Arsenal.com have today confirmed that Robin Van Persies ankle injury sustained playing for Holland is far worst then first diagnosed. Van Persie returned to Arsenal this week and a scan confirmed that the ankle that was first suggested that would keep him out for upto 4 weeks will now need surgery to reconstruct his ligaments. Arsenal’s medical team anticipate that a full recovery will take between four and five months.” And out of the rest of the season.

Its a massive blow to Arsenal and to Van Persie who was on fire scoring 8 goals this season.

We at www.arsenalaction.com would like to wish Robin a speedy recovery

Arsenal now MUST sign a striker in Jan if they want to push forward and win the league.

Marouane Chamakh? Mario Balotelli?

Or will Vela and Eduardo fill the gap?

Join the forum and have your say on this and more ( HERE )

www.arsenalaction.com

Blackburn vs. Stoke City:
Stoke have been really solid in the back this season and I don’t seen them letting in a goal against a Blackburn side that is struggling for goals. Stoke have been solid on set plays or throw-ins with the weapon in Delap, expect a goal in a situation like that to decide the game.

Prediction: 0-1

—————

Fulham vs. Bolton:
The Cottagers have been really solid at home all season and are coming off a big win at Blackburn midweek.

Bolton are struggling, taking only six points from their last six fixtures. Dempsey is in form and should be good for a goal or assist.

Prediction: 2-0

—————

Man City vs. Hull City:
City are coming off a disappointing draw at Anfield last week and have drawn their last six matches. Hull are playing away from the safety of their home grounds and that doesn’t bode well for them.

Robinho is back from injury for City and will give them an extra scoring threat.

Prediction: 2-1

—————

Portsmouth vs. Manchester United:
With Portsmouth losing their manager this week and the inevitable appointment of Avram Grant, they’ll look to stop their recent skid of losses. But against a high powered Man United, I don’t think they will find their feet quickly enough.

Prediction: 0-3

—————

West Ham vs. Burnley:
The Hammers need some points and quickly to get themselves out of the bottom of the league. Burnley have been poor away from home and a game that West Ham should win.

Prediction: 1-0

—————

Wigan vs. Sunderland:
Wigan got thrashed last week at Spurs and will want to prove a point this week when their old manager Steve Bruce makes a trip back to the JJB.

I don’t see them bouncing back quite yet. Sunderland have been solid and have goal threats like Darren Bent and Jones.

Prediction: 0-1

—————

Aston Villa vs. Tottenham:

Match of the wannabes.

Aston Villa are coming of a disappointing draw last week against Burnley and Spurs are coming off a thrashing of Wigan. Aston Villa are at home and would normally give the edge to them, but Spurs are playing really good football right now.

Prediction: 2-2

—————

Wolves vs Birmingham:
Wolves will continue to fight relegation. They got beaten badly by Chelsea last week and Birmingham are coming a string of a few good results after their recent ownership change.

Prediction: 0-1

—————

Everton vs. Liverpool:
The Merseyside derby is always a good battle and I don’t anticipate this to be any different.

Liverpool will probably still be without Torres and are in a bad run of form, but grabbed a win midweek in the Champions League where they bowed out. Expect a goal from Gerrard and some sort of controversy. Besides the Arsenal-Chelsea clash, this should be one of the matches of the weekend.

Prediction: 1-2

—————

Arsenal vs. Chelsea:
Match of the weekend.

Gunners need a win to pull themselves closer to the top of the league. Both had wins midweek in the Champions League. Chelsea are in the middle of a stretch of tough away matches and Arsenal are facing a few major injuries, notablyVan Persie.

Prediction: 3-2

- Brent Lakes

In editorialul “Football Made In UK” semnat pentru <Fotbal Vest>, punand cap la cap o serie de stiri provenind in doar cateva zile din diverse tabere, ce mi-au ridicat mingea la fileu sa intreb daca nu cumva convocarile devin pe zi ce trece un deranj tot mai pagubos, am constatat cum conflictul cluburi – selectionate nationale s-a ascutit la varf ca lupta de clasa in fotbalul in varianta globalizata.  

Ambitia si visul sublim al oricarui fotbalist de a imbraca tricoul reprezentativei tarii sale n-au palit nicidecum dar, in functie de circumstante, unii jucatori isi reevalueaza tot mai atent lista prioritatilor.

Iar in lumina ghinionului lui Robin Van Persie de a se accidenta destul de serios in minutul 10 al recentului joc amical Italia – Olanda, intr-o toamna in care “tunarul zburator” fusese mai dezinvolt si prolific ca niciodata in rolul sau majorat in angrenajul lui Wenger, s-ar putea gasi fotbalisti din natiuni mai putin capabile sa sclipeasca pe scena mondiala ori din nationale redutabile in ale caror echipe n-ar fi destul de buni sa incapa, intrebandu-se daca mandria de a fi convocat nu e cumva eclipsata de “deranjul” ce implica o asemenea responsabilitate.

Asemenea dubii nici c-ar fi existat sa zicem acum un deceniu. Dar de cand recompensele au explodat in fotbalul de club, ce ofera nenumarate posibilitati de afirmare, si gandul de a sunta o convocare ce s-ar putea solda cu o accidentare punand in pericol o cariera si asa nu foarte lunga s-a infiripat in planurile unora. La putine zile distanta, doi jucatori din lotul lui Manchester City, club cumparat anul trecut de bogatasi arabi, si-au exprimat indoielile in privinta continuitatii lor pe scena fotbalului la nivelul selectionatelor nationale.

Craig Bellamy, un plimbaret in fotbalul de club, s-a intrebat in public daca mai are rost sa se chinuie la capitania Tarii Galilor intr-o increcare de accedere la un turneu final neconcretizata peste ani de compatriotul sau Ryan Giggs. Desi n-a smuls deloc aplauze, galezul a fost inteles de exemplu de Allan McInally, fost international scotian, ce a opinat ca pentru unii fotbalisti in varianta globalizata a jocului, ajunsi la o anumita varsta si cu sacii de galbeni incarcati in caruta, dorinta de a continua in paralel la echipa nationala a capatat o nuanta mai opaca.

Avantaj Ashley Williams, un fundas oarecare ce nici nu si-ar fi imaginat acum un an si jumatate, la debutul in nationala Tarii Galilor, ca va deveni capitan al “Dragonilor”, si nici atat in urma cu 6 ani, cand nu evolua la divizionara secunda Swansea City, ci la amatoarea Hednesford Town, in paralel cu slujba cu jumatate de norma ca ospatar. Foarte improbabila o asemenea ascensiune intr-o nationala de calibru si s-ar putea crede ca orice Van Persie si-ar dori mai ales un triumf global cu reprezentativa sa pe cai mari, insa o alta voce a venit sa infirme aceasta supozitie.

