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.
Arsenal scouts are better stalkers than Man Utd scouts.
They made Ramsey feel more wanted and that's how he made the switch to North London.
I listened to what the two managers had to say to me and I was just more impressed by how much they [Arsenal] knew about me, what they wanted me to do to improve and the path they had for me.
Love this boy, really wish the boss valued him a little more than Denilson.
Injury news is heading towards the dark side once again, with Song and Arshavin possibly the latest casualties. Nasri's okay after suffering a slight knock against Liverpool and it's funny how the one who was taken off early on for precautionary measures is the most okay of them all. Arshavin's due to have a scan on his hamstring while Song looks to be out for more than a week.
We've got Diaby now, and he's definitely a starter in the midfield trio alongside Cesc. If Song is out, it makes way for Denilson's return. That is nothing short of diabolical. I really wish Ramsey is ahead of Denilson in the pecking order because Ramsey evidently has more desire and a higher work rate with a determination to want to change things. If you fault him for giving away possession, then do note that it's because he's making forward passes instead of opting for the safe route back to the defence, which happens to be Denilson's favourite route. Any more injures to our central midfield positions could be bad, except that we do have more attacking players who can fill in but the boss obviously prefers to put them higher up on the pitch.
Until the last 3 games, I never realised how similar Nasri and Rosicky are. Neither did I ever envision the two of them being fit at the same time, with Rosa being out for the entire 08/09 season. Nasri is also a player who has been dogged by injuries so it's nothing short of a miracle that both of them are fit. I suppose Rosicky is the player the boss will less likely want to risk because he is more fragile but his experience is invaluable and it showed in the previous game. His cross was utterly delicious.
Arshavin's absence might not be a bad one either, especially when we have Walcott back. He provides a very different option altogether and has a point to prove. I won't be surprised if he started the game at Porto.
Still some time to pass before the next match. Lots of things could happen and players can miraculously return from injury. I'm sure Mr Bendtner should be fit to start and finish and game by next week. I'd play him ahead of Eduardo.
Team news is out. I think the main highlight is Samir Nasri is back. I mean, not too long ago he was supposedly out for 3 weeks. And he's back, waaaaaay ahead of expectations. I think Arsene Wenger's repeated investigations into his team's injury problems have scared everyone fit.
Joining the list of returnees is Nicklas Bendtner. He's been out a long time and he definitely will feature tomorrow, without a doubt. Whether he'll start remains to be seen. Ramsey made his return at the weekend so we do have quite the full squad, on the attacking side of things at least. Nasri returning does make our bench a whole lot more pleasing where we have quality to call upon, quality we can actually depend on. Vela and Walcott at the moment look out of sorts and I don't think their current abilities allow them to come on when the game needs changing and do us a favour. So, welcome back Sammy.
Personally I'd opt for Arshavin-Eduardo-Rosicky as the front 3. They do combine well and the last time they did, 2 out of the 3 of them had goals to their name. I think with every game, dudu's growing into that frontman role and he deserves his place to keep on going. Of course, Bendtner scaring him into action isn't too bad a thing. Let's hope the boss does not play him on the right. He's our tall centre forward and if you ain't gonna sign one, you gotta play him.
And now we finally figured out why Wenger did not feel the need to sign another defensive midfielder. Hoho. Cameroon dropped out of the ACN despite being one of the favourites to win the tournament. The downside is, that yesterday's game wasn't as straightforward as we might have liked. If Egypt has beaten them in normal time then fine, but they were made to play an additional 30 minutes, and even Le Boss has admitted that Song looked a little bit tired. The team will travel back to Cameroon from Angola and then he will make the trip back to London. The earliest he'll reach is right after Villa on Thursday. Considering the amount he has played and the travelling he has to do, Wenger warns that he may not face United on Sunday. I suspect he might anyway, or otherwise be benched. His importance to the team can be seen quite clearly. I hope Cameroon does better at the World Cup. They probably failed so badly at the ACN with so many Gooners rooting for their downfall lol.
So, the back 4 will be restored tomorrow. The ideal, first team back 4, of Clichy-Vermaelen-Gallas-Sagna.
