That’s an expression I really dislike!

Being the sufferer of bad bones as I am, in the days when I lived with my Mother and would be in dreadful pain and discomfort, she would often say, well think youself lucky, look at so and so up in the village, she’s in a wheelchair with her Arthritis!!

I replied, ‘Mum, she is 86 years old, I am still very young’. ‘Well’ she would reply, ‘I could be worse’!! Arrrrggg!!

Arson is so right though, had Gibbs and van Persie’s injuries been a lot more severe than we would all be pretty down. Thankfully though the Boss says Kieran should be back midweek for the Champions League game and Robin should be back in time for his Christmas Pudding!

Arson, it could have been a whole lot better too if you could learn to tell our players that international friendlies are not worth the trouble! Just stop them going and this kind of thing won’t happen!

What’s going on in this crazy world of football, Big Sol has said we are the best, he is currently staying fit by training with us, and says this:-

“I am training at Arsenal and keeping fit, which is the main thing and that, is fantastic,” he continued.
“I needed to train somewhere, Arsene [Wenger] has done me a great favor and you can’t do any better than Arsenal.”

Even old Brucie Boy has said he owes our boss big time following the loan deals of Bendtner, Muamba and Larsson – Brucie reckons we have a genius for a manager and a great crop of young players. The future is bright for us he says…

Good man, we have known that for ages Brucie, but it’s good to hear ex pro’s like you come out and say such a thing, especially when those idiots on Sky and the BBC keep saying we are too young, lack experience blah, blah, blah!!

You are right, we have a very bright future ahead of us at Arsenal and Liam Brady confirms that too. He has told afc.com that Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere are just the beginning of a large bunch of youth ready to burst on to the scene.

Bit of injury news – Fabianski, Vela, Denilson and Traore are now off the injured list, Diaby and Walcott are close to a return. I suspect we will see of four above on the bench for Sunderland with Walcott and Diaby taking their seats in the week. Gibbs will be back before The Chav game too, which is good news.

On to Sunderland, I have gone from thinking that Sagna should move to LB with Eboue playing RB to thinking JonJon is right, we shouldn’t have a right footed player playing on the left so now I think Arson has a big decision to make.

Mind you Flamini did ok if my memory serves me right!

Silvestre is a left footed defender, and for the Mancs he often played in the LB position. Surely this is the kind of game where he can be used to cover for Gibbs who is covering for Clichy.
If he doesn’t play there on Saturday, why the heck are we keeping him? Why the heck are we wasting money paying his wages if he is only going to be a bit of experience to add to the Carling Cup team? No, if he doesn’t play then let’s ship him out and use the money to secure Merida’s future!

Not a lot of other gossip in the papers this morning, the back pages are still focusing on Thierry Henry and how is has the new ‘Hand of God’! Even ex Gooners Winterburn and Dixon have joined in and branded him a cheat!

Have a great day folks – tomorrow is match day.

Many thanks to Mr C!

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(fmh)

Sumber : OkeZone

Sunday 4th October, 2000 BST. Many Arsenal fans are celebrating champagne football conquer Allardyce’s Blackburn. A few with bottles of champagne or bottles of Cava  if you’re not as affluent like me. Could the day get even better? The England squad selection is revealed. Theo is not picked for the England senior team. Yessssss! I mean, oh, unlucky Theo. There’s always next time yeah?

Before you accuse me of schadenfreude, you’re just as guilty as me! Besides, I can’t see the benefits of playing a match, 7 hours away from London for the sake of formality. But then England U21 manager Stuart Pearce gives Wenger a ring saying,

Listen mate, I need Theo. In fact I need as many Arsenal players as possible. Is Ramsey, English?

Na-uh. So he takes Walcott along with Wilshere and Gibbs.

What is Wenger meant to say? Sorry, I can’t let him. Imagine the fury that would ensue! A French manager rules an Englishman out of an International game. Of course if a certain Scotsman has anything to do with it, Giggs misses friendlies mysteriously due to injuries and Scholes retires altogether!

Arsene voiced his disappointment when back in the summer, Theo was picked for both the U21s and the senior team. Theo ended up with the U21s, played in the Euro’s and never played again competitively at least until Sunday. I suppose this time it is different in that Theo does need more game time. If he gets injured, well what can you do?

Besides it works the other way as well. You do remember the time when Pires missed the World Cup because he was injured in a game against Newcastle? There is so such thing as a well timed injury. Pearce’s Wenger-agreed-with-me-wholeheartedly though does amuse me greatly.

I looked at the French squad for some reason over the weekend. Don’t even remember how I came to it actually. Guess whose name was missing? Mathieu Flamini. One good season and he thought he had made it. Give me £20 million for 5 years or I’m off. He left for AC Milan. A Milan team that lost to us in the Champions League on their own turf. A declining Milan, who lost to FC Zurich last week. FC who? Exactly.

