Thanks to MIO actually. Can't have too many complaints over the FREE Champion's League coverage, but that meant that it was only available for viewing in my room. The TV in the living room has been stripped bear of all cool cable TV gadgets because shouting outside in the living room will disturb the mother. Shouting in my room on the other hand, has less damaging effects. Also, with MIO currently only broadcasting the CL, it is not viable to get another box now. I will get another for the brother, otherwise, I can forgo all privacy, and if our games clash we will clash too.
But last night was rather enjoyable. I meant the game, save for Bayern conceding a stupid freekick which resulted in the United goal in like, the first minute, from the second pass of the game which was a LONG BALL, something in which the brother is super against because apparently, that's all Liverpool know how to do. It's all part of the game really, if Man Yoo don't hit long balls at all, then you are eligible to condemn Pool. Say, like if you're an Arsenal fan, then you can condemn long balls all you want. We do hit them, but at a rate of close to zero per game, considering that Almunia's distribution is also just as shitty as his handling.
As that game progressed, Edwin Van Der Sar got more and more impressive with his saves, and made me think of our keeper. I think VDS would be quite depressed to know that he reminded me of Manuel Almunia, but for all the good reasons for him, and the bad for us. We really need a good quality keeper that can keep us in games. Almunia has the ability no doubt, but his mental seems to be failing him quite a bit. We all know he can do a good job, but his flapping is getting worse and I really can't think of reasons for that. Is that John Terry screwing his wife?
United's first goal, was a gift from Zorro, a.k.a. Demichellis. He committed the foul, and then slipped when marking Rooney. Jeez. Can you get any luckier than that? But Man Yoo, not being themselves, decided to fuck it all up. I mean, I've never seen them play worse after gaining a lead. Normally, you know, they build on it and keep going and destroy the opposition? Did it to Arsenal, couldn't do it to Bayern. HMM. Mr Brother said after Rooney scored that MU were going to win 4-0, because MU's experience will show. But yeah, the curse of the sister struck again. I think I posted before, about the Everton-MU game over CNY period where it was an early kick off and we were all out on one of our big family dinners. He had no choice but to watch Football Channel on my phone and they lost 3-1. (and he blamed me hahahaha) Had MU lost by the same scoreline, it would have been quite the jinx. A loss, nevertheless. My phone and my TV sent a signal to Frank Ribery and woke him up in the second half. Alert, alert, red devil fan invading gooner territory. Exterminate, exterminate.
I would gloat, but I learned not to, because Arsenal play Barcelona tonight. Home form in Europe suggests that, finally, FOR ONCE, statistics are on our side. We've only lost 1 out of 27 home games in Europe. Don't need to remind you where that 1 loss came from. It's a pretty impressive record, but records are always there to be broken, so hopefully, good things happen and we'll have a chance to maintain that streak in the semis, i.e. by beating Barcelona over 2 legs.
Injury news now are all about Fabregas' fitness. Darn Birmingham City's shitty Craig Gardner asshole decided that he wanted Fab's legs but couldn't get it so he tried to take them off. Then that darn Howard Webb, representative of England at the WC, didn't even bother taking out a yellow from his butt pocket. Srsly. They should stop with the promo materials. He's a shit ref, and with no vested interest at the WC, I hope he fucks up his career in South Africa and just go back to being a policeman.
Other than that, we're good to go. No really. Gallas will make it back and restore the fantastic CB partnership with Vermaelen, who decided that it was necessary to say that he quit Ajax to play against Barcelona. Heh. From Dutch football, to the premier league, and doing an excellent job so far. Yet another crown jewel unearthed by Le Prof. Chamakh scored last night with an excellent header and if he does come, I think he'll do very well over here, no matter how much I want Edin Dzeko. I signed him in FM and he is awesome. But yeah, we have Bendtner, who is the same type so Wenger will never sign him or it'll 'kill Bendtner'. Then when Dzeko becomes a big hit in another team, Wenger will say that he was considering a move for him but it wasn't viable. So, we should just stick to NB52 (nahbeh 52) and hope for the best, especially tonight. He will be jey no doubt, and his bust up with Adebayor wasn't the only bust up with another striker he thinks he's better than. In the very special Scandinavian rivalry, he and Ibrahimovic had a 'war of words' in the media when Denmark took on the Swedes. I always feel that the stars like to align on matters like this ergo make this all happen. Neither players have spoken about each other but I don't think they like each other very much. Nicky was on the winning team that time, 1-0.
I WOULD SO TOTALLY TAKE THAT SCORE TO THE NOU CAMP.