Poate ca Tevez, celalalt recrut al lui City punand la indoiala dorinta de a mai juca pentru tara sa,  a aruncat castana tocmai pentru a-l sensibiliza pe Maradona sa-l ia in considerare pentru FIFA 2010 World Cup, dar iesirea sa ar putea fi intr-adevar onesta. Spunand ca s-a saturat de fotbal, inclusiv de cel de club, si ca si-ar dori sa-si intoarca fata spre viata de familie, Carlos a subliniat ca argentinienii de lot nu s-au menajat nici pe departe cand a fost vorba sa “dea totul” pentru echipa nationala.  

Cei doi i s-ar putea asadar alatura in exil septarului lui City, Stephen Ireland, ale carui minciuni legate de decesul bunicilor sale, strecurate managerului Steve Staunton in speranta de a-si scurta sederea la lot si a-si vizita prietena dar dezvaluite ca atare de mass-media, au dus la ruptura mijlocasului de lotul national al Irlandei. Ireland, pe urmele altui mijlocas ajuns la cutite cu reprezentativa verde, candva al ei capitan Roy Keane. Ulterior, in campania abia incheiata, Trapattoni si Liam Brady au incercat sa-l scoata pe Ireland din cochilia ce si-o armase in urma excluderii sale din lot dar, cu toate ca pe alocuri septarul cochetase cu ideea revenirii, antrenorul n-a fost convins ca mijlocasul ar dori cu ardoare sa imbrace din nou tricoul verde. De fapt, in cazul lui Ireland, totul s-a rostogolit spre un deznodamant previzibil, odata ce a intrat in conflict cu selectionerul Brian Kerr, la nationala sub 18 ani, si a trebuit sa dea din nou ochii cu acesta la preluarea reprezentativei de seniori. Ireland a trebuit sa astepte instalarea lui Staunton pentru a fi din nou convocat… 

Iar cam pe cand Van Persie gemea in Pescara, un rival in fotbalul de club era déjà inapoi in Londra, cu o potentiala sedere pe tusa de cateva saptamani. Frank Lampard doar a facut deplasarea la Doha, pentru remarcabilul amical Anglia – Brazilia organizat insa in inedita gazduire din lumea araba, dar nici nu s-a mai pregatit pentru alinierea in fata sud-americanilor, lasata pe umerii a doar doi potentiali titulari, Barry si Rooney, ingrosand in schimb infirmeria lui Ancelotti. Sir Alex Ferguson si-o freca pe de-o parte mainile pentru necazul italianului si-al lui Wenger, dar va atrage probabil pe de alta parte atentia la vorbele sale, mereu in disonanta cu “nevoile” selectionerilor de lot. Frecusurile lui Fergie cu Sven sunt binecunoscute si n-au mirat pe nimeni deciziile unor Scholes ori Neville de a spune pas pentru Albion. Miza era prea mare in Premier League si Champions League.

Iar pe cand Van Persie calatorea spre “Cizma”, nebanuind ce-l asteapta, din sanul lui West Ham United razbatea vestea ca Dean Ashton, cumparat de club la inceputul anului 2006 pe o suma record de peste 7 milioane lire sterline, e in prag sa-si agate ghetele in cui. La 25 de ani. Masivul varf chiar marcase pentru “Ciocanari” in memorabilul 3-3 al finalei de Cupa Angliei cu Liverpool, din 2006, dar trei luni mai tarziu, la chiar primul antrenament al convocarii sale in premiera la lotul national, isi rupea glezna. Un an pe tusa si o recidiva, coincidenta stranie, la prima sedinta a visiniu-albastrilor sub bagheta lui Gianfranco Zola. A trecut un an si Ashton, un potential varf pentru Albion, tot nu vede luminita de la capatul tunelului. Totul i se trage insa de la acea convocare in premiera, o onoare cu doua taisuri.

De la alt club, in acelasi timp, un comunicat de presa raspandea vestea retragerii din fotbal a unui jucator lovit de accidentari. La 26 ani, John Kennedy a aruncat prosopul dupa un deceniu petrecut la Celtic Park, drama sa conturandu-se in minutul 18 al meciului sau de debut pentru Scotia, in 31 martie 2004, cand era faultat de Vio Ganea intr-un amical castigat de Romania cu 2-1. Fundasul era monitorizat la vremea respectiva chiar de AC Milan, o postura onoranta tinand cont de numele de calibru ce au consolidat peste ani defensiva rosso-nerilor, insa John n-a mai vazut luminile rampei internationale pana in februarie 2007, la un joc de Champions League tocmai cu… milanezii, la care a luat loc pe banca de rezerve, revenind dupa ani pierduti prin sali de recuperare. Paguba era insa produsa si genunchiul i-a dat ulterior din nou in primire. Federatia a despagubit-o pe Celtic dar un alt club si-a vazut un potential lider irosit sub flamura steagului national.

Asa cum corporatiile preiau tot mai mult rolul statelor, estompand granitele, si fotbalul de club castiga teren pe zi ce trece, in detrimentul nationalelor, ghinion ca al vedetei Van Persie ori al “sperantei” Ashton dand apa la moara carcotasilor.

Iar scurtcircuitele lui Van Persie, Lampard, Bellamy, Tevez, Ashton ori Kennedy au venit in cascada intr-o saptamana fotbalistica indoliata de tragedia lui Robert Enke. Un om ce a intors spatele vietii cu 4 zile inaintea jocului Germania – Chile, la care nu fusese convocat. 

1. Amazing to think that you can score five goals in a game and there can still be a debate over whether you were man of the match. Aaron Lennon’s performance against Wigan ensured that Defoe didn’t come away with all the plaudits, his sparkling play from the right playing a big part in at least half the goals.

Defoe meanwhile became just the third player to score five in a game in the Premier League era and notched the second fastest hat trick after Robbie Fowler’s four and a half minute wonder against Arsenal many years ago. I’ve mentioned in recent weeks that he needed to watch his temper and just concentrate on his football, and with performances like that there’s no chance of him not going to South Africa. Lennon too did his case no harm, and on current form is far and away the best option when it comes to tricky small winger.

Spurs’ goal difference enjoyed a big boost in terms of chasing Arsenal, while they are beginning to take advantage of Man City, Liverpool and Aston Villa’s inconsistency to open a little gap over those three. They face one of their rivals next week in Aston Villa but should have nothing to fear the way they are playing.

As for Wigan the best you can say is that it’s just one game. These sorts of results can have a lasting effect, especially if you go behind in a game. It will be up to Roberto Martinez to ensure it remains a one off.

High five, we're going to South Africa!

2. Would Phil Brown be fearing for his job if Jimmy Bullard hadn’t got injured in his first game after signing? His performances in the last couple of games suggest that may have been the case. A win over Stoke and a fightback from two goals down to draw against West Ham possibly indicates an improvement in fortune for the men at the KC. Even Tango Man himself seems to be less in the spotlight than usual.

