Digging ourselves from out of the Grave: (Part 2)

In this follow-up piece of my second part on how as The Arsenal we can dig ourselves out of the grave, I have come up with an approach or call it a strategy that I personally feel would help deliver unto us at least if not all, The League title, and yes I admit it is not gospel truth so I’m open to constructive criticism.

Clean Slate: Time To Mend The Wrongs

How to get back to trophy(s) winning ways:

1)      Build and strengthen existent core: 

Much has been said about Robin Van Persie’s contract talks, and God knows I could have done my best to steer away from them in this piece had I even had the slightest of chances. But sadly there’s no way I can. It’s well documented that for the past over 7 years now, we’ve sold a key Arsenal player almost every season, right from Patrick Viera to the recent departures of Samir and Cesc Fabregas. Good business in commercial terms but honestly not so prudent a move from a footballing perspective, almost every player that has been sold during these years has been part and parcel of the core that formed the Arsenal squad. Continued rebuilding from scratch every season could probably be an undeniable factor to explain the club’s trophy draught, for that matter this writer insists and maintains that for whatever price, we should NOT let go of Robin Van Persie, Alex Song and Theo Walcott; they might not be the best out there in their positions and most probably not many people’s favorites, but the work that has been put in to help them develop from raw talent to near accomplished products should at least not be put to waste. We have to maintain a certain bonding in the squad both on and off the pitch and what better way than keeping around the “old” guard?

2)      Set a Target:

At the beginning of the 2011/12 season manu’s Alex Ferguson came out publically to state his side’s points target, he declared that 80+ points was their aim, and in his opinion its all they needed to ferry the League Title to the red side of Manchester. All credit to them, they reached that target and matter of fact surpassed it, I don’t think the same standards would hurt if and when set for the Arsenal Squad, for seasons on-end we’ve barely managed to make it past the 70 points mark, a target that could only have realistically won us the title had we still been playing the game in the mid 90’s but this is a different stage, a much more evolved league with much more at stake than before. I honestly feel that as a team we need to move with the changing times if at all we are to convince anyone about the seriousness of our ambitions. Set a target, make everyone believe and show them how we can achieve it.

3)      Solid Run:

Best Signings: Cant get any better!

Unbeaten runs have always proven tricky for Arsenal in that when ended, the team always struggles to regain its footing on the soccer pitch and more than often many draws and losses have been accumulated right after the ending of our unbeaten runs. However, I would like to look at the positive vibes created by an unbeaten run, it shields the side with a roaring reputation that most times goes into the games before even the players set foot on the pitch, case in point here is games like Liverpool away where even when we didn’t give our best, we still managed to come out with the much needed 3points. I am of the view that if we breakdown the league into 3parts (and not two) where the first 3^rd is the first 15games, second as the next 13games and with the final 3^rd as the last 10games. For now allow me to concentrate on the first and second 3rds, whence we will get back to the final 3^rd towards the end of the article. Our set target for the first 15games should be achieving 40points out of the available 45; see at the  beginning of the season (at least for most of them save for the just concluded one) we’ve always burst of the blocks with too much steam, beaten teams with such ease and by huge margins, I will attribute this to freshness of the lads and lack of disruption by injuries, so no matter who the opponent should be, we should fight to the best of our ability and at least not lose a single match in our first 15 league games of the 2012/13 season, this is attainable with enough man power and a rotational squad, something that I intend to talk about too in the latter part of the article. With 40points from the first 3^rd, we can now afford to slack a bit, but only A BIT! In the next 13games, bearing in mind the intensity of the league at this point, picked up knocks by players and the increased schedules from other competitions so a minimum of 15 points from a possible 33 shouldn’t be such a bad thing, this will give us a total of 55points from 28 games, I know, I know, not so good, but this should be the minimum and at least we should all agree that it’s not the worst, matter of fact, not so bad. 

4)      Rotational Squad:

Arsenal’s biggest problem amongst a throng in the past seasons has always been a lack of team depth, we have constantly had such a wonderful first team one that could convincingly beat the likes of Barcelona, manu, Chelsea, citeh, name them all but the deficiency of depth meant that seemingly easier jobs like Wigan Athletics, Fullham, Sunderland et al could not be given the necessary urgency, and hence proving to be the biggest regrets come end of season when we look back and hold our heads in dejection. All this can be sorted out by putting a stop to experimenting with struggling players and giving them time to develop and regain their confidence in lesser competitions say like the Carling Cup or if this fails, loan deals to clubs where they will have less pressurizing atmospheres to deal with. Because with 7 trophy-less seasons, the pressure at Arsenal is understandably just gonna intensify as both positive and less optimistic fans will constantly look out for reasons to explain out their beliefs. Talking about experimenting with struggling players, I personally feel we sacrificed in the excess of 20points during the just concluded season all for the development of one player who to be honest didn’t really improve much at the end of it all. We should not have another season of the same, but rather bolster the squad with some proven quality or players sold out to the cause and will constantly give 100%+ whenever they don the Red & white canons.

