Norwegian Gooner

Back to Cardiff, Pennant can't come

2005-04-16T00:51:00.000+02:00

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

2005-04-05T01:46:00.000+02:00

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?

2005-03-28T03:52:00.000+02:00

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?

2005-03-25T13:48:00.000+01:00

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!

2005-03-14T22:58:00.000+01:00

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

2005-03-13T14:08:00.000+01:00

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

2005-03-09T23:38:00.000+01:00

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.

Emotional rollercoaster ride

2005-03-02T22:28:00.000+01:00

Jermaine Pennant sentenced to jail
Sam Allardyce reckons this is Pennants wake-up call. I'm not convinced. He has had lots of wake-up calls, and following every single one of them he has stated that he don't have any attitude problems. Still his lack of professionalism has been obvious for years for anyone with their eyes open. Pennant's eyes have been well closed. All he has seen is an illusion of his own greatness. Is anything about to change? Feel free to hope, but I don't. What a vaste of talent!

Robin van Persie at St.Mary's
It has been like a emotional rollercoaster ride to follow Arsenal this season. It has been ups and downs, twists and turns. At half time we were one up in Southampton playing 11 against 10 following David Prutton's sending off. We were cruising - to a draw. Again we saw one of our goalkeepers at fault for yet another lead going down the drain. I'm not going to dwell about that now. Robin van Persie's well deserved red card annoyed me most at the time. Only minutes before he had been told to keep his cool. Then he rushed into a pointless tackle in the middle of the park. Second yellow and goodbye. Do we have another young boy about to vaste his talent on our hands? He came to Arsenal with a history of conflicts from his time at Feyenoord. We have also seen signs of his hot head earlier this season. Arsene Wenger reacted in public. That's a first. His rage was obvious for all to see, and of course it prompted speculations that van Persie was on the verge of a fall out with Le Boss. I doubt that will happen. There is one significant difference between Pennant and van Persie. Robin doesn't run about pleading his innocence. He accepts the criticism and gets on with his job. Furthermore, Wenger's outburst is due to his own frustration of not achieving the results he hungers for. Wenger has had to handle young hot heads before and he prefers his players to be very competitive. The trick is to find that slim line between competitiveness and stupidity. It is enough to mention Patrick Vieira and Ashley Cole. Ashley immediately recognized the situation coming to van Persie's defense talking about his empathy with him after the game. I believe Robin van Persie will learn. Unlike Jermaine Pennant he hasn't given me any reason not to do so. I reckon he will be back to face Portsmouth.

Shootout at Bramall Lane
The rollercoaster ride continued in the replay at Bramall Lane. No controversies this time, but is was a fierce encounter that took me through the whole range of emotions. A typical cup tie that in the end warmed my "old" nostalgic hart. It started with the shock of nearly conceding a goal in the opening seconds. It continued with frustration as Arsenal dictated the game completely, but was unable to score the winner. Extra time came and went. Fear crept in as penalties was needed to settle the tie. Then the joy. The players got their reward for working their socks off for 120 minutes giving us a display that brought my thoughts back to the days of Frank McLintock and Tony Adams. Pride is the word. Quincy and Cesc was a sight, but the name of the moment was to be Manuel Almunia. Praise when praise is due. Not just for the penalty saves, but also for making match winning saves at crucial moments. Goalkeeping like that earns you at least 10 points a season in the league. Imagine if he could play like that with consistency! Sadly, that is probably just what it is - imagination. When the rush of the moment wears out I bet he will get lost again chasing a ball when he shouldn't be and dropping a ball he shouldn't have dropped. All the errors that cancels out his great shot stopping ability. However, he has earned his moment of glory. He was a major contributor to sending Sheffield United out of the cup and to me falling asleep a happy man.

Another build up
So for Portsmouth. After the frustrations from Bayern and Southampton tuesday night was the first brick in the build up to make the impossible possible. The target is to eject the germans from the champions league next week. For us to go into that battle in the right state of mind it is vital to get a positive result from the Portsmouth game on saturday. Bearing in mind the twists and turns of the season Robin van Persie is likely to provide us with the winner.

Playing with numbers

2005-02-24T18:15:00.000+01:00

I think most gooners agree that a new goalkeeper and a new central defender would fill the most obvious gaps in the Arsenal squad, but what else has to be put right? I have been playing with some numbers today. Looking at games played in the Premier League and the Champions League I have given each player starting the games 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw. Arsenal have played 34 games averaging 2,03 points. For the various players the numbers came out as follows:

Goalkeepers
Manuel Almunia, started 11 games averaging 2,27 points.
Jens Lehmann, started 23 games averaging 1,91 points.

Almunia comes out with the better score. Scary!