Bullard may have dodgy knees but he has an enthusiasm for the game that few players can match and his energy and creative play have got Hull scoring some goals again. They have a tough run coming up with three well organised teams in Everton, Man City and Aston Villa. Ok maybe not Man City but still! I’m pretty sure Geovanni isn’t injured and he appears to have lost his place to Bullard but I would be interested to see them both in the same team. Part of Hull’s success last year was to be brave, so maybe playing both together would have the same effect this year.

3. Before Arsenal get completely written off for losing against Sunderland (who have drawn with Man Utd and beaten Liverpool), let’s not forget that the key game is next week against Chelsea. Defeat would leave an 11 point gap; a win would leave it at just five with a game in hand. This defeat does render next weekend rather important if a title challenged is to be maintained. The lack of focal point without van Persie (and Bendtner) was a concern but it was in midfield where Sunderland won, with Cana stopping Fabregas and his teammates from creating many chances.

In addition to this, a set play was once again Arsenal’s outdoing at the back with Darren Bent reacting quickest after the initial ball had not been dealt with (déjà vu anyone?) While such defensive frailties are a long-term malaise, Arsene Wenger must ensure that his patched up squad is mentally right for the Chelsea game. Win it and two easier home games against Bolton and Stoke follow and momentum can be formed. Lose it and another frustrating season could be on the cards.

Pin the placenta on the van Persie.

4. They were impressive but it was only Wolves at home. Chelsea’s next two tests are the altogether tougher visits to the Emirates and Eastlands. Let’s see how the keenly the absences of Lampard and Drogba are felt then.

5. Liverpool and Man City played out a draw which leaves neither going anywhere fast. Man City have now drawn six on the spin which has stagnated them after a promising start. Just one win in eight games fro Mark Hughes’ side. A Hull side winless away from the KC provides the best possible opportunity to end that run next weekend.

Liverpool have one win in six but their habit of winning games they don’t lose (Saturday was just their second draw) means they’re still in a good position. The pretenders to the top four ideally want a gap going into the spring as if Gerrard and Torres are fit for the run in, I know who I’d back to get the last Champions League spot.

6. David Dunn is scored his fourth goal in six games and is playing the best football of his career. Someone left a comment asking what chance an England call for the Blackburn man. While I think he’s bit of a luxury and probably not quite international quality, there’s no doubting there are few more in form midfielders playing at the moment.

Quite good these days.

T.

After what’s seemed like an age since the last Premier League matches, we return to domestic action after the international break. Plenty to consider this gameweek as four teams play twice and a host of stars are injured. More on that later.

Last time round saw an above average score of 52 for myself but this was still quite far off the high score of 107. I was not helped by Drogba and Rooney predictably doing nothing in the big clash between Chelsea and Man Utd; while I also had 13 points marooned on the bench via Joe Hart and Scott Dann, who I hadn’t thought would do much vs Liverpool.

Our captain choices did well, with Fabregas having another big week while RVP and Adebayor also had fair contributions. If you had gone with the suggested transfer of Clint Dempsey, he would have scored you seven points too.

Gameweek 12 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick thinks John Terry is a fool, but his fantasy score last week was good.

Yep, John Terry was Gameweek 12’s Top Gun with the now ubiquitous defender’s score of 15 points for winning goal, clean sheet and three bonus points. The number of times this has happened is ridiculous but fair play if you’ve reaped the benefit.

But wait I hear you cry, there was someone else who also scored 15 points last week. Yes dear readers, for the first time this season we had a tie for highest score of the week. John Carew almost double his season’s score with a goal, two assists and three bonus points in Aston Villa’s 5-1 destruction of Bolton. This means Maverick needs some help in approving so what better person to have than his co-pilot Goose:

Goose approves of being involved in such silliness.

It was a struggle bringing him back from the dead, but through the powers of Google search and Photoshop I managed to do it. Maybe next time Iceman will muscle his way in on the show… Elsewhere Gomes saved a penalty to score 14 for Spurs while Wright-Phillips and Fabregas both got 13, the latter getting his fifth straight man of the match award.

On to this week.

Three Captain Choices:

With Torres and Drogba very doubtful and Van Persie and Lampard definitely out, the usual field of captain choices is substantially narrowed. In addition to that Hull, Blackburn, Fulham and Everton all play twice so it might be time for some leftfield thinking in terms of captain this week.

1. Bullard/Hull – Feeling brave? Quite the gamble this one but it could well pay off. Bullard is a good player but has been injured pretty much the whole time he’s been at Hull. He made a belated home debut last week and was the key figure in a win over Stoke scoring an assist and three bonus. Now one whole game isn’t much to go on but with Hull having two games at the KC Stadium, one against lowly West Ham you’d assume he would play a part in anything good Hull may do.

2. Anelka/Chelsea - With Drogba doubtful after Jonny Evans’ kung-fu kick to his ribs, and Fat Frank injured after attempting to sprint in England training, it leaves Nicolas Anelka as the most likely source of points for Chelsea this weekend. They face a home tie against Wolves which is as near to a gimme as you can get. I fully expect a comfortable home win with a goal or two from the Frenchman.

3. Fabregas/Arsenal - Fabregas is fast becoming the new Ronaldo of fantasy football. If in doubt for a captain choice, go with him. Sunderland away is the not the easiest place to go this season, but Arsenal have a good record there in recent years and should have enough to win, even without Robin van Persie.

Gets a Captain's tick.

Three Suggested Transfers In:

1. Eduardo/Arsenal - Now that Van Persie is out for several weeks, joining the already injured Bendtner, the onus falls on Eduardo to lead the line for the leading scorers in the team. He has had a very stop start season so far but has still got two goals and two assists in just over 300 minutes of action, which isn’t bad at all. With full fitness and a new contract in the back of his pocket, he should do well over the next couple of months.

2. Etherington/Stoke – He’s kind of slipped beneath my radar but is one of the form players of the last few weeks. In his last five games he has three assists and two goals as well as a few bonus points. Over the next four weeks, only Arsenal is a game which you would class as tough for Stoke.

3. Alexander/Burnley – His price has gone right up now but as long as Burnley keep getting penalties, he’s still worth it I’d say.

Might be worth a pick.

Three To Avoid:

1. Van Persie/Arsenal - Out for a couple of months in case it wasn’t already clear. Let’s hope he doesn’t rush back from injury like he has done in the past.

2. Benayoun/Liverpool - Has been in great from this season but has tweaked his hamstring. Also, knowing Rafa he’ll probably find a way to drop the Israeli now that Aquilani is approaching full fitness.

3. Bolton players – Bottom of the team stats with just 345 points between them.

Are you taking the mick?!

T.

Looks like it kinda work

Well, it looks like there is still some sort of fairy dust left in this world. After completing his treatment in Serbia using the latest craze, placenta treatment, Robin was all smiles after exiting the clinic. Dr. Kovacevic will have her hands full now that there is a whole host of other players who would have made her clinic a very pack one.