I think for the first time in a long long time, we're going to have most of the first choice players taking the field. In contrast to the team fielded at Stoke, tomorrow's team is going to be a strong one that isn't lacking in experience. Nasri entering the fold could well mean Rosicky playing a little deeper, partner Cesc in the centre of the park with either Denilson or Ramsey holding. (If only we had Song) Cesc and Tomas are the best of buddies off the pitch and it's highly rare that they get to play together in the same team thanks to one of them who gets crocked on a regular basis. (No more, thanks TR7) They're going to have so much fun together. Their understand of each other's runs are second to none.
Here's to a great great game tomorrow. For many, they're going to be starting their day at 4am. For me, I think I'll sleep after the match.
I bring you the only positive from the game at Stoke:
Merry Christmas, from Arsene Wenger. Presents come later.
Robin Van Persie has undergone a successful surgery and will be back in April, the soonest. And when the season is reaching it's end, it doesn't make much sense to rush the player back so Wenger already knows ahead of the January transfer window that he has to plan the rest of the season without his star striker.
In the Christmas mood, Van Persie is like a present. Not a present you can open. But a present that could potentially surprise you, if he is fit earlier than expected. So we'll just assume he's out till May and then if he's able to make a comeback then we'll celebrate like there's no tomorrow, or something.
Hmm.
It's the most wonderful time of the year. The Emirates in snow again. This time, the sky makes a different sort of backdrop. Last season's was pretty darn awesome. With the amazing snow and the clear night sky as the backdrop, Andrei Arshavin arrived and gave his first interview.
This time, the sky's a lot gloomier.
What is a whole lot exciting is, who will be giving his first interview in January in the snow?
There's a long list of names but I suspect, the one who makes it to Arsenal isn't on the list everyone expects Arsene Wenger to possess. I think we'll snag a relative unknown or an unpolished gem ready to shine on the Premier League stage. You saw the magic of Arshavin. You're still watching the magic of Arshavin.
And while all the Christmas events were cancelled at the Emirates, the webchat with the boss still went on and boy, did he answer some really good questions. We're really in the market for a striker and even if he is cup-tied for the Champion's league, he's still someone we'll go for. We all saw the impact Arshavin made. He helped us to a top 4 finish. This time though, it could be a whole lot different. If we keep up at the top of the table (esp by beating Villa on Sunday), come the new year, the new recruit could actually help us challenge for the title. That sure is a better looking prospect than Arshavin coming over to simply aid Champion's League qualification. What better than to sign for a club and then win the league in your first season?
It has got to be a exciting prospect for anyone who's interested in coming. That much said, we need to beat Villa at the weekend. If we lose or just scratch a point, then we'll be behind again. We got to keep snapping at Chelsea's heels and apply genuine pressure in order to be considered contenders. It's been a roller coaster ride this season and we started it well, just to stumble when Robin got injured. Some days we were in the title race, other days we were simply written off.
Whoever comes in January would have a big influence on the rest of our season.
It rarely gets this exciting when it comes to Arsene Wenger and the transfer window but this time, we can expect something to happen. Not sure if it'll be like Arshavin where it was ding-dong the entire month right up till the end, when the snow managed to extend the window a little bit longer. That is simply hilarious yet painful from a fan's point of view. I remember following BBC's minute-by-minute coverage on the last day.
In team news, Samir Nasri has escaped a 3-match ban for the stamp. That's good news because we need all hands on deck right now. He is feisty to say the least. You can't discount a player's passion for the game but he needs to be a little smarter because such actions may have gotten him sent off and condemning your team to 10 men doesn't help their game at all.
There is an injury hex placed on the month of November. I now believe so.
Gibbs looked to have survived any long term injuries from the international break and slotted right into the squad, with Clichy out. Obviously, Mr Wenger was unconvinced about Traore.
But now, Gibbs couldn't avoid what looks like the inevitable. His first metatarsal is fractured. It should keep him out for 2 months, if you believe the ever reliable estimates thrown at us.
Somewhat fortunately, there is still Traore. Maybe the forces of the universe want to give him an extended run in the team, by crocking the 2 left backs in front of him. What remains to be seen, is if Wenger will go for Silvestre at left back ahead of him for Chelsea.