Defenders
Clichy, started 6 games averaging 2,50 points.
Lauren, started 30 games averaging 2,07 points.
Toure, started 32 games averaging 2,06 points.
Campbell, started 18 games averaging 2,00 points.
Cole, started 30 games averaging 2,00 points.
Hoyte, started 5 games averaging 2,00 points.
Senderos, started 2 games averaging 2,00 points.
Cygan, started 15 games averaging 1,93 points.

All defenders are scoring around Arsenal's average points per game except Gael Clichy who stands out with 2,50 points and Pascal Cygan whose 1,93 points unsurprisingly comes in last of the defenders. Gael Clichy is a great prospect!

Midfielders
Pennant, started 1 game averaging 3,00 points.
Gilberto, started 7 games averaging 2,71 points.
Flamini, started 6 games averaging 2,50 points.
Fabregas, started 20 games averaging 2,10 points.
Pires, started 26 games averaging 1,92 points.
Vieira, started 27 games averaging 1,85 points.
Ljungberg, started 25 games averaging 1,68 points.
Edu, started 8 games averaging 1,50 points.

The first thing that catches the eye about the midfielders is how much better Arsenal are doing when either Gilberto or Flamini have been playing. The workoholics has a very positive impact on our results. It is disappointing to find Pires and Vieira scoring below average, but Freddie Ljungberg's low score of 1,68 points should raise some eyebrows. Edu comes in rock bottom.

Forwards
Bergkamp, started 20 games averaging 2,40 points.
Reyes, started 23 games averaging 2,09 points.
Henry, started 34 games averaging 2,03 points.
van Persie, started 5 games averaging 2,00 points.

One name stand out, Dennis Bergkamp. Arsenal's results are remarkably better when Dennis is in the team. It seems he still is Arsenal's most influential player.

Any conclusions?
This simple hour of mathematics on my part is of course not even close to being conclusive. There are far too many variables that hasn't been taken into consideration and the amount of data used wouldn't get a statistician even remotely interested. Nevertheless it has to be allowed to raise some questions.

First, how on earth are we going to replace Dennis Bergkamp? He will be 36 years old in may, but he still holds the key to Arsenal's stylish game. When Dennis is around, Arsenal are most likely to win. At present there is nobody to take his place. Give him another year!

Second. Arsenal must have a central midfielder who can run continuously for 90 minutes shielding the back four, making tackles all over the place and just be in the oppositions way every time they have the ball. We have had Emmanuel Petit and Ray Parlour. We have been used to have Gilberto, and coming up we have Mathieu Flamini. Cesc Fabregas has been in the limelight in Gilberto's absence. However, Arsenal's results are better with Mathieu Flamini. There are more to a great team than pace and trickery!

Third and last. When Freddie's red hair went out the window the magic went with with it. He averages a mere 1,68 points per game he plays this season, and even worse - it has been like this for years now. I don't know why it is like that. He scores his fair share of goals, but that's how the numbers are adding up. I believe that Freddie has a higher sale value than he has value to the team. Perhaps it's time to let him go to make room for others, perhaps someone like Shaun Wright-Phillips. It could have been Jermaine Pennant!

We have a lifeline, just

2005-02-22T22:48:00.000+01:00

We are let down by our defense, again
Arsenal never make it easy for themselves. Not so tonight either. This time around it was no Pascal Cygan or Jens Lehmann to blame. Kolo Toure made a dreadful miss trying to head away a long goalkick from Oliver Kahn and Pizarro made it 1-0 already after 4 minutes. We couldn't have had a worse start. After Arsenal had a decent finish in the first half Bayern killed off the game. Pizarro left Toure for stranded again to score his second and Salihamidzic scored to make it three minutes later. There is no excuses to be made. Bayern had a solid defense, Arsenal didn't. When you play the best in europe you can not allow yourself to make multiple errors in defense and expect to win games. You can perhaps get away with it in England, but not at the biggest scene of them all. That is the simple facts of the matter and that is the task Arsene Wenger has to address to push this team to the top of european football.

A glimmer of hope
There were nothing left for Arsenal to do but to try to get a priceless away goal that would give us a glimmer of hope before the return game. Irony had it that Kolo Toure was to be the one to get it. Good for him. That goal changed this tie from almost certain elimination to give us a fair chance. We can do the job, IF we keep a clean sheet.

Focus on Bayern

2005-02-20T01:05:00.000+01:00

Lots of attention
My "Spurs" headline on thursday did what it was supposed to do, attract attention. The number of hits got of to a flyer.
To all you Spurs supporters out there trying to enlighten me:
*Yes, I agree that Robinson-King-Carrick-Defoe is a central line above average. The problem arises when you benchmark it to the likes of Cech-Terry-Lampard-Robben, Carroll-Ferdinand-Keane-van Nistelrooy or even Lehmann-Campbell-Vieira-Henry. It just doesn't compare.
*Yes, I also agree that for £1,5 million Spurs got the better goalkeeper.
*No, Reyes didn't cost Arsenal £17 million. That figure requires all clauses in the agreement with Sevilla to be activated. Actually, the initial payment to Sevilla was in the Defoe region and the final fee looks to be about £10-11 million as I understand it. Still, it's a lot of money.
*Finally, no Spurs is not the only club that has declared high ambitions, but failed to put the necessary quality on the pitch. The comparison was just too tempting to let go.

