Arsenal, can you do me a favour?

Posted on April 6, 2013 by bendtnersbettercousin

Right, Arsenal, here’s the thing:

My the enjoyment levels of my weekend are significantly improved by you winning football matches. I know, I know, it seems silly for a grown man to have so much emotional investment in a collective of other grown men playing sport, but I’ve been doing this ‘supporting’ thing for longer than anything else in my life and it’s kind of ingrained into my personality and as such I cannot help myself. I love you Arsenal, I really do, and because of that, I really do need for you to turn up to that corner of the Midlands and put on a sporting performance that results in three points and more pressure on the other teams that are above us. I’m not going to name the teams – you and I both know who they are and that should be incentive enough to give everything against West Bromwich Albion and get the win that we desire.

I’m off out to a pub tonight for a birthday in West London and I could really do with going there with a happy feeling in my head and heart knowing that you have done the business and we have two home games coming up against Norwich and Everton where we could potentially close the gap to the ‘unmentionables’ above us in the league to just one point. Please don’t cock this up. Not that I think you will actually. You’ve been playing well recently and, dare I say it, last weekend you had an extra bit of swagger about you like the old days. Do you remember those? Boy were you stunner. You’d stop others dead in their tracks. You didn’t even care what others thought. You just breezed by them with an air of confidence that was so delightful to see as a lover of what you are. But even before you had that swagger, you’ve had class, and you knew how to grind out results. I know we won’t get back to that after a few games, but you can at least lay the foundations for getting back to that by finishing this season with your ‘swag-o-meter’ on full blast. It would give people like me a real boost and hope for the future.

I don’t know what sort of knocks you’re carrying, what your state of mind today will be, or even how you will set yourself up. But I hope you play with the same team that has been so good and on form recently. That Rosicky fella should probably start and I also think it might be worthwhile playing that crazy skinny-legged massive foreheaded dude Gervhino too – yes, I know he would trip over his own shadow if he could, but that unpredictability could be an advantage. And of course, if it isn’t working by the halfway point, you could always haul him off.

You’ve got to be up for this today Arsenal. IT’s no good just one part of you being up for this, you need all sums of your parts to be ready for these ‘Baggies’. Their recent form belies the team that they are and I think they will be wanting to prove a point that their recent form is not who they are and what they are capable of. they’ve got a bit of a bruiser at the sharp end of themselves in Lukaku and he’ll throw his weight around, but at least that mental ‘I don’t want to play with you any more some I’m going to have a tantrum and pick the ball up and kick it at you before I walk off’ chap Mulumbu is suspended. They’ll have other threats like Long who will run his arse off all day and you’ll need to be mindful of Brunt’s set piece delivery, but if you show all of the desire and strength of – dare I say it – mental character that you did on your recent day trip to Wales, I’m hopeful that you won’t get your nose bloodied.

This game is very important today because you’ll get the chance to leapfrog over the oil whores if you do the business. They don’t play until tomorrow so laying down a marker like this will be all important. There are some potato-based Spuds that would also probably not like it should you achieve your objectives, as it will make the ‘gap’ quite narrow for them to mind I have to say.

Anyway, you know what I’m after and I have many of my kinsmen that would also fancy a victory, so if you could just do this small thing for me, that would be great.

Kind regards

Chris

Massive victory in Wales

Posted on March 17, 2013 by bendtnersbettercousin

Good morning from Hungoversville. Population: Me. But you know what? After a result like yesterday’s away to Swansea, there was no way I’d sack off blogging on a Sunday morning. Make no mistake about it, yesterday’s victory against the Welshmen was MASSIVE.

In the blog yesterday I spoke of my nerves. I spoke of the threat that Swansea provide, of how they will fancy their chances and how we will need to be back to our best in order to get a result. After all, most teams that go to the Liberty cross back over the Severn Bridge with very little to show for their work. So to go into an international break with a solid 2-0 away victory is most satisfying, I can tell thee.