I couldn’t believe it when he left us. Just like you I was disappointed to see the exit of Flamin’ Flamini, but not too surprised given how he left Marseille. Then again, he was seeking a departure even before that final season at Arsenal when he was fed up playing Left back, Right back and when fleeting substitute appearances became the order of the day for him. Had he left that season instead it wouldn’t have been a surprise. Instead Diaby got injured at the start of the following season (Wenger’s prefered player for that DM position at the time) and Flamini got the nod.

But how things change! Diaby is back for Arsenal, has played like what 9 games in a row? And he is getting stronger and stronger. He is in the French squad unlike Flamini. You see, just playing for Arsenal sometimes is good enough for most international teams. Remember Franny Jeffers? Sven picked him just because he played for Arsenal at the time. Of course Edu had to work a lot harder to force his way into the Brazil team and the same might apply for Denilson. But Brazil aren’t exactly short on talent are they?

 I just wonder whether Flamini regrets his Arsenal exit more than Wenger. Hleb was bold enough to almost cry about his departure from the Emirates. He was man enough to accept that winning trophies was not good enough if he had next to no involvement in it. Would Flamini get into this Arsenal team now? Maybe, but I wouldn’t bet on him being a regular. That might well be a moot point, he has the small matter of making that French squad, should they make the World Cup.

MILAN - Rossoneri harus melupakan kekalahan 0-1 dari Udinese di pekan kelima kompetisi Serie A 2009/2010. Mathieu Flamini menegaskan Milan harus segera bangkit.

Flamini mengaku tak lepas dari rasa kecewa. Namun, gelandang bertahan 25 tahun itu mengingatkan pentingnya mengangkat tim dari keterpurukan peringkat 11 klasemen dan merangkak ke posisi teratas.

“Kami memang ingin terus memenangi setiap pertandingan karena kami bermain untuk Milan, klub hebat,” cetus Flamini kepada Sky Italia, Jumat (25/9/2009).

“Memang tak mudah keluar dari situasi sulit ini. Tapi yang terpenting adalah merajut kerjasama dan mendapatkan solusi,” terangnya.

“Seperti yang selalu saya bilang, saya percaya skuad ini mampu melakukannya. Sekarang, saatnya fokus pada pertandingan berikutnya,” tandasnya.

(dnl)

Sumber : OkeZone

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Pippo sei Mitico – La Gazzetta dello Sport

Pippo, sei grande – Corriere dello Sport

Eternal INZAGHI 2 gol fantastici – Tuttosport

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Ở Livorno Ronaldinho chìm nghỉm, những cái tên như Galliani, Braida và cả HLV Leonardo như bị nước biển mặt rát của vùng đất cộng sản Italia táp vào mặt. Đến bao giờ Milan mới lại có thể bay cao?

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(van)

Sumber : OkeZone

Dal 6 al 12 settembre

In collaborazione con A.C. Milan e 3e60 Sport abbiamo il piacere di ospitare in maniera assolutamente gratuita un evento a tema calcistico di forte richiamo. Tutti sappiamo quanto sia seguito il calcio in Italia e in Milano quanti migliaia di fan seguano il Milan. Verranno posizionate 6 attrazioni sportive in una area di parcheggio davanti al tetto in erba. A corollario dell’iniziativa, lunedì 7 settembre alle 11.00, ospiteremo Franco Baresi e Mathieu Flamini del Milan.  Gadget e merchandising del Milan verranno distribuiti a tutti i partecipanti.

Area Bimbi Soft Games

Kick Point

Jumbo Biliardino

Football Flipper

Speed Test

Football Jam

Intervento Mascotte/Testimonial

Memorabilia

Stand Istituzionale Milan

Did I say on the wall? Sorry… I meant on the pad!

Yes, I went out yesterday to buy myself a snazzy notebook holder and I came across this little beaut by ‘Wenger‘…

Wenger Notepad holder... luxury defined.

Unlike the human, no expense was spared with it’s leather upholstered exterior and roomy yet practical interior. Since buying a Wenger, I’ve already doubled my ouput… which in fairness isn’t much more than switching my laptop on… but an improvement all the same!

Onto things of a more contractual nature…

It appears Arsenal are up to their usual tricks PR wise… Don’t sign any players, then the day after deadline day… ease all the fans worries by securing two marmite players down to long term, more expensive contracts. I really think Arsenal should wait before they do that if they are going to starve the fans of new players… because now, instead of everyone being rather accepting of Denilson and Nik here for another 5 years… they’re all spitting feathers that we’ve spent the £29million on new contracts.

This is a situation I kind of sympathise with Wenger over… he is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t… and it all comes down to players making a flump (Flamini like jump)…

Nik B has worked his Danish nuts off over the last year to integrate himself with the team, ingratiate himself with the fans… and improve his game. He’s had an amazing turnaround in all aspects of his game, bar composure in front of goal… which even he admitted was a bit Sunday league. For me… the big man deserves another contract because he is the youth most in danger of exploding this year and making the flump we’re all hoping for. Nik was in the last year of his contract… if he had 17 goals by Christmas and he started talking to rival clubs, Wenger would have been a marked man… so I can roll with that extension (especially if as many major clubs were interested in his as his Dad reckons *snigger).