I think stopping the away goal is key, and I really don't mind if Arsenal put on a great defensive shift, i.e. being responsible at the back. We always have the ability to score, but not the ability to defend. Between 2 teams who rely so much of attacking play, perhaps the key lies in their defensive performance. Don't know what to expect tonight, in terms of tactics, but it should be a cracker of a game, regardless. And of course I exclude any possibility of Barca scoring and us not winning. (only then it'll be a cracker.)
Winning ugly when we absolutely need to, is another mark of Champions. Tonight, I don't care about the pretty football. All I want is a win and a clean sheet.
Do it, lads.
P.S. credit to Singtel for the free coverage. Nothing like winning Singaporeans over with FREE good quality stuff. A marketing genius. The queues outside ST shops will never subside and everyone I know will be catching next season's action. Offering lower prices means higher sales and more satisfied customers, while they have a chance to market their other channels, no matter how crappy they are. I'm just here for the football. The concept of Season Pass however, is a very good one.
Carlton Palmer called Almunia the 'clown in goal' and QUITE RIGHTLY SO.
For a game that would mean absolutely nothing for Birmingham in terms of the standings in the table (Europe is a damn fucking long shot for them), they put in a fantastic display against Arsenal who had an entire week off. They played Blackburn at Ewood Park midweek and nothing showed.
Just as well hauled ourselves back into the title race, we're falling behind yet again. Story of Arsenal isn't it? It would take nothing short of magical to win the title, and something spectacular to win the Champion's League, the other competition we're still in.
Not going too much into the game because recalling it will be utterly painful. Walcott didn't threaten with his pace, Rosicky couldn't provide the spark, neither could Cesc, Clichy still can't cross, Bendtner's touches suddenly grew heavy again, Denilson is back to being the Denilson of old, and yes. Almunia really is a clown.
For all of the team's individual failings, if you could at least rely on your keeper for a bread and butter save, then the result would be so different. Almunia really needs to go. A big club like Arsenal cannot cope with a shitty keeper like that and Wenger needs to know this.
Anyway, I thought Sol, Song and Diaby were the team's top performers regardless of the crappy shift the rest of their teammates decided to put in. Diaby in particular was fantastic. His touches were perfect to say the least and he was making things happen.
So, this game was down to maturity and Arsenal do not have it yet. Barcelona looms and the manager said that a win at Birmingham would be the best preparation for the big game but obviously, the lads did not share his sentiments. He needs to get in their ears again and scream at them the same way he did at Anfield. Today, they really weren't fit to wear the shirts.
About our run-in being perceived as easy, going to play the not-so-top sides means shitty pitches. St. Andrews is just one of them. We still have to travel to the DW stadium which probably is 100 times worst.
The title was never in our hands. St. Andrews once more, isn't a good ground to go to.
Don't know if I have it in me to keep believing.
P.S. not completely gutted. nothing new about Arsenal who can't defend even if their lives depend on it, in the 90th minute.
Considering that we don't play any of the big teams, Alex Ferguson's dissing of the FA for not extending Thomas Vermaelen's ban after our appeal is as ridiculous as the FA dismissing it.
Why did the FA extend Rio Ferdinand's ban?
IT WAS A FUCKING ELBOW TO THE FACE.
Does he not understand the FA rule book? Vermaelen's alleged 'foul' will never ever come anything close to VIOLENT CONDUCT.
So up yours, Ferguson. May karma find you in ways where Wayne Rooney is out for the rest of the season.
It's obvious to see that the dick of all dicks is finding Arsenal a real threat now, so much so that he has to use his mouth and the media to play his 'mind games'. Oh dicky, we're not worthy. Keep your 'mind games' for your own players.
Besides, even if the ban did get extended, it would be against Wolves at home. It is plain to see that Faggotson is looking for anything he can get. Try a hooker website. I hear money can buy you love.
So, tonight. There is indeed a lot of hype surrounding this fixture at St Andrews. The good thing, is that Martin Taylor has pursued a different career path at a lower league, that bastard. Wenger believes in Eduardo and he hopes that the Brum fans don't sing Taylor's name. If the betting agencies have this one, I would buy it. Fans in the midlands simply have no class. When we played Villa not long after the incident, they too were singing shit. Can't count of retards to not behave like retards right?
Stoke fans included.
Good thing Aaron has 2 legs now.