Initially diagnosed to be out for 6 weeks, the treatment has probably reduced it by half, although some reports said it could be as fast as one week. It may be stretching it just little to assume Robin will be all fine, fit and recover from ankle ligament torn in just a week’s time. He has a history of returning far too early only to further aggravate the injury. Will an older shoulder on his head, it is better not to push it. A month is very short period of time. The crunch of games that is slotted towards the end of the year and January next will be a better timeframe for him to return.

Suddenly it is not looking that bad at all. The other notable injury victim from the international break, Kieran Gibbs have also been cleared of metatarsal injury. His recovery period should be shorter now but to expect him to feature against Chelsea next week would be a foolish dream. Again, it is still early days in the campaign and there’s a lot more games to come, so rushing player back is not a good idea.

Arshavin, Fabregas, Gallas, Sagna, Vermaelen, Eboue all played for their respective countries last night and came through unscathed. Though, I’d expect a very tired Gallas and Sagna to return to the Arsenal fold, having completed 210 minutes of football in just a matter of 5 days. But their tired legs would have ache less now that France has confirmed their participation in the World Cup finals next year.

Special note must be addressed to Wojciech Szczesny, who claimed his first international cap for Poland when he came on  at half time for his country. At just 19 years of age, Szczesny certainly have a bright future ahead of him. However it might not come at Arsenal with the 2 out of 3 in front of him all under the age of 25.

Over the weekend there were a number of football internationals, I even talked about one in my Monday blog (England Vs Brazil). Now I want to talk about football internationals again, specifically Arsenal players always seeming to get injured in them. It’s true, at least one of Arsenal’s top players always gets injured during the international breaks. This time it’s the turn of Robin Van Persie whose leg has fallen off or something will be out for 6 weeks. Van Persie, by the way, has scored 8 goals in the last 9 games for Arsenal so at least he wasn’t in form. Wait…

It’s not just Van Persie though, Kieren Gibbs also got injured playing for the under 21’s and he is set to be out for a while as well. Bendtner aswell has to have surgery on his groin and will be out for a month. In fact, now I come to think about it, half of Arsenals team always seem to be injured. Lets go through the current injury list, so as well as Gibbs, Van Persie and Bendtner being injured so are; Carlos Vela, Theo Walcott, Denilson, Traore, Clichy, Fabianski, Wilshire and Djourou. And Nasri just returned from a broken leg and Rosicky was out forever with a mystery injury that lasted longer than the 100 years war.

What the hell is going on at Arsenal?! Do they practice with guns or something? Having listed all of the injuries though Arsenal are still second in the league and are doing nicely in all of the competitions. How long can that last with half the team out is a good question, only one way to find out really…

With RVP unavailable for a while, predictably, the consensus is that Eduardo will take the baton from the Dutchman. However, the way the media has chosen to focus on Eduardo is almost as if the guy has next to zero credibility compared to Robin.

Admittedly, the Croatian hasn’t been at his best (considering he is 26, I suppose we should wait another year at least for that).

Still, 2 goals and 3 assists in 12 appearances (7 of those as a substitute) isn’t the worst return for a man who was given a rather peripheral role. I also believe his deflected shot vs Wolves could have been awarded to him, although the striker in me would always say that.

The non-Arsenal world knows what Eduardo is capable of and within a few games, he’ll show just how small Van Persie’s boots really are.

Nasri won’t have the Song role in January

The reason being that he offers much more offensively. Putting him in Alex’s DM role means, according to Wenger, we lose out on that. Wenger also added Nasri is attracted forward and has a little handicap in the air compared to other players.

Interesting.

We could say the same about Diaby couldn’t we? “Attracted like a magnet to the opposition goal?” said Wenger after that AZ win. And some still think that Diaby can’t head the ball or at least in the right direction. I’m just saying. Don’t shoot the messenger as I’ve been quite supportive of Diaby since Denilson got injured.

Incidentally Denilson is due to a return soon isn’t he? Yeah, don’t forget this is the guy who was statistically the best (or 2nd best?) defensive midfielder last year. Sorry to dampen the anticipation of us signing that hard man in January. I can’t see it happening.

Back to the attracted-to-the-opposition-goal-like-a-magnet. I’ve just realized we could say that about every player on the pitch. Even the goalkeeper? Why not? You’ve seen Fabianski charge forward in his sweeping role haven’t you? There.

Eboue’s after football plans revealed!

Ah that would be his desire to be like Eddie Murphy. In his interview on the club website, Eboue says that he would “love to be an actor in Hollywood” as he always (tries) to make people happy.” Yes Eboue you make me happy but the sky is a thunderous grey when one you lose possession like a million times and two when you keep diving. You know, Hollywood wouldn’t be too impressed with his antics sometimes or would they? Maybe a role in pantomime beckons for Eboue after football?

I’ll leave with a joke from Eddie Murphy’s RAW that is applicable in Eboue’s case. Please note that they aren’t my views and where possible I’ve tried to hide the offensive sounding words. So no accusations of me being racist here now alright.

Eddie Murphy on race and dancers,

White people can’t dance. I’m not being racist; it’s true. Just like when white people say black people have big lips, it’s not racist; it’s true. Black people have big lips, white people can’t dance. Some brothers will be in the club and white people are like, “What are those n****** doing in here?” They watchin’ y’all dance. And they’re like, “Look at these crazy mutha******.” Y’all be stepping on people’s feet and hitting one another.

PS: There are good white dancers around. As a matter of fact I even taught one the basics of Salsa. Amongst famous people you have Mr Timberlake and that guy from X Factor, Olly. Feel free to leave your suggestions on the best dancer, regardless of skin colour.

The Holland forward hopes the radical medical treatment will speed up his recovery from a nasty ankle injury sustained in Saturday’s friendly against Italy.

Arsenal will miss him… I’m sure…
source and full story here

The worst thing for a manager when his side are flying high is not the defeat that would end the winning run but rather injury to one of the key players. This is something Arsene Wenger knows too well now that Robin Van Persie has picked up ankle injury that will sideline him for six weeks and the first thing Le Boss needs to do is find him a proper replacement. The Gunners cannot afford to lose momentum because of the current situation since they have been defying Premiership betting odds so far and they are eager to continue the trend. 

I was really surprised when Wenger didn’t buy a striker to replace Greedybayor and even more so when he shifted Van Persie to the centre forward role. The Dutch striker soon proved it was a great decision by playing an important part in Gunner’s great start of the season but now he is injured. The obvious solution would be to move Niclas Bendtner from the wing but, how about that, he is injured as well. The Dane is expected to return in two weeks’ time, which means he’ll miss at least three games. Therefore, we need someone else.

Andrei Arshavin has been used in a central role during the last 10 minutes of the AZ game and even though he did considerably well, I am not sure he is the man for the job. The Russian is best used as a second striker or alternatively on the wing, where he can work his magic and showcase his enormous talent. It would be wrong to utilize him in a position where he would play back to goal during the entire game as he simply wouldn’t be as efficient.