Denilson however… is a bit of a mystery. I appreciate that we’ve come so far with him now, he’s seems like he’s part of the furniture. I don’t really know what he offers bar a solidish player who can play across the midfield. He isn’t particularly bad at anything, but at the same time… you couldn’t say he really excelled at anything. He’s not particularly mobile, he’s not very creative and he’s not overly hard in the tackle. What he does do is provide neat passing in the main, he reads the game quite well and he’ll do an average job wherever you put him in the middle.

What gets my goat is Arsenal refused to offer Edu what he wanted a few years ago when he was looking to renew his contract, and we lost him on a free. He wasn’t everyone’s favourite, but he worked hard at his game and he was a very silky midfielder by the time the last year of his contract was up… and a Brazil international. A few year later, Flamini had just performed wonders as the 8th choice right back in the Champions league… started showing signs of becoming a top player… and the only thanks he got was the opportunity to sign for Birmingham. The next year, we quibbled over 10k… and now he is plying his trade in Milan.

If you are going to go to the nth degree to sign the average players down to long term deals, I hope going forward you do the same for the great players. If we have to renew Arshavins contract next summer after he storms the league this year… I don’t want to hear we let him go because a rival team was prepared to offer him £20k more a week than we were… and with our ridiculous wage bill, I don’t want to hear that we can’t compete on the wage side of things… if that’s the case, we should start cutting down the contracts of our kids in favour of giving that money to the people who bring in the pound notes… the experienced players.

I generally thought that in the business world, if you worked for a smaller company when you were young… you might get more responsibility early on… but the pay wouldn’t match the multi-nationals… that’s the price you paid to improve your CV. Why is that reversed for Arsenal? We sacrifice success at the cost of premium youth contracts… surely that has to be addressed over the next few years…

Right, contract rant over. I’m pleased for Denilson and Thomas B… I’d just like to see the same respect apportioned to everyone.

Finally, you may have heard that Stan Collymore was allegedly a touch racist about French people and Arsenal… if you agree, complain here… not that I’d want to see an esteemed dogger and lady beater get into trouble of course…

There’s also been a lot of coverage over the sick chanting at Old Trafford again… this was a very interesting piece by the Online Gooner here… and it’s good to see that the issue, after much blog coverage is finally getting some mainstream attention (Guardian). If you can prosecute Spurs fans for abuse, why not Manc fans… they might be above the law with refs, but they shouldn’t be with the Police.

Plenty to talk about today, happy Thursday Grovers!

Serie A, seconda giornata- le pagelle di Milan-Inter 0-4:

Milan:

STORARI 6.5- Subisce quattro gol, è vero, ma ne evita almeno altrettanti. Sicuro e reattivo tra i pali, non perde mai la concentrazione, e a fine partita è l’unico del pacchetto arretrato a salvarsi.

NESTA 5.5- L’ex capitano della Lazio ce la mette tutta ma è impossibile arginare campioni del livello di Eto’o e Milito. Ha il compito di coprire, i molti, buchi difensivi di Thiago Silva.

THIAGO SILVA 5- Derby da dimenticare per il centrale difensivo brasiliano. Colpevole in occasione della rete di Thiago Motta, lascia, colpevolmente, a Gattuso il compito di arginare Eto’o in occasione del calcio di rigore del due a zero.

JANKULOVSKI 4.5- Disastrosa la sua prestazione. Uno dei migliori dell’Inter? Maicon. Chi era il dirimpettaio del terzino brasiliano? Jankulovski. Non serve aggiungere altro.

ZAMBROTTA 5- Il terzino della nazionale italiana ce la mette tutta ma, nonostante questo, non riesce a salvarsi dal nubifragio Milan e, col passare dei minuti, appare sempre più in affanno.

FLAMINI 6.5- Il centrocampista francese gioca una gara di tutto rispetto. Cuore, grinta e determinazione a favore dei rossoneri. Viene tolto, colpevolmente, dal campo da Leonardo ad inizio secondo tempo.

GATTUSO 3- Un giocatore del suo livello non può comportarsi in questo modo. Portare la fascia da capitano dovrebbe essere un’ulteriore responsabilità. Provoca il rigore del 2-0 per l’Inter. Il fallo su Eto’o è da ultimo uomo ma Rizzoli lo grazia. Il giocatore calabrese, a questo punto, chiede il cambio. La sostituzione tarda ad arrivare, Gattuso perde la testa falcia Sneijder e lascia la sua squadra in 10 uomini. Bocciato con aggravante.

