Friday 30 December 2011

Lacklustre Arsenal drop vital points at the Emirates

Arsenal 1-1 Wolves

Arsenal needlessly surrendered two points against Wolves as their lacklustre display left the Emirates crowd extremely frustrated. In similar fashion to the away win against Aston Villa, the Gunners lacked urgency once they had taken an early lead. However, while the poor performance at Villa Park was glossed over with a late winning goal, there was to be no such reprieve on this occasion.
Against Wolves, Gervinho gave the Gunners the lead in the eight minute of the game with a fine, flowing move as Arsenal hit the opposition on the counter attack. Djourou robbed Matt Jarvis of possession and fed Rosicky who strove forward before turning on the half way line and passing the ball to Benayoun, whose excellent through ball sent Gervinho, who had made a perfectly timed run, through on goal to shimmy past the goalkeeper and fire Arsenal ahead. The early goal against a team whose game plan would have been to simply frustrate the Gunners in an attempt to leave the Emirates with a point, should have led to the proverbial opening of the floodgates. However Arsenal did not press forward in search of the crucial second goal which would have effectively killed the game off. Rather they sat back and simply passed the ball along the back line time and time again and although Wolves did not appear to possess the necessary fire power to threaten the Gunners defence, a one goal lead is always extremely vulnerable.

And so it proved in the 38th minute as Steven Fletcher equalised for the visitors. A Wolves corner could only be headed out to the edge of the penalty area to Stephen Hunt, whose shot was deflected into the path of Fletcher to nod past Szczesny. Wolves now had something to hold on to and would not relinquish it easily. In the second half Arsenal pressed forward in an attempt to regain the lead, but were denied time and again by Wayne Hennessey. He saved well from a Mertesacker header, a Van Persie effort from point blank range as well as tipping over the Dutchman’s powerful free kick. Even when Wolves were reduced to ten men, the Gunners could not press home their advantage, with Wenger making the strange decision to bring on the ineffectual Chamakh instead of Oxlade-Chamberlain.

When the opposition are down to ten men, they will crowd the middle of the pitch and so it is essential to make the pitch as wide as possible and switch the ball from side to side to stretch their defensive lines. The introduction of Oxlade-Chamberlain, with his wonderful pace, would have terrified the Wolves defence and provided the required width. However Chamakh’s presence only served to force Arsenal to attack through the middle and so essentially played into the hands of the opposition, who were continually allowed to waste time by the utterly useless and spineless referee Stuart Attwell.

However Arsenal only have themselves to blame. The previous day they had witnessed Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool all lose points, but failed to take advantage themselves. They took the early lead but did not capitalise on this and were ultimately made to pay for their casual approach to the game following Gervinho’s opener. The poor result was then further compounded in the evening as Tottenham’s win over Norwich led to the opening of a five point lead over the Gunners with a game in hand. With performances like this, Arsenal will find it extremely difficult to catch their North London rivals.

Thursday 22 December 2011

Back to winning ways

Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal bounced back from defeat against Manchester City with a hard fought victory over Aston Villa last night. Arsene Wenger made two changes to the team defeated at the Etihad Stadium, with Emmanuel Frimpong replacing the suspended Song and Francis Coquelin deployed at right-back in place of the injured Djourou.

Villa had the better of the early exchanges and Szczesny had to produce a fine reflex save to deny Gabby Agbonlahor from giving the hosts the lead with a free header, while Coquelin was struggling to contain the trickery of Charles N’Zogbia and received an early yellow card for his troubles. The game changed in the 17th minute however as Theo Walcott’s skilful turn on the edge of the box caused Ciaran Clark to panic and pull back the Arsenal forward inside the penalty area, giving the referee no option but to award a penalty. Robin Van Persie powerfully drilled his penalty past Guzan to give Arsenal the lead and equal Thierry Henry’s record of scoring 34 league goals in a calendar year. Although Villa continued to look dangerous on the attack, the Gunners now had a foothold in the game and could have further increased their lead as Walcott was sent clear through on goal only to see his attempt to chip the onrushing Guzan blocked by the American goalkeeper. Van Persie then played the ball through to Aaron Ramsey whose shot sailed harmlessly over the bar.

Alex Mcleish’s half time team talk certainly roused the home side in the second half, as they persistently pressed Arsenal high up the pitch and battled energetically in midfield, forcing the Gunners to relinquish possession with ease. Villa’s equaliser arrived as a result of their high pressing game. A long clearance by Guzan was flicked on by Agbonlahor into the path of Vermaelen, who headed the ball towards Mertesacker. However the Belgian, who did not have his best game in an Arsenal shirt, sold his German team mate short, allowing Albrighton to steal the ball and calmly steer his shot past Szczesny for the 20,000th Premier League goal. Villa were now in the ascendancy and Arsenal were barely holding on, reflected in the possession statistic, which at one point showed Villa as having 69% possession. Wenger reacted by replacing the strength of Frimpong with the mercurial Rosicky. The change had an immediate impact as the Gunners were able to retain possession and build attacks, which more often than not were repelled by the immense Richard Dunne. In the 80th minute Arshavin and Benayoun were introduced as Arsenal went in search of the winner. Needless to say the Russian had little impact on the match, but Benayoun’s close control and incisiveness added further impetus to the Gunners attack. In the 87th minute the Arsenal pressure finally told as Benayoun nodded in Van Persie’s corner to take all three points back to the Emirates.



Benayoun celebrates Arsenal's winner

The Gunners just had to see out the final few minutes of the match and were assisted by Alan Hutton’s stupidity. The Tottenham reject first lost his temper and picked up a yellow card following a clear foul on Van Persie (who had earlier inexplicably received a yellow card himself for simulation, after being brought down in the penalty area, which should have led to the award of a second penalty for Arsenal). Barely two minutes later, Hutton’s ridiculous lunge at Vermaelen led to his second yellow card, allowing the Gunners to maintain possession until the referee blew the final whistle.

Although Arsenal's performance was far from their best, the fact they still managed to win the game, following Sunday’s disappointing result, was highly impressive. After a shaky start Coquelin grew into the game and may just be the solution to the right-back problem, while Benayoun surely deserves more playing time after an impressive cameo appearance. Hopefully we can build on this result in the next two home games against Wolves and QPR.

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Gunners so close but yet so far

Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal

Arsenal ultimately lost to Manchester City on Sunday, but can be extremely proud of their performance, away from home to the world’s richest club and arguably best team in the league. Let’s not forget, this is the same team who earlier in the season, destroyed both Tottenham and Manchester United, at White Hart Lane and Old Trafford respectively. 