Was Arsene's mind on the game after next?
At least his fear for further injuries must have had a big impact on his team selection. I can't blame him. Sheffield United was bound to compensate for inferior ability by putting out a physical performance and trailing Chelsea in the premier league also makes the game in Germany even more massive in our hunt for a big trophy this year.

We allowed them a replay
In previous rounds both Stoke and Wolves have come to Highbury and taken the game to Arsenal, but a reserve packed Arsenal side looked more than capable to stroll past Sheffield United who seemed more than happy to go for a replay. Only good goalkeeping from Paddy Kenny kept Arsenal from going in front. Controversy started with Dennis Bergkamp being sent off. A harsh decision. Perhaps referee Neale Barry also thought so, because the next thing he did was to rule out what looked a perfectly good goal for Sheffield United. Compensation? I think so. From then on Sheffield United if possible looked even less interested in winning the game. Arsenal always looked most likely to score, and finally they did when Pires put a rebound into the net. Arsenal should have killed the game off, but they didn't. Instead Senderos handled the ball in the dying seconds of the game and Andy Gray scored from the spot. In the end 1-1 probably was a fair result. Stoke and Wolves showed a more offensive approach, but then again they lost. Sheffield United kept to their game plan and it paid off. They earned the replay they came for. We can't blame them for that after all.

Defensive substitutions
With five minutes to go Arsene substituted Reyes for Cygan, put Cygan at left back and pushed Clichy into midfield. I'm not saying that caused the equalizer, but it is suspicious how many goals Arsenal concede in the last minutes following a defensive substitution by Wenger. It can't be a coincidence. I don't think shuffling around defenders is a good idea. A friend of mine even suggested that the best thing to do when Arsenal are one goal up with five minutes to go is to put Arsene in a car and drive him home. He never gets the tactics right in those situations according to him. He might have a point.

Bayern on a high
Bayern absolutely dismantled Dortmund on saturday. They won 5-0 with Roy Makaay scoring a hat-trick in the process. It's hard to say whether Bayern just were great or Dortmund were plain awful. From what I have seen from the game it was a bit of both. At least Bayern takes on Arsenal with morale on a high on tuesday. It will be a nailbiting encounter. I just wish Sol Campbell was playing, but he isn't and I guess Pascal Cygan will do his best to make my hart stop at some point.

Thank God we're not like Spurs

2005-02-17T01:11:00.000+01:00

On second thought
When I saw the line-up on monday and realized there were no english players around it just felt stupid. Thinking about it, what would the alternative have been? If you wonder, look no further than White Hart Lane. Spurs have been playing Anthony Gardner, Simon Davies and lots of mediocre players, they have spent more money than Arsenal on signings and come up with nothing. Even though they are looking sharper now I can't see them challenging moneybags like Chelsea any time soon. Arsenal still can have a shot at it. Why?

The Arsenal squad
When you go trough the arsenal squad from no.1 to no.31 you find that there are five english players from a total of twentyfive, but Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell are first choices at their positions in a full strength national team. Manchester United are probably the only club to top that, but that includes Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney with a combined transfer fee of £60 million. That's almost the total fee of the entire Arsenal first team squad in two players alone, and that brings us to the core of the problem. There is no way Arsenal can compete with that kind of spending power. Not to mention the russian. Nevertheless we want to compete, don't we?

How can we compete?
If we can't buy the finished articles like Chelsea or Manchester United we have to create talents ourselves to supplement whatever we may afford in transfer fees. The first thing on Arsene Wenger's agenda as Arsenal manager was to build a state of the art training facility. The London Colney training centre and youth academy is already second to none, but still it is currently under expansion (scheduled to be finished later this year). This is the basement of Arsene Wenger's vision of Arsenal as one of the worlds major clubs. Next was to recruit as much talent as possible into this environment. A world wide scouting system was established and young hopefuls from all over the world are brought in for a very limited amount of money. Foreign talents like Lupoli, Quincy, Clichy, Aliadiere, Eboue, Toure, Senderos and van Persie blend in with english players like Ashley Cole, Taylor, Pennant, Hoyte, Bentley, Stokes, Ryan Smith and Ryan Garry. Currently we have two first team regulars that are products of this policy, Ashley Cole and Kolo Toure. One english and one foreign. A combined transfer fee for the two would probably exceed £30 million today. Not bad for two defenders, and the best is yet to come. With all due respect for Liam Chilvers and others seeking the news these days, they just didn't fit the bill. Fabregas and Clichy is of a different class, but they may soon be followed by Justin Hoyte and David Bentley especially. The opportunity is there.