I'm a little nervous about the game but I guess it's normal. Whatever it is, it's going to be a tough game but I think the lads have it in themselves to cope. What maturity they've gained over the course of this season will be tested tonight, with Barcelona in sight. I think the next 2 games in the league are pretty crucial. Past track records do show that Arsenal's focus falters with a big European game midweek. Hopefully the lads, led by Fabregas will have their concentration with them and get the 3 points. They can think of Barca all they want after they've won the game.
Judging from statistics, the FA hasn't overturned many decisions this term. Instead, they have relentlessly added on to the punishment for apparent 'frivolous appeals'.
Good Lord.
Don't know if it's well worth the risk, but Vermaelen could potentially miss the visit of Wolves too, i.e. fresh for both Barca ties. Won't miss the trip to Sp*rs either so we'll see if this pays off.
Most endearing news of the day: Thierry Henry's dread of facing Arsenal
Don't know if he'll be taking the field to face us, but it's going to be an emotional day for him and fans. Everytime I think Thierry now and his love for Arsenal, Adebayor seems to pop into my head. Thierry was his mentor yet the finished product is a total cunt. Don't need to remind you of how he went out of his way to celebrate his goal. Nosirrr.
I personally think that Thierry is a model pro, and you give your best for whichever team you're on, regardless of previous connections. It's going to be the same for Cesc, so if Thierry plays, I'd expect Henry to do his job.
Since we're on the topic of Adebayor, Jay-Z, husband of Beyonce, has reiterated his support for the Gunners. HAH. I think we're more interested in Jay-Z's reaction to Adebayor pimping off his wife, using her to symbolise AC Milan. If Jay-Z were a true Gooner then he should be absolutely pissed as we were, that this Arsenal player could find it in himself to court another club so openly. Of course, it's not surprising that anyone uses Beyonce as an analogy. Honey B's stocks are always rising. Perfect collaboration with GaGa.
Anyway, on the whole Thierry thing, he may well be leaving for the MLS in the summer. I don't think it's a bad thing really. And like most of the European MLS players, it would be a dream if we could loan him during the MLS close season. Just a thought, for a perfect dream to become reality.
Even the captain himself doesn't think that Arsenal's a one-man team with him being the centre.
He did his research and apart from the Everton game which he missed, we've won the other 4. Nevertheless, we all know that an Arsenal team is better with him in it. There is no doubt about that.
He goes on, keeping both feet firmly on the ground, when broaching the subject of Barcelona. It's going to be a massive game for him and Arsenal, but he's looking more towards Birmingham. According to him, the mark of Champions is being able to look to the next game and focus, rather than the bigger game after that. If you asked any Arsenal fan though, they would rate the Birmingham game as highly as Barcelona. Slipping up in either matches could prove fatal to both of those competitions. Many a times in previous seasons, the team had performed spectacularly in Europe against the big teams but struggled badly in the league when we played the mid-table to bottom-table teams. This season though, with the amount of maturity the squad is starting to show, I hope that wouldn't be the case. The boss did mention in his post-match interview that the fuss of the Barca draw did play into their heads at the beginning, right until they were down to 10-men did the urgency come back. I hope the lads do not need a repeat of that to get things going at St. Andrews.
With regards to the title race, United did away with Liverpool with ease, while Chelsea faltered at Ewood Park. I guess it's not safe to assume everyone's going to roll over at Chelsea's feet. It is however, spot on to assume that they do it at United's feet. Liverpool is really a spent force. Chelsea play their game in hand midweek at Fratton Park with Avram Grant surely out to prove a point or two. Not sure about that game, but if Chelsea still wants the title they have to win it. It's going to be quite tough though, thank God for that.
We gotta continue to grind out results and abandon the showboating. Winning at all costs involves winning ugly and I'd like to see more of that. Finishing of chances as soon as you can, taking the shot first time instead of passing in order to show off our technical quality. A goal's a goal, whether it's pretty or not, and goals win us games. Since we're the Arsenal though, some might argue that showboating is part of the way we play, but I'm sure all fans will agree that it can come after we're at least 3-0 up instead of 1-0. If we had taken at least one of the chances after being 1-0 up in the first half, Vermaelen may not have been sent off at all, and West Ham wouldn't have had that golden chance to pull themselves level, served on a fucking golden platter by the linesman.
I'd rather 5 ugly goals scored than 1 pretty goal. Winning 5-0 is ultimately more satisfying than 1-0.
On the game...A 2-0 win over West Sham at home and if you looked at the scoreline alone, once again, it looks like a rather routine win, which should have been the case.
Denilson, played the game of his life tonight and got us ahead in the first 5 minutes. Now now, we keep complaining that we don't get goals in the first 15 minutes of games. Last game against Hull, we did too. That game didn't get any easier after that as well and Hull equalised from the penalty spot, from yet another dodgy decision from the ref.