I'm not sure if the Chelsea game will be the biggest Traore has ever played. He needs to step up.
As usual, thanks to being busy and it down to not being a zombie i.e. alive in the day, I missed the game. Well, I would have stayed up to watch if I had it on fuckin cable TV but it is all not meant to be. I am looking forward to next year when I switch to bloody Singtel and have all my football but not vote PAP at the next election. Hey, someone has to bear the brunt of all these frustrations. They just sat around and did nothing.
Our population is so small and it isn't viable to have multi competitors torturing the minute pool of consumers yet it is still happening.
I shouldn't get started.
So, Arsenal won 2-0 at home to Standard Liege thanks to goals from Nasri and Denilson. These 2 are coming back from injury pretty strongly, if goals were to vouch for them. Denilson's finish was nothing short of spectacular while Nasri looks to be growing into the 4-3-3 a little more.
The downside, was of course, Gibbs.
It's the 25th. 5 days to go. 1 match to see out before December comes. It doesn't look like we'll be getting any of the absentees back in December.
All I hope is that we do not add to the injury list.
Liverpool is probably hogging the headlines now with no good reason. I can't help but feel sorry for them but hey, Benitez and them pool fans have pride themselves as a club who does well in the Champion's League, better than domestically. Now they're neither.
Maybe every season there'll be one of the big 4 fighting with the wannabes for 4th spot. Last season it was us. This time, it's Liverpool. Whoever laughed at Arsenal last term should start eating their words.
I read the match report on Arsenal.com and it was hilarious, particularly the part on the goalmouth melee. Ahaha. Ever seen a funkier match report?
It all started when Fabregas took a corner...
* Arshavin's point-blank shot was saved * Then Vela's collected the rebound and planted the ball against the post * Then Gallas had two efforts blocked by the keeper * And finally Vermaelen's vicious shot beat everyone, hit Arshavin on the line and flew wide
Stupefying.
I <3 my extremely short team.
I realised we have an additional day of rest, unlike Chelsea. Normally those are the things that happen when Man Utd have a midweek game and face a top 4 team. The fixture list so far, has been very kind. May it long continue. It also remains to be seen, if that extra day to recover makes a difference.
is what Robin says when he watches other teams on TV.
Imagining him saying it in his Dutch accent makes it funnier.
He had some tough choices to make at 14 and he chose football over drinking and smoking and stealing candy so that's a good thing.
This dude is desperate to win trophies with Arsenal, having only won 2 in his Arsenal career, a meaningless community shield and the FA Cup.
And we all know how Cesc is on the same frequency with this.
It's FABPERSIE!!
The way these 2 link up is awesome.
So anyway, the Wolves game was a good win. Yes. Now it's time to examine the other positives. They were all wet from the heavy rain and there was Ramsey. And then Nasri came on. Did you notice all the cute faces on the pitch?
Arsenal ain't just a team that plays beautiful football. They are beautiful.
And Nasri's English lessons have paid off (assuming he hired a tutor). His English is sexy.
So, last night, Chelsea and Man Utd played the ugly game. I mean, I got so bored I went to watch How I Met Your Mother, switching after each episode to check the score, not that it matters. HIMYM is friggin hilarious. Neil Patrick Harris FTW srsly. Anyway, I still managed to catch Johnny Evans' double kick on Drogba and his theatrics. Give that guy an oscar!!!!! He totally vibrated on the ground like he was reaching orgasmic enlightenment. If anyone didn't know, like the blind referee, he's just trying to get the player sent off that's all.
SAF probably thinks the ref was blind too. Everytime they lose, it's the usual complaints and the blasting of the referee. It's so typical it's boring now.
So Chelsea go 5 points clear and then the press has decreased Man Utd's title chances. That is purely lame. It's as though they have nothing else to write. Maybe their naive minds believe that Chelsea, after beating United, will go on to win every damn game this season so the 5 point gap is enough to win it for them.