5)      Consistent Commitment and Passion:

From my observation, there is not such a huge gap between the Arsenal squad and the teams that have lifted all of the four trophies that the Gunners were competing for in the 2011/12 season. Matter of fact all but NONE were at one point in the same season convincingly beaten by The Arsenal but only difference has been focus and mental strength, producing one brilliant game as a squad only to immaturely slack off in the next one and cheaply give away leads in winnable games. Getting into our “must win something” season, we have to give at least 99% in 99% of all the games we take part in, and not only the players, but also the fans, coaching staff and management, everyone should try and give their best to the best of their ability in doing their jobs. This Arsenal team as a whole is honestly too good to keep just coming close, show some PASSION!

6)      Iron out the mistakes:

Saddens me to still have to write about this, but It seems to have become norm now in the Arsenal squad that players that have continually lacked that final meticulousness about their game perpetuate the same old gaffes into new seasons and the trend is shockingly repetitive. You’re always left wondering if it’s the coaching staffs who fail to do their job in trying to iron these out or could it be a deliberate stubbornness by players where they buy into their own hype and feel they’ve reached the point where their game is more or less perfect?

7)      All season focus:

I have asked this question before and allow me to ask it one more time, who exactly should we blame for The Arsenal players’ lack of concentration and focus in the waning days and matches of the season? This brings me back to my final 3^rd segment of the season which was the last 10 games of the league; I don’t think it’s asking for too much to set a target of 10wins out of 10matches in the season run-in adding up all the points attained from the 38games of a 3segment season would give us 85points. Surely even if we don’t win it with 85points, not many will be left complaining, I for one will be deservedly satisfied. Not only will it prove a team with a heart of a champion but as well set us up for the next season because this honestly doesn’t have to just be a one season miracle but rather a working strategy that should be adopted by the team for seasons to come.

8)      Adaptive team formations: please study opponents! Know their strengths and weaknesses, identify their key players, don’t play to their advantage or else you will end up being so predictable just like “The Art of war” states: take precautions against the enemy who has good preparation and substantial strength. And there sure is NO WAY you can know this unless you study your opponents, we should avoiding outing the same known squad formation match after match, but rather try to play to the weaknesses of the opponents by identifying our own weaknesses. This should be most employed during periods when our key players are missing from games due to injuries and fatigue, case in point here should be the way Arteta’s absence was so visible for all to see and yet we still went on to play the same 4-2-3-1 formation without a dependable stand in for Mikel, this never works out to our good and hopefully we can sort it out come 2012/13 season. 

Conclusion: For the past 7 seasons we have been observing, trying and learning, always doing our best but coming short. I don’t think there is anyone with believable footballing reasons still willing to wait any longer, and if nobody wants to hear what I have to say, at least take Jamie Sanderson’s (@YoungGunsBlog) words at heart: “Only so many times can [you] sell top players and your captain before the wheels finally come off all together”

Hoping: Hopefully when the season is finally over, and all the cameras are gone, visitors to this magnificent stadium will have an everlasting Smile.

 

 COME ON YOU GUNNERS!! 

once again I would like to thank the following for being there for me:
Nil (@Nilstar1) for inspiring me

Dave (@goonerdave66) for believing with me

Judy & Sharon (@judy_vancrescit , @shaza_420) for believing in me

and Anna (@MadRuskiGunner) for bearing with my nagging :)

thanks all

Rodger >> @rodgerk1

Digging ourselves from out of the Grave: Determining How far The Arsenal can go in 2013 (Part 1)

In a two part series, I have done my best to go through our past 7 failed attempts at winning something as a team, in form of a trophy for The Arsenal, even after doing all we could and coming so close on many occasions.

Season(s) Review;

The last seven years for Arsenal have been anything but far from outstanding in football terms. A lot has been said by many about the club and sadly not much in complimentary proclamations; from departing players labeling the club as an unambitious bunch to opponents and pundits reducing us to a club that only flatters to deceive season after season (for the past 7). We’ve continually seen the team trying so hard but yet having so little to show at the end of it all, climbing atop the league table only to be bullied off because the heat had gotten too much for the young squad to stay in the kitchen.

