Back to Cardiff, Pennant can't come

It has been some time since my last blog. I have been very busy at work lately. Now I'm looking forward to a couple of days off.

Blackburn will be a challenge
So we are back at the Millennium Stadium and the old grumpy numbskull in Manchester is of the opinion that Arsenal are the ones who decides the venues for the semifinals. He just had to open his mouth about something, didn't he.

Thierry Henry isn't playing. That leaves us with Bergkamp providing something for Reyes up front. I'm sure they can rise to the occasion, but it would have been more comfortable with Henry in the team. He can win a game out of nothing in a fraction of a second. Playing Blackburn will be a physical encounter, and Bergkamp nor Reyes have the best of attributes when things get too rough. I'm a bit cautious about this game. Blackburn are a decent team and they will put up a formidable fight for a place in the final. They also have a joker in my fellow countryman Morten Gamst Pedersen who has been instrumental in their revival lately.

Sol Campbell will have to wait for his comeback from injury. He probably will be back to handle Didier Drogba at the Bridge. Big Phil Senderos have been a revelation in Sol's absence and I have no doubt that he will have another good game in Cardiff. Another clean sheet, please!

Jermaine Pennant
Poor boy. He still haven't got a clue, has he. There's not much more to say really. I can only make Arseblog's words my own:

"Now, maybe I'm being forgetful but Pennant was on at least his second chance at Arsenal when he decided to drive somebody else's car at 4am while he was over the limit. As for him not being picked because he was English that's just a handy soundbite from a bitter player to give an ever-eager press. If he really thinks that's the case then how does he explain Ashley Cole? Cole, until recently, stayed out of trouble, didn't get involved in rape cases, didn't drive while drunk and get his licence taken away, didn't break curfews when on international duty, didn't turn up late for training, didn't go out to nightclubs when he shouldn't have and as a consequence forged himself a very nice career. Pennant, on the other hand, did all the things Cole didn't, still can't accept any responsibility for them and chooses to blame somebody else and now he's playing for Birmingham. Let that be a lesson to all young footballers."

Well said.

The importance of Gilberto

Thierry Henry wondered if Vieira and Gilberto had played together all season. The answer to that is yes, on three occasions.

Arsenal have played 39 games in the Premier League and the Champions League. They have started with eight different midfield combinations in those games. The most frequent being Patrick Vieira and Cesc Fabregas. As mentioned in an earlier blog, the best results have come with either Flamini or Gilberto playing. Gilberto have played 8 games averaging 2,8 points. Flamini have played 11 games averaging 2,4 points. By comparison captain Patrick Vieira is averaging 1,6 points from his 31 games. It illustrates the importance of having players like Gilberto in the team. Full listings below:

Vieira/Fabregas have played 13 games averaging 1,9 points.
Vieira/Flamini have played 8 games averaging 2,4 points.
Vieira/Edu have played 7 games averaging 1,6 points.
Fabregas/Gilberto have played 4 games averaging 3,0 points.
Vieira/Gilberto have played 3 games averaging 2,3 points.
Fabregas/Flamini have played 2 games averaging 2,0 points.
Flamini/Gilberto have played 1 game only that resulted in 3 points.
Fabregas/Edu have also played 1 game only and that resulted in 1 point.

That's a lot of rotating. By the way, Arsenal have been able to field their strongest back four (Lauren-Toure-Campbell-Cole) in just 12 of 39 games. That's less than one third.

I haven't checked, but I doubt that Arsenal have fielded their best side in one single match this season and still we are second in the Premier League having had our second best season since Arsene Wenger's arrival with regard to points acquired .

Now finally the team is coming together again. Sol Campbell also played the full 90 minutes in yesterdays reserve match. Beware, the Arsenal is on a roll!

Peter Marinello, anyone?

Who?
These days the news are full of stories of Jose Antonio Reyes. A young player with exceptional talent, but also a young boy struggling to settle into his new life a long way from home. In some ways Reyes reminds me of my boyhood hero, Peter Marinello. I would like to share the history of Peter Marinello with you, the way I remember it. In 1970 a player arrived at Highbury. A player whose pace and skill would have made Arsene Wenger's eyes go spinning. Sadly he was 25 years too early. There were no Arsene Wenger at Highbury in 1970, and instead of the story of one of the greatest footballers ever the story of Peter Marinello was to be a story of missed opportunities and fatal decisions, or even worse - a symbol of failure.