The difference is, Almunia saved this one. If you can recall the Roma game last season, he couldn't save a single one. Now when it mattered a whole lot more (since we won that shootout anyway), he steps up and delivers.
This game was what the players needed. The much-maligned dudes came out and put in a great shift. Denilson wasn't his old self. Wasn't spectacular, but got his head down and did what we needed him to do and was there to finish brilliantly. Eboue was magnificent yet again and I can see why he is starting games now, whether in right midfield or at right back. His quick feet and skillful dribbling often leaves the opponent with no choice but to foul him. The downside is, we didn't make any of it count, aside from Eboue's lob to Fabregas who was handballed by Matthew Upson.
In a game where we were a man down though, having Eboue run at their defence and drawing the spot kicks was actually very smart tactical play. All credit to the player, and the manager, who unlike Zola, was spot on with all his substitutions. Diaby on for Bendtner, wasn't a straight swap because obviously, Diaby isn't a towering striker. He however, has a physical presence too and added a lot more to the midfield battles as well as defensively.
Then Nasri was taken off for Sagna with Eboue moving further forward, being the move to draw the fouls and to break up play more often to wind down the clock.
The last, Eduardo for Arshavin, was probably to lessen the agony of Shava who clearly doesn't enjoy playing centre forward at all. At times, he could have shown a little more commitment and made the run to the near post more often but didn't. Can't really think of an explanation for that.
Vermaelen got sent off with a straight red late in the first half. It was a fucking dubious decision to say the least. Fuck you Martin Atkinson. Didn't have the balls to overturn the linesman's decision to flag profuriously and FUCKING NOTHING. Couldn't see for himself either. SIMPLY NO BALLS.
So, the lads did their part today. Now it's up to Liverpool and Blackburn. It was refreshing to be the first to clear our weekend game and actually be able to put pressure on Man U and Chelsea.
The above is in response to the Champion's League quarter final and semi final draw.
Q1 Lyon vs Bordeaux Q2 Bayern vs Man Utd Q3 Arsenal vs Barcelona Q4 Inter vs CSKA Moscow
winner of Q1 plays winner of Q2 and Q3 play Q4 in the semi finals, i.e. we're at the tougher part of the draw.
The draw is made. The fixtures are laid. Game on.
I blame Messi really. He had to come out to talk about Arsenal. And then Thierry Henry. Thierry had to say that he would totally have an emo break if he had to play Arsenal.
For me, it has been a long time coming. Somehow, we all knew that we'll face Thierry someday and with his contract at Camp Nou expiring in the summer, this was probably the last chance for the footballing Gods to arrange this match up. Also, probably the ONLY chance for an all French quarter final. Didn't they know that Arsenal is French too? It could have been all French is some other way.
On the plus side, Arsenal vs Barcelona will be the biggest highlight of the draw. Two teams that zip the ball so well on their day, against each other, competing who can zip the ball better and put it in the back of the net. Both play possession football so it'll be interesting how the posession statistic is balanced.
Cue more Cesc to Barca stories but I'm sure he'll be licking his lips with regard to this draw.
Alrighty. Not a welcomed distraction from the league. West Ham tomorrow. We need business as usual amidst all the hype that will be building leading up to Barcelona.
When you're feeling BLUE, it helps to go for a run to release some endorphins. You'll feel exponentially better after you get your heart rate up. That's exactly what I did a while ago and my spirits are high again.
Of course, if you're feeling BLUE because you're a BLUE, I got no remedy for you.
*cue incessant laughter
...and the gloating should stop here.
Chelsea got knocked out of the Champion's League by Mourinho's InterMilan. Oh how thou art moan and whine, you know, the same bunch who accused Arsenal fans of moaning and whining when we had players with broken legs. Now they're doing the M&W themselves. Pot calling the kettle black much? Not much sympathy there. Read the reports, they deserved to lose by the way they played. If you bothered yourself with what a blues supporter has to say, then you can go read their post Inter Milan musings. Gotta be a funny read where you can quote here, there and everywhere, examples of M&W.
So why the gloating has to stop is 1) Chelsea just cut out at least 2 midweek games from their fixtures. Pulling their concentration on the league perhaps is some consolation for their M&W fans.
2) Inter Milan, who have been quite impressive over the 2 legs, will be in the hat for the quarter final draw. Probably one of the teams to avoid, yet if there is a conspiracy theory out there, then I'll bet they'll draw an English side again, meaning Arsenal or United.