The Gunners arrived at the Etihad stadium without any recognised full-backs and therefore a reshuffled defence, which Manchester City sought to expose right from the start. They laid siege on the Arsenal back line, attacking with power and pace in the search for an early goal. Wojciech Szczesny came to the Gunners’ rescue, superbly denying Mario Balotelli from point blank range, following Mertesacker’s poor attempt at a clearance and then saving well from Sergio Aguero. The Argentine’s poor finish when clean through on goal had earlier also let the Gunners off the hook. However following this initial spell of intense pressure, Arsenal began to get their passing game going and were also a threat going forward. Joe Hart was extremely fortunate to see Gervinho’s shot squirm underneath him and just wide of the post. Then from the resultant corner, Van Persie laid the ball into the path of Aaron Ramsey, on the edge of the box, whose shot was destined for the bottom corner of the goal, but was well saved by Hart.

Arsenal were admirably matching City stride for stride, but then just before half time Johan Djourou pulled up with a groin injury from which he would not recover. Two minutes into the second half he was replaced by Ignasi Miguel resulting in a complete reshuffle of the entire defence. Vermaelen switched from left-back to centre-half alongside Mertesacker, while Koscielny moved from centre-half to right-back, allowing Miguel to fill in at left-back. This major reshuffle clearly led to confusion as the backline no longer defended as one, at times Mertesacker would step up in an attempt to catch the opposition offside, while Vermaelen would sit back, effectively playing the opposition on-side and vice versa. It was this confusion which led to Manchester City’s winning goal. Koscielny was nowhere to be seen as Nasri played the ball forward, into the space vacated by the emergency right-back, to Balotelli. The Italian international was met by Alex Song on the edge of the box, however rather than ushering Balotelli towards the touchline Song allowed him to move inside far too easily and he duly unleashed a powerful low shot towards goal which Szczesny could only parry into the path of Aguero. The Argentine could not connect cleanly with the ball however due to Vermaelen’s attempted clearance, which unfortunately fell straight to David Silva to fire into an empty net.

Silva scores for Manchester City

The rest of the second half was a wonderful advert for the Premier League as both teams attacked in search of another goal. Arsenal were cruelly denied the equaliser they richly deserved as in the dying minutes of the match Thomas Vermaelen went desperately close with two powerful efforts from outside the box. The first was well saved by Hart while the second sailed painstakingly wide of the far post. Arsenal had played fantastically well but ultimately lost due to their lack of squad depth. Although most teams would struggle to cope with injuries to four full backs, there can be no excuse for the lack of attacking options on the substitute’s bench.


Another woeful display from
Arshavin on sunday
Wenger decided to replace the ineffectual Walcott with Arshavin on Sunday, however the Russian only served to nullify the team’s attacking threat through poor control, wayward passing and pathetic shots. Why the manager continues to persevere with him is completely beyond me. Another underperforming player, Chamakh, was also introduced towards the end of the match and although some may argue he was not given enough time to make his mark on the game, I would argue he hasn’t managed to do this once in the past year. When a match isn’t going our way, there is simply no one on the substitute’s bench who Arsenal can turn to, to change the game. Yet Wenger has already suggested he will not spend in the January transfer window and rejected speculation linking him with a move for Podolski. If he hadn’t rejected this speculation outright, maybe those underperforming may have upped their game for fear of dropping further down the pecking order. However Wenger seems content with the persistent mediocrity from certain individuals and so it would appear we will have to see out another season with players who are clearly not good enough for this team, and we expect Robin Van Persie to sign a new contract? Don’t make me laugh!   

Monday 12 December 2011

Gunners celebrate landmark with wonder goal

Arsenal 1-0 Everton
Robin Van Persie helped Arsenal celebrate its 125th year anniversary with a wonderful goal worthy of gracing any occasion. It was also fitting that such a goal was scored with several Arsenal legends watching on from the stands as the Gunners continued their fine league form with a hard fought victory against a determined Everton side.
There was a carnival atmosphere before the match as Arsenal legends such as Charlie George, Bob Wilson, George Graham, Lee Dixon, Ian Wright, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry were introduced to the crowd and formed a guard of honour as both sets of players entered the field, while the North Bank held up red and white cards spelling out the number 125. The man who founded Arsenal Football Club all those years ago, David Danskin, was represented by his great grandchildren who carried the match ball to the centre circle and referee Howard Webb tossed a six pence coin to determine who would kick-off (each member of that very first Arsenal side contributed one six pence for the club to buy its very first football).
Arsenal played well in the first half, with Theo Walcott and Gervinho using their electrifying pace to get in behind Everton’s high defensive line. However they just could not get the ball past Tim Howard. Aaron Ramsey was sent clear through on goal, but his first touch was not great and sent him wide of the goal, forcing him to skilfully turn and swivel before unleashing an excellent curling shot which sailed just over the bar. Walcott then ran through on goal and unselfishly laid the ball square but a mix up between Gervinho and Ramsey resulted in another missed opportunity, while Gervinho also raced through, only to see his shot saved by Howard. If the Ivory Coast international can improve his composure in front of goal, he will be a truly exceptional player.
Arsenal were left to rue those missed chances as they found it increasingly difficult to create goal-scoring opportunities in the second half. Everton defended well, with two solid lines of defence and signalled their intention to take home a point by replacing Louis Saha with defender Sylvain Distin, mid-way through the second half, effectively playing without a striker. It was clearly going to take something special to break down this Everton rear guard action. Step forward Robin Van Persie. In the 70th minute, Alex Song sent forward a lovely floated pass to the Dutchman, who duly volleyed the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. It was a goal oozing with technical brilliance, a moment of sheer inspiration, applauded by Thierry Henry from the stands, and one that when seen again in slow motion simply took your breath away. No wonder Szczesny kissed Van Persie’s left foot at the end of the match!!
Arsenal saw out the last twenty minutes of the game, to secure an impressive victory against a team I consider one of the toughest to defeat in the Premier League. The back four, although experiencing some nervous moments, played well considering Vermaelen and Djourou were playing out of position, however they will face a more stringent test against Manchester City’s attack next Sunday. The midfield battled well and the front three, especially in the first half, linked well together and looked very dangerous. The Gunners’ impressive run of form has now taken them up to fourth in the league, if they can maintain this position over the festive period, we will be in a very strong position come the New Year.  

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Greek Farce

Olympiacos 3-1 Arsenal

Arsenal’s dire performance against Olympiacos last night can only be described as a comedy of errors. As Arsene Wenger justifiably made nine changes to the team that had beaten Wigan 4-0 at the weekend, the Gunners’ starting eleven contained several fringe players such as Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arshavin and Chamakh. In similar circumstances to the Carling Cup quarter final a week earlier, this was an opportunity for these players to impress the manager in an attempt to force their way into the first team. However unlike the excellent display against Manchester City, not one player rose to the occasion last night.