Early days in Edinburgh
As the name suggests his family is of italian origin, or Sicily to be more precise. They had a shop in Leith (Edinburgh). Peter was born february 20th 1950 into a neighborhood with a mixed population of protestants and catholics. There is a club called Salvesen Boys Club in Edinburgh and Peter joined them after leaving St.Anthonys Secondary School. The purpose of the club was to build bridges over the religious divide in the population trough football. Graeme Souness grew up in the same area, and the two of them are the best known players to come out of the Salvesen Boys Club. Peter's talent was soon to be recognized, and he landed his first professional contract when he signed for Hibernian in 1966. The following years he amazed the scottish football audiences with his dazzling skills. There were many highlights, but perhaps none bigger than his two goals at Ibrox that gave Hibs a rare 3-1 win in 1969. I reckon that day is still talked about amongst the Hibs fans, at least the grown ups. Scouts from the big english clubs also became aware of Peter Marinello who by now had been labeled "the new George Best".

London calling
In january 1970 Arsenal paid Hibs £100.000 to bring Peter Marinello to London. The transfer was a big media event . The fee was a huge amount of money in those days. In today's market value that should be around £15 million or so. In George Armstrong's absence Peter became a regular starter right away and expectations were high when the little winger made his debut no other place than at Old Trafford, George Best's home ground. When he also scored the media went mad. Imagine the headlines. How on earth are you going to top that? Peter played 18 games for Arsenal during the spring, including 4 in the Fairs Cup. Perhaps it was symbolic for his fait that he didn't make the team for what perhaps was the most memorable night at Highbury ever, the 3-0 win over Anderlecht that won Arsenal the Fairs Cup.

The playboy
Things looked good at Highbury now. Arsenal had just landed their first trophy for 17 years and they had plenty of young promising players like Pat Rice, Sammy Nelson, Ray Kennedy, Charlie George and perhaps the greatest talent of them all Peter Marinello. Arsenal went on to win a league and cup double, but for Peter things started to go wrong. A knee injury sidelined him for most of the double season. However Peter was just as big a star off the field as on it. He had the looks of a movie star and plenty of girls had a crush on him. A perfect object for commercial forces. He got his own news columns, participated in commercials and fashion shows, had his face on posters all over and last but not least he had guest appearances on the tv-show "Top of the Pops". That was a big deal back then. Someone even made him record a demo in an effort to become a pop-star himself. Everybody wanted a piece of the Peter Marinello phenomenon, and Peter willingly let himself be used. Imagine what all this attention can do to the mind of a 20 year old that in reality is all alone in London. These events probably changed him from a football wizard to a football playboy.

The come back
In the spring of 1972 he finally clawed his way back into the team. The venue was Highbury and the occasion was a second leg quarterfinal tie in the european cup. Arsenal were 2-1 down to holders Ajax from the match in Amsterdam and just needed a 1-0 win to go through. John Radford were suspended and new signing Alan Ball were ineligible for the game. That opened the door for Peter Marinello and he responded with a magnificent display. He did everything against the european champions, everything except score. If you ask people what they remember best from the match I bet just as many will answer Marinello's miss as George Graham's own goal that in the end sent us out of the competition. Some of europe's best footballers was at display that night and Peter Marinello was the best of them all. If he just had put that ball in the net it could have been Ibrox all over again and perhaps things would have developed different the coming months. Instead of being the hero he became the scapegoat. Just his luck!

Another set back
For some reason Bertie Mee never seemed to find room for Peter Marinello and George Armstrong in the same team. Perhaps that was due to tactical reasons, or perhaps Peter's playboy image just was a bit too much for the strict disciplinarian. In the end of the day Peter always came out as second choice. Peter got a good run of games in the first half of the 1972/73 season when Geordie was out injured. I remember seeing him live on tv in november 1972 at Molineux. The only way to describe his performance that day is "sheer brilliance". Nevertheless that was to be one of his last matches for Arsenal, because come december Geordie was back in the team and Peter was out once more. It just wasn't meant to be. Bertie Mee was starting to break up the double team and a new generation of players was coming trough the ranks. Peter didn't feel apart of either and the boss didn't seem to appreciate him much anyway. I think that was the final straw that made him give up on Arsenal and settle for just being a football playboy once more. He was offered a new contract for some reason, but he had his hart set on moving on. In fact he had been "tapped-up" by Portsmouth.