PIRLO 5- Il regista rossonero appare indietro nella preparazione. La sua condizione fisica è approssimativa e questo comporta poca lucidità nell’impostazione del gioco.

RONALDINHO 4- Esce tra i fischi di San Siro. Lo fischiano tutte e due le tifoserie per motivi diversi. Era uno dei calciatori più attesi ma delude clamorosamente. Non azzecca praticamente nulla: impalpabile.

PATO 6.5- Il giovane attaccante gioca un derby di tutto rispetto. Sarebbe sbagliato penalizzarlo in virtù dello 0-4. Non è mai pericoloso dal punto di vista delle conclusioni ma, con i suoi dribbling, mette in crisi i difensori interisti. Con la squadra in inferiorità numeri mostra i denti e lotta per la squadra.

BORRIELLO 5.5- Il giocatore non brilla. Nulla da dire dal punto di vista dell’impegno e della dedizione tattica ma, da un goleador del suo calibro, ci si aspetta ben altro. Con la sua fisicità è, comunque, un punto di riferimento per i suoi.

HUNTELAAR 6- Viene gettato nella mischia con colpevole ritardo. Dopo l’uscita di Borriello al Milan mancava un punto di riferimento. L’olandese, pur non essendo assistito dalla squadra, riesce a trovare la porta per ben due volte.

AMBROSINI 5- Molto peggio di Flamini. Leonardo lo ha inserito per via delle sue qualità aeree ma non ne prende una. Naufraga insieme al resto della vecchia guardia.

SEEDORF 6- L’olandese è una pedina troppo importante nello scacchiere tattico di Leonardo e del Milan. Il suo recupero è l’unica buona notizia di questa sera. Qualche spunta interessante.

LEONARDO 5- Bocciato, senza aggravante, ha alcune idee positive altre molto negative. Un allenatore giovane va aspettato con pazienza. Avrà modo di rifarsi. Flamini doveva rimanere in campo, Seedorf doveva rimpiazzare Ronaldinho e Huntelaar alternarsi con Borriello.

Inter:

JULIO CESAR 6- Gara relativamente tranquilla per il numero 1 dell’Inter. Anzi, paradossalmente, prova a complicarsela da solo. Non sembra sicuro nelle  uscite. Ciò non toglie che, attualmente, è il più forte della Serie A.

MAICON 8- Partita mostruosa, sontuosa, favolosa. La lettura di questi aggettivi può far capire di cosa stiamo parlando. Il gol è una cosa per palati fini. Parte timido, termina dominante. Questo è il Maicon della scorsa stagione.

SAMUEL 6.5- Il difensore argentino era al debutto stagionale in campionato. Nonostante qualche sbavatura, soprattutto su Pato, il difensore centrale si disimpegna alla grande su Borriello e su Huntelaar.

LUCIO 6- Carisma, esperienza e senso del gol: queste tre delle caratteristiche principali di Lucio. Il problema sta nel fatto che, alle volte, il brasiliano perde la testa e compie errori di distrazione. Prendere o lasciare.

CHIVU 6.5- Schierato nel ruolo di terzino sinistro, non il suo preferito, gioca una buona partita. Nel finale di gara non convince l’entrata su Pato che gli costa il cartellino giallo.

THIAGO MOTTA 7.5- Questo è il centrocampista ammirato nella scorsa stagione a Genoa. Lento, è vero, ma potente e determinato. Il suo gol è molto bello: scambio gol Milito e sinistro a giro sul palo lungo. Esce per infortunio.

SNEIJDER 7.5- Schierato da titolare, senza essersi mai allenato con i compagni, gioca un derby sontuoso. Tocca, con intelligenza, moltissimi palloni. Non brilla nelle punizioni, la sua specialità, ma sfiora per due volte il gol con bordate da fuori area.

STANKOVIC 7.5- Dejan realizza il suo quarto gol nei derby di Milano e gioca una gara estremamente intelligente dal punto di vista tattico. Qualità, fosforo e quantità al servizio dei campioni d’Italia.

JAVIER ZANETTI 7- Il capitano è sempre il capitano. Dove lo metti gioca, dove lo metti corre, dove lo metti non si risparmia mai. Questa ripetizione, volontaria, serve per dare enfasi alla prestazione di questo fantastico campione.

MILITO 9- L’uomo derby ha un nome ed un cognome: Diego Milito. Non sbaglia nulla. Assist per il gol dell’uno a zero di Thiago Motta, realizza dagli undici metri per il 2-0 e assist per il gol del 3-0 di Maicon. Magnifico.

ETO’O 7- Non trova la rete ma, soprattutto nel primo tempo, si muove abilmente in tutte le zone del campo. Punge in aerea di rigore. Abile in occasione del rigore guadagnato.

MUNTARI, VIEIRA E BALOTELLI SV- Giocano troppo poco per ricevere una valutazione ma, una cosa è certa, su di loro Josè Mourinho può sempre contare.

