in one, if you’re near N5 on Saturday, bring your boots with you because the manager will be picking a team so threadbare half of us might get a run at left back. Expect a makeshift 11 with the emphasis on “youth” and Tomas Rosicky, which although it should still be good enough to beat this Blackburn team, will struggle against a side that will come for a draw and put ten men behind the ball, I expect a frustrating afternoon.

George Graham, whose tenure as manager looks more rosy the longer Arsenal persist with maintaining that 4^th in the league is a trophy, used to set his sights on one trophy per season. If we managed to win two, as we did in 1993, it was a bonus. It was a simple strategy, but everyone signed up to it, George would even leak to his mates in the press, which trophy we were going for, so we could all get behind the team when we knew the games were really important. He did this because George implicitly understood that Arsenal Football Club had a responsibility to its supporters and its history and reputation, to make a genuine challenge for silverware every season.

I love the Champions League, it’s the best football played on the planet, and I’ve watched Arsenal in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Holland and the Czech Republic and they’re great trips. Watching Arsenal beat Inter Milan 5-1 in the San Siro was the greatest football event of my life, but I also love the FA Cup. It has real romance and a link to our con-joined past, Arsenal played its first FA Cup tie on October 5^th 1889, (we beat Lyndhurst 11-0) and have won the trophy ten times. I also remember being at Wembley when we beat Spurs 1-0 in season 1992/1993, vanquishing memories of Wrexham and Gazza’s free kick two seasons previously.

However, the major reason for the importance of the FA Cup to my mind is that we can win it. It’s Blackburn at home for heaven’s sake, the basket case of the 2^nd division; surely it would be prudent to pick a team that can navigate this tie, and we could still achieve this by resting Jack Wilshere, just avoid dropping half the team with him. We can pick up anyone in the quarter finals, it’s a fantastic opportunity.

The manager sees himself as a great pragmatist; well he can prove it by prioritising the game on Saturday as well as the game on Tuesday. They are fit young men, I’m sure they can manage 180 minutes football in the space of three and a half days. The supporters deserve it.

Thanks for reading, please feel free to comment below and/or follow me @CMJIanB

By Ian Byrne

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