Fewer and fewer staying interested in looking at the balance sheets that have continually (through the 7 seasons) been touted by the club management as the greatest achievements attainable, and as the trophy-less seasons have piled on; Some fans have taken to baying for blood (a list which seems to be steadfastly growing every season that passes). This lot claim that their patience has been stretched to limits too far, so much that they have resorted to booing their "heroes and models" off the playing surface on home turf and threatening to carryout bin bag protests against the manager and the team as a whole.

Balance Sheet: A big polarizing factor amongst gooners

However, it has not been all gloom and doom for all;  there is still a remnant that have held on to faith, a considerable lot that have managed to put things into perspective and decided to approach the situation with heads and not just the hearts. They know importantly how much it takes to keep in topflight football especially after financing one of the biggest projects in modern football of building and moving to a new home stadium with no sugar daddy’s wallet to suckle on. When you don’t have a billionaire financier to treat the club simply as one of his toys that he gets involved with for pleasure. 

Nevertheless, in both cases (for both sets of fans), extremism is their undoing, ignoring the current achievements and trashing glory days of the past to prove your point is just myopic. And on the other hand being completely blind to the current situation and trying to find all sorts of excuses to explain our struggles is simply being hypocritical and out of touch. Considerable and respectful criticism coupled with questions asked in civility have to be raised by all concerned hearts and at least there should be believable answers to explain things out.

With all that said though, surely there should be, and I believe there is a way back to the VERY TOP for The Arsenal! Strange seasons for many clubs come and go, but not many stranger than or even similar to Arsenal’s 2011/12 campaign; A mixture of complete downheartedness and despair adhesively intertwined with absolute joy and bliss could best describe the different stages of the season for The Gunners.

With plenty of learning experiences to be picked from the just concluded season, chief amongst these should be the fact that its more to do with the way you close the season than even the opening. In the first few games of the season, Bolton was actually amongst the top 5 teams on the league table especially after crashing Stoke City by 5 goals to Nil; And up to until the end of December 2011, Wigan Athletic was all but destined for relegation based on their poor run of form. On the other hand, Arsenal were languishing in position 17 on the league table after 7games into the season. But just like the popular adage goes “It is a marathon and never a sprint” and that my friend is the beauty of a league. A league is NEVER won in August, September, October…. and NOT even in February! We have also learned a very BIG lesson that money can, but only get you too far! You can never buy a team of 22 players in one season, and even if you managed to, you cannot maintain their form all season long. Manu and Liverpool FC can testify to this. 

The season ending saw favorite winners and table toppers relinquish an 8point gap lead between them and the team in second position to the eventual winners, and as well saw Wigan defy all odds to triumph over all teams in the top 4 to beat the drop zone. In the same manner we saw a small team choke in the final games of their season to squander 3^rd place on the table surrendering it to their fiercest and mightier rivals just across the road. It is always a Marathon.

End of Part 1

In the next part I’m going to look at some pointers we can put into consideration when vying for our first trophy in 8years, come next season. A big thank you to Nil (@Nilstar1 ) who suggested this topic to me over 3months back hence giving me an idea of what to write about in this article. Hope I’ve made you proud Nil.

Until the next piece, I remain yours

@rodgerk1

BOUNCE BACK!! Arsenal vs Chelsea Preview

Was so broken by our loss to Wigan at HOME!! On Monday, a shocking defeat it was like the coach himself admitted, the Gunners surely need to respond with a big performance in today’s London derby. It’s a game with so much at stake for both teams; a win for Arsenal will tremendously improve their chances of cementing themselves into third place and hence moving closer to guaranteeing automatic qualification to the Champions League next season. With Arteta out for the season a man without whom Arsenal have not won a single game this season, the midfield selection will most likely determine Arsenal’s chances in this game, Aaron Ramsey who has been really low on confidence for most parts of this season is expected to fill the boots of the big man, a move that might most likely polarize fan bases in and outside the stadium. Abou Diaby and Francis Coquelin have both been announced fit and up for selection and hence either of them is expected to feature at some point in the game.

Gunning For The fans: Arsenal are expected to place themselves in pole position to finish 3rd

With an eye on the Champions league finals after winning the first leg of the semifinal tie at Stamford bridge, Chelsea are expected to lineup a pretty altered side from what many saw midweek against Barcelona, game plan might however stay the same with the blues opting to sit back, invite all the pressure from an Arsenal side that will predictably be comfortable with the passing game on home turf, and wait for their chance to pounce on any counter attacks. It should therefore be upon Arsenal to determine right away what they want to get from this game, close up all the spaces by making sure the defense & defensive midfield stays disciplined enough not to make risky forward runs that might make the team vulnerable to conceding from counter attacks.