It was a first, so what?
Chelsea did it in 1999 and Arsenal did it in 2005. A team consisting of foreigners alone haven't been a daily event and it is not likely to be either, even if it's a new world out there. Arsene Wenger surrounds himself with the best available at an affordable price. London Colney has started it's production of special talent. Arsenal has four world champions in their midst and lots of other international players. Emirates Stadium is just around the corner. After that the sky is the limit for Arsenal and their players, both british and foreign. All moulded in Arsene Wenger's magic hat with hard work and balanced books. What a hat, I take mine off! I think it is a job well done after all.

A class act and a new record

2005-02-14T22:55:00.000+01:00

It's a first
Arsenal entered Highbury tonight without one single british player in the squad. To the best of my knowledge that has never happened before. I don't think that is a record we should take any pride in, and it is a contradiction of UEFA's proposed rules for homegrown players.

They did well though
After some early scares from Crystal Palace the park became a playground for our overseas players. Three great goals from Bergkamp, Reyes and Henry sent us 3-0 up in 39 minutes and the points was well secured before half time. The second half became a formality even though a couple of goals were scored. Vieira added Arsenal's fourth and then the captain brought down Andy Johnson in the penalty area. Johnson scored from the spot. Arsenal were cruising and Henry added his second to make the final score 5-1. A class act from Arsenal. Perhaps, just perhaps it isn't all over just yet?

Ole-Ole-Ole-Ole, Jose-Jose
So, how did Reyes do in his first game since the radio hoax? The fans responded as expected and Jose followed up assisting Bergkamp for the first and then scoring the second himself with a firecracker. At half time "Jose Antonio" was played over the speakers at Highbury. That shows the spirit of Arsenal and I guess that was felt in the players hart as well. Sheer brilliance! Arsene Wenger also paid his tribute by keeping Reyes on for the full 90 minutes.

Gael Clichy
Arsene Wenger kept faith in Jens Lehmann and Edu for tonight's game, however Freddie Ljungberg and perhaps most notably Ashley Cole was absent. That left a place in the team for Gael Clichy who is in line to become a regular at left back should Ashley Cole become too tempted by the Chelsea payroll. I guess that made a lot of people take a extra good look at the young frenchman and to be honest he has had better games. The talent is there, but I reckon the summer is too soon for him. Clichy himself has stated that he hopes Ashley will stay, "he is the best leftback in the world and it would be a big blow to lose him" he says. If that statement reflects Gael's personality perhaps he will be the world's best leftback himself sometime in the future, but for now I hope and believe Ashley Cole stays.

Hang in there Jose

2005-02-12T15:09:00.000+01:00

Unsettled
Jose Antonio Reyes has hit the news for all the wrong reasons lately. I'm sad to hear that he is finding it hard to settle down in London. Sad, but not mad. I can understand his problem. Jose is a country boy who has been used to have a close bond with his family and friends. Jose is just a shy lad with a exceptional talent. To make the transition easier he and the club arranged for some of his family to move to London with him. Everything should be all right then, right? Well, perhaps not. What if his family are the ones who finds it most difficult to settle into the big city life? Jose says enough to suggest that in the radio hoax. In London Jose has his football and his teammates, some of them even spanish. What does his family have. Nothing but loneliness? You can get homesick from less. If this is the case, what does that do to the mind of young Jose? He would feel guilty for having put them in that situation and at some point his thoughts is bound to drift towards trying to make things better.

Give him support
What can be done to resolve the situation? I don't have all the answers, but the best we can do for for the lad is to stand by him. He has always tried to do his best for the club and for us. He's just a kid who has been exploited in the simplest of hoaxes. A mean trick that has been put into action by people that doesn't care one bit about our Jose. He hasn't said that the club sucks. This has nothing to do with money or greed. He has done nothing major wrong to deserve anything but our full support and I expect "Jose Antonio" to roar all over Highbury on monday. We stand by each other. That's the Arsenal way.

Wage structure

2005-02-09T01:05:00.000+01:00

Recent history
Arsenal offered a one year contract to Dennis Bergkamp that almost made him sign for Bolton instead. Arsene Wenger wanted Sylvain Wiltord to stay, but a new contract couldn't be agreed with the french international. Now the same story is out regarding brazilian international Edu. We were able to get Sol Campbell to sign, but just for two more years. Then negotiations with Ashley Cole were put on hold due to the Chelsea tap-up. From my point of view the approach from Chelsea is likely to be a result of obstacles in Arsenal's contract negotiations with the player. It's a small world and news travel fast. These players are all experienced internationals and they have spoken public about their desire to play for Arsenal. Still no agreements can be made. Has the gap between Arsenal's proposed wages and what players and their agents reckon is a fair deal in today's market become to big? The facts tells me that Arsenal seems unable to agree new contracts with players the manager wants to keep, and that is a disturbing matter.