In the situation like this when Wenger doesn’t have a lot of options to choose from, I see Eduardo as the logical choice. The Brazilian, or if you prefer it, the Croatian forward is a highly technical player (aren’t they all at Arsenal) and he has strong enough physique to sustain the challenges of opposition centre-halves. He is extremely dangerous in the box and has the quality to create a difference if nothing else is working. Arsenal’s new style of play doesn’t require a powerful forward, hence I see Eduardo as the perfect replacement for RVP and hope Wenger shares the same opinion.

Finally there is an official statement from the club on the extend of RVP’s injury and it’s 6 weeks. That’s a total of 11 matches that the Dutchman will miss. 8 Premier League games, 2 Champions League games and 1 Carling Cup game (which I doubt he will feature in anyway). That spate of matches includes Sunderland (A), Std Liege (H), Chelsea (H), Man City (A), Stoke (H), Olympiakos (A), Liverpool (A), Burnley (A), Hull (H), Villa (H) and Portsmouth (A). Of the entire sequence, the squad should be able to win the rest while I would’ve prefer RVP still to be available for the 2 crunch games against Chelsea and Liverpool.

With that there ends RVP’s on-pitch involvement in 2009. As I look back over the last 10 months ++, it has been resoundingly his most successful one yet. After the horrendous injuries after injuries, RVP never got the chance to cement his place in the first team even with the retirement of Dennis Bergkamp and the departure of Thierry Henry. But he took his chances with both hands last season and gave Wenger the reward his faith deserves. Many questioned Wenger’s choice when RVP was first unveiled as a new signing. An unproven and slight winger from Rotterdam and seemed to court more trouble off the pitch than most. However, once again Wenger proved his ability to spot talent was second to none. RVP was very raw when he first arrived but has since did his part by first bulking up and then learning to take care of his body.

By my book, RVP will return at the start of 2010 in the FA Cup third round, not much dissimilar to the Eduardo comeback last season in the same competition. In a way, this short period of rest will also do him no harm what with the World Cup looming in the horizon. It will help to recharge his battery cells and help him through what would be the next 1.5 years of non-stop football.

Which brings us to the next burning question. Will Arsenal still be in the fight on all fronts when RVP returns from his injury? I sure hope we would be. The Carling Cup aside, we have more or less secured our place in the knockout round of the Champions League, which leaves us with only the Premier League to focus on. Another man’s loss is another man’s gain. Eduardo is set to benefit the most from this unfortunate ankle injury of RVP. Not since 2 years ago have we witness Eduardo in continuous starting line-ups for Arsenal. That was when the Brazilian was in the form of his life when everything he touched turns into a goal. One would hope that the sequence of games that he will prominently feature in will help him recapture back that form that made him one of the most fearsome striker in the league.

Eduardo’s presence in the line-up will offer something diverse from what we have been accustomed to thus far this season. I do not expect him to challenge and win headers or drop deep to initiate attacks but with him in the side, it somewhat frees Arshavin and Nasri/Rosicky to drive for the byline and try to get something into the box. This will be where Eduardo is at his predator-ious best. Provided there is an oppourtunity within the confined space of the penalty box, Eduardo is bound to be lurking there. His knack of being there at the right time is incredible as seen in Croatia demolition of Liechtenstein last Saturday.

With Bendtner, Walcott and Vela waiting in the wings, Wenger is not short of option on RVP’s replacement. Tactics may have to change but one thing’s for sure, we will definitely be thereabouts when the Dutchman returns (I hope).

Another break in top flight football – another international friendly weekend – another injury to arguably Arsenal’s most influential player this season.

Robin Van Persie ruptured ligaments in his right ankle just 10 minutes into the game on Saturday night, under a hard but fair challenge from Italian oaf Giorgio Chilleni. The Dutchman is, depending on who you believe, out for six weeks, three months or the entire season.

While Van Persie has suffered a succession of injuries during his Arsenal career, he has propelled a young Arsenal team to second place in the premier league, scoring eight goals in his past eleven games.

Van persie’s most natural replacement as the focal point of Arsenal’s free scoring three pronged attack, Nikolas Bendter is also sidelined with a groin injury – causing Arsene Wenger a major headache as the season approaches Christmas.

While this may come across as an Arsenal fan venting his anger a losing our inform striker to a pointless international friendly, it is coming to a point where top clubs are going to become more and more unhappy to release players for international games.

Also on Saturday, England played Brazil in Qatar. Frank Lampard, a man renowned for his fitness, missed the game due to a thigh injury.  Chelsea have denied reports the midfielder suffered cramp on the flight to the middle east and it was picked up in training before the game.

Whatever the truth, expecting senior players to travel to the middle east for a money making exercies between two of the most well known teams in international football ,(the game was arranged in return for Brazil opening the new Wembley IN 2007) seems at the very least to put the consideration and well being of players to the bottom of the pile.

Chelsea are thought to be looking to sue the FA for £900,000 after Lampard’s injury and it will be something Arsenal should look to do against the Dutch FA.Clubs were not happy about the FIFA approved friendly period anyway.  Seeing important players sent to all corners of the globe for uncompetitive games does not make managers happy – especailly when their star players have their ankles snapped.

International football is still the pinnacle for players. To represent their country in a world cup or European championships is the biggest honour a player can achieve in the game. But for players to turn out for meaningless games, which mean little and are defined by their uncompetitive nature, can only increase the tensions already felt between clubs and football associations all over the world.

On the surface Van Persie’s latest setback is a major blow to our team. Dare I say it, it could prove to be even more significant than Cesc’s injury last year which ruled him out for 4 months.

We’ve played without either Arshavin or Cesc in games this season. Yet it is only the Carling Cup where Van Persie hasn’t featured. When he was substituted against Alkmaar in Holland, the cutting edge of our attack disappeared with him. And I don’t need to reiterate what Van Persie did for us last year.

Van Persie was just starting to look really good in the central forward role. He struggled to find the net earlier in the season but was still an integral part of our creativity. As much as I’m disappointed about his absence for the sake of the team, I’m more disappointed for Van Persie. He simply doesn’t deserve this and hopefully he recovers as soon as possible, physically and mentally.

His injury was sustained inside 15 minutes in a friendly match. Either side of Italy where Holland played, a few Frenchmen and a Russian played in more competitive matches in Ireland and Russia respectively. They came out unscathed and fingers and toes crossed that stays the same after Wednesday. Also, if you can, avoid drinking Dr Pepper.

Just the luck of the draw really. If it happened in a more competitive match we wouldn’t have been as vociferous on the matter. It is just something we have to accept.

Few years back Pires picked up a ligament injury and missed the rest of the season including the World Cup. So let us not be angry with Holland, Blatter etc etc. Arsenal could have stopped him and Van Persie could easily made himself unavailable.

We do support Arsenal, the club where such politics which can corrupt a player’s decision to represent his country or not simply do not exist. At least Van Persie’s injury happened on the pitch which is miles better than it happening say on the plane because the seats weren’t comfortable enough. If I was a Chelsea fan I’d be embarrassed to hear an injury of that sort.