Barcelona play Stuttgart tonight while Bordeaux play Olympiacos. They'll be fighting for the last 2 places. Barcelona have a higher chance of qualifying at home really, while Bordeaux take their one away goal and the one-goal lead home. What were the odds of 2 French teams being in the hat?
So the 6 so far are: 1) Arsenal 2) Bayern Munich 3) Man Yoo 4) Lyon 5) Inter 6) CSKA Moscow
CSKA is pretty interesting. Everyone would remember the 0-0 draw we had with them which was like 20 chances and no goals thanks to players (TR7) missing from 2-3 yards in front of goal and all that. I hope it's a one time thing. It's nearing spring now so I don't think a trip to Russia would be more daunting then travelling there in winter during the group stages. Other than that, I think we'll take it as it comes.
Last season, out of the 8 teams in the draw, 4 were English. This season, only 2 English teams have made it. We have this consistency in Europe and it's no mean feat and down to Arsene Wenger. Hopefully, we'll be able to take it all the way to Madrid this season.
April couldn't come sooner man.
Liverpool beat Portsmouth emphatically and yet another conspiracy theory ensures that Gerrard does not face discipline action despite elbowing someone and then bringing him down. He'll be facing United and I'm sure the whole team will be galvanised for their upcoming clash with Man Yoo. It could well be a major title tilt.
Last season, when L'pool were right up there with United, we were the ones who were fighting for 4th and the ones to play both teams in the season run-in. This time, it's Liverpool's turn to have a say in this title fight. For once, I hope they do well.
An All Rounded Laboured Effort, but Ultimately a Win despite blind refereeing
If Porto was the performance of the season, then Hull was landing back on earth, back with the toothless attack we're all too familiar with.
At the end of it all, we won courtesy of a Bendtner goal at the death.
The ref obviously has srsly issues. Who would blame Steven Gerrard for giving him the 'V' sign a week ago. This wuss of a ref didn't see the need for further action either, after being on the receiving end of a demeaning gesture. His incompetence prevailed in this game and hull's goal, shouldn't have even been a goal because their striker was in a obvious offside position that the linesman missed as well, despite the rugby lines on the Godforsaken pitch. Blind bastards this bunch is.
The ref and his shitty madness we have no control of so I'll drop it here. The league simply does not possess top class refs for top class football.
George Boateng, captain of Hull City, led his team out to carry out the instruction of Phil Brown which was pretty obvious - to once again, get into Arsenal's faces. This time though, not so lucky for him. The bummer about the incident surrounding his first yellow was Bendtner being booked as well for being poked in the eye. Yet another stupid call by the blind bald linesman. That was a straight red for Boateng. Had he been sent off there and then he wouldn't have had another chance to have a go at an Arsenal player, this time with a rash challenge on Sagna. 2 challenges that deserved a straight red. Do you see anyone else doing it to any other team?
So, despite being level at 1-1 and having the one-man advantage, Arsenal didn't make it count at all.
I guess this has to be the negative of the game.
The shine of Porto simply wore off.
But credit to the lads who kept going and for Bendtner to not miss. Arshavin was having a bendtner-day with shots that he would have buried easily.
Having played in Europe already last week, we have an entire week to recover. Hopefully, the lads will put in a better shift when West Ham visit next week, West Ham who totally crumbled at Stamford Bridge. They're not going to give us a game as easy as that though. I'd imagine Cesc to be back by then. It's quite obvious that he is still that bit of quality we need. We'll definitely get Song back too.
being in the competition and fighting to be in it are two very different things
A fantastic win, and I can't help but give a few moments to ponder Emmanuel Adebayor.
He's missing out on ALL the juicy action. His move to City has made him the best paid footballer in the premier league thanks to Ronaldo departing for Spain.
Was it all worth it?
His arch enemy Nicklas Bendtner bagged a hattrick that saw Arsenal through to the quarter finals of the Champion's League, with the team still in the hunt for the title. It makes my stomach twist and turn quite a bit more with excitement at those two prospects.
Yet what is Adebayor doing?
Whining about how he was forced out of Arsenal. If he really were and he didn't leave for the money after blaming us fans, then what a move by Arsene Wenger. Can't help but wonder as well, how Kolo Toure would fit into this side.
As it stands, Wenger whose moves are all so spot on, has gotten rid of the two weakest links in the Arsenal side and it proved to work so damn well.
In the Bendtner-Adebayor dispute he will never come out in defence of either player but Adebayor made it sound like everything was in favour of the big Dane, victimising himself yet again. Nothing's set in stone yet but what a time Arsenal is having and I wonder how much he regrets his move away.