As is customary from Le Boss from time-to-time, he threw a few curve balls with his starting line up selection, giving the nod to Monreal - which was expected, but also The Ox and Diaby - which was not. Rosicky and Rambo made way and Santi dropped back into midfield to assume the role that he has played more often than not this season of free roamer. Lukas and Laurent also retained their places, so the team had the look of a side that was big enough in squad depth to cope with the rigours of the English football season. As I said on Thursday in the wake of the Bayern game, one swallow doth not a summer make, but it was a really positive thing to see Arsene rotate his team and still manage to get a result. It’s something we’ve all wondered about this season when it comes to the ability of the whole squad to compete.

We knew what we would get from Swansea. They passed and passed and passed the ball and probed for their chance and of course it was inevitable Michu would get one or two, but to be honest Swansea didn’t spend that much of the first half banging down on the Arsenal defensive door. In fact, it was Arsenal that came closest through The Ox. Hit hit the post early on in the first half and right on the stroke of halftime.I thought the Ox had a good game yesterday and looked like more like the young and confident player that we saw at times last season.

I thought Diaby wasn’t at his best yesterday and his style leaves a lot to be frustrated about, so when he and the Ox were substituted for Ramsey and Gervhino, it was the right decision by Wenger. This was made all the more evident with the two substitutes combining to finish off the game on 90 minutes. It must have felt good for Ramsey, who gets roundly booed every time he comes to Swansea. The best way to silence home fans is by beating the home team and Rambo will have probably taken a little bit more pleasure from the result than anyone else.

The second half started off with The Arsenal in ascendency and for the first ten minutes or so and with Santi Cazorla skipping past players and looking like the fleet-footed player we saw at the start of the season, from this humble bloggers eyes it looked like we could get a result, despite having to listen to commentators purring over Swansea’s passing even when they don’t go anywhere. It’s funny, when Arsenal have lots of possession but no penetration, it is seen as ‘typical Arsenal’ and we’re chastised, but such is the love of an underdog in this country, that when Swansea had the same dilemma, they are seen as playing great football by the media.

It was good to see Monreal on the score sheet yesterday, albeit through a scruffy effort, and although Vorm probably should have saved the scuffed shot. Much like all of the back five, who managed a second clean sheet in a week, that I thought was also a really pleasing thing about the result. we’ve become so used to seeing Arsenal make rod for their own backs defensively, that it is just as good to see a ’0′ beside the opponents scoreline at the end of the game.

This was a dominating and thoroughly deserving result from a team that will take a lot of confidence going into the international break. It means we can enjoy the break without having to stew on the poor result for two weeks. I thought the intensity of the play was also a plus point. With the result won and time ticking away, you could be forgiven for thinking that the players would be happy to see the result off, but the attitude of the players from the first whistle to the last was epitomised with Aaron Ramsey forcing Vorm to kick the ball out for a thrown in despite being 2-0 up. This is the attitude that we want to see and this is the desire that will give us the best shot of finishing in the top four. I questioned Le Boss’ ability to motivate the players on a consistent basis between now and the end of the season, and after a result like that I am only happy to be proven wrong. All we need to do now is win the other nine and we’ll probably be fine!

Theo signs, Tony talks, and I have eggs for breakfast

Posted on January 19, 2013 by bendtnersbettercousin

Happy cold and chilly Saturday to you gooners. My evening and morning has been sprinkled with a white blanket outside my front door and a free Saturday to do with whatever pleases me, on account of a distinct lack of Arsenalness.

The Arsenal world itself is never free to roam. There is always something going on. Always something to keep us occupied and today is nothing different. Finally, after what has seemed like an eternity, we’ve seen Theo sit down at a table and sign a new deal. Arsenal never disclose the length of the contracts of the players they have on their books, saying only that it was ‘long-term’, but the speculative masses have already had their day and the general consensus is that it’s a three-and-a-half year deal worth around £90,000 per week with various performance-related bonuses.

First things first – the most important thing for Arsenal and us as fans is that we did not continue the worrying trend that had set in of players running down their contracts and forcing moves out of the club. It was beginning to look as though we had broken the seal, set the precedent and would now regularly each season fall foul of having every player hold us to big fat contracts that matched that of the unsustainable Moneychester City, Chelski, or to a lesser extent Manchester United. This contract may not stop a player from demanding Samir Nasri style wages with two years to go, but it at least sends a message to the fans that each player will not always follow the same path. In that regard I am very happy. Theo is no doubt having one of – possible THE – best season he has had at the club and by retaining him it means we can all focus more on the games and not the politics of football.