At some point the board will have a decision to make
To be focused on expenses is a healthy attitude, but somewhere there is a line. If you cross that line you will not only keep the expenses down, you will keep your income down too. The Emirates Stadium is only 18 months away, and to fill 60.000 seats you need a competitive team on the field. To have that we must keep our best players. I admire our board for not accepting to be held hostage to greed, but we can't hide from the fact that Chelsea are there. So are big spenders Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Juventus and others. We don't need to pay £80.000 salaries to get Ashley Cole to sign, but offering £30.000 will not keep him either. The same goes for Edu. Both players wants to play for Arsenal. I believe they are willing to pay a price to do so, but not just any price. In my opinion we have a board that is ambitious, but still responsible. I trust they will find the right balance at this crossroad and make sure we keep the team together. Not to do so isn't an option if we want to play in the big league.

We came, we played, we won

2005-02-06T19:15:00.000+01:00

We swept the floor with Aston Villa
It was a relief to see Arsenal look like Arsenal again. It was also a relief when I first saw the line up. Senderos had recovered from injury and was set to play. He's a natural central defender, Hoyte is not. Senderos added muscle to our back four. Wenger had also come to his senses and reinstalled Jens Lehmann and Edu to the team. Finally. The team had a calm and collected presence at Villa Park. With the exception of Senderos we only had experienced players out there, and it looked that way. There where no fuss, they just relaxed and played their football. The first half was brilliant. With perfect finishing we could have gone in at half time eight goals up. That's how dominant we were. Vieira and Edu ruled the midfield, Freddie and Reyes ran their socks off, Bergkamp looked sharp and Henry finally scored again. The only negative from the game is the fact that we conceded a goal, again.

Could Edu have made a difference earlier?
If Edu's web site is to be believed Edu has been available for selection since boxing day. He could have been on the pitch when we lost valuable points against Bolton, Man.City and Man.Utd. Looks like Edu has been left out just to put pressure on him to sign the new contract. Well, it backfired in to ways. He didn't sign and Arsenal lost more ground in the premiership. I just wonder, how many of those eight points could have been added to our tally if Edu was included? If any. It's easy to be wise looking back. Edu after the match at Villa Park opened the door for the possibility of staying with Arsenal by saying "It was nice to be back in the team. I was hungry to play and I am still feeling hungry to keep playing for the team and we will see what happens in the future now". Perhaps we should grab this opportunity. What do you say double-d?

Jose Antonio Reyes
Media has it that Reyes is on his way back to Spain because he is finding it hard to settle down in England. Arsene Wenger has acknowledged that it has been a problem to that effect, but he claims that everything is all right now. Reyes is a great player with skills, pace and a good shot. However he seems to make the wrong choices at times. He isn't fully integrated in Arsenal's attacking rhythm. I hope that will be sorted out. Bergkamp, Pires and Henry took their time to settle in too. In the meantime the media once again will have a field day at our expense, and the suggestions of a Owen-Reyes exchange has already hit the surface.

Bayern München
I had a look at Bayern yesterday. They won 2-0 at home to Leverkusen, but they really didn't impress me much. They were lucky to keep Leverkusen from scoring and then they got a gift from the referee at the stroke of half time. A penalty that never should have been put them in one nil up. That changed the match. My impression of Bayern is that they will struggle when the ball moves fast. Who can play the ball faster than Arsenal. No one. Arsenal will score goals on them for sure. What we have to avoid is to give away set pieces. They have a couple of players that always looked dangerous on free kicks and corners. Brazilian defender Lucio has a towering presence like a bulldozer and Michael Ballack is a constant danger. Ballack also is a bit like our Freddie, he just has that ability to get himself into scoring positions. Overall I think we will go through to the quarterfinal. At present the name Bayern München is more scary than their team.

The Ashley Cole saga
A formal investigation of Chelsea is now underway. Jose Mourinho and Peter Kenyon has been caught red handed to the embarrassment of their club. This afternoon Chelsea also was unable to break down Kevin Keegan and his side at home. Perhaps some people at the bridge has been gloating a bit too soon after all. Let's see how they cope with some negative attention for a change.

Time to move on

2005-02-04T17:25:00.000+01:00

Transfer funds
It has been reported in the press that Arsene's requests to strengthen the squad during the transfer window were knocked back. This has been denied by chairman Peter Hill-Wood. Whatever the truth is, that's history. If money was denied it was for a good reason. I'm confident that the necessary funds will be made available during the summer, and I'm equally confident that Arsene will use them. Arsene is a proud man, and the fact that he was unable to follow Chelsea to the door this year hurts. He will do his upmost not to let that happen again. My only worry is that Arsene sometimes is a bit preoccupied with offensive players and a bit naive when it comes to the defenders. Not to mention the goalkeepers. So whatever dreams we have about the brilliance of Fernando Torres and others, what we need is a Pat Jennings and a Frank McLintock in their prime. If anything like that still exists.