Luck is on Adebayor's side though - Liverpool have been nothing short of nonsensical this term, paving the way for the top 4 wannabees to waltz into the last Champion's League qualification spot. As it is, Liverpool may not even make the Europa league if they don't get 5th spot either.
I don't care about City being in the CL at all. They seem to only play for the big games but they lack a whole lot more to be able to handle more than one competition, especially one like Europe. Next season, the home-grown regulations in the league kick in and I think they're going to have a lot of trouble with that one. Nevertheless, as long as Sp*rs don't get it I'm happy. I'm rooting for City and Villa and Sp*rs for 5th. You'd notice that when they're remotely in the European second tier their domestic season goes haywire. They were battling relegation at the start of last season weren't they? Yet another team who cannot have more than 1 competition to compete in.
If I'm not wrong, the winner of the Europa League gets a straight ticket into the CL next season. Imagine if Liverpool achieved that feat - they're still in the reckoning for it. That would probably mean the top 3 getting the CL spots while the battle for fourth will be rendered lost.
The above would be clearer in the coming weeks but we need Liverpool and Sp*rs to up their game (until we travel to WHL) with them still to play Chelsea and United. Those games could be pivotal. Can Sp*rs actually help us indirectly?
So. After going through to the next round, the potential oppositions spring to mind. There won't be any easy match-up and I'm not sure if it's our turn for an all English quarter final. We did play United last season in the Semis. What an incredible season this will turn out to be if we draw Chelsea or United and WIN. People will stop bleating about how we don't deserve the league having not beaten them. So if we do, do we deserve the CL crown then?
Plenty to speculate till the draw. With the knockout stages being played over such a long period in order to maximise TV revenue, there's still a pretty long wait for the lottery to take place. What's more interesting is that Chelsea might not even go through. Inter Milan is no Porto. If the fixtures are considered kind, then us being one of the first teams to get qualification for the quarters out of the way is fantastic. Attention can now shift to the league and like Wenger said, Hull will yet be another big game for Arsenal. They have their work cut out now - win the remaining 9 games.
To those who missed the game, it ended 5-0 to the Arsenal.
And you missed a Nicklas Bendtner HATTRICK, first of his entire career.
May many more come.
Everyone was magnificent today. Almunia pulled off the saves that preserved our lead, the full backs bombed forward with purpose and Clichy put in a couple of brilliant crosses even though he can't cross. Vermaelen was excellent as usual and the number of blocks he put in was astounding to say the least. Campbell was a little shaky but his experience shone through anyway. The midfield 3 was an extremely cohesive unit - Song swept up, Diaby supported him, and Nasri brought the ball forward to the front 3. Bendtner led the line very well. His holding up of the ball and lay-up play has improved tremendously where he manages to bring his teammates into it and not give the ball away like before. Arshavin was fantastic and Rosicky on the right added that bit of experience.
1st goal: brilliant pass by Nasri to Arshavin who was through on goal between the two centre-backs where one decided to tackle his own keeper and Bendtner was there to apply the finish on the loose ball.
2nd goal: Arshavin taking on the defence after Diaby chased down a ball on the left touchline and a dumb porto defender cleared the ball into the Russian's feet. Bendtner held his position well to be onside for a tap in after Arsha did all the work. (heh)
3rd goal: Arsenal soaking up some pressure; needed a moment of spark and Nasri provided. Diaby slid the ball to him and Nasri did the rest. Took on 3 defenders, twisted and turned, dropped a shoulder; changed direction; broke free and fired a grand shot at a narrow angle to beat the keeper and go in in-off the post. Brilliant brilliant brilliant goal. My goal of the season so far. And what an easy assist for Diaby. (another heh)
4th goal: Porto corner. Clichy super headers it away; another dumb porto defender decided that Arshavin is too short to reach it but the little Russian out-heads him and nicks the ball. Eboue made a run ahead and Arshavin hit a sweet weighted diagonal pass for Eboue to run to; with a perfect first touch and a drop of a shoulder, made the keeper commit and then rounded him to finish with his left foot.
5th goal: Eboue was Eboue and dribbled into the box and got the penalty (legit!!) Bendtner stepped up to convert for his hattrick.
That Eboue substitution was a masterclass. Picking Rosicky ahead of Walcott was another fantastic move. Going into the game needed an early goal Wenger went with experience first and it worked. Got the lead, then bring on the pace and the dribbling of Eboue to stretch the opposition. Extend the lead then bring on Walcott to stretch them even further.