I also think it is interesting to note that Arsenal have now moved to tie down five British players on new contracts. Again, this is purely speculative from yours truly, but I wonder if this is a clear public declaration of recognition that when you buy good overseas players, you always run the risk of them jumping ship regardless of how much you have done for them. After all, they have no affinity with the club. These five players all have an affection for the club and let’s hope that with Theo and Jack as the key chess pieces now in place for the next few years at least, they can all reward the club with a transfer from potential to realised ability. Theo in particular, needs to show that he’s worth his big money contract, because he won’t get much of a honeymoon period if he doesn’t live up to the expectation.

This contract hs given everyone a boost and is great news. But I have one tiny element of it that I was a little concerned with. Although I don’t know for sure the length of the contract, if it is indeed a three-and-a-half year deal, that means that this game of cat-and-mouse that we’ve just had the best part of a year talking about will begin again when Arsenal talk about extending the deal with two years or a year and a half to go. Which would effectively mean that in 18 months time we are going through exactly the same process again. The only difference will be that Theo will want more than he’s currently got and ill be looking to get parity with the top earners in the league – which is perhaps not something Arsenal will be able to offer. But it is a worry for another day, so let’s worry about it then.

There was another story which has come from the Independent yesterday which featured an in-depth interview with Arsenal legend Tony Adams, talking about himself, all things Arsenal and his plans for the future. I won’t go into the minutiae of what he said, but there were a few things that struck me as slightly odd. In the article he seemed to both respect Arsene, and question him, talking about how he understands him less and less every time he meets him. He clearly has a love for the club and a desire to be a part of it in some way – he says it in fact – yet then makes some comments that would suggest to me that if he ever wanted a call from the club about having a role in future, then he’s probably just blown it.

He also said that Arsenal were a ‘million miles away from a trophy’, which again, I found a little odd. There have been worse Arsenal teams than this one that have won the Capital One Cup, FA Cup or dare I say it The Champions League, so to me I think that comment was quite wrong. You only have to win six games to win the FA Cup and if you get a kind draw – as Chelski seem to get every year until they reach the semi final (find a sports almanac and look through all of their earlier round ties when they play Hinckley Town or other smaller teams at home that gives them an opportunity to rest players) – and you can be lifting the trophy. If his comments were aimed at the Premier League itself then it would be hard to argue against. We are, after all, closer to QPR at the bottom of the table than Manchester United at the top. But they didn’t seem to be. Since he’s left the field to try his hand at other roles in the game, he’s seemed like quite an eccentric man to me. It’s good that he’s not short of an opinion, but his opinions seem to be more akin to an old uncle who never watches football and makes comments around the wages of footballers being too sky high which makes you roll your eyes as you think ‘next thing you know you’ll be telling me the sky is blue and grass is green, than that of an experienced man well-versed in the game. strange indeed.

There is some other stuff on the official site about Abou Diaby and the need for him to take his chance whilst he’s now fit, but to me that is as much a story as the fact I’m going to have boiled eggs for breakfast.

That’ll do from me today. Have a good’un gooners.

Day five of transfer window, and people are already combusting…

Posted on January 5, 2013 by bendtnersbettercousin

Quick! Every Gooner for themselves! Run for the hills! The Armageddon is nigh! The Mayans were right (give or take a few weeks)! We cannot survive much longer!

If you spend your life flicking through Twitter feeds and seeing some of the responses of gooners, you’d probably be thinking the same right now, such is the animosity that is being banded about by some sections of The Arsenal fraternity.