So, Man City seems to be on a downward spiral. They should know that the rest of the world will laugh at them when things go wrong. And the City fans are labeling Mr Adebayor a lazy sulk. It's sooo funny. It's funnier when his last goal was against Arsenal. I mean, after he started the season with aplomb, scoring in every match leading up to the face off with us. And then his motivation went out the window.
Again.
I think he'll stay at Man City all his life. I don't think the clubs he dreams of joining (Milan, Barcelona) will want him now. He is a quality striker but his attitude is not there. He ain't gonna get more money for playing better really.
At this point in the season, Robin has 7 league goals while Cesc has 6. Adebayor has like, 4? That's on par with Arshavin who probably hasn't even kicked into top gear yet. And somehow, that's not down to being lazy.
Who, at the start of the season, would put $ on Cesc scoring more goals that Adebayor at this point?
Now, I read the City fans and how proud they are of Adebayor after that win against Arsenal and I really want to laugh. Guilty as charged. Counting chickens before they hatch. Celebrating a player not worth celebrating. Then 5 draws in a row. Hilarious.
Man Utd has lost a great player in Ronaldo. (Nobody mentions Tevez either) Arsenal ain't whining about losing Adebayor. In fact, he was a weak link. I mean, he was first choice at Arsenal and he had Fabregas and Van Persie providing good service to him. Yet he only moaned about how it sucks to play in the lone striker role. Look at Robin now. He is thriving. He had a rough start while adapting to this new role and now look at what hard work does for you. Peak of his career, scoring more goals than ever, enjoying his football, and of course, fatherhood.
Fabianski: It's good to be back! Arsenal.com: Fabianski out for 3 weeks
Srsly. So the goalkeeping position is still down to 2 players, them being Almunia and Mannone.
And no one has any idea who's going to start tomorrow's game. Absolutely no idea. It's 50-50 both ways.
Nasri completed 90 minutes but reckons he's not completely match fit yet. He should be a substitute for tomorrow night. What the team really needs is a good ball keeper and he's one of them. The other one, however, is currently crocked.
As expected, an injury setback which was said to be a matter of days, has become weeks. It may well add up to a month and then probably a year too.
OH TOMAS. YOUR KNEE.
If he doesn't get more playing time under his belt he'll most certainly be released next summer when his contract runs out.
Another dude who's holding out for a new contract is Fran Merida. The lad scored a stunner and the team won and so he has a little bit more bargaining power at the contracts table. I hope he stays. I don't enjoy players leaving Arsenal unless they are Emmanuel Adebayor-ish. Speaking of whom, has told the press that Cesc Fabregas will quit Arsenal. When will he realise that it's completely none of his business. No matter what Cesc does, he'll always be in a better place than stinkin Adebayor whose dream was to play for Barcelona but now is at Man Citeh.
Srsly. Real Madrid has already had their crack lines being exposed at the weekend, suffering 4-0 humbling by a lower division side. Citeh's turn should come soon enough. They have people like Adebayor for one who likes to flirt with other clubs (ahem Milan) and then Robinho, who Barcelona are rumoured to be chasing after. Everyone there has a better place to go to.
At Arsenal, I can say that there is no better place. Cesc may one day return, but he won't leave unless he's left a legacy over here. Thierry Henry has set the precedence.
The desire to transform a nobody into a superclub doesn't last all that long. history will forever count for something. It is naive to think money can change everything. There are a lot of things money can't buy. Sure you can buy Adebayor. What you get is his temporary allegience. That's all.
So, Sp*rs tomorrow. I think it'll be wise to go to the Liz early to reserve seats. No Adebayor who likes to score against Sp*rs. We have a whole lot of other people who do as well. It's never too late to start scoring against Sp*rs. The whiners are playing up their injuries so that if they lose, they'll have a direction to push the blame to.
Correct me if I'm wrong: I've checked the Starhub TV listings and I can't seem to find any coverage of the Carling Cup.
I think that means that no one in Singapore can watch it on TV. If Singtel does have it though, they would have made a lot of noise about it by now.
Is there no coverage of the Carling Cup in Singapore?
How puzzling.