After a promising start to the game with chances falling to Chamakh and Arshavin, Arsenal simply deteriorated into a team who were incapable of maintaining possession. Every time the defence attempted to pass the ball forward to a midfield player, possession was lost and Arsenal were under pressure again. Considering the midfield contained the experienced Arshavin and Benayoun it was particularly disappointing that neither took control of the situation, allowing the game to simply pass them by. In the 16th minute the Olympiacos pressure finally told.  A forward pass by the Greek side was not cut out, following a distinct lack of communication between the hapless Squillaci and Djourou, allowing Rafik Djebbour to calmly round Fabianski and slot the ball home. The decision to play Djourou at right back spectacularly back fired as he was absolutely woeful, with one newspaper this morning awarding him a score of three out of ten for his performance. The Swiss international was caught out of position on numerous occasions and had clearly been identified as a weak link with Olympiacos mounting most of their attacks from his side.  Even Thomas Vermaelen did not perform to his usual high standards, at one point selling Fabianski short with a back pass forcing the Polish goalkeeper to rush out and clear the ball.

Fabianski suffered an injury shortly after this and was replaced by Vito Mannone, whose calamitous error for Olympiacos’ second made Arsenal fans all the more appreciative of Szczesny. As the Italian goalkeeper came rushing out of the area to head clear a through ball, his clearance fell straight to David Fuster, who clipped the ball back towards the Arsenal goal. The retreating Mannone did not realise he was now back inside his penalty area and so rather than catch the ball, he attempted to kick it clear, completely missing the ball, leaving it to slowly trickle into the goal.

There was absolutely no improvement in the second half from Arsenal, as they continued to concede possession cheaply, with Chamakh and the entire midfield again failing to impose themselves on the game. The only surprise was the fact Olympiacos failed to capitalise on the error strewn performance of the Gunners’ defence. While Andre Santos further compounded Arsenal’s misery as he suffered what has been described by Wenger as a bad ankle injury, effectively leaving Arsenal without any fit full backs. However in the 57th minute Yossi Benayoun’s wonderful volley reduced the arrears and gave the Gunners hope that they could salvage something from this game. Yet Olympiacos finished the game off in the last minute as Olof Melberg’s header came back off the post and into the path of Modesto to fire into the empty net.

Although the result was essentially insignificant for the Gunners as they had already qualified as group winners, Arsenal’s second string did themselves absolutely no favours with this insipid performance.   

Monday 5 December 2011

Arsenal ease past Wigan

Wigan 0-4 Arsenal

Arsenal produced a dominant display against Wigan Athletic, scoring four goals without reply, to take home all three points. The performance was one akin to Arsenal of old as they passed the ball at will while the wonderful interplay and understanding that is developing between the front three of Walcott, Van Persie and Gervinho is extremely promising.


Vermaelen heads home Arsenal's second
Yet Arsenal did not have it all their own way from the start as Wigan began the game strongly, pressing high up the pitch and placing the Arsenal full backs under pressure. As a result the Gunners struggled at first to establish their passing game. It was a match that maybe earlier in the season Arsenal would not have won and had Jordi Gomez’s early shot not been blocked by Andre Santos it may well have been a different story. However what impressed me most was the fact the players remained calm, slowly but surely began to assert their authority and as the first half wore on Wigan began to find it more and more difficult to maintain possession and get out of their own half. In the 28th minute the increasing pressure told as Vermaelen carried the ball out from defence, fed Mikel Arteta who strode forward and unleashed a long range shot which Ali Al Habsi should have saved, but instead let slip through both hands and into the net to put Arsenal in front. One minute later the Gunners doubled their lead from a Robin Van Persie corner and never looked back. The Dutchman’s fine delivery headed in at the back post by Thomas Vermaelen.
The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with Wigan starting brightly but quickly fading away as Arsenal began to dominate once more. Aaron Ramsey was denied a clear penalty, by the hapless Mark Clattenburg, when the Welshman was pulled back in the area before Gervinho put the result beyond any doubt. Van Persie’s wonderful close control in the Wigan box, created just enough space for him to unleash a powerful shot on goal, which Al Habsi could only parry into the path of Gervinho, who applied the simplest of finishes. With Arsenal having scored three goals the only surprise was the omission of a certain Dutchman from the score sheet. He would not be denied. In the 78th minute Theo Walcott was sent clear, his pace and strength enabling him to get past his marker, before laying the ball back for Van Persie to seal a comfortable and stylish win for the Gunners.

Walcott and Van Persie celebrate Arsenal's fourth goal against Wigan
It was no surprise that Arsenal’s front three were heavily involved in the last two goals on Saturday. They are slowly becoming one of the most potent attacks in the Premier League. Walcott and Gervinho have phenomenal pace and regularly look to get in behind the opposition’s backline, forcing them to play deeper and so creating more space for the Gunners’ midfield. Up front Van Persie is clearly in the form of his life and feels he can score at any given moment. Significantly all three are extremely versatile and continually alternate their positions throughout the match, posing the opposition defence with various problems and the Arsenal attack with numerous options. They are also becoming familiar with each other’s game and so when in possession, instinctively know where the others will be, increasing the speed and effectiveness of the attack. Hopefully all three can remain fit as we enter the notoriously busy Christmas schedule as they are essential to Arsenal’s excellent recent run of results.

Wednesday 30 November 2011

Brave Gunners undone by City

Arsenal 0-1 Manchester City

Arsenal were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Manchester City last night, but can hold their heads up high after an excellent performance against the club bankrolled by Sheik Mansour.



Frimpong: A true Warrior
 The players on show for Manchester City included, Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero, Samir ‘you only went for the money’ Nasri, Nigel de Jong, Owen Hargreaves and Adam Johnson. Yet Arsenal outplayed and outfought them throughout and deserved to go through to the semi-final. No one typified Arsenal’s resolute attitude more than Emmanuel Frimpong. He was truly magnificent last night. The Ghanaian worked tirelessly to win the ball on numerous occasions with strong, robust tackles, before surging forward to help the attack. Frimpong is a real warrior, a man who will never give up and who gives his all for the team. He continually chased and harried Nasri, resulting in the Frenchman’s ineffectual display to the joy of the Arsenal faithful. Alongside Frimpong, Francis Coquelin helped Arsenal dominate the midfield battle, making timely interceptions to protect the back four. He also set up Ju Young Park, in the first half, with a wonderful low cross, forcing Costel Pantilimon in the Man City goal, to pull off an excellent save.

On the right flank Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was simply phenomenal. His fast, direct, forward runs had the Emirates crowd on their feet time and time again, as he turned Pablo Zabaleta inside out. The young Englishman was also denied by a fine save from Pantilimon following a long range effort which was destined for the top corner. Last night Oxlade-Chamberlain proved without question that he is ready for Premier League action and could provide Wenger with an interesting conundrum.