Predicted starting XI

Arsenal:

Szcsesny, Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscienly, Santos. Song, Ramsey, Rosicky. Walcott, Van Persie, Gervinho.

                                Formation:  4 – 2 – 3 - 1

Chelsea:

Cech, Ferreira, Terry, Cahill, Cole. Essien, Lampard, Mireless, Mata, Sturridge. Torres

                                Formation: 4 – 5 - 1

Proof of resurgence: Arsenal v Wigan preview

Tactics: Brain power will rule this!

Arsenal might have established themselves as the best passing team of the ball in the Barclays Premiership over seasons, but this season every time they’ve been matched up against opponents that aspire to play the same game, they have honestly come second. Memories of Fullham away in second half, and Swansea both legs still run fresh in the minds of ardent fans.  Arsenal made Fullham look like Barcelona in the second half of the away game, and the same happened when they played Swansea especially at the Liberty stadium where the gunners were second to almost everything, especially when it came to ball play. Now gearing up to face a wigan side very good at their passing game as the champions Manchester united can attest, and a side that is giving their whole to fight against the drop zone, Arsenal who have not lost a single league game on a Monday for over a DECADE are faced with a task of trying to convince the home fans that they’re a team that has turned the corner, no more giving away of vital points unnecessarily against lesser opponents, they will do their best to triumph over a fighting Wigan that just managed to  convincingly beat the league leaders in their most recent game having been hard done by by two offside goals in the game against Chelsea.

Tactics Rule:

As anticipated by many, this is a game that is most likely gonna be won by the best tactician of the night between the coaches, both teams have quality enough to surpass the other, hence team selection will determine the fluidity of either side which most likely will swing the results accordingly. Arsenal are expected to be welcoming back two players from injury, Gervinho who has been nursing a knock on his ankle and Kieran Gibbs who was taken off in the game against Manchester city with what is believed to have been a groin injury. The return of these will definitely boost a team that has been riding on its best form of the season.

Predicted starting XI:

Arsenal: Sczsesny, Sagna, Djourour, Vermaelen, Santos. Song, Arteta. Rosicky, Theo, Van Persie, Chamberlain.

                                                Formation: 4-2-3-1

Wigan: Alhabsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Figueroa, Boyce. McCarthy, McArthur, Beausejour, Moses. Di Santo, Maloney.

                                                Formation: 4-4-2

No Pushovers at This Stage: Wolves V Arsenal Preview

I like how Arteta put it 

“We have some good examples this year when we have dropped points against teams near the bottom. We have to go there with the right mentality and the right approach and sense of pride. When you are playing away from home, there are no easy games in the premier league.”

I said this against Aston villa and as well against QPR, Arsenal’s biggest undoing in the past couple of seasons has been complacency against seemingly minor teams. In the past two seasons, the gooners have actually missed out on winning the championship due to losing focus and stumbled against “second paged” premiership teams, all the fans are now hoping though, that the team has turned a corner, through such a turbulent season, for them to finally string up a series of consecutive wins, it has been such a great achievement. Team has managed to win 7 of their last 8 games and is hoping to capitalize on their fierce rivals’ slip up in the battle for 3^rd position as they visit molineux to take on bottom side Wolverhampton wanderers. 

Since sacking their manager Mick McCarthy in February of this year, wolves have only managed to muster 1 point out of their last 8games, things are really looking bleak for Terry Connor and yet he has to do all his best to help the team keep in top flight football something that is really proving so hard for wolves. However its teams like these, struggling and battling to hang on to dear lives that have always given Arsenal the hardest of times, last season, right after victory over the mighty Barcelona, Arsenal could only muster a 2-2 draw against Wigan in their next outing.

The gunners’ team is once again faced with injury issues to their key men, with choice left back Gibbs ruled out, Sagna probably facing a late fitness test and Gervinho still not expected to start because of the ankle injury that ruled him out of the game against Manchester city. As if this is not enough, Arsenal are also to travel without their current on-form and arguably the best center back in the league currently, Laurent Koscienly as he has to serve a two games ban following his double figures yellow cards accumulation. The Arsenal is however expected to build on their form and resilience to employ whatever it takes to realize the three points needed for this fixture.