Anyway, tonight's game will be worth watching. It's Liverpool and we drew them this early on. The good thing is, we are playing at home. I love watching home games. The TV quality seems to be better. The one at West Ham sucked. It sucked even more when the team got only a point when it should have been 3. So now I shall address the fact that there is no TV coverage so the TV quality would be as good as it gets on an internet stream, assuming I'm determined enough to stay up. Lots of coffee today just because it's good. Has the world realised that white coffee is more pleasant than black coffee? I think it's because it's sweet and milky. I was in a secluded Ipoh town not too long ago having fresh white coffee where the coffee beans are roasted with butter.
Sounds sinful.
So, team news ahead of the game sees Nasri and Fabianski make their first appearances of the season. Another reason why this game is worth watching is to see how Fabianski performs and if it means he slots right into the number 1 spot after regaining match fitness. So interesting. If that is the case than Manuel Almunia looks like he'll be on his way out, except that no one wants him. I'm being mean I know. But he got the love when he managed to oust Jens from being first choice and that was by far his best season yet. He just hasn't got started this season. I would give him more chances to prove himself but hey, I'm not the boss, and perhaps his attitude in training had caused the world's longest chest infection on a goalkeeper. An excellent excuse I'd say. Arsene Wenger always seems to find the best excuses for all his players, more so when protecting them. I am envious.
I'm pretty bummed Jack Wilshere will not be featuring thanks to a bad ankle. The return of the many first teamers will limit his chances in the senior squad and the Carling Cup is mean to be his tournament and his stage to shine. Plus, it's such a huge pity to separate Aaron Ramsey from little Jack. They do link up together well, as though they train an extra session everyday together, forever.
Bendtner's in the squad too. He should feature. I hope Liverpool is big enough for him yeah. Everytime I think 'carling cup' and 'nicklas bendtner' I think that 2-0 loss at Turf Moor and his arrogance throughout the match, as though being the only senior player in the team means working less hard, like he's too good to be there. Cocky fellow. He has so much to offer and is so full of self-confidence and belief, that actually is his downfall. Walk tall dude, the right way.
From this article, it looks like it's make or break for Fran Merida. He's in his last year of his contract at Arsenal. He really needs to be spectacular tonight in order to have a long term deal served up on the table. We'll see.
Wenger speaks about Nasri too and it seems that he views this injury positively. I don't think Arsene Wenger can be negative when he comments on his players. Anyhow, it seems that he has invented a new position called the 'half winger'. I'd really like to see how that works.
So many reasons to catch the game. No TV coverage. Meh. Streams will be out later.
Best ad ever. EVER. I swear this is exactly how Cesc picks his pass.
Of course, you don't exactly have to give it to Nicklas Bendtner. Were they trying to advertise pink boots too?
So, 2 days to real football. Can't wait for normal services to resume. Anything going on in the news feeds are complete and utter shit so I'm not going to waste my time.
Except that Nasri's back and could be fit and ready for West Ham on 25th October. Yeah.
"He takes me to his Czech restaurant, it’s not very good."
I love these 2. Their understanding with each other is superb. I love all their link-up play. More please.
According to young guns, Nasri and Fabianski are due to complete the final stages of their rehabilitation at the end of the month in a reserves friendly.
At this point, I don't think anyone remembers who Fabianski is. Mannone has been excellent so far, from an Arsenal career with no cleans sheets, to one with 3 in a row, including a man-of-the-match performance.
Headache there eh?
In midfield we can start analysing who goes where when all are fit and when Nasri comes back, with Walcott expected to feature tomorrow night, that's a very welcomed huge headache.
May it long continue. Will we finally have a season without crocked players?
I shall stop right here in order not to jinx it further.
That much said, I don't know what Wenger has in store for Sammy. Last season he slotted into that defensive midfield position. With Song going for the ACN, I assume it could be either Diaby or Denilson filling in. I think Nasri might be in the mix as well. Whatever it is, in a 4-3-3, you can have midfielders everywhere. Who needs strikers?
Mr Low Gravity with excellent backlift has been backed by Wenger to be like Ronaldo and Messi. Uhuh. He's really happily married with 2 beautiful children. I don't think Ronaldo will ever have offspring he knows of. Messi on the other hand, is definitely a better player to emulate. How come I only remember him sulking when Chelsea made like 5 players mark him in the UCL semis?