Arsenal’s makeshift defence also played admirably as they stifled City’s attack, with Koscielny a defensive rock and even Squillaci performing well. While Djourou and Ignasi Miquel, deployed at right and left back respectively were never outdone by City’s vast array of attacking talent. Essentially the excellent performances by the defence and midfield gave Arsenal the platform to dominate the game and in the second half the Gunners never appeared in any danger. In fact with six minutes remaining you could only see Arsenal emerging victorious. Unfortunately a poor delivery from an Oxlade-Chamberlain corner was easily cleared at the near post to Dzeko, who evaded two challenges before playing the ball forward to Johnson who in turn set up Aguero to give City the lead.

The Gunners would not give up and continued to mount attack after attack, the best chance of all coming in the dying minutes of the match. Gervinho created space for himself on the right flank before delivering a fine cross into the City six-yard box where Chamakh just failed to connect with the ball. Had the Moroccan fully committed himself, he would have equalised and Arsenal may well have emerged victorious. Unfortunately Chamakh was the weak link yet again last night and I cannot see a future for him at the Emirates. Ultimately Arsenal created several chances to which they just could not apply the finishing touch they richly deserved, while Manchester City scored with their only shot on target.  

At the final whistle, although deeply disappointed the players walked off to rich applause and chants of ‘we love you Arsenal we do.’ Every Arsenal fan should be extremely proud of their display.

Monday 28 November 2011

Arsenal drop points at the Emirates

Arsenal1-1 Fulham

Following the mid-week win over Borussia Dortmund and the great feeling of satisfaction, at qualifying for the knock out phase of the Champions League, Saturday’s match against Fulham was one of immense frustration.

Arsenal started the game brightly with Arshavin having a goal correctly ruled out for off-side and Aaron Ramsey forcing Mark Schwarzer into a fine save. Theo Walcott was also threatening on the right flank, with one fine run setting up Ramsey who could only shoot over the bar. There was a feeling that it would only be a matter of time before the Gunners broke the deadlock, but as so often happens, Arsenal’s fluidity in attack began to wane as Fulham tightened up at the back and congested the midfield. In fact as the first half wore on, Fulham became more of a threat. Bobby Zamora skilfully turned Vermaelen on the edge of the box and his shot sailed just over the bar, while Moussa Dembele forced Szczesny into a fine save at his near post, following slack marking by Djourou.

Arsenal needed to assert their authority in the second half, but were noticeably lethargic, especially in midfield, as they repeatedly lost possession cheaply. Ramsey and Arshavin were the main culprits, with Ramsey attempting silly flicks and tricks when a simple pass would suffice, while Arshavin seemed to continually either pass the ball backwards or straight to a Fulham player. With both playing poorly Arsenal could not really mount any significant attacks, although Van Persie did have a shot cleared off the line by Chris Baird. The game was becoming bogged down in midfield, but Wenger inexplicably seemed reluctant to make any substitutions. His reluctance would prove ill-advised as in the 65th minute Fulham took the lead. A cross into the Arsenal box, coupled with a forward run by John Arne-Riise, caused confusion amongst the Gunners defence and resulted in Vermaelen inadvertently sliding the ball beyond Szczesny and into the net.

This finally roused Wenger into action and he duly replaced Ramsey with Diaby, but inexplicably left the utterly useless Arshavin on the pitch. Diaby looked strong and incisive, while Gervinho, who replaced Mertesacker, added pace on the left flank. Arsenal could have equalised through Djourou’s point blank header, but were denied by Schwharzer and then in the 82nd minute Vermaelen atoned for his own goal, as he met Walcott’s cross with a powerful header to level the match. The Emirates faithful raised the decibel levels as they urged their team forward in search of the winner; but unfortunately it was not to be. Arsenal just could not create another opening to seal all three points and would have to settle instead for one.

In the post match interviews, Wenger claimed tiredness from the mid-week game had cost Arsenal. While this may be the case, it does not excuse the manager’s prolonged delay in making substitutions to change the game and nor does it excuse yet another listless performance from Arshavin. The Russian has complained at his lack of first team appearances this season, but when he is given the opportunity he does absolutely nothing to justify his inclusion. Arshavin simply appears disinterested and I would rather Wenger started with Benayoun instead. Arshavin was replaced by Chamakh on Saturday but the Moroccan’s performance further highlighted his decline in an Arsenal shirt. He was weak in the challenge and excruciatingly slow. With the January transfer window fast approaching I would love to see Arsenal sign Lukas Podolski. He has pace, strength, a powerful shot and could play on the wing too. Unfortunately it would appear Arsenal will not sign anyone in January as Wenger has already stated we have adequate cover upfront, effectively leaving Arsenal’s future success dependent on the fitness and form of Van Persie.

Saturday’s frustration was replaced with shock on Sunday at the tragic news of the death of Wales manager Gary Speed. I had seen him laughing and joking as a guest on the BBC’s Football Focus only on Saturday morning. He was a great player and had such a fantastic future ahead of him as a manager. His is a huge loss to the world of football.

Saturday 26 November 2011

70s night at the Armoury

The Armoury store, at the Emirates Stadium, was last night the host to three Arsenal legends from the famous 1970s era in which the Gunners won the intercities fairs cup in 1970 and the double in 1971. The three legends present were all integral members of this era. Charlie George, whose famous celebration (lying flat on the Wembley turf) after scoring the winning goal in the FA cup final against Liverpool, to secure the double in 1971, is eternally etched in Arsenal’s history. Goal machine John Radford, who currently sits fourth in the all time list of Arsenal goal scorers with 149 and last but by no means least, former right back and now assistant manager at the club Pat Rice.  

Rice, Radford and George  

John Radford and Charlie George were first to arrive, signing autographs for the fans, who could also have their picture taken with the cups the 1970s team won, while enjoying the free champagne on offer. As scheduled, Pat Rice arrived two hours later and the three legends then took part in a short question and answer session.

Q: Pat, what has the team done differently recently which has led to the improvement in results?

PR: We’ve stopped conceding goals for a start! The season didn’t really start for us until after the transfer window closed as we were still deciding if Fabregas and Nasri were going to stay. But credit to the lads they have stuck together and shown what a great team spirit we have. People who don’t know anything about football will claim our players aren’t good enough, but this is not the case. After all we are the first English team to qualify from the group stage in the Champions League.

Q: You’ve been both a player and a coach at the club, what has changed over the years?

PR: The players and the balls are quicker, but the players’ technique has also improved greatly. The class foreign players that have come into the league have also helped to improve the level.

Q: Charlie, how did it feel to score the winning goal in the FA cup final against Liverpool min 1971?

CG: Well for the first 30 seconds after I scored it felt better than sex! It was just amazing. In 1955 I stood on the South Bank as a supporter and then joined the club as an 11 year old. For a local lad to score in the final at Wembley was fantastic. But we also had a great group of lads who stuck together. Everyone who has played for the club knows what great history and tradition it has. If you can’t play the next best thing is to watch Arsenal.