The Porto goalkeeper actually did quite well to keep his team in the game with some super saves but he alone couldn't deny Arsenal. It's bye bye Porto and their team of diving cunts and fans who go home with their frying pans.
A fantastic win and hopefully the momentum will carry on. Fancy the team peaking at this crucial moment. Simply fantastic.
And they did it without Fabregas.
P.S. first game on my MIO. Tell me, why are their constant blips during the game? Bad satellite? -____- Can't help but wonder if it's because it's plugged into a modem instead of a TV box. No matter how good your TV is, the service provider hold all the cards. That part sucks the most because it's horribly out of our hands.
A good article here at Avenell Road. Puts great stuff in words about how players who value the game over $ choose Arsenal. I realised most of my friends don't understand my obsession completely.
Arsenal's support of Ramsey was fantastic at the weekend game. And he is rightly touched by it too. There have been articles circling the web regarding his recovery status and how he's not in a cast but on crutches already thanks to a different sort of treatment they gave him. It sounds quite morbid of you ask me. Nevertheless, it's great that he's healing up. Like Wenger says, there's no need to rush anything and he should take his time.
Fabregas seems to have suffered a recurrence of his hamstring but is still 50:50 for the Porto game. Don't think I want to speculate about his inclusion. It's a home game so there's plenty more time for the boss to consider and I'll leave it up to him. No one wants him out of the game for a long time so I'll go with whichever's best. He is maturing into the captain's role splendidly and there's still so much more to come.
Sol Campbell should return to partner Vermaelen in defence. The team that we put out on Tuesday, with or without Fabregas should be capable enough to overcome Porto. Personally, if I had to choose between the league and Europe I'd take the league any day right now. But yeah, who doesn't want both? In a cup competition, my philosophy is that if you ain't going all the way to win it, then maybe it's better to take an early exit. I realised this point this season when we crashed out of the Carling Cup and FA Cup so early. If we had overcome Man City, we would have had a two-legged semi-final tie with United, which would have been quite close to our league encounter. 3 games against United in the span of 2 weeks would be quite damaging. If we had beaten Stoke in the FA Cup we would have faced Chelsea at Stamford Bridge once more. Not quite sure how that'll turn out either and I'd rather not know after we totally crumbled against those 2.
I guess Europe's different since there are teams from the other leagues as well. All I know is, with 9 games left, and the league there for the taking, we gotta keep out momentum. If that means getting the possibility of the European crown out of the way then so be it. An exit tomorrow night would be very difficult to stomach and would make the entire world utterly happy but it could go a long way to play harder for the league and eventually winning it.
The FA Cup and Carling Cup exits sure were blessings in disguise, however painful.
Still, I'd want to believe in this Arsenal team and cheer them all the way.
A Little Drunken Madness @ 6:18 PM
Sunday, March 7, 2010
score with your legs!
When Arsene Wenger didn't sign a striker in the January transfer window (DESPITE ALL OUR PROTESTS), Nicklas Bendtner said the following:
"All I have to do now is show him he made the right choice. I'm sure he has and I've got to show it on the pitch."
Arsenal 3 Burnley 1
A scoreline like that normally reflects a relative easy day out more often than not but like Stoke, it wasn't. Should have been more if not for Bendtner's clear cut missed chances.
This fellow, sure is damn frustrating. To put simply, he's completely full of himself and he thinks greater of his own ability than his actual ability.
4 clear cut as hell chances and he spurned them all, on a day where our CROSSING was the most amazing it ever was this season. The number of fantastic goal-scoring chances those crosses provided was astonishing to say the least, since our crossing has been really bad this term. Nasri played extremely well and he was there pulling the strings, and provided that beautiful lob for Fabregas to get onto and score. When Cesc was taken off for precautionary measures, Nasri stepped up and did a splendid job at driving the team forward. He did it fantastically. Walcott had the ball played to his feet on more occasions and did so much better. He has been in for a lot of stick this week after the England game but he responded superbly. His final balls improved drastically, except that the fellow who was on the end of it decided that strolling onto it without busting your guts to put a good foot to it wasn't needed. Walcott probably decided that he's never ever going to get that assist so he FINALLY made a cut in into the penalty box and got a sweet shot away that hit the bottom corner. Great great great response to his critics.