And because we are the Arsenal, we have to keep our chins up. Now is the time where we as fans have to rally around Van Persie. The players have to rally around him too. No point in either the fans or the players feeling overly apologetic about this. Big squads don’t exist merely to keep up appearances. Everyone has to raise their game that bit more.

Under the status quo, this presents Eduardo with the ideal opportunity to be the focal point in our attack. It isn’t a like for like replacement but then again nor was Van Persie for Adebayor and look how well that turned out for us. My only concern is whether Eduardo can handle the vigour of playing game after game. With Vela just recovering and Bendtner, Walcott still not fit he will have to manage.

Could we seek replacements from other clubs? Certainly. I’d rather not though. Why not give the odd opportunity to the likes of Jay Simpson (currently on loan), Watt and even Sunu? We’ve seen Arshavin play up front in the friendlies so maybe either of those 3 could be used as support strikers.

What I’m trying to say is this, keep the faith, we shall overcome this latest obstacle.

So recently we have won the last two games 4-1, against AZ and Wolves.

Fabregas scored 3 goals and Nasri, Diaby and Arshavin scored one each and finally, two Wolves own goals completed our impressive goal scoring form.

They were brilliant performances against ordinary teams. We have played outstanding football and the team seem to be playing for eachother.  Passing the ball, when they have the opportunity to turn and shoot, to a player in a better position to score.  Arshavin was the key man against AZ, with 3 assists.  He often looks very lazy in games, but what he does do with the ball is know exactly when to pass it and exactly who to pass it to.  He can beat a man and he can score goals.  Which is alot better than our last Eastern European wide man *cough* Hleb *cough*

Im not going to talk to much about the games because we played brillaint football and thats what you want to see.  I was impressed with Nasri’s finish against AZ, he showed real composer in his comeback start. Its nice to see we can score goals from all around the team.

However, one person who has been key to putting goals on a plate for other players, is RVP who was recently seen doing this….

Reports are saying 3-4 weeks and others are saying months.  Whatever it is it’s going to be a long time.  We have lost our lanky Dane to injury and god knows where Carlos Vela is.  So we are left with Eduardo anddd ermmmmmm ermmmm…it will give the chance for Sanchez Watt and other young strikers from our reserves.  I guess it could give the chance for Arshavin to play up front and show why he wants to play centrally.  Maybe not that far up the field but you never know with the little Russian he could prove to be a class striker for us.

So yes, if you want reasons for not playing pointless friendlies, look at RVP’s injury against the Italians.

However, saying that yesterday I watched our young Welshman by the name of Aaron Ramsey absolutley destroy the Scots.  He was on a different level to all the players on the field. Saying that all the players on the field were Championship players including Darren Fletcher, he couldnt carry his scottish team by providing an assist, a pre-assist (think Hleb) and a wonderful solo goal.

Thats all really, this post has particularly hard for me to write because I have recently broken my wrist playing football. I just fell over, and didnt realise until I was driving home that my wrist was swelling up at an alarming rate.  So no football for 6 weeks and maybe surgery after I have my cast taken off.  So my post will be short and to the point.

I HATE NOT BEING ABLE TO PLAY FOOTBALL. DAMN YOU POWERLEAGUE, DAMN YOU.

I know, if I’m gonna start talking about the Arsenal v Wolves game, the Chelscum v Manure match or Liverpool’s embarrassing draw with Birmingham,  you’d all be probably thinking this post is way long overdue. So I’m just going to skip reliving the goals and moments in those matches and just maybe talk about the eventful week in football that has been (aside from the boring international break – I know at least 90% of you agree with me).

Yup, there’s been a lot happening and I feel it’d be best if I break down all these stuff and look at them one by one to, you know, ‘judge’ or rather ‘opine’, whichever way you look at it.

Title Chasers

Let’s rewind a bit to last week. On Saturday, it was crucial for Arsenal to bag full points at the expense of Wolverhampton because rivals Chelsea and Man United were going head to head the next day. And when Arsenal, though not at their best that night, managed a 4-1 win, all eyes were fixed on the result of the Blue v Red match. Of course, many Gooners were hoping for a Man United win – however rarely that may come, but Terry’s decisive winning header gave Chelsea a 5-point gap lead over both Arsenal and Man Utd, which still currently maintains.

True, if Chelsea had lost that match, Arsenal had a realistic chance of moving top with our game in hand but our position would still have been 3rd going into the international break. So with Man Utd losing, the bright side is that we’ve overtaken them for second spot, which I’d say give our Arsenal lads much confidence and fans something to cheer about. And now we know that should we play well and take full points next week (Sunderland), then the game against Chelsea at the end of the month will determine whether or not Arsenal can be seen as real title challengers this season. True, we’ve done well so far and critics have been shamed by their underestimating us from the start, but winning against Chelsea will convince even the strongest doubters around. And I don’t see why we can’t win against Drogba & co. Anyway, that match is still not here yet so taking one game at a time, I’m sure the team and manager are focused on Sunderland.

The FA and AF

If you’ve been following the back section of newspapers the past week, then I’m sure you’ve came across the never-ending relationship between the FA and “Sore” Alex Ferguson. The United manager called referee Martin Atkinson’s decision to award the freekick that led to Chelsea’s goal “absolutely ridiculous”. Now even the whole Man United team feels like getting involved, Darren Fletcher particularly. Yes, the latter apparently dragged Mr. Wenger’s name into the Man U vs FA midweek saga and I honestly feel it was unnecessary for him to do that. Here’s what he said, “It was clearly not a foul (referring to the free kick given from which Terry scored). I back-heeled the ball and Cole jumps up in the air and the ref gives a foul. I think we are starting to see Mr Wenger’s comments starting to influence referees, which is a shame really.” With that, I think the FA will have punishments laid out for the Scot, along with Wes Brown and O’Shea, although their manager might have been let off easy this time. Funny how they don’t complain when they seem to get decisions favoring them.

Ngog – 1. Diver, 2. Cheat or 3. Saviour?

Well, all three of them really, if you ask me. If you ask one Liverpool fan, he’d probably tell you the third of those three, whilst silently admitting that he’s no. 1 and 2 as well. C’mon, even Benitez didn’t think it was a penalty. Having said that, I thought of Eduardo’s dive against Celtic and Ngog’s recent much-more-blatant-dive, and I’m starting to think these players are actually waiting to be tackled, and once there’s contact, they hurl their bodies to the ground – and that’s fine when there’s actually contact, because the ref can decide to call it a penalty or not, but when there isn’t, that’s when they’re labelled as divers and this practice is becoming increasingly ordinary on the field. I remember Rooney bending his knee and going to ground before Almunia touched him but he was deemed to be fouled by the keeper because there was contact afterwards??? Enlighten me. All I’m saying is, maybe it’s a bit too harsh for the fans and media to target Ngog as they did Eduardo because it’s not just these two who made the mistake of ‘diving’, they’re just the two who were unfortunate enough to be caught obviously doing it. Having said that, I strongly agree that ‘diving’ is an act of cheating and I’m sure no football fan will appreciate it.