Arsha will make them bite his dust while he dinks a defender and scores the goal.
No football tonight, no Arsenal at least. Sp*rs will play Bolton tonight, not like anyone cares, unless they lose of course. Blackburn and us tomorrow, with a 7.30pm kickoff. Splendid. I shall savour every last game I get to watch in my room before the tyrant of all tyrants hijack even my BPL coverage and leave me with nothing.
And I've just called Starhub to check when my cable plan will be over and it has already been overrrrrrrrr. This means that I can cancel the damned buggers in May 2010.
After which I will decide if I'm going to subscribe to the bloody MIO. I swear I will deface the bloody box until I don't see the word 'MIO'.
Rosicky and Eduardo have left the treatment room. For once in GODONLYKNOWSHOWLONG, the injury list contained no one.
Until disaster chose to strike during training and Samir Nasri is now the first casualty of the upcoming season.
I would run around and trash about if I could but nothing's going to change anything about it.
This young dude made the switch from France last season and it was a good first season to have under his belt, one which would make way for an even better second season.
AND DISASTER STRIKES.
Is there a hex on Arsenal where the medical staff just refuse to go out of a job? I mean, wouldn't they love to take a paid holiday and never have to treat anyone?
Frustrated, frustrated.
Samy had a 44-game outing last term and it was fantastic not to be completely ridden by injuries. With such a serious injury now I wonder if there are any players out there who broke their legs and managed to not have their playing career dogged by related ailments.
I was in high spirits today, looking forward to the Austrian friendy which is coming up later and then this totally took the mood away.
I suppose there are certain positives which can be drawn. A replacement is not necessary, but Wenger should be looking into the odds of Rosicky staying fit while Nasri's out. I get the feeling that Tomas will be joining his bedside in due time. One less midfielder, albeit a creative one. We really still need our midfield enforcer.
A serious injury like that to a teammate can influence the mood of the entire team and it's a good thing it happened in pre-season. I don't think I need to bring up the effects of Eduardo's freak disaster.
I would scream OH GOD PLEASE NO right now but it won't help. In situations like these, even God can't help except to heal the leg faster.
So please, work your magic. If it were left up to the Arsenal medical staff 2-3 months out would mean 5-6 months.
HMM. He does have the looks and the air so good luck at that. I've always thought he has a funny voice. Oh my German.
Latest with psycho Barry (sounds like a fruit) is that he was afraid he'll go stale at Villa and Mark Hughes' magic words screwed all other options i.e. Arsenal and Liverpool. Hah. If Citeh is left battling relegation again once the season starts I would have a good time laughing. In my opinion, if they wanted world domination, Mark Hughes is definitely not the man for the job. His away form is so fantastic it'll blow your brains out.
They are once again dominating transfer news and already have a fruit platter.
Arsenal, meanwhile, is looking back on the season. It's so tiring to wait on transfer news. With every season it gets less and less exciting and more excruciating.
And I'll be going to Bangkok at the end of the month since SQ decided to offer cut priced tickets and my family is keen on grabbing them. It's always Bangkok. Offer such deals to Korea and I'll take my entire family there on the greatest holiday everrrr, assuming North Korea doesn't ruin the party. They apparently have missiles aimed at the USA, ready to be launched. Somehow, I'm interested to see if whatever they claim are true and not total bollocks to lead the world on but yet, I fear the devastating effects if it were true.
If they manage to fall short anyway they can always go back and make it more powerful because they have the capacity to do that. It is just like a testing mission more than anything which benefits no one.
In the land where girls are not allowed to wear jeans or pants but only long skirts to the ankles.
In the land where the people are starving while the big boys are partying with their nuclear toys.
In the land where everyone's Korean but they still are hell bent on killing their own people because of different ideals.
Mao. Bangkok instead. I can count how many trannies I meet. Heh.
Internationals are over! Now we count the wounded.
If I knew any better, last night's attempt to watch some football was disastrous. I did catch the front part of Wales vs Germany and Liechtenstein vs Russia till the goals came. Ramsey did well against Germany but Ballack put in an early goal which pretty much settled the tie. Wales did have a penalty claim which could have changed the game but it was otherwise boring.