The rest of his professional career
Portsmouth put in bid of £100.000 for Peter Marinello and also tempted him with a paycheck that the Highbury board didn't want to top, so Peter decided to leave. The playboy got the upper hand and Peter took the money and ran. In fact the fee and salary for Peter Marinello was almost more than Portsmouth could handle, and the club got into some economic difficulties as a result. After two years as the girls favorite and the cashier's nightmare in Portsmouth he returned to Scotland where he played three seasons for Motherwell doing well enough to get back into the scottish national team. Next in line was a visit back in London, this time to play a few games for Fulham before the temptation of american dollars became too much to resist. When he joined Phoenix Inferno he was 30 years old. He later returned to Scotland to play for Hearts and Patrick Thistle, without any luck.

Where is he now?
With his professional football career over and done with in 1984 I believe he settled down in Edinburgh running a pub. However I guess he conducted his business in the same way he did much of his football career after Highbury, in search for quick money. Subsequently he went bankrupt in 1994 and ended up in Southbourne near Bornemouth where friends helped him back on his feet. He settled in with his wife and two sons (Paul and John) and he has stayed there for the last 15 years. He has always loved his football though. He continued playing for a amateur team called Parkbury until he was 50 years old and a bad hip finally put a stop to it. In fact he played in the same team as his oldest son. He was also seen playing for various Arsenal XI charity teams through the years.

Why am I writing this?
I don't know. I just felt like it. It gave me a chance to pay tribute to a man whose fait I have followed for the last 35 years. Life hasn't been easy on Peter, but I've learned that he hasn't become a bitter grey haired man. Not quite true - he has gray hair now, but he also has a smile on his face and is still the gentleman he always has been. Perhaps we all have something to learn from Peter Marinello, learn to be able to see beyond the footballer. See people as people and not as merchandise. Especially the media who had a big responsibility in the wrecking of Peter Marinello's career. They were first in line to ridicule and bury him when things went a bit stray, and in the end we are the ones feeding the monster by buying all their bullshit. Just a thought.

Is that really so, Ashley?

Unhappy players
Not much happening these days, just the usual stuff about Ashley Cole and Jose Antonio Reyes (and everybody else who wants to leave the club). Some of them may very well be heading elsewhere during the summer. For different reasons they seem to think that the grass isn't green enough at Highbury. I can sympathize with Reyes. People are different. Some adapts well into new environments, some find it harder. Just be honest about your problem and we'll see what happens. Nobody will keep you in London against your will. When it comes to Ashley Cole on the other hand.....

Ashley Cole
Charges have been made in the Colegate scandal. Among those accused is Ashley Cole himself. The Sun claims that was the final straw and that a new contract is out of the question as far as Ashley is concerned. If that is to be believed he must think that Arsenal somehow are to blame for his misfortune since his illegal meeting with Chelsea. Of course Arsenal could have played along with the cover up, but they didn't. Someone has to draw the line for what is acceptable, and Arsenal has taken it upon themselves to do just that. Well, I for one am proud that they have handled this situation the way they have. Regardless of the outcome.

A few weeks ago Frank McLintock stated that he thinks the whole affair has been blown out of proportion as illegal approaches has been common for years. I disagree, Frank. Lot's of things have been common. Drunk driving and shop lifting are common. Still, when you get caught you pay the price. If you are the prime minister and get caught it becomes a major issue, and rightly so! There is nothing out of proportion about it at all.

Bottom line is, rules matter. By comparison the future whereabouts of Ashley Cole doesn't. The club had to take a stand to protect itself, and if you can't see that Ash - then off you go! No player is bigger than the club. Thank God for people like Peter Hill-Wood. He cares, and he is willing to put action behind his words.

About time to shut up!

Anders Frisk
Frisk is (was) one of europe's absolute top referees. After having been subject to blunt violence and finally death threats Anders Frisk calls it a day in fear for his family. Representatives from the UEFA points the finger at managers for exaggerated public criticism of referees. I agree. How many stupid examples haven't we seen lately. The last and final straw for Anders Frisk may very well have come in the aftermath from Jose Mourinho's paranoia after Chelsea's game in Barcelona. Mourinho might consider himself one tough customer, but without mentioning his name it is no secret that it was the Chelsea boss' behavior that was on Sepp Blatter's mind when he labeled some football managers as "enemies of football". I can understand where Blatter is coming from. Chelsea have reacted on behalf of their manager by making a public statement condemning the threats made against Anders Frisk. That's fine, but the Chelsea leadership might be well advised to take a hard look at themselves in the mirror. They're not alone to be bashing refs though. Guess whose fault it was that Bolton and Tottenham was eliminated from the cup. Right or wrong, it's about time footballs leaders takes their responsibility. Arsene Wenger isn't fault free either, but he is the one who has been ridiculed because he "didn't see the incident". Perhaps that comment isn't so stupid after all?