The Gilberto factor
Thierry Henry has pointed out that the decline didn't start at Old Trafford. "Everybody talks about losing at Old Trafford but for me that was not the turning point," said Henry. "The turning point was losing Gilberto and Edu plus other players who weren't in the squad." I fully agree. Gilberto is a player that never has got the praise he deserves. Some people just could not see his value to the team when he was playing. He didn't make twists and turns. Nor did he score great goals. What he did was to work tireless for 90 minutes, win duels all over the place and cut off the opponents. Nothing glamorous about it, but the value is for everyone to see now. God, we miss Gilberto!

Another factor
Something I have been thinking about for a while, how much is Martin Keown missed? Not that he played that many games last season, but he was there. An institution of attitude, fighting face and all. I believe he had an immense influence in the squad, perhaps also along with Ray Parlour to some degree. Have we lost some of that never say die attitude? If so, how much of that is down to the Keown factor? Even Sylvain Wiltord's crazy stunts has probably left a void in the dressingroom. All together I think it was to much at once.

Let's not make a new factor
Taken in to consideration the youth our current squad and the experience and skills of Dennis Bergkamp. How much will we suffer if he was to call it a day now? You can not underestimate the value of just having these kind of personalities around. I say, give the man another year. I don't want to find the answer to this question the hard way as I believe we have with regard to Martin Keown. Dennis Bergkamp is a symbol of the Arsenal revolution. Keep it that way!

Villa Park next
After the disappointment of tuesdays defeat a new game is approaching. Three valuable points is at stake, and just as important the need to build up some confidence before the champions league starts up again. The circumstances could have been better though. We have to travel without three of our four central defenders. That leaves only Pascal Cygan to team up with one of our second choice right backs due to injuries and suspension. Either Emmanuel Eboue or most likely Justin Hoyte will play. Our defensive resources is exhausted, just as our central midfield has been for months. This shows how fragile our squad is. We're in luck though, we're not going to Anfield or any place like that and we still have lots of offensive power. If the players are mentally ready to work hard for the points over the full 90 minutes, we will win the game easy. If we feel sorry for ourselves, we will be in trouble again. Has Arsene been able to pick up his players and motivate them to go on fighting for what seems to be a lost cause? Arsene has defined his target, Arsenal shall be the best team for the reminder of the season. That's bold words. Can we owe up to them?

Evaluation in february

2005-02-02T15:15:00.000+01:00

No complaints
Thierry Henry pays tribute to United's performance by saying "Manchester United showed great character today. It was not an easy game for them and they were twice behind but they won it". Patrick Vieira also accepts this in his comments. "Manchester United played better than us and deserved to win the game" he said. "Even when they were losing 2-1 they did not panic. They showed a lot of experience and really controlled the game. They put the ball on the floor and they scored goals, so all credit to them. Our commitment was really high, we just played against a better team on the night. That is it".

The only issue at hand
"Just now overall we concede too many goals to challenge for the Championship. We've conceded 29 goals now, you concede four goals at home, you cannot say you want to win the games. You cannot concede four goals at home. We concede so many goals because, as I said, at the start of the season we were a little bit too casual because everything went well when we conceded goals. We conceded two - we scored three. We conceded three - we scored four or five. And then slowly the confidence drops, good habits drop, and suddenly you are confronted with a problem". These are Arsene Wenger's words from the press conference after the game, and how true they are. Le Boss points his finger at what is obvious for anyone to see.

To many distractions
There have simply been too many distractions in the team. It all started with Patrick Vieira's flirtation with Real Madrid in the summer. That matter was allowed to drag on for too long. Contract issues related to key players have been on the agenda more or less continuously. Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Lauren and Edu have all been subject to ongoing negotiations. May be it would have been better to take care of these matters in a non competitive environment during the summer. Then the situation concerning the goalkeepers. Suddenly Jens Lehmann was dropped and replaced with Manuel Almunia. What happened behind the scenes? Perhaps nothing, but Lehmann and Almunia for sure don't have a healthy rivalry. They barely speak to each other. Finally Chelsea comes along, trying to unsettle Ashley Cole during his contract negotiations with the club.

Lessons to be learned
With the exception of Kolo Toure the entire back four, both goalkeepers and most of the established central midfield has been subject to off the field matters during the last six months. All having made the headlines over lengthy periods of time. Perhaps we should be able to handle that, but at some point it becomes one to many and it becomes more about "me" and less about "us". The togetherness slowly is starting dissolve and you are confronted with a problem. Just as Wenger says. However if there are some lessons to be learned from this it is mostly managerial lessons. Timing and strategy has everything to do with leadership, and the responsibility to remove any rotten elements also comes down to the boss.