Q: What stands out as a highlight of your Arsenal career?

CG: When we won the league at Tottenham, it was an amazing night. To win it there...what more can you do. I think we had more supporters in the ground that night than they had too.

PR: Winning the league at Tottenham as a player and coach! Just doing anything at Tottenham is always special.

JR: When I was a kid the FA cup was the trophy to win. To go to Wembley and win it was amazing. But I had to pick Charlie up, after he scored and lay on the turf, I had to say to him for God’s sake get up, there’s nine minutes left to play son!

Q: John, you scored 144 goals in your Arsenal career, which important or special goals stand out for you?

JR: You’ve missed a few out there, it was actually 149 goals! One that I always remember was away against Liverpool in 72 or 73. I was put through from the half way line, in front of the Kop End. Ray Clemence came out of the goal and tried to floor me, I pushed the ball to one side, jumped over him and rolled it in, but I could feel the breath of the Kop trying to blow it out!

Q: What does the future hold for Arsenal, realistically?

PR: We’re only going up at the present time. Obviously we had a bad start, so I think to finish in the top three would be a great achievement. You will get Manchester City, United and Chelsea spending millions in January, so to finish in the top three we would be able to hold our heads up. Also if we can win some kind of trophy, I don’t know which one yet, but we are still in the Carling Cup so who knows.

  

Thursday 24 November 2011

Arsenal qualify for knock out phase

Arsenal 2-1 Borussia Dortmund

Arsenal became the first English side to qualify for the knock out phase of the Champions League last night with a 2-1 win against Borussia Dortmund. That result coupled with Olympiacos’ win against Marseille means the Gunners will top the group regardless of the results in the next round of matches.

Dortmund, roused by their raucous supporters, began the match in positive fashion as they pressed Arsenal high up the pitch. This placed great pressure on the defence and in turn resulted in the midfield’s inability to maintain possession. Dortmund were excellent with the ball too, displaying short, fast, crisp passing as they mounted attack after attack. At this stage it was difficult to understand how this team had only managed to gain four points in the competition so far. However, and to Arsenal’s great relief, it soon became apparent that while their build up play is excellent, Dortmund’s finishing leaves much to be desired as Lewandowski and Kagawa both missed good opportunities. Arsenal’s best chance in the first half fell to Theo Walcott, after a wonderful through ball from Aaron Ramsey, however the Englishman could not round the Dortmund goalkeeper and the chance was lost.

The opening minutes of the second half again saw Dortmund create chances they failed to capitalize on and slowly but surely Arsenal began to impose themselves on the match. Crucially in the 49th minute the home side took the lead through that man again, Robin Van Persie. Much will be made of the fact the Dutchman scored once again last night, however this goal owed much to the endeavor of Alex Song, who was simply phenomenal last night. The Cameroonian covered every blade of grass, made tackle after tackle to win the ball back for the Gunners and produced one moment of absolute brilliance to set up Van Persie. Surrounded by three Dortmund players on the left flank, Song managed to power past one and then weave his way between the other two before clipping a perfect cross for Van Persie to nod Arsenal into the lead. The Gunners were now in control and should have been two goals up when Ramsey’s interception released Gervinho. However rather than take an early shot, the Ivorian sold the goalkeeper a dummy, but at the same time allowed Mats Hummel to recover and steal the ball off his toe.

In the 86th minute, Arsenal sealed their place in the knock out round as Mikel Arteta’s corner was flicked on, at the near post by Vermaelen, for Van Persie to fire into an empty net. At the other end Szczesny was disappointed not to keep a clean sheet as Dortmund grabbed a consolation goal with virtually the last kick of the game, through Kagawa.

Arsenal’s achievement in qualifying from hardly the easiest Champions League group should not be underestimated. While the fate of the other English sides in the competition still hangs in the balance the Gunners can now concentrate on the league and rest players in the final game against Olympiacos. Qualification also adds to the renewed sense of optimism around the Emirates Stadium, hopefully the recent run of fine form will continue against Fulham on Saturday.

Monday 21 November 2011

Gunners record fifth straight league win

Norwich 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal recorded their fifth straight league win against Norwich on Saturday, but made hard work of it, as Robin Van Persie once again came to the rescue.

Having started brightly and creating chances at will, particularly through Theo Walcott’s incisive runs on the right, Arsenal could have been at least two goals ahead in the first fifteen minutes. Van Persie did not appear to be wearing his shooting boots during this spell as he squandered a host of chances, while Walcott excellently created space for himself on the edge of the penalty area, only to see his shot acrobatically cleared off the line by Norwich’s Russell Martin. Already frustration was building as Arsenal fans began to hope this would not be one of those days when we control the game for large spells but ultimately do not come away with the three points.

This fear was compounded in the sixteenth minute as completely against the run of play, Norwich took the lead through Steve Morison. A long ball forward (which over the years has been Arsenal’s Achilles heel) was not cleared by Mertesacker as he inexplicably took an age before deciding what to do with the ball, allowing Morison to steal in and fire the Canaries into the lead. Arsene Wenger appeared furious on the touchline, not at his defender but at the officials for failing to spot an apparent foul on the German. Although it is still far too early to make a definitive judgement, Mertesacker has failed to impress me so far. He appears far too slow for this league, his positioning is questionable at times and he does not command the penalty area with his enormous height. Wenger suggested after the match that in other leagues the defender would be given more protection from the referee in this situation, but for an international defender it was a poor mistake.



The team reacted very well following the goal; they could have felt sorry for themselves, but responded admirably, as they created a host of chances once again. Gervinho was denied by the goalkeeper, and Martin, when through on goal, but Arsenal just kept on going and in the 27th minute were finally rewarded for their endeavour. Walcott brilliantly jinked past the Norwich left back and sent an excellent low cross into the six yard box, which Gervinho tried to turn in with an elaborate pirouette, but missed. Luckily for the Gunners Van Persie was standing right behind the Ivorian to apply the simplest of finishes to bring Arsenal back on terms.

Arsenal started the second half brightly but, as at the start of the first half, could not seem to apply the finishing touch to their sumptuous moves. Gervinho directed a tame headed effort straight at John Ruddy in the Norwich goal while Walcott also shot straight at the goalkeeper. However Arsenal were not to be denied and as Aaron Ramsey dispossessed Martin in the centre of the field, Alex Song hurdled his Arsenal team mate (who had been clipped by the Norwich defender) to power forward and play a perfectly weighted ball through to Van Persie, who exquisitely clipped the ball over the advancing Ruddy to give Arsenal the lead. It was a truly wonderful finish by the Dutchman for his 31st league goal since January.
Van Persie lifts the ball over Ruddy to give Arsenal the lead

Although Arsenal remained dominant throughout the game, the fact they failed to score a third goal meant Norwich were always in with a chance of stealing a point. Nerves were gangling as Grant Holt’s disgusting attempt to win a penalty, in the dying minutes, with a blatant dive was rightly rewarded with a yellow card by Phil Dowd. Then a few minutes later the referee awarded a free kick to Norwich in a dangerous position, following another dive by the Englishman. However Arsenal held on to secure all three points and following Liverpool’s win against Chelsea, are now level on points with both these clubs. Considering the horrendous start to the season, the Gunners have done extremely well to be in this position after just twelve games. Long may it continue!