MOURINHO 8- Decisivo, quasi, quanto Milito. Schiera una formazione perfetta. Logica in ogni suo aspetto. Sta tornando Special One. Promosso con lode.

Milito, Inter, è l’uomo derby

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Atuação de gala do Dentuço!! fonte: globoesporte.com

Hoje acompanhei na tv, quatro jogos de campeonato internacionais, foram eles:

Milan 2 x 1 Siena: Não é que o Gaúcho jogou muita bola, deu dois passes preciso, no primeiro Pato fez o gol e no segundo Flamini foi lançado por Gaúcho e cruzou para Pato novamente fechar a conta. Mesmo assim, vejo que alguns medalhões rossoneros perderam o tesão, Pirlo e Seedorf não esbanjam a mesma alegria de antes. Acho que na Itália, a Juventus tem tudo para acabar com a hegemonia da Inter, mas o Milan promete incomodar.

Bologna 1 x 1 Fiorentina: Joguinho razoável, esperava mais do time de Florença, mas o time sente falta de Felipe Mello para dar equilíbrio no meio campo, pelo time do Bologna, o time bem organizado que promete complicar aqueles que forem até Bolonha, destaque para o jogador Osvaldo do Bologna, bom atacante.

Wigan 0 x 5 Manchester United: Os diabos vermelhos reencontraram o bom futebol, muito mais porque enfrentou um time que não se preocupa em marcar do que por méritos próprios. Destaque da partida para o sempre eficiente Rooney e para o português Nani, gosto muito do futebol do primeiro, gosto de atacantes que aliam técnica e força. Atacantes como Rooney, Tevez e Kleber Gladiador me agradam muito.

Manchester City 1 x 0 Wolverhampton: O time mais gastão do futebol, venceu com gol do atacante trombador Adebayor em uma jogada que começou com Robinho e teve um excelente toque de primeirade Tevez. O time mostra uma evolução em relação ao ano passado, o volante Barry dá um equilíbrio maior ao time, mas o time ainda precisa de algumas peças de defesas para melhorar o equilíbrio do time, pois na frente o pessoal está se entendendo muito bem.

Il Milan comunica i numeri di maglia per la stagione 2009/2010.

PORTIERI

1 Nelson Dida, 12 Christian Abbiati, 30 Marco Storari, 31 Flavio Roma

DIFENSORI

4 Kaladze, 5 Oguchi Onyewu, 13 Alessandro Nesta, 15 Gianluca Zambrotta, 18 Marek Jankulovski, 19 Giuseppe Favalli, 25 Daniele Bonera, 33 Thiago Silva, 44 Massimo Oddo, 77 Luca Antonini.

CENTROCAMPISTI

8 Rino Gattuso, 10 Clarence Seedorf, 16 Mathieu Flamini, 20 Ignazio Abate, 21 Andrea Pirlo, 23 Massimo Ambrosini.

ATTACCANTI

7 Alexandre Pato,  9 Filippo Inzaghi,  11 Klaas Jan Huntelaar,  17 Gianmarco Zigoni,   22 Marco Borriello,  49 Davide Di Gennaro,  80 Ronaldinho.

(From Swide.com)

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Yesterday we lost the last of the ‘Invincibles’. I would like to wish Kolo the best, but I feel he has betrayed us by joining another Premiership team, he could just be the difference in us winning the title or coming second,  so I will just say thanks for what you have achieved with us and as we only paid £150,000 for him 7 years ago, you can knock Wenger for selling him, but you cannot knock him for the price he paid for him.
I agree with Ray Parlour on this one “There’s a lot of centre-halves out there who you could get in for cheaper than that, who are maybe on the right side of 25 or 26”

And two weeks ago we lost a 30 goals a season striker, oh no!! Another £22 million pound profit.
Big names, and bigger names now because of their price tags, yet they are still the same players even if we never broke the bank for them..

I am trying to keep a reality check on this, before I slash my wrists, I must remember vertical if you mean it, horizontal to seek attention. (a little tip)

Since we came 3rd in the League two seasons ago we have lost.

Gilberto.. replaced him with Song.. (not the Bert in his prime…. the soon to be 33year old one).

Flamini .. replaced him with Denilson.. (you know my views on the Flamster)

Hleb.. replaced him with Arshavin.. (that’s an improvement we can agree on).

Toure… replaced him with Vermaelen (Perhaps it would have been better if we sold Kolo first, that would have made us feel better, it’s also strange that Thomas was never given a squad no, he sits their in Arse.com blank.. perhaps Kolo was offski anyway. mmm)

Adebayor.. replaced him with Bendtner.. (not exactly replaced just a step up for Nikki)..

We have also gained Nasri, who was the same age when he joined as Theo is now, we all forget how young Samir is, but we only make allowances for Theo’s age. It also took Sir Bobby a year or so to settle, so when Nasri is back, he seems to be quite a fit type of player so he should regain fitness quickly, I am sure we will see a real improvement in him

We also went 18 months without two of our biggest signings Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo, they now both look to have recovered from their injuries.