Predicted starting XI:

Wolves : Hennessey; Zubar, Johnson, Bassong, Ward; Kightly, Henry, Davis, Milijas, Jarvis; Fletcher.

                                                                Formation:  4-4-2

Arsenal: Szscesny; Jenkinson, Djorou, Vermealen, Santos; Song, Arteta, Rosicky; Theo, Chamberlain; Van Persie

                                                                Formation: 4-3-2-1

Now Or Never: Arsenal V Manchester City game preview

I predict the shortest ever post in the history of this blog site for the game coming up between Arsenal and Manchester City, the two teams are both geared for bragging rights. Arsenal, the hosts have sights on the third position as they fight to defy suffering the biggest upset in the club's history of allowing their rowdy North London neighbors Tottenham hotspurs from finishing above them for the first time in the history of both clubs! City on the other hand want to prove a point as to why they spent in excess of 200M leading up to this season when the club owners wrote a check for clubs of every player their manager pointed a finger at.

No Chance: Arsenal look to stop the biggest spenders in the league

Reality Check:
In all honesty, Manchester city have looked a club dealing with fatigue in their recent couple of games, winning just one of their last four and collecting a mere 5 out the 12 available points which has seen them fall off the top of the league table and are now going to be a possible 8points adrift of the summit if they lose against Arsenal and their challengers to the title, Manchester United win against QPR as expected. which will more or less make it impossible for them to lift the title with just 6games to go. City are however going to be boosted by the return of their key men to the squad in Julian Lescott, Samir Nasri and Kun Aguero who all missed out on their last thrilling encounter against Sunderland, a game in which the team stared right into the face of defeat but escaped narrowly when they managed to come from 2goals down and leveled before Fulltime to come out with 3-3 draw.

Arsenal on the other hand have been a fighting and re-surging side from the team that started the season. managing to win a whooping 7 of their last 8 games and are only referring to the loss against QPR as a small blip that they are determined to get over in this must win clash. with both teams having sights on the position above them, this Arsenal team is seeing Manchester City as another "enemy" that they have to confront with full might and in all fairness Arsenal are leading up to this one as the favorites. The Gunners home form has been nothing far from impeccable having lost only twice in the league, better matched by only today's visitors Manchester city, who are yet to lose a game on their home turf! But the hosts here will definitely be wary of complacency which is believed to have cost them a relatively easier win against QPR, hence the team is expected to be resilient on all fronts and with the backing of the home support, the lads will most likely work hard not to disappoint not only their families in the stands, but also their their ever loyal fan base. No fresh injuries have been reported in the squad since their last game, and so the same team that started against QPR save for maybe a change or two on the left wing is expected to start this after noon.

Predicted Starting XI:
Arsenal:
Sczsesny, Sagna, Koscienly, Vermalean, Santos. Song, Arteta, Rosicky, Gervinho, Van Persie, Theo
                                           Formation: 4-3-2-1
Manchester City:
Hart, Richards, Kompany, Kolo, Clichy. De jong, Yaya, Silva, Nasri. Balotelli, Aguero
                                           Formation: 4-4-2

Settle the scores: QPR v Arsenal game preview

In the last game they played against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this year, the then Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock felt his team deserved at least a point from the game having been so disciplined in defense and also due to the fact that the goal they conceded was off a mistake from their own player Shaun Wright Phillips who played the ball backwards in a sloppy attempt to back pass, which ball was pounced on by the retreating Arshavin who set through Van Persie and he made no mistake.

After the game, warnock shockingly went on a "fuming spree" trying to convince all how he could make a better referees’ trainer and educate them all about players like Van Persie who jump to get the ball with their hands barging into the opponents' defenders. sour grapes? yes, that’s what it seemed like to me too. But this QPR side is different, forget about the questionable run they have had since appointing Mark Hughes as their new boss, this side still has talent! The likes of Abdel Taarabat, Joey Barton and Bobby Zamor will be all out to try and save club from sinking into relegation, even if it means fighting against Arsenal, I’m very sure they will, just like they did against Liverpool when they went two goals down only to battle themselves back and ended up winning the match 3-2

Key factor leading up to this game for Arsenal is discipline for all players, with and without the ball, this is going to be a very unpredictable QPR side, with Mark Hughes fighting to retain the job he just acquired a few months back, we can’t put surprise gambles past him, he will do anything to try and see that he takes Arsenal by shock, trying to out do the gunners quality studded side.

With many players fit now, Arsenal have the luxury of resting some of their players that they can’t risk not to have against Manchester City this week, another must win game as the Gunners try to maintain their impressive run of form. With Koscienly a yellow card away from a two games ban, many are hoping that he starts on bench for Djorou who had a fine game against Aston Villa at the Emirates last week.