The International break – Results and Injuries

Here are results of this week’s international friendlies:

• Italy 0 – 0 Netherlands

• Spain 2 – 1 Argentina

• Northern Ireland 0 – 1 Serbia

• Brazil 1 – 0 England

• Wales 3 – 0 Scotland

For those of you who couldn’t care less about the results above and you’re just probably more worried about the injuries that might come out of those matches, well, I hate to confirm that on-form Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie has injured himself while playing against Italy and initial reports say that he may be out for 2-3 months. Bummer!!!! With Bendtner out with a groin injury as well, there will be room for Eduardo to impress during this period.

Before I leave you, here are some recent news that you might be interested to know:

• Carlos Vela and Fran Merida looks set to extend their deals at Arsenal.
• Barca’s president Joan Laporta, midfielder Xavi and defender Pique has expressed that they would love for Cesc to move to Barcelona someday.
• Jack Wilshere hopes to recover in time to face Manchester City in their Carling Cup fixture.

That’s about all and since it’s another few days before we move back to some exciting Premier League football, I wanna hear what you readers have to say about issues from this article and RVP’s injury. Do so on my Facebook Group Page or the comments section here. Thanks and have a good day (“,)…

]]> http://tifomilan.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/hq-photo-fr-italy-netherlands-0-0/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:35:34 +0000 kakavn http://tifomilan.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/hq-photo-fr-italy-netherlands-0-0/

Click on the thumbnails to see full size (Bấm vào hình nhỏ để xem hình lớn):

In a serious setback to Arsenal’s remaining season aspirations, Van Persie got injured in a meaningless friendly against Italy…Persie was regaining his best form when this nonsense had to happen…Preliminary reports say 3 months layoff which might be quite a difficult time for Arsenal with Bendtner also out injured.

Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope that he is not terribly injured and face even more time off the game.

There it is. I just knew it was going to happen soon. This one problem could derail Arsenal and Gooners hope for silverware this season. Will the decision not to replace the Togolese idiot come back to haunt Wenger? Or will someone rise from the misfortune of his team mate and stake a claim for his place? So many questions and so few answers.

Another round of internationals went by us yesterday. Most of it meaningless but it dealt a cruel blow to our title challenge this season. Robin Van Persie was stretchered off of Holland’s tie with Italy in only the 15th minute with what was suspected to be an injury to his ankle ligament. I’m still waiting to hear the official comment on the extend of the injury but from the initial prognosis, it could be from 3 months to rest of the season. I cannot reiterate any more how crucial RVP’s presence in the squad is. The 7 goals and 7 assists he has contributed already this season tell it’s own story. Sigh.

Luckily for the others, there’s a clean bill of health so far. Song played the full 90 minutes as Cameroon seal their place in the finals. Eboue also completed the full game even though his country, Ivory Coast has already booked their slot in the finals prior to this game. Aaron Ramsey inspired Wales to a comprehensive hammering of Scotland with 2 assists and a goal to cap a fine individual performance. He came off midway in the second half with the Wales’ camp claiming he wasn’t that fit to start with. There might be repercussions for Arsenal I suspect.

Belgian captain Thomas Vermaelen scored for his country in their 3-1 win over Hungary. While our own captain, Cesc Fabregas came on with half an hour of the game remaining to ensure Spain’s continued they good form going into the World Cup finals with a solid 2-1 victory over Argentina. William Gallas and Bacary Sagna played the full 90 as they helped France secure a slender 1-0 lead over Ireland. Both were very solid in defense and the few times that oppourtunity presented itself, Sagna produced several good quality crosses from the right flank. Just a small note, anyone notice Henry’s freekick delivery and corners getting better?

Meanwhile, Andrey Arshavin also completed the whole game with an assist to boot as Russia sneaked past Slovenia in their first leg playoff. He looked lethargic throughout the game and made many unforced errors like passing to the opponent. At an important stage of the qualifying like this, he doesn’t look to be too bothered. Typical of him.

In respect to RVP’s injury, more importantly for Arsenal is the news that Eduardo scored 2 goals for Croatia last night. Granted, the opposition was just Liechtenstein but it as a striker a goal is a goal no matter who the opposition would be. Judging from the earlier matches this season, Eduardo is Wenger’s preference to replace RVP in case of injury or purely just to rest the player. More will be expected of him and the streak of continuous games that I anticipate he will play for Arsenal in the coming months (well, at least till RVP returns anyway) will only serve him in good stead.

We all saw how good the Brazilian is when given a run in the first team. If he returns to his prolific form before the leg break, then maybe just maybe, we won’t feel so much the loss of RVP. God knows how much we need that now.

Recover well and fast Robin.

The battle lines were drawn. The red glow in the sky, the odd calmness in the air, the slow and the intriguing quivering of Mother Earth signaled the imminent danger. The one-eyed red monsters that made strange sounds were coming closer and closer. General Arsene made his voice clear to his troops… “Nobody and I mean nobody should laugh at the weird looking monsters”. Commander Alexander Rigobert Goliath Song couldn’t control himself, he laughed like crazy until he choked himself and fell below a monster. The monster mistaking the creature as one of its own ignored him.
The Great Monstrous Army of the Interlull called out for the bravest man from the Great Army of General Arsene. Arsene looked at the formidable soldier in Denilson and was about to give his orders when a crow landed on Arsene’s shoulder and whispered to his ears… “Son, I am GOD. Trust me. You need to send a Dutchman and that being the bravest of ‘em all” … the crow turned into a blue Barracon Didier Barracuda with 8 wings and flew away in the North-western direction over the Swiss Alps. Arsene called out for the brave and young Nacer Barazite. The soldier was having his breakfast of corn-flakes, milk, and strawberries and shyly smiled and frowned at Arsene, all at the same time. Arsene took pity. Out came in the open, the greatest fighter of ‘em all. He was called The Legend of Ardiuex Dominex Robin Van Persie. Arsene gave his orders… “Son, Trust me. Go. Fight.” Robin Van Persie started running to face the one-eyed red monsters of the Great Monstrous Army of the Interlull. He slipped on a piece of jai-jai peel and broke his chocolate leg, but he still kept on running until he reached the Great Army of the Interlull. Before he could take out his unassailable steel rapier, he was slapped on the face by one of the monsters, he fell on the ground, spilled out some dutch blood and choked to death before giving out two very confusing words… “Tropheees Tropheees”. The bemused monsters cried out… “Hunh?? Hunh??” and sat down surrendering ‘emselves to mankind.

Ohh, I meant this. Our front-man will be out for quite some time. With some confirmed news, we shall be back again.

Liverpool are interested in Eduardo and they want him to come over at Anfield for one week and do some interesting Croatian painting. Raiffel Benitez has always been a fan of Croatian painting and he had illegally tried contacting Eduardo many times over the last 21 years. He even tried contacting Luka Modric at the Sp*arse Hospital at North London, but he was insulted by one of his hot nurses and thrown out of the hospital.