Russia won 1-0 and Arshavin set it up. After the second German goal which came courtesy of a defender I turned off the TV and no more goals. Hah?
Anyway, Andrey is the player of the month for March, breaking RVP's streak of 4 months. You might think that Arshavin got it because he's our brand new quality signing but it is evident that some of those games wouldn't have been won without him. So yay. Proper recognition.
I just watched a video on Arsene Wenger and how many languages he speaks. And then I lost the link. Bummer. But he speaks and understands English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Japanese. Truly a grand master. It's like he would be able to hear everything and Cesc can't swear in Spanish without the boss knowing. Maybe Arshavin has a shot with Russian but nobody would understand so that defeats the purpose. When you swear, you still need your allies to know so you can laugh together.
The power of language. If only I could just study languages full time and screw the rest.
And here's the injury news update on the website. I think we'll all be glad for Cesc to be back. Le Boss sez he'll need at least 3 games to be back to his best. We all can't wait. Won't we all be so excited to see him lead the boys out of the tunnel on Saturday. Adebayor and Walcott will be back in contention too while dudu and RVP did their groins in. Diaby's injured too. Nasri has the Flu. Vela returns the latest.
And Bendtner texted the boss about his condition hahaha. I thought that was cute. He's so eager to play. If what he says is true and not because he's over eager, we could see him partner Adebayor up front. Then if Adebayor still wants to go back to his lazy antics perhaps Nicky could show him the way.
And to prove that internationals affect other teams too, Citeh have their fair share with Bellamy and possibly Robinho out. I doubt the Robinho part since I expect him to be a player for the big games so he'll show up. And I can't see him staying beyond this Summer.
And don't we all love Sagna. He dismisses all Juve talk and states how much he gets along with the Arsenal lads. You wonder if his best pal is Eboue. I have photos of the French squad cycling together on a training session. They funneh. Like footballers doing the Tour de France. I suppose it could be part of their French heritage. So I should give you a few right?
Sometimes Football Can Be a Game of One Halve Only
Drama drama.
First off, the results for today: Blackburn 1-1 West Ham Fulham 2-0 Man Utd Newcastle 1-3 Arsenal Stoke 1-0 Middlesbrough Portsmouth 2-1 Everton Tottenham 1-0 Chelsea West Brom 1-1 Bolton
Did ya notice that Arsenal's the only team to win away today? Fan-freakin-tastic.
We didn't completely have it easy though. Newcastle had a penalty early on and it was given, Almunia the perpetrator. And then Almunia the saviour. Frankly, I thought it was rather harsh. He was going for the ball to get it between his gloves and was a bit clumsy.
I had my brother's friend watching the game with me. He's an Arse fan. Just no cable at home and don't think he has been to the Liz before. Someday huh. Aha. But yeah, good companion. And I was telling him about that night in Rome where both keeper cmi. So I didn't expect Almunia to save it. And he did. Sometimes we just have to do away with expectations.
And you would have thought that the team would respond somewhat after being so close to being one goal down. Apparently not. By then I was wishing half time would come sooner so they'll have 15 minutes to have urgency.
And it didn't happen again. Like blast it. When they played like this before they either drew or lost.
And Arshavin who wants to be the greatest Arsenal player, was the one with the terrific delivery from a freekick on the lefthand side. It is almost exactly the same as the one Toure scored. So credit to Newcastle for replicating the terrible defending. What's awesome was Arshavin's delivery and Bendtner's leap. And header.
The thing about Nicklas Bendtner is that he needs confidence. With the goal to his name he started playing with fire in his belly, making more forward runs and having for to his game. Unfortunately though, I have to cover the part where the defence went to sleep and Martins was given the chance to level terms and redeem himself for the bad penalty. What a dramatic run to the technical area.
Too bad it was shortlived.
We got a freekick where it was blown for Diaby's foul on Steven Taylor, who has been rock solid all day with 2 crucial blocks from Van Persie's goal bound shots. And Diaby's foul put him out to the sidelines and Newcastle without him in the middle just crumbled. And who stood to benefit? Diaby himself.