In all honesty, for a team that has been used to playing at least 2-3times a week, Arsenal players should be well rested leading up to this game and so are expected to give their best so as to return home with all the 3points hence making it an incredible 8wins on a trot since 2004!

Predicted starting XI:

QPR: Kenny, Young, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Traore, Barton, Derry, Diakite, Taarabt, Zamora, Mackie

                                                            Formation 4 -4– 2

Arsenal:

Sczsesny, Sagna, Vermalean, Djorou, Santos. Song, Arteta, Ramsey. Walcott, Van Persie, Gervinho

                                                           Formation: 4-2-3-1

Keeping Momentum: Arsenal v Aston Villa Preview

Arsenal are once again back on home turf for the weekend after what seems like eons since they last played their North London Rivals on a weekend, a couple of weeks ago. A game that set the momentum pace for the gunners, ever since then, they’ve not lost a single match they’ve played in, winning an impressive 4 out of 4 on the trot post-North London Derby, and will be working hard to maintain that against Aston Villa this afternoon, as the season nears end.

Villa might prove to be such a tricky side, the kind that have always given Arsenal problems over the seasons because of their unpredictability, its these teams that have muddled through the season unpredictably that have always taken Arsenal by surprise, as many at times the players have visibly undermined them and play with complacency which most times has turned out to be costly. This was evidenced when the same Villa side traveled to the Emirates for a FAcup game and managed to put two quick goals past Arsenal in the first half albeit against the run of play. It was their patience that had gotten them there. Despite all Arsenal’s attacking, they’d failed to find the back of the net, and Villa had to show them how to do it, however, the gunners found it in them to dig deep and produce what was required of them, they managed to win the game by 3-2. This time round though, with many players having returned from Injury, a better performance is expected from the lads, chances like the missed opportunities against Everton midweek should not resurface, it’s a home game afterall, do it for the fans that will keep the team inspired. Kill off the game!

Strenghts:
With a crop of young players that provide both engine and Grit to this fighting Villa side, they are expected to be defensively disciplined waiting for their chance to pounce on a counter attack just like many visiting teams to the Emirates have been, key men to watch out for will be Banan, Albrighton and Charles N’zogbia. Banan is the never tiring type, fights for every ball in the midfield and has a good pass on him, plus his free kicks are not far from spectacular. Albrighton too, a player to me that is the best crosser of the ball in The Premiership does such an impressive job on the wings, the goal he scored in that FA night earlier on in the season still rates as one of the best Arsenal have conceded at the emirates in a while. Charles N’zogbia, a threat on either wings and even in the middle, he’s the one guy they’re going to mostly rely on to unsettle the Arsenal defense and on a good day, he can really be quite a handful. Things like near edge free kicks and a penalty or two as a result of N’zogbia’s pressuring should not come as a surprise if any of our defenders is having an off day, I mean its Phil Dowd at the helm, you know?

That said though, Arsenal have everything they require to win this game, a great forward in Van Persie, wonderful wingers in Theo and either of Gervinho or Chamberlain plus a midfield inspired by Rosicky’s ever improving form supported by Alex Song and Arteta. Honestly this squad should be good enough to match up to anybody in the league and almost in all competitions, not forgetting the continually delivering solid back four of Sagna, Vermalean, Koscienly, Gibbs and the awesome Sczsesny in goal. Only worry is Koscienly who is just 1yellow card away from a two games ban which will effectively see him out of the game against Manchester City and so many are thinking that the player might not be featured in this fixture, which might see an alteration in that Back Four setup.
Predicted Starting XI
Arsenal:
Sczsesny, Sagna, Koscienly, Vermalean, Santos. Song, Arteta, Rosicky. Theo, Van Persie, Chamberlain
Formation: 4-2-3-1.
Aston Villa:
Given, Hutton, Cuellar, Collins, Warnock. Ireland, Petrov, Banan, N’zogbia, Albrighton, Agbonlahor
Formation: 4-5-1
Cheers y’all
Rodger

No putting the foot off the gas: Everton v Arsenal Preview.

In the last 11 games, Everton has only lost one, a derby for that matter and where they were keeping an eye on their FA Cup progression as well, hence rested key players like Tim Cahill, Drenthe & Jack Rodwell and Phill Jagielka. Steven Piennar who has also been such an integral part to their squad since rejoining the club in January will be hoping to recapture his memorable performances against the gooners like he did the last time he played for the blues at the Emirates when his deft chip over a hapless Manuel Almunia all but surely killed off any hopes of Arsenal winning the Championship that season.