In today’s inflated market..  Tomas would be fetching banging on £30 million and Dudu must be worth £25 million. I know Arsene says they will be like new signings and we all groan, but in fairness they are players who haven’t played and would be a quality addition to any team.
Also with the loyalty and affection that the club and the fans have showed these two, I get the feeling that they will also show us loyalty in return..
Their has also been an evolution in other area’s Gibbs has come on bundles, Fabianski has shown he can step up to first team standard (if he chills a bit). Djourou has put in some good performances, RvP has gone a whole season without getting injured..
We should start to reap the rewards from our investment in youth too, Ramsey and Theo cost over £15 million plus their wages and the time spent training them.
So we have lost who I think is our most hated ever player (along with Cashley). We have lost a loyal player in Toure, but we have been moaning about him since he has returned from the African Cup of Nations.. and we won’t weaken this January like we did two years ago..

Out of all the positions we are weak in, the one that concerns me the most is if we lose Eboue we have no cover for right back, I would like to see a midfield player to come in alongside Cesc, but come on, is their a team anywhere that couldn’t improve in one area?
The team we had 2 years ago was good enough to win the League, until injuries, the A.C.N. and some pretty poor refereeing decisions cost us in vital games and in the Champions League against the Scousers.

Mr Wenger obe probably has 25 plus targets around the world and has soon as one steps into his valuation of the player and into what he considers to accept a fair wage, he will be in, no problem..

I know I have said it before but I think we will be okay with what we have and we still have 5 weeks before the transfer window ends, so I may get a bonus on top.. I hope so.. The Huntelaar rumours are gaining strength, he wants us, we just need to introduce Real Madrid back into the “real” world.
The Villa rumour is a bit too speculative and will wind up the “I want a silver trophy today” fans when we don’t get him, the Di Rossi thing is a airbrush hoax, Who saves a web page as a jpeg.. c’mon?
When we all blast Arsene we should remember football isn’t an exact science, hindsight is a wonderful thing and we have to balance the books…
But at a time when football has gone nuts, let’s stick together and get behind The Arsenal..

The Press don’t rate us, the bookies don’t rate us, Talk Shite don’t rate us.. I love it!!!

Gillette Stadium, Baltimore, USA | July 24, 2009

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I suppose its only natural for any supporter to feel excited going into the new season. I cant stand it when we have to go two weeks without football because of the poxy Internationals so two months seems like a lifetime…

But I feel really confident going into the new season and it’s not down to just excitement…We’ve had one of our best summers for years..None of the wrong players have left, we got rid of the biggest negative vibes of last season and our injured players are back…

It seems that in recent years gone by,  we always seem to get the crappy end of the stick when it comes to maintaining stability over the summer…players who were important to the cause either kicked up a stink, left, or done both. Leaving the fans shaking their heads at the fact we had to start rebuilding… Again…

I know some of you may think we are not a strong side, but when you think about it, we are….

We played the majority of last season with our back up players and we still didn’t lose our status as a top 4 club…

If you look at our 1st team…on paper when everyone is fit, it can be argued that that team can beat anyone in the world…with Rosicky and Dudu back and with Arshavin playing a whole season, we are facing the prospect of seeing Wengerball flow freely again this season…Cesc, when he wasn’t injured, had no-one to play with last year so he looked a shadow of his former self..this year it will be different….

Think back to the season when we finished 4 points off the title…this is practically the same team…

The goalkeeper hasn’t changed..

The defence seems to be staying the same. and with the addition of Vera Lynne, I’d say the defence was looking stronger than ever..

The midfield has re-grouped…we have Rosicky back and Arshavin replacing Pleb…

The strike force is better than ever…I know Ade’s gone and he was our 30 goal man that season , but i never thought Ade was our main striker anyway…he only scored 30 goals because all the other strikers were crocked and he played about 500 games…

The only player we are missing really is Flamini..

A man that was vital I hear you say I know, I feel the same..but we have Song, Denilson and Diaby to fight it out for the spot and Song was top of the pecking order I’d say….I know none of them seem capable but don’t forgot Wengers now armed with 25mil…in previous seasons we’ve never known the truth about Wengers restraints with the transfer kitty…well we know he’s got it now…he knows that we know he has it, so Ive got no doubt in my mind that he’ll spend it…hopefully on a new midfielder

I’m not worried about the Dippers..they had a lucky season last season and one long term injury to either Gerrard or Torres puts them right up shit creek…

The Mancs have an ageing squad and have lost their main man….who was worth at least 15 points to them each season…not to mention Tevez…

Chelsea have a new manager and that could lead to another Scolari scenario…

Apart from the Dippers we are the only club that have maintained the stability and we are better than the Dippers..they are just a lucky team…

So I’m confident that next season is our season and I’m confident Wenger hasn’t finished in the transfer market either…

What do you think Ave’s and Avette’s??? Have a good day…today we announce our new Flamini…

Those who know me know that I am an unqualified supporter of Arsene Wenger. However, that does not mean that I am beyond questioning his choices both on the pitch and in the transfer market. From this golden perch known as hindsight, we can all see that one decision in late May/early June of 2008 has had a profound and likely lasting effect on the fortunes of Arsenal Football Club. It was then that Arsene, seemingly with the financial ability to choose only one option, made perhaps his biggest mistake as Arsenal manager by deciding to renegotiate Adebayor’s contract for a pay rise rather than give Flamini the deal that he felt he deserved.