FA Cup
We were drawn against Blackburn leaving the final open for another battle with Manchester United. Given that we will get past Blackburn and United beat Newcastle I'm optimistic that it will be our turn to come out on top in these encounters. But then again, I'm always optimistic!

A question of honor

Bolton
Yesterday Arsenal secured a place in the semifinals of the FA Cup. Bolton played their usual crap game, but this time they didn't succeed with their bullying. They were one down and reduced to 10 men within minutes, and they should have finished with even fewer on the field and more goals conceded. The ref got the bookings of Pires and Lauren wrong. According to the rules of the beautiful game the correct decisions should have been a Arsenal penalty and another red card for Bolton. Still Sam Allardyce insists to embarrass himself and his club further by moaning about Ljungberg's goal and even pleading Diouf's case. What a disgrace.

The team for the new stadium are being prepared
Arsenal now have played 4 straight games without conceding a goal and Phillipe Senderos are more and more emerging as a solid defender. Solid is also the only appropriate word for Mathieu Flamini's performances these days. Having already seen the ability of Clichy and Fabregas there now is a handful of youngsters in the side that may have what it takes to perform on the top level for years to come. Adding to that a injury free centralline in Campbell, Vieira and Henry and a couple of quality signings during the summer Arsenal will once again become a formidable force for next season. Enjoy your moment, Jose!

Investigations
Speaking of Jose, Peter Kenyon and Jose Mourinho are piling on lots of work for investigators in the UEFA and the FA. As a matter of fact their mob style operation may be making Chelsea the most investigated club in history. The Cole saga has also taken new momentum with Chelsea claiming that they were the ones to be tapped up. Jeez. Who do they think they are fooling? There is little honor in the way they conduct their business. Not that they care. I just hope the FA has it within their power to educate them.

Another Jose
Jose Reyes has again spoken about how honored he would be if he were to play for Real Madrid. One thing is to be fooled in a telephone hoax, another matter is to willingly feed the tabloids with more of the same. If this is how you feel that's fair enough, but you should honor your club. All you have to do is to knock on Arsene's door and you will be on your way. Perhaps a exchange deal bringing Michael Owen to Arsenal would be the best thing for all party's involved?

Hey, there's a light up front

Arsenal are out of the Champions League
So are Manchester United and spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. Not much comfort in that on the night, but it illustrates what kind of competition the Champions League is. It takes something really special to go all the way, that and a good portion of luck. The scandalous defending from the first leg had left us with too much to do, and over both legs we lost to a team that didn't make the errors we did.

Thierry Henry
To often he has been accused of not performing in big matches. The truth of that can be debated to say the least. He has scored his fair share of goals in europe trough the years, and he did it again tonight. A sublime Thierry Henry strike gave Arsenal the momentum they needed to go through to the quarterfinals. Sadly his teammates was unable to provide the necessary support for him to clinch a remarkable recovery from the "Munich disaster".

Was a new star born tonight?
A dip in form for Kolo Toure combined with injuries to Sol Campbell and Pascal Cygan has given Phillipe Senderos a run in the first team now. He has matured game by game, and tonight I thought he was colossal in the Arsenal defense. Sol Campbell's partner for next season could very well be Phillipe Senderos. It's early days for Senderos yet, but I just wonder if we might have seen the first glimpses of yet another masterstroke from Le Boss.

Bolton
We are now left with the FA Cup as our remaining hope for a trophy this year. First up is a trip to Bolton. They might think they are in with a fair chance to upset The Gunners again. No way. Thierry Henry is back in goalscoring form, Patrick Vieira is once again (at long last) being counted in midfield and we have three straight clean sheets now. Perhaps that wasn't enough to rise from the dead against Bayern, but it will be more than sufficient to overcome Bolton. We may still be parading the cup in may and come august we will have just as many points as Chelski. So, my fellow gooners - we may be down, but we will never be out.