Arsenal on the other hand have got something on Everton, one of their battle hardened men that used to terrorize opponents like Arsenal so much now changed camps, and as fate would have it, he’s now going to be gunning against the blues in this particular match! Memories aside, Mikel Arteta is expected to give his whole for Arsenal as the Gunners embark on doing their best to continue on with their impressive form in the season run-in.
Though the Wenger’s men have lost 3 of their last 11 games, they have really impressed in most of their wins setting a record as the English Premiership’s come back KINGS having come from losing positions four times consecutively to win all the games, something no other club in the History of the EPL has ever done.
The game today calls for more of the recent past from both side, both teams want to continue on with their inspiring runs, but Everton though have one “handicap” three of their key men in Jack Rodwell, Seamus Coleman and Darren Gibson are expected to miss the game, this will give arsenal a slight advantage over a team commonly known for its resilience and high work rate. Arsenal have been welcoming back most of their players that have been plagued by injuries throughout the season, and so will feeling more confident going into this one. Abou Diaby and Andre Santos are both expected to make the trip to the Mersey side having featured in the most recent Arsenal Reserves’ games.
Predicted Starting XIs
Everton:
Time Howard, Neville, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Osman, Drenthe, Heitinga, Pienaar, Fallaini, Cahill
Formation: 4-5-1
Arsenal:
Wojceich, Sagna, Vermalean, Koscienly, Santos. Song, Arteta, Rosick. Theo, Van Persie, Chamberlain
Formation: 4-2-3-1

Sharing in the fans pain: How sensitive should {our} players be?

I know many Gooners had different views and opinions about Jack Wilshere’s tweets in support of Chelsea last night. When Chelsea scored their third goal, one that brought the goal aggregate of the tie level, Jack took to twitter and posted this

“Just jumped up when Lamps scored! I want Chelsea through....English and proud! Come on you blues!”

this enraged many more than it pleased some, for the many that were against it, they couldn’t believe that an Arsenal player would go on to cheer for a local London rival in a competition that Arsenal painfully bowed out of at the same stage, and while for those few that were in support of Jack’s cheering, “patriotism” was what most of them gave as the reason. I’m not the kind that would stupidly send abusive tweets to any player! But I honestly understand where some fans that felt hurt by that tweet were coming from, and on my own TimeLine I made known my opinion of Jack’s tweet.

 See its one thing for a player to congratulate another team upon their success after a game, I mean that’s what we call fair play, right? But for a player to go on and cheer for a local rival it honestly borders around insensitive, we fans are of course irrational, sometimes we don’t want to put logic into our reasons for supporting, that’s why we spend loads of money to travel to the furthest of places, sleep in not so comfortable conditions and cheer on even when things are not going so well for the club on the pitch,  all in show of support and love of the club we ascribe to.

Honestly thinking, for the 5000 that travelled to Milan this season and saw us giving one of our worst displays for the season and yet still applauded on the players, to see one of our own in Jack Wilshere tweeting in support of a team that snatched our then best right back to progress beyond the stage we’ve failed to advance from in the past two seasons, it must be really painful, and it was to many. See if you’re going to use the excuse of “English and proud” then many would wonder, so if it had been Tottenham against another non-English side, you would still support in show of patriotism? I personally feel if Jack had supported Chelsea in the privacy of his home, wait till the final whistle and then tweet a congratulatory message with a “good luck to Chelsea on the next stage”, many if not all wouldn’t have minded that, all players do that anyway

I think it’d be good of the players to always bear in mind that the clubs they support are global brands with fan bases extending to almost all corners of the world and therefore should be a little more careful with what they share with millions in all corners of the world. Of course its just an opinion and so I expect many to ridicule but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that not long from now, if these behaviors are not curbed, we might find ourselves dealing with something more serious concerning what players share with the public, than just a “Come On You Blues”.

Cheers

Rodger

Opportunity to Seize (Arsenal V Newcastle Preview)

Monday night 20:00 GMT and Arsenal are back in the fray! once again against another contender for the top four finish on the table. The gunners go into this one in a more confident mood than they were in at the beginning of the season when all they had available for the same fixture were rookies. Having managed to fight and turn around their season in dramatic fashion against all odds especially after being written off by almost every pundit before and after Christmas. For the first time since the season began, they managed to string together four back to back wins in their last premier league encounters and are aiming to make this their fifth. Despite the failings at the start of the season, the gunners are now setting their eyes on finishing third above their north London rivals tottenham who have never finished above them in the Barclay premier league, something that the current crop of players are keen to maintain.