There is absolutely nothing else going on as far as Arsenal is concerned. So, if you are sleeping, please carry on doing so. If you are awake, please go to sleep. And if you are watching the Great War with the Great monstrous Army of the Interlull, you should consult a psychiatrist right away.

Have a good day and GOD bless you.

~S~

Hello all. For a friday post, usually, there’d be a match preview of some sort. There are some good international matches over the next few days.

The Irish take on the French in what I see as even a contest as it is in Rugby. Then there are the equally intriguing Bosnia vs Portugal, Algeria vs Egypt, New Zealand vs Bahrain etc etc.

These catch the eye for different reasons. I wish I could talk about them more. Maybe I will but not today, not just yet. Below are a few quotes, Arsenal related, some a little more dated but much can be read between the lines.

I’ll start with a not so recent quote shall I? This came a day after we beat Spurs in the north london derby.

On the perils of signing players, big name ones (metaphorically or literally), Wenger said this,

In ideal conditions no boss would make a mistake. It was always a race against time with opponents who may also want to sign the player. Sometimes you have to go blind and play poker.

I can see it clearly now. Flashback to Summer 2007 I believe.

Interviewer: Arsene, will Babel make the move from Ajax to Arsenal?
Arsene: Weeell, I believe he is a good player. He has great physical and mental strengths. He has a good technique and he would be a good addition to the Premier League.

A few days later, Rafa is doing his press conference shortly after Babel signed for Liverpool.

Interviewer: So Rafa, what will Babel bring to Liverpool?
Rafa: Babel is a kwality player. He is strong, he has technique and he will be a good addition to Liverpool Football Club.

Two years later and Wenger is still laughing. Poker face? Indeed. All conjecture of course but reality is stranger than fiction.

Van Persie has been talking about how he isn’t really a striker like Torres, Drogba are. That’s funny as some people still believe that Henry is a left winger while Ronaldo isn’t really a striker either.

He did say this though in what you can call his mini season review,

In the league I have now contributed seven assists and I am just as proud of these as the seven goals I have scored.

which can be translated as,

I’m only just warming up baby, the best is yet to come.

Premiership be afraid. If Wenger can make a striker of Henry who never believed in scoring tap ins, what will he make of RVP who is scoring less spectacular goals, but more ordinary goals?

Someone who didn’t feature much in the limelight until recently is Keiran Gibbs. I had reservations about his defensive abilities but he is young and he will learn. After all, Roberto Carlos is still learning how to defend.

Gibbs also believes he will get better with development on and off the pitch, both for which he is eternally grateful.

Hale End is where the English talent develops at Arsenal….It is a good place for the young English players to learn their trade.

Hear that Platini? That is the voice of a content Englishman. You were saying about foreigners? Again, rest of the Premiership, take note.

As most Arsenal games end with the opposition scoring once, how about an Arsenal related quote but from someone un-Arsenal. Darren Fletcher sounds as un-Arsenal as you can get?

Following United’s defeat to Chelsea, a disappointed Fletcher didn’t let emotion get the better out of him,

I think we are starting to see Mr Wenger’s comments starting to influence referees, which is a shame, really.

Yeah, very shameful. But enough about our gaffer Fletch, what about your gaffer? Calling a referee unfit when he ran more than half your team that night? No, not shameful at all.

On that note, I hope you enjoy the international week especially the Argentina v Spain friendly.

A quick one today as I’m writing this at work as I don’t yet have internet access in my new flat (posts maybe a bit sporadic for the next week or two).

1. It’s interesting to see Arsenal’s attack being lauded after 36 goals in just 11 games but it’s premature to think they’ll definitely break 100 goals. All their home games bar Spurs have been against sides in the bottom eight while it was the first time since the 6-1 against Everton on the opening day that they’d scored more than two away.

That said, they have been pretty awesome and you can only beat what’s put in front of you. The 4-3-3 formation suits Fabregas down to a tee and he already has nearly as many assists as last year as well as the small matter of nine goals in all competitions. Sunderland away is next but the real test comes in three weeks when Chelsea come to the Emirates. The best attack vs the best defence; something will have to give.

2. Surely if you’re 2-0 down in a game you’ll take a draw at the end of it. I jest slightly but Man City once again showed defensive frailty against Burnley and the current back four does not seem up to scratch if City are to be pushing for a Champions League spot. They may have only lost once but drawing all the time is not a recipe for success (just ask Liverpool last season). In the last five drawn games they could have instead won two and lost three but still been better off. Needing time to gel isn’t a good excuse.

3. It’s still only a matter of time before the Tango Man gets the chop at Hull. Jimmy Bullard was inspirational in his home debut (ten months after signing) but Stoke were doing fine until Faye got himself sent off. As luck would have it Hull have two more home games coming up against West Ham and Everton and I’d hazard a guess that if he loses both he’ll be out of a job.

Phil Brown

4. Man Utd were probably marginally the better team but Chelsea still found a way to win the game. That’s usually the mark of champions elect. A five point gap is not insurmountable at this stage of the season but if you take the big four clashes as the main opportunity to make up ground/build a lead, then Man Utd’s habit of losing them (just two wins from nine this season and last) makes life all the more difficult for themselves in terms of catching up.

5. I imagine missing a penalty wasn’t in Darren Bent’s list of ways to show Harry Redknapp the error of this ways.

6. Is the Premier League turning into a three-way race for the title and a four-way race for 4th place? Of Aston Villa, Liverpool, Tottenham and Man City the latter have the biggest squads but the former two have more experience of being involved in such a race. Villa were very good against a terrible Bolton team and might be better placed this season when they’re having to chase a 4th spot rather than lead from the front and collapse like last year. 

T.

Arsenal climbed to the second spot in the Premier League beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1 away from home. It was not a good first half though the Gunners put in two goals or rather Wolves conceded two own goals. As my friend sent an sms, the way the Wolves set up play in the first half, they were fast becoming lambs for slaughter!!!

The Wolves matched Arsenal attack for attack in the first half and surely had a couple of chances to go ahead. And I think this season Arsenal is enjoying a bit of luck in some matches where one they didnt concede and two scored on the other end when it mattered. Eduardo was lively upfront and was instrumental in pressurising the Wolves defence in making them concede two goals in the first half. Diaby getting substituted with Song (who was rested initially by keeping him in the bench) improved the midfield play.

Ramsey making a rare premier league start was quite impressive and so was Fabregas and Arshavin. Gallas was brave at the back with some impressive tackles and Gibbs at left back was a refreshing presence. van Persie provided a sublime assist to Fabregas for the third goal,coming out of a beautiful Arsenal play and Arshavin rounded off a beautiful goal to finish off in style. We should not have conceded the goal in the last few minutes and Almunia definitely would not have liked it.

Arsenal now have 36 goals from 11 games. Van Persie has 7 goals, Fabregas 6 goals and Arshavin has 4. In terms of assists, Fabregas leads with 10 and van Persie has 7.