Friday 18 November 2011

Gibbs and Jenkinson injured

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15787965.stm

Arsene Wenger today delivered some unfortunate team news following the international break. Both Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson appear set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Gibbs has undergone a hernia operation which will force him out of action for four to five weeks, while Jenkinson has a stress fracture in his back and has been advised to rest (for how long we don’t know, but you can imagine it is not a short-term injury).

The news of Kieran Gibbs’ injury is softened slightly by the form of Andre Santos, although the defensive side of his game is still questionable and must improve considerably. Jenkinson’s injury however is a significant blow, especially considering he had recently shown signs of great development, particularly against West Brom and coupled with Sagna’s injury it leaves Arsenal bereft of an accomplished right back. The manager has previously suggested that Johan Djourou can fill in here, but his lack of concentration at times can be a real worry (particularly his positioning which Chelsea exploited time and again in the opening minutes of the 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge). Laurent Koscielny is another candidate who could fill this role, however the last time he played in this position was seven years ago and in any case he is performing so well at the heart of defence it would be remiss of Wenger to remove him from the centre back role. If the manager opts for either of these central defenders to solve his right back crisis, Arsenal will not only suffer defensively but also in attack. One of the most impressive aspects of Jenkinson’s play is his willingness to get forward and support the attack with his wonderful crosses, something which Djourou or Koscielny will not be able to replicate.

In previous seasons I have seen Francis Coquelin perform extremely well at right, back for the reserves. He was strong in the tackle and his powerful forward runs provided the attack with the extra dimension that will be lacking in the absence of Jenkinson. However he struggled when deployed in this role for an FA Cup game away to Stoke in January 2010 and Wenger has since admitted that Coquelin is uncomfortable in this position. I would therefore look to the reserve team and Nico Yennaris. Although also primarily a central midfielder, he proved in the Carling Cup win against Bolton that he can perform well at right back, in fact his performance was excellent, winning every ball in the air and exuding confidence. The fact that he is naturally a midfielder will also help with the attacking side of the game which is an essential element of the modern right back role.

Arsene Wenger has a tough decision to make and with the notoriously congested Christmas schedule shortly upon us, it’s a decision which could well have a significant impact on Arsenal’s season.

Friday 11 November 2011

Arsenal yet to hold Van Persie talks

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/8883098/No-Robin-van-Persie-talks-over-new-contract-until-next-summer-says-Arsenal-chairman-Peter-Hill-Wood.html

Peter Hill-Wood has confirmed the club will not even begin talks over a new deal with Robin Van Persie until the summer, when he will have only one year left on his contract. Does that scenario sound familiar? Clearly the board have not learnt anything from the Samir Nasri debacle last summer. Hill-Wood states it is the player who does not want to open talks with the club until then, but the fact “we are not troubling him” should send alarm bells ringing. This is the best player in our squad at the moment, a truly world class player upon whom so much of Arsenal’s future depends and we are not troubling him?

Apparently Hill-Wood cannot see any reason why Van Persie would not sign a new contract with the club. Well let me give you three reasons. The Dutchman is currently one of football’s hottest properties and therefore can command the highest wage available (he currently earns £80,000 a week while the likes of Tevez are pocketing £250,000). Then there is the fact that over the past few seasons Arsenal have sold at least one of their top players in the summer transfer window significantly weakening the squad, and finally the stark reality that the Gunners can no longer realistically compete for the major titles. Although he has been plagued by serious injuries since his arrival from Feyenoord, you cannot blame Van Persie for wanting to wait to see if Arsenal can match his ambition. He is in his prime and doesn’t want to waste his best years with a club that appears to be perennially in transition.

This is where Ivan Gazidis should come in and really earn his money. After years of frugality Gazidis should have plenty of resources in the bank to make Van Persie the highest paid player in the squad. Many argue that this will set a precedent and others within the squad will demand similar increases in their wage. But I believe it will act as an incentive, if you perform to the same level that Van Persie has been over the past ten months, then you will be in the same position as the Dutchman, reaping the rewards of your endeavor. Arsenal cannot underestimate just how important this deal is for the future of the club, to sit back and simply allow Van Persie to leave in the summer (which unfortunately I believe will happen) will be absolutely disastrous and could well sound the death knell for a team which was once proclaimed as invincible.

Arshavin issues ultimatum

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/8878991/Arsenal-midfielder-Andrei-Arshavin-warns-manager-Arsene-Wenger-he-may-leave-club-if-glued-to-the-bench.html

Andrey Arshavin has extraordinarily issued a ‘play me or I’ll leave’ warning to Arsene Wenger. The Russian midfielder, who has freely admitted in recent weeks that his performances since joining the club have not been good enough, is quoted as saying he currently feels glued to the bench. Well what exactly does he expect? When he first joined the club, Arshavin was a breath of fresh air, creating and scoring goals at will (netting four times against Liverpool at Anfield is no mean feat!), however since those first few months, the standard of his performances has dwindled significantly as his position in the squad has transformed from star player to liability.

When he is selected to play, he simply doesn’t look interested and doesn’t contribute anything to the team. His passing is wayward as he often loses possession far too easily and he hardly ever tracks back to help the team with its defensive duties. With him on the pitch, Arsenal are effectively a man down. Although you have to admire the candid nature of his interviews, as he recognises his performances must improve, we are still yet to witness this improvement. Supporting Arsenal these past few years has been extremely frustrating at times, but the sight of Arshavin surrendering possession, then sitting on the pitch for what seems an eternity has to be one of the most infuriating images I can think of. Yet this is the same player who scored those four memorable goals at Anfield, who scored the winner against Barcelona in that famous 2-1 victory and who terrified Bolton (albeit briefly) in the recent Carling Cup win. He therefore remains an enigma. One thing is for sure, if he wants to spend more time on the pitch than on the bench, he has to earn it through hard work and not issue ridiculous ultimatums. After all, on recent form, there aren’t many Arsenal fans who would shed a tear were he to leave.