Bottom line
The ones that perhaps got blinded from the bright lights of being unbeatable was the leadership. Why have we put ourselves in a situation where we have to play a clown inn goal. Why do we have to rely on teenagers or a player born under a unlucky star for a crucial game like yesterdays. Last, but not least, why have we played our cards in a manner that has taken focus away from football for many of our key players. Perhaps their hands to some degree is tied due to the commitment of building Emirates Stadium. But for me it is obvious that the first step on the road to recovery isn't a meeting with the players. It has to be a meeting amongst the leadership planning for next season. Jeez, this sounds like Spurs!

The months ahead
For the rest of this season we have three targets. First the champions league (ah, that didn't sound like Spurs at all). This season can still be a successful one by lifting the biggest trophy of them all. Second there is the FA Cup. West Ham or Sheffield United will leave Highbury as losers and from there anything can happen. Third we can achieve direct qualification for next years champions league, which means the premiership matches are just as important as they have been. This has to be done with what we have. Now Arsene Wenger's manhandling skills are up for what perhaps is the biggest test yet. Lifting this bunch of disillusioned players to become champions of Europe. Well no one can take the dream away, not just yet. Go you Gunners!

Disappointing - we slip up again

2005-02-01T23:30:00.000+01:00

There have been worse
Loosing to Manchester United is just about the worst scenario thinkable, but loosing at Old Trafford back in november felt worse than tonight. That game was lost because of faults made by the officials and unsporting behavior from our opponents. Today we fell to our own shortcomings. Fact of the matter is, there's no one else to blame. Even though Pires should have got a clear penalty and a Bergkamp offside decision was highly questionable to say the least. We looked like easy winners for almost an hour. Then the cost of our defensive lapses became to much to handle.

The defense
When you let in four goals at home, there is no way you can win a game. We have been let down by our lack of ability in that department once more. At one stage our central defenders were Justin Hoyte and Pascal Cygan, and to top that the goalkeeper was Manuel "Fawlty" Almunia. It sounds like your worst nightmare. Manuel Almunia became the scape goat on 58 minutes when United took the lead, but disappointingly the player who perhaps was underperforming the most was the rock himself, Sol Campbell. Especially his passing were bad, and it was one of his poor passes that led to United coming back into the match in the first place. We had them rattled and then we made a silly mistake. Again. We are not going to be premier league champions this year, but deep down we knew that already.

Looking forward
We have a trip to Germany in the champions league coming up in a couple of weeks. At the moment it may be hard to see us go all the way in that competition. We lack the necessary ability to consistent defending, but we'll have a go. Commitment alone can bring you far and we still have the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp putting in world class performances up front. Such skills can split up any defense at any given time. The Arsenal is still a force to be feared.

Incomprehensible
There is no way Arsene Wenger can afford not to bring in a new goalkeeper this summer. It is nothing short of incomprehensible that Manuel Almunia is the first choice goalkeeper at Arsenal Football Club. Attacking football has to be built on defensive security, and that starts with the goalkeeper. If you want to be a world class team you need a world class goalkeeper. It's as simple as that. I don't want to speculate on who that keeper should be, but it most certainly isn't a Celta Vigo reject.

Keep smiling
Tonight's good news is that St.Tottrings Day is coming closer. There is no way in hell we will throw that away!

Transfer window is closing

2005-01-31T21:04:00.000+01:00

Edu is our "new" midfielder
For those expecting a new midfielder arriving before midnight, his name is Edu. Valencia, Arsenal and Edu seems to have reached a common understanding. Some kind of win-win situation where Edu gets his wish to leave for Spain, Valencia gets their player for free and Arsenal will have the necessary strength in midfield for the rest of the season. Arsenal loses what ever transfer fee was possible to agree on, but then again saves the transfer money for a replacement. Edu is also eligible to play in the Champions League and to find a established midfielder of the right caliber who also meet that criteria might not be so easy. It all makes sense taking in to consideration the fact that Arsene didn't expect both Edu to turn down a new contract and Gilberto to get a long term injury.

Pennant has kicked his last ball in an Arsenal shirt
Also today the loan deal for Jermaine Pennant to Birmingham has been confirmed. Talented as few, but that alone is not enough to make a great footballer. Oops he did it again, didn't he. Stupid boy. After a history of repeatedly ignoring the rules set for a top flight footballer he was caught drink driving on the morning of a matchday. That is utterly irresponsible and there are no more excuses to be made. After all, he is 22 years old now and should be able to behave himself. He just doesn't have the attitude. I hope Steve Bruce can be the lifeline he needs to get his career back on track, but somehow I doubt it. Hopefully Jermaine can still have a reasonable playing career for a premiership club, but his chance to play on the absolute highest level may have passed him by. It's a sad story really. Anyway, best of luck to you.