Battle Field:
contention is mostly expected to be about midfield duels as Newcastle are predicted to play a very physical game in the middle of the park in order to disrupt any creativity by the explicitly passing Arsenal side on home turf. With this approach, Newcastle hope to gain advantage by lofting the ball into the box to a target man who will most likely be their on form striker Demba Ba and with Arsenal's season long defensive struggles, the away side hope to inflict pain on the hosts like they managed to do against the reigning champions Manchester United when they visited the Sports Direct Arena earlier on in the season. However, the gunners too seem to have an inspired plan with their resurgent form and returning of players like Arteta, Benyoun Santos and Ramsey from injuries and also the fact that this will be the only game they have to play till 10days later when they play Everton. This means that they can give the game their whole and fight hard to gain the three much needed points.

Predicted Starting XIs
Arsenal: Sczesny, Sagna, Vermalean, Koscienly, Gibbs. Song, Arteta. Rosicky. Chamberlain, VanPersie, Walcott.
                           Formation: 4-2-3-1
NewCastle: Krul, Simpson, williamson, coloccini, santon. Tylor, Tiote, Guthrie, Cabaye, Guttierez. Ba
                          Formation: 4-5-1

Spend some F***in Mon€¥! (The true meaning of the phrase)

This morning I woke up to shocking news of losses in the Europa league of the two top table clubs in the English premier league. Manchester United lost 2-3 at home to Athletic Bilbao and Manchester city lost 1-0 away to Sporting Lisbon. Questions instantly started running through my head, and chief among these was this: “are the Mancs that shit or is the Premiership fast becoming a joke now?” and I would like to argue for the side of the latter, yes I’m agreeing with the fact that the premiership has become a joke, and this is what happens when even in our day to day lives we assume that throwing money at everything is the solution to all our struggles. when you see a club like Chelsea that had gone for over 50years without ever winning the league have the chutzpah of sacking 7coaches in a period of 7years just because they (the coaches) have only won a double and not gone for all the three cups the owners covet, what a joke! See the problem with throwing money into football, is that you will have coaches like Roberto Mancini with no tactical knowledge at all buying prolific players and only have a duty to assemble them, put them onto the pitch and sit back and wait for results. It is killing the beautiful game! So much that it pains seeing how teams like Bilbao who sit 5^th currently in the Spanish La liga beating the champions of England on HOME TURF!! And you still want to be pitted as the best league in the world? Give me a BREAK!! That is not reminiscent of a powerful league, not at all! I mean just a few seasons back games like those could have been more or less walk overs for so many English clubs, even Fullham could manage to majestically go all the way to the finals of the Europa league despite it being a mid-table team in England.

Short Term Success: The Epitome of Over spending in the English Premier league

All it took (a few years back) was for the English team to show up and play their game! Not anymore now, today all English clubs want to do is lineup their “star studded” sides of mercenaries and wait for results! How low can a league sink? How immoral can the level of playing in a league get! This is the league where one person comes up and stakes themselves as guarantors/”banks” for the whole club (read Chelsea). In the end, the entire future of the whole club is hinged around the existence and mercies of one individual, short term success has been gullibly pursued over legacy and prestige, clubs have become whores, anyone with a billion in the bank can become their god! And you still have media pundits and bloggers arguing for more money injection by Arab billionaires into clubs, my question is what then will happen when every club gets a billionaire? Are we not going to get into another world of Mafioso’s? Where games are going to start being fixed? I mean it’s not like controversial referee calls are anything new in the premier league, that if a ref is paid off to swing results toward one side will be such a shocking thing to all the audiences around the world. We have seen clubs and coaches with insightful spending patterns being pounded left right and center with every word printable bordering around offensive! Hundreds of media houses in and around Europe have called for Wenger’s head because he’s been running Arsenal frugally, they would rather someone comes in that is willing to splash money at every overrated & overhyped player.

 With headlines like “Arsenal the club in crisis” little attention has been paid to the wonderful running of the club, or even the hopeless spending/overpaying for mediocre players by teams like Liverpool, Arsenal has been seen as the devil for clinging onto prudence, but honestly if I’m going to spend 200M in one season just so I can struggle to win one league cup, I would rather spend little or none to fight and contend on all fronts! This silliness that has taken the English premiership by storm needs to be curbed or very soon we are all going to witness before our own eyes a league in decline as other more competitive leagues like the Bundesliga take to the summit of European and world football.