Sunday 6 November 2011

Arsenal cruise to win

Arsenal 3-0 West Brom

Arsenal showed they are slowly but surely returning  to their best with an assured performance against West Brom as Robin Van Persie highlighted once again just how important he is to this team. The Dutchman scored the opening goal and set up two more to seal another three points for the Gunners. With Van Persie upfront, the rest of the team has a real focal point whom they have supreme confidence in.
The midfield for example can play the ball up to their captain, safe in the knowledge that he will most likely control the ball, hold it up and lay it off to a team mate. This gives them the confidence to make forward runs to support the attack as they do not have the fear of the ball being lost to the opposition and then being caught out of position. Consequently there are more options when the team attacks, providing more variety and stretching the opposition’s defence, creating more chances.
Carl Jenkinson's performances have improved significanly
Arsenal were always in control of this game, with West Brom clearly missing the services of Shane Long, Peter Odemwingie and Paul Sharner. However, you can only beat the team that is front of you and that is exactly what Arsenal did, restricting the Baggies to only one attempt on goal. Carl Jenkinson impressed me most yesterday. Thrust from league one, where he only played 10 games for Charlton last season, it has been a steep learning curve for the self-confessed Arsenal fan, as he has been forced to play more games than would have been expected. Although he has understandably struggled at times, he has always shown great heart and determination. His defensive work is improving all the time and his attacking play is generally very good, especially his crossing which is excellent. Playing alongside Vermaelen and Koscielny, he was part of a defence that looked assured and comfortable as they dealt with everything West Brom threw at them to secure a clean sheet.
The team as a whole passed the ball beautifully time and time again as they asserted their authority on the game to continue their recent fine run of form. The midfield of Song, Arteta and Ramsey interchanged excellently and controlled the centre of the park, while Gervinho and Walcott were not at their flowing best.  In the 22nd minute a quick free kick from Aaron Ramsey sent Walcott clear, however he shot straight at Ben Foster in the West Brom goal. Luckily Foster’s save fell to the feet of Van Persie who simply couldn’t miss. Arsenal doubled their lead seventeen minutes later as Alex Song’s wonderful cross  was cut back, by Van Persie, into the path of Vermaelen who duly smashed the ball past Foster. In the second half Arsenal continued to control the game, keeping West Brom at arm’s length before killing off the contest in the 74th minute through Arteta’s fine strike. This was due reward for the Spaniard who I believe has been a brilliant addition to the squad. He always appears so elegant on the ball, has a great passing range and shot and just as importantly, he does not shirk his defensive responsibilities.
Vermaelen celebrates putting Arsenal two-nil up

As we head into the international break Arsenal can reflect on improved performances and results in recent weeks which have placed them back in contention for the fight for a top four finish. Hopefully all the players on international duty will return without any injuries and Arsenal can continue to move onwards and upwards.

WHCTFTH9JX4H

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Van Persie dilemma

Arsenal 0-0 Marseille

Following the excitement of Saturday’s win against Chelsea, Arsenal and Marseille played out a listless goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium last night. Arsene Wenger made three changes to the starting line-up with Jenkinson and Vermaelen returning to the first team and Ju Young Park selected ahead of the rested Van Persie. Although emerging from a double header against Marseille with four points is a rather satisfactory outcome, the manner of the performance last night once again gave credence to those who believe Arsenal are now a one man team.

Robin Van Persie is in the best form of his career at present, 33 goals in his last 37 games is a phenomenal record, especially when you consider this has been achieved playing in a team which has faced much adversity. It is only natural that the squad relies on such a player for that moment of brilliance which can unlock a defence to seal victory and the injury to Jack Wilshere has placed further emphasis on the importance of the Dutchman to perform this role. However the players should be mindful of the fact that this is not an excuse for them to hide behind the wonderful form of their captain, instead they should use it as inspiration and aspire to achieve Van Persie’s remarkable consistency. Without this, Arsenal will never be able to realise their full potential. Last night, in the absence of Van Persie, players such as Theo Walcott and Gervinho who were both brilliant at Stamford Bridge, did not step up and grasp the opportunity to prove they can take on the mantle of creative talisman for this team.

Although Marseille defended excellently, Arsenal did not seem to have any urgency in their play and in the second half especially lacked sharpness in the final third, squandering possession far too easily, with Gervinho in particular, being outmuscled on several occasions. Aaron Ramsey, who had also received great praise following his performance against Chelsea, failed to impose himself on the match and dithered far too long when set up in the first half, by Gervinho, allowing the Marseille defence time to recover and regain possession, instead of firing Arsenal into the lead. The absence of Van Persie was keenly felt with Park, in the lone striker role, becoming a peripheral figure as the game passed him by, effectively leaving Arsenal without a focal point upfront and the fans wondering, who can possibly replace Van Persie?

Chamakh has been woeful this season while Park needs time to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League, further emphasising Arsenal’s great reliance on their captain as has already been proved so far this season. Obviously any team would suffer were they deprived of their best player, how would Man City perform without Silva, Man United without Rooney or Barcelona without Messi? Yet what these teams do possess are alternative options that are more than capable of filling the gap left by their star player. The Gunners are far too dependent on their number 10 and soon opposition teams will simply try to mark him out of the game and effectively stifle the Arsenal attack. Therefore Wenger needs to invest in a striker who can fill Van Persie’s boots, because given his injury record the chances are that he will not be able to complete a full season and I fear it is also unlikely he will sign a new contract with the club. Arsenal therefore must have a contingency plan for the seemingly inevitable or face being labelled a one man team.