The mother of all battles
The scene is set for another showdown with the red nosed scotchman and his bullies. A decisive victory tomorrow can build up the momentum for a run in that might surprise a few. There is only one acceptable result, to win. The players are ready and able, and I have a good feeling. If there is some justice in this world we will roll all over them. 6-1 to the Arsenal would be appropriate.

Chelsea - normal rules don't apply

2005-01-30T21:10:00.000+01:00

Economy on drugs
According to todays newspapers Chelsea will be announcing losses of nearly £90 million tomorrow. That's the bottom line for Roman Abramovich's first year as club owner. Such mindboggling figures in red would normally send a football club tumbling in to economic ruin. Not so in this case. Normal economic rules don't apply for Chelsea. To cover the losses Mr. Abramovich will issue "a loan" no bank manager in the world even would consider authorizing. Chelsea has become a club fueled by monopoly money. This isn't the first time a sugar daddy has been involved in sports, but the sheer size of the figures presented here raises some serious questions. If an athlete takes a substance that raises his performance in an unnatural way, he will be labeled a cheat and be disqualified. Is Chelsea raising their performance in an unnatural way? If yes, is it cheating? Legally no, but morally yes. In my book any trophy Chelsea might acquire will be a monopoly trophy because it has been achieved by an economy running on drugs.

Above the law
Also in the news today it is alleged that Chelsea are trying to tapp up Arsenal and England leftback Ashley Cole. If there is no law that says Chelsea's economics is illegal, tapping up players under contact is. Arsenal vice chairman David Dein said 'This is a very disturbing matter and we will treat it seriously'. It most certainly is, if true. Ashley Cole's agent Jonathan Barnett has denied it as 'total and utter nonsense'. He would say that, wouldn't he. There's also similar rumors about a summer move for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. Do the guys that don't even have to balance the books feel above the law? I don't know about Steven Gerrard, but I am confident Chelsea never will get their hands on Ashley Cole. He is Arsenal born and breed, and would get a rash from wearing Chelsea's colors.

Arsenal through in the FA Cup

2005-01-29T18:43:00.000+01:00

More from memory lane
Saturday night got off to a flyer when Arsenal cruised past Wolves in the FA Cup. After previously having eliminated Stoke in this years FA Cup it is becoming a nostalgic tournament for old gooners. We remember the Stoke semifinals in '71, don't we? Classic moments. Today's 2-0 victory came on cruise control. Patrick Vieira scored from the penalty spot and a class act goal from Freddie Ljungberg secured a place in the next round.

Exiting youngsters
Arsene Wenger fielded a mixture of young and established players. The new boy Emmanuel Eboue had a good game at right back. He's really exiting coming forward. How good he defends remains to be seen though. Not much defending to do because Wolves was on their heels for most of the game. Jose Reyes also looked lively. Is he coming back to his brilliant form from the beginning of the season? Hope so. Gael Clichy, Robin van Persie, Mathieu Flamini and Francesc Fabregas is also becoming household names at Highbury. All bearing witness of a new generation coming out from Arsene Wenger's magic hat. Perhaps too young to bring down Chelsea from the top this year, but certainly talented enough to light up Emirates Stadium in a couple of years. At a time when dodgy russian oilmoney catches the biggest headlines in football the future is as bright as it ever has been for Arsenal. Looking at all these players makes life exciting for us gooners. The future is bright!

Tacos and beer
Ok. I'm off to a party. Today's game has put me in a good mood. I'll do my best to keep the momentum going.

Wolves brings back memories

2005-01-28T23:55:00.000+01:00

How it all started
In Norway english football was on TV every saturday already back in the seventies. George Best and Manchester United was the most popular amongst us kids. I have never followed the masses, so it was out of the question to support them. Not then and not now. I have always had an "anything but United" attitude ever since. Then Peter Marinello came along labeled "the new George Best". He signed for Arsenal in 1970. The perfect choice. Ah, my hero! Arsenal Football Club it was then. The double in 1971 and Charlie George laying on the Wembley turf didn't hurt my support for the club, but it was a game back in 1972 that really started my passion for Arsenal Football Club. The game was on TV, Wolves v Arsenal at Molineux november 17th 1972. There he was. I saw Peter Marinello playing for the first time, and he was magnificent. The circle was complete and I was hooked.

Back to reality
So here we go again then, years later. I feel just as I did that november evening back in 72. Like a kid with his newfound love. Arsenal v Wolves! Tomorrow I will be back in front of the TV and perhaps Peter Marinello will be watching from his home near Bournemouth too?

Back tomorrow with my thoughts from the game.