It would be a bit much to completely excoriate Arsene or the Board’s decision because at the time it was, admittedly, a very difficult choice. This was before all the Spanish shenanigans so excellently re-chronicled on Arseblog this morning. It was also following a season in which Adebayor had scored 30 goals in 48 appearances. And many people, including me, felt that, between the two, it would be much easier to replace a defensive midfielder than a 30-goal scorer. Oh, how we, and Arsene, were wrong.

The prime consideration for the Board at the time was the wage structure at the club. Flamini was reportedly seeking £70,000 a week and Arsenal were willing to give him a new contract at £50,000. He apparently came up with this self-valuation by calculating the probable cost of replacing him, which he pegged at £20m. There was also the somewhat less convincing argument that Flamini felt sorely underappreciated. Considering that he had been ready to walk out on the club the summer before his emergence and that he had only finally come good in his fourth year at the club, this seemed a little over the top.

It seemed to me at the time that Flamini was just as upset about not being offered a deal back in November or December as he was about the proposed salary. At the time, he was playing a big role on the pitch but he had only been a regular in the starting XI for a few months. The rumours of proposed moves to Juventus and AC Milan began a few weeks before the winter transfer window opened and that speculation hung over the club for the rest of the season. By the end of May, I still thought that Flamini would eventually accept the near 100% pay rise offered, but, of course, he did not.

Back when Adebayor was poor.

Meanwhile, Adebayor got his second contract in as many summers. We will probably never know for certain whether Arsene always expected to plug Song or Denilson into Flamini’s vacated spot or if he truly believed he would be able to find and secure a replacement. But, as rumour after rumour came and went and Arsenal offers were rebuffed by clubs and players, the man the Boss had chosen over Flamini was well on his descent before eventually crashing and burning.

The rumours surrounding Adebayor and a move to Barcelona or AC Milan continued even after he signed the new contract and the player’s total lack of understanding for the media and the supporters only made it worse. Adebayor lost the supporters last summer and he never won them back. The Football Focus interview now seems to be the final nail in the coffin he had building for the last 12-14 months. Now, today he is in The Times blaming Arsenal supporters for his departure:

“The way the fans behaved towards me was not nice at all. I can’t understand why they were after me. I did my best for them and I was very happy there. I scored 30 goals in a season – it’s not my fault that Milan, Barcelona or Real Madrid wanted to sign me. In any summer, Barcelona try to sign Cesc Fabregas. But the fans never turned on him.”

It just shows how little understanding he has of the relationship between supporters and their club and its players. Whenever the Barcelona rumours pop up lately, a statement from Cesc comes up on Arsenal.com within a day or so declaring his loyalty and allegiance to the club. The thing that Adebayor doesn’t understand is that Cesc doesn’t even have to do that much. But he goes out of his way to assure the supporters and that’s why he will be loved long after he eventually goes back to Spain. but Adebayor couldn’t even do the minimal, which would have been to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he makes those ridiculous “Beyonce” quotes and has his picture taken in Spain for an interview wherein he seems ignorant or oblivious to the fact that he is being played by the Catalan media. Adebayor apparently can’t understand why, after suffering a stressful summer in which Flamini and Hleb left, Arsenal fans were upset with his conduct and his “I-was-on-vacation” excuses for not addressing the rumours.

One can only imagine how different last season may have turned out had Arsenal taken the money for Adebayor last summer and used it to give Flamini his new and well-deserved deal. Unlike Flamini, Alexander Hleb is disliked by many Arsenal supporters because not only did he leave after Flamini, but, once at Barcelona, was regularly talking in the press about Arsenal and how he had called Cesc about coming to Barcelona. The rumour from a few weeks ago about Barcelona offering us Hleb back along with Gudjohnsen for Cesc is absolutely laughable. Hleb and Adebayor could never come back after what he’s done. However, considering his behavior following his departure, I would gladly welcome Flamini back home.

Inzaghi tiếp tục chứng tỏ duyên ghi bàn, nhưng mình anh là không đủ giúp Milan tránh khỏi thất bại trong trận ra quân tại World Football Challenge với CLB Mexico, Club America.