Yesterday we saw the first real bit of transfer movement in the league from a number of clubs, including Arsenal, as players came in, players went, players disappeared on loan and some agreed to join other clubs in the summer. We already knew about Demba Ba from the evening before; the public statement by his army of advisors that he will not be joining Chelski clearly designed to extract maximum value from the West Londoners (and probably at the same time giving you a better idea as to why we weren’t involved in the bidding process), but yesterday also saw the departure of Marouane Chamakh on a six month loan deal to West Ham. The fact that we can’t shift him on a permanent deal is a damning indictment on the clubs wage policy (that would be Denilson, Bendtner and Chamakh all on loan now because we can’t shift them), but I have to say that I see it as a good thing. Arsene is shuffling his pack already in an effort to bring in some fresh blood. And look, I understand that some people are apprehensive about no deals being done, but I’m willing to go out on a limb and suggest that this movement of the Moroccan followed by the departure of Squillaci and Djourou (I hope the former goes before the latter, but it looks unlikely) will be followed relatively swiftly by some incoming to the club.

But from what I have read over the last 24 hours, you’d have thought people were going to spontaneously combust in a ball of flames. We’re FIVE days into the window people! Five! Not twenty-five!

The catalyst seemed to be the announcement by the Spuds of Lewis Holtby from Schalke in the summer. It was the blue touch-paper of Twitter for gooners, as people bemoaned our lack of activity and the fact other teams are moving instead of us. This really confused me when I read some of the fan reaction. Firstly, we know what positions need strengthening, and small, creative attacking midfielders isn’t really one of them. Sure, Lewis Holtby is a great player, he’d be on a free transfer, and could be better than some of the other players we have in the squad – but our immediate pressing need is surely for another striker, a goalkeeper and a tough ball winning central midfielder to ease the burden from Arteta, isn’t it? Or even another wide attacker if Walcott is being shifted into the centre. I know Ben is keen on Lewis and I don’t doubt he would have been a great signing, but missing out on him is hardly going to massively affect us, is it? Also, we all agree that signing players for the here and now is our most pressing priority, so why the bloody hell are people getting worked up about a player that will not be joining anyone until the summer? How can that help us now?

David Villa however, well, there’s a player that could come in and make an instant impact. Established, a great finisher and still has it in my opinion. I watch Barca play Celta in the Nou Camp in November and Villa got the first goal. He was superb and I think would hit the ground running. We’re being linked more and more with him but unfortunately the tools that are Goal – which I refuse to link to – don’t help the excitement by wildly proclaiming an ‘exclusive’ that we have made a formal bid for the player. I know Arsenal like to conduct their business quietly, but we all know Barca don’t, so if that were true do we really think those idiots in Catalan wouldn’t be shouting from the rooftops of El Mundo to try to get a bidding war going? Of course they would. So if you’re hanging your hopes on us getting him, don’t hang them too much – that’s all I’d ask.

We’ve got a game tomorrow, but I’m reticent to go through a probably line up and thoughts on it until then as I’d have nothing to say, but Arsene has certainly been making noises that he’ll put out his best team out. I’m a little skeptical over this but we wait with bated breath. On the transfer market he declared once again (has done it for the last couple of years) that he expected the market to be calm for the first couple of weeks before hotting up a little. I am hopeful that this is a ‘Who is Cazorla?’ style Arsene bluff, because that comment would suggest a last-minute trolley dash around Europe, which to be fair I don’t think he’ll want. I think Arsene is looking to add some quality as soon as possible, but we’ll just have to wait to see when he finally lays his cards down.

That’s it from me today. Have a good one folks.

Why elevate a players importance, because we MIGHT be interested?

Posted on December 31, 2012 by bendtnersbettercousin

Howdy gooners. hope you’re enjoying the last few drops of the Christmas holiday period. If you’re off on holiday for a few more days thereafter, well, then I am jealous and not your friend you lucky git! However, if like me you have today and tomorrow left, then come in from the cold my friend and embrace me.

We’ll most likely have Arsene’s pre-game presser today where he’ll give us an update on the team for tomorrow. By the sounds of it we look like we’re still strong in terms of a lack of injuries to report and the squad Arsene can pick from, so I don’t expect him to spring any surprises in that regard, but he’ll also inevitably be asked about what types of targets he’s after at the moment. He’s been probed on Ba, Villa and alike, but the press will not expect to get any answer from him, purely an indication as to whether he’s after a player with a wry smile or a way in which he carefully words his response.

He’ll also be inevitably asked about Demba Ba, who it emerged from last night would be speaking to Chelski about a possible move. I’