So here's the funny part. Facebook has been pumping out veins with quizes. They all back. And the brother started complaining that he got Diaby after doing the quiz, answering every question as truthfully as possible. His friend says Diaby is a defensive midfielder. I said he's definitely not and there he went thundering through the middle with that ferocious shot into the back of the net. 2-1. The brother, on the back of the Man U defeat just looked stunned as we celebrated.
BAHAHA.
Not so bad being Diaby now?
Definitely need to find that quiz.
Samir Nasri knew just how bad it would be to carry on the game at 2-1 and wrapped things up 3-1 and Newcastle never looked like coming out of it.
I screamed into my brother's face that Nasri scores goals and Hleb doesn't. He thinks we made a mistake letting Hleb go. Oh please.
Nasri = goals.
I think Denilson and Diaby in central midfield is bad. Song pairs better with Denilson for reasons I don't know of or can't fathom. More understanding maybe. So I don't know how Diaby comes into the mix.
it's going to be international break! I've got next week to settle the last bits of renovations for my place and I'll be all set to move.
Then I realised that there isn't any need to set up cable since all we've got to do is bring the box over. lol.
Tomorrow's pool-villa game should be interesting. Pool wants to close the gap on United who managed 2 losses in a row and many many suspensions from these 2 games. Villa would want to keep up with us for a Champion's League spot. So.
We take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of the round of 16.
On paper it's a fantastic result, considering all the goalless draws as of late. We'll take a 1-0 any time.
On the other hand, if you're a fan watching the game you just want to smash the TV/laptop/everything smashable. Why?
Because there are people like Eboue, Song, Denilson and Bendtner in the team. This bunch haven't had an inkling of what the hell to do with the bloody ball in the final third. Like clueless. It's like they've never played in that part of the pitch or Idonnowhatyoutellme.
I'm angry because we so easily could have had at least a 2-goal cushion. All this misses - sitters I would call, could come around and bite us in the back.
The Roma defence gifted Eboue a present and he managed to screw it up. I'm sure he wants to redeem himself with the fans. I'm so sure of that. He is playing on the right wing and he doesn't know what to do with the ball when he gets it in the final third. Absolutely clueless.
And then Bendtner. Gosh. These days my ass is stuck onto the sofa. There isn't any need to rise, or rise partially to almost celebrate would-be goals because they're not going in. It's that simple. Save me the extra energy to sit my ass back down. Sickening. So I'm wondering if he's a striker because a striker doesn't miss shots like that. I have no idea what the hell he is. A pussy maybe. i don't know.
All the negative trash talking aside, I thought Diaby did well. If he got injured and needed another lay off I wouldn't be surprised. but he did well and he kept the ball well in the final third and it's a good performance after being out. I'd have him any day over Song.
Denilson + Song = sideways passing 99%
Then the 1% tried to pump up front ends up with someone who isn't wearing a red shirt.
When Cesc is in midfield he is the chief of assists. With these two I wonder what the hell they are doing in midfield.
So defensively I thought we did well. Gallas and Toure can play together and perform. Finally. Finally this isn't a good only on paper description again. Sagna is ever such a gem.
Nasri's true position is really through the middle but that shifted Bendtner out on the left. Bendtner doing defensive work is kinda scary. And he played totally out of position and when Nasri/Clichy/Sagna crossed into the box he should be the one there to head it in (ASSUMING HE DOESN'T MISS).
Then of course, RVP. If not for him I think the whole team can buang. He won the game for us.
I like Philippe Mexes. And Totti.
Anyway, I think either I have a jinx of a friend who watched all the goalless draws (hence why we draw) or I have a lucky shirt. I wore it today. It's like I wear any other jersey and they screw up the result. I wear this one and they win. That's kinda bad. I really like my other jerseys too.
It's the red training jersey.
My friend came over today and asked me how many Fly Emirates shirts I have. Many many many.
So 1-nil to the Arsenal. Finally. We waiting a long long time. But with the performance that went with it, I doubt this is the win of the season Wenger is looking for to lift the team and move off from. This team has a lot of work to do. Either that or those dudes out injured start coming back soon.
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