Saturday 29 October 2011

Arsenal conquer the Bridge

Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal


Arsenal left Stamford Bridge with all three points after a truly fantastic game which will live long in the memory of every Arsenal fan as hat-trick hero Robin Van Persie stole the show. The gunners came into this game on the back of a run of six wins in seven games, but started rather nervously against a Chelsea team which boasted the return of £50 million man Fernando Torres. Andre Santos in particular did not look comfortable at left back as Chelsea looked to attack the Brazilian time and time again, going past him with consummate ease. The problem with Santos is that he seems too eager to win the ball back and dives into tackles rather than waiting patiently for an opportunity to regain possession. Consequently when he doesn’t win the ball, the opposition player goes past him and Santos cannot possibly recover as he has taken himself out of the game.
It was one such incident which resulted in Chelsea taking the lead, as Juan Mata evaded Santos’ tackle far too easily and crossed for Frank Lampard to head home. Arsenal understandably felt hard done by as they should have been ahead themselves with both Van Persie and Gervinho earlier failing to hit the target when presented with glorious chances. However this Arsenal team has shown great character to bounce back from their worst start in recent memory and in the 36th minute were back on terms as the previously anonymous Ramsey slid Gervinho through on goal with a sumptuous pass and the Ivory Coast international showed great composure to cut the ball back to Van Persie to fire into an empty net.
On the stroke of half time Arsenal fell behind again following some horrendous defending from a corner kick. Per Mertesacker was signed to dominate the penalty area with his height, but failed to put any sort of challenge on John Terry, allowing him to run onto Lampard’s delivery and steer the ball into the bottom corner. As Arsenal have inexplicably decided not to have two defenders on the posts when defending from corners, this season, there was no one to clear the ball off the line and Arsenal would go in at half time 2-1 down, ruing missed opportunities and poor defending.  
While other teams may have felt sorry for themselves and let the game slip out of reach, Arsenal began the second half extremely positively and strongly, scoring two goals in six minutes to take the lead for the first time in the match. First, on 49 minutes, Alex Song put Santos through on goal to level the game with a shot that Petr Chech really should have saved, then Theo Walcott picked the ball up on the right and ran at the heart of the Chelsea defence. As he tripped over his own feet the chance seemed to have gone, but Walcott was not to be undone. He picked himself up, switched the ball quickly between both feet to evade three Chelsea defenders and as he bore down on the Chelsea goal, unleashed a powerful shot to beat Chech at his near post to give the gunners the lead.
Arsenal kept Chelsea, especially Torres, quiet until the 80th minute when Santos played a poor forward pass which was easily intercepted and then played to Mata who unleashed an unstoppable strike to level the match once again. At this point I feared Chelsea would steal all three points and Arsenal would be left to pick up the pieces from another away defeat, however Robin Van Persie had other ideas. Florent Malouda passed the ball back to his defence and as John Terry slipped, Van Persie ran through on goal, rounded Chech and slid the ball home to send the Arsenal fans into delirium. The Dutchman then wrapped up the win with a brilliant strike in the 92nd minute to complete his hat-trick and round off a wonderful day for those in red and white.
This could be the result which really kick starts our season. Many had looked at the recent run of improved results with a hint of scepticism as most of the games had been played at the Emirates against so called lesser teams. After today’s wonderful performance no one can doubt that Arsenal are well and truly back.

Futile AGM


Arsenal’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday 27th October, left supporters more frustrated and bemused than ever before, leaving many to wander what was the point of it all. This is meant to be the platform for fans to have their questions answered by those who have the final say on every aspect of the club. It has, however, seemingly degenerated into a political exercise with the main focus being to avoid answering those who truly love this great club.

Thursday had been billed as the day Stan Kroenke would dispose of his Silent Stan moniker by standing up and addressing the AGM. Yet his lack lustre two minute speech only served to enforce it further. Like all great speeches it started with a joke: “I’ve been asked to say a few things, I’m not sure why but people seem to be interested.” Well at least I hope it was an attempt at comedy as I can’t believe anyone can be that dim. But just in case, let me enlighten you Mr Kroenke: we’re all interested in what you have to say because you own our club, and it would be nice to know exactly what you intend to do with it! This “brilliant” opening line was followed by the usual pronouncements of support for Wenger and how this is the only club he ever considered investing in, leaving us all pondering the same question, “tell us something we don’t know, like what you intend to do with our club.” Unfortunately those present were prohibited from asking Kroenke any questions in yet another show of complete disrespect to the fans, the very fans who have incurred a 6.5% increase in season ticket prices and upon whom the club’s existence relies.

Those with questions could only pose them before the event to Peter Hill-Wood and Ivan Gazidis and were not permitted to ask any follow up questions. Therefore rendering the whole question and answer session a pointless exercise as both men could simply reel off answers that had been prepared for them. And even then the answers were pathetic; nonsensical reposts with the sole aim of avoiding actually answering the question. Although Gazidis (the man who has received a bonus for all his splendid work, most notably allowing Nasri to enter the final year of his contract and effectively hold the club to ransom) did attempt to steal Kroenke’s prize for best joke of the day; as he suggested his target for the next year was for Arsenal F.C. to have 10million followers on facebook. That utterance alone was well worth his £1.7 million pay packet.

Ultimately yesterday’s AGM was merely an exercise in futility. The only man who spoke with any passion about our club was Wenger himself as he urged the fans to get behind the team, but even he let slip that the most we can aim for is a top four finish. His admission simply highlighted just of how far we have fallen behind the top teams, from Invincibles in 2004 to scrapping desperately to make the top four in 2011, hardly the most rousing endorsement of our self sustaining model.

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Park breaks duck

Arsenal 2-1 Bolton


Arsenal continued on their quest for Carling Cup success with a 2-1 comeback victory over Bolton Wanderers last night. The match saw the welcome return of Thomas Vermaelen from injury as Arsene Wenger made 11 changes to the team that defeated Sunderland at the weekend, providing reserve team regulars such as Ignasi Miquel and Nico Yennaris with the opportunity to prove they can perform at this level as well as offering the likes of Oxlade-Chamblerlain, Francis Coquelin and Emmanuel Frimpong the chance to enhance their burgeoning reputations further; while Ju Young Park was given the responsibility of the lone striker role.

Although Arsenal started brightly, with Oxlade-Chamberlain squandering an opportunity to give the gunners an early lead, following a wonderful pass from Frimpong, it was Bolton who seemed to pose more of an attacking threat in the first half mostly through the impressive Gael Kakuta. However Lukas Fabianski essentially only had to pull off one good save to deny Darren Pratley while Adam Bogdan, in the Bolton goal, twice saved well from Park.

While Oxlade-Chamberlain was rather quiet and did not seem able to impose himself on the game, Yennaris proved he has the ability to eventually break into the first team with an accomplished performance. Coquelin and Frimpong also worked tirelessly in the centre of the park, with Frimpong in particular using his strength to great effect, winning the ball back on numerous occasions, although his concentration must improve as he was dispossessed a few times on the edge of the Arsenal box, one such incident resulting in Bolton taking the lead through Fabrice Muamba at the start of the second half.

While lesser teams may have crumbled, Arsenal showed tremendous strength of character to not only come back into the game, but take control of it too. The previously ineffectual Arshavin was suddenly roused into action, powering forward at every opportunity, striking fear into the Bolton defence. It was this feeling of trepidation which led them to stand off Arshavin in the 53rd minute and he duly made them pay, slotting the ball into the bottom left hand corner to bring Arsenal right back into the contest. Three minutes later and Arsenal were ahead through a wonderful curled strike from Park, following another great run by Arshavin, driving forward, at the heart of the Bolton backline, before setting Park up with a perfectly weighted pass. Bolton would threaten the Arsenal goal again but a combination of good goalkeeping and luck, when Fabianski’s attempted save saw the ball squirm out of his hands and sail just over the bar, as the gunners progressed into the quarter finals.

This result will fill Arsenal fans with great optimism as it not only highlighted the fact we have a strong squad that has the quality to overcome those inevitable suspensions and injuries which affect every team but also extended our recent run of improved results. Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge will, however, prove a must sterner test. A positive result here would really galvanise the whole club and confirm our recovery from that horrendous start.