Despite all the glaring misses of one Nicklas Bendtner, he really brings a different dimension to the team with his height and physicality. When he went off we weren't as much of an attacking threat as before. His crime today was simply his finishing. Gotta cut out that cockiness and get your head down and work hard. Walcott is a testament to that. I'd still start him against Porto and pray those don't happen again. If you swapped Eduardo with Bendtner I'm not sure he would have been able to get on the end of those crosses at all. Since dudu has came back from injury he has been a shadow of the player we all thought he was. He seems to lack the pace to outrun the central defenders and that's pretty important when your job as a striker is to try and get ahead. The defenders close him down with ease and our attack threat is nullified just like that. Bendtner for all his crimes, holds up the ball pretty well and allows his teammates to get forward. The bad part about that is he might have gotten into a great position to shoot and decides to pass instead.
It was a good team performance and although Burnley got the equaliser, I never felt that we were in any danger of not holding onto the lead when Walcott gave us the lead back. They weren't very good going forward and even with the knowledge that Silvestre isn't the best defender in the world. Everyone knows that you take your chances against Arsenal with set pieces but they didn't play with belief that they could have gotten something out of the game at the grove. Never thought that the team could be emotionally vulnerable from Ramsey's horrific injury which only happened a week ago.
Luck was on our side today. I know some people would disagree with Bendtner missing all that but I don't think those missed chances were down to luck - they were down to him and him alone. It's just frustrating because he gets into those great positions and simply don't finish it off. I still can see him being a great player for Arsenal but he really needs to stop being so cocky because pride always comes before a fall.
At this point, even if Arshavin didn't add the third in injury time, I would be happy with the 2-1. All we need is to keep winning, regardless of the score. No need to be greedy. No need for fancy goals. Just 3 points.
I don't know how Ramsey's broken leg has led to the World vs. Arsenal, but it has.
Too many jealous cunts out there. They're envious of our success in all areas and simply, would not fancy us winning the league.
If you look at our team's mental strength though, they are hardly undeserving. They've been tested time and time again and still managed to stick together to get where they are now, you know, even when you can't trust our goalkeeper.
The point is, the only way to make the world even more jealous and unhappy, is to win the league and let them wag their tongues a little more. They all are fully aware of the position Arsenal is now, with the harder fixtures out of the way and the top 2 still to play each other and Liverpool as well. They're just scared shitless that we're in an extremely favourable position and is taking the chances to push us as far away as they possibly can.
I'm afraid it's not going to work this time. Watch this video and watch our little captain in action.
The emotions. The Vermaelen goal moment was the peak of it all.
Don't anyone dare doubt this team's togetherness, spirit and sheer determination.
Cesc never gave up. He tried and tried and tried, for 90 minutes until stoppage time and beyond, he was in the centre of it all.
There was some dicky Chelshite fan recently who decided to take all her Arsenal hate out on Ramsey's leg break and rub it in like 100x more, like coping with a man down isn't enough. Well there's great news for you: Arsenal have leapfrogged Chelsea in the rich list. For all of Abramovic's billions, Arsenal, without foreign owners, are richer. Yet another aspect of this club to be jealous and bitter about. Have fun at that.
People think that supporting a football team means nothing more than watching them play and cheering them on and sharing in the glory when they win. It isn't just that. It's being there for all of what football has to offer, on and off the pitch. With Arsenal, you have a club that is run in the right way from the top management to the bottom, from the seniors to the youth team to the academy, the lads all go through the same education, which is the Arsenal way. Financially, frivolous spending has no place. Everything to do with money is well thought out and so well managed that the fans bemoan the lack of big money signings. Yet this season, as much as we would have wanted a better keeper, a big striker and back up at central defence, we're still in the reckoning for the top 2 honours - the league which we have not won since 2004, and the Champion's League, which has eluded Arsene Wenger for a great long time.
Nobody would have dubbed this season to be the season but it sure is turning out to be a season we've never had before. Struggling through injuries have always been part of Arsenal. This season, we've arguably risen above this stumbling block quite remarkable. When Van Persie got injured we hit the rocks a little bit but the team dug deep and the midfield stepped up with the most-needed goals. We've come this far and we're so in the title race it makes my stomach churn so much with excitement and the tingling in my fingers, like none I've experienced before. People can wank off all they want about this and that about Arsenal but who are they to say anything? They're simply a bunch of nobodies who don't know any better and what's good for them. Arsenal is football done right in every fucking aspect there is to it. No question.
All that's left for all of us fans to do is to unite as the team has, and cheer them on, from whichever part of the whole wide world. According to wiki, we are 27 million strong. No more doubts, no more whining, just one thought - Arsenal will win the league.
![[Valid RSS]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/junichiarsenal/RSSbuttoncopy.png "RSS updates")