Kết quả trậu đấu là 2-1 nghiêng về Club America. Như vậy, sau trận hòa 2-2 với Los Angeles Galaxy hôm 20/5, Milan vẫn chưa biết đến mùi vị chiến thắng trong chuyến du đấu Mỹ lần này. Ngoài nỗi thất vọng về kết quả, màn trình diễn của ông lớn Italy trước đối thủ đến từ Mexico hôm nay chẳng những không cho thấy sự tiến bộ so với trận trước, mà còn bộc lộ nhiều hạn chế đáng lo ngại.

Ronaldinho vẫn chưa chứng tỏ được vai trò đầu tàu tương tự Kaka thuở trước trong lối chơi của Milan. Ảnh: Reuters.

Trên sân Georgia Dome, Atlanta, HLV Leonardo đã tiến hành một số sự thay đổi so với trận hòa LA Galaxy để tiến hành thử nghiệm sơ đồ 4-1-2-1-2 với hàng tiền vệ hình kim cương. Theo đó, Flamini được kéo xuống đá thấp nhất. Seedorf dâng lên đá như một hộ công thay Ronaldinho, để cựu Cầu thủ hay nhất thế giới đá cặp tiền đạo với Inzaghi.

Về lý thuyết, sơ đồ này sẽ giúp Milan tìm thấy sự cân bằng tốt hơn giữa tấn công với phòng ngự, chơi sáng tạo hơn, với Ronaldinho được tự do di chuyển vào trung lộ, thay vì bó hẹp bên hành lang trái. Tuy nhiên, trước một Club America đá rát và chủ động phòng ngự từ khu vực giữa sân, ý đồ của Leonardo đã không thành hiện thực. Milan chơi rời rạc và bế tắc. Suốt hiệp một, họ chỉ biết trông chờ vào nỗ lực cá nhân của Ronaldinho hoặc tài đá phạt của anh trong các pha bóng chết, nhưng đều không phát huy hiệu quả.

Điều chỉnh của Leonardo sau giờ giải lao chẳng những không làm tình hình sáng sủa hơn mà còn đẩy Milan vào thế khó với bàn thua đầu tiên ở phút 56, khi ông đưa tân binh người Mỹ, Onyewu vào thay Nesta. Trung vệ vừa cùng tuyển đoạt chức Á quân Confederations Cup 2009 này đã chọn vị trí sai, giúp Esqueda thoát xuống, đón bóng của Cabanas rồi nhanh như cắt, ra chân hạ Stotari.

Chơi rối và thủng lưới trước, nhưng Milan lại bất ngờ gỡ hòa sau đó 10 phút trong một pha phản công nhanh. Từ sân nhà, Flamini phóng đường chuyền dài để Inzaghi phát huy triệt để sở trường phá bẫy việt vị, thoát khỏi sự truy cản của hai hậu vệ Club America, rồi ghi bàn. Đây là pha lập công thứ tư trong ba trận liên tiếp của Inzaghi (1 bàn trong trận hòa LA Galaxy và cú đúp vào lưới Varese).

Inzaghi, với bản năng săn bàn chưa hề mai một, có lẽ là điểm sáng nhất trong lối chơi của Milan hiện nay. Ảnh: Reuters.

Tuy nhiên, bàn gỡ này cũng trở thành vô nghĩa khi hàng thủ Milan lại mắc sai sót và tạo điều kiện cho Club America ghi bàn quyết định ở phút 86. Cerda rót bóng vào vòng cấm cho tiền đạo vào thay người Daniel Marquez đánh đầu lái bóng, hạ Stotari. Hậu vệ Milan mắc lỗi rõ nhất trong tình huống thủng lưới này là Zambrotta. Cầu thủ chạy cánh vào sân từ phút 68 hầu như không kịp phản ứng khi khi Marquez di chuyển đóng bóng và đánh đầu.

Ngày mai, Milan sẽ gặp một Chelsea đang rất hưng phấn với 2 trận đầu tay toàn thắng dưới quyền Ancelotti, người từng có 8 năm dẫn dắt các rossoneri. Một ngày là quá ít để HLV Leonardo khắc phục những hạn chế về lối chơi, nhân sự của đội nhà và như thế, sẽ chẳng ai ngạc nhiên, nếu Milan tiếp tục thất bại.

Đội hình thi đấu:

Milan (4-1-2-1-2): Storari – Antonini (Zambrotta 68), Nesta (Onyewu 46), Favalli, Jankulovski – Gattuso (Strasser 75), Flamini (Ikande 79) Zigoni – Seedorf (Abate 55) – Inzaghi, Ronaldinho

Club America (4-4-2): Navarrete – Cerda (Garcia 90), Rojas, Mosquera (Inigo 82), Rodriguez – Reyna, Sanchez, Carlos Silva (Kontogiannis 92), Beausejour (Martinez 65) – Esqueda (Chitiva 79), Cabanas (Marquez 69).

Bàn thắng: Inzaghi 66 – Esqueda 56, Marquez 84.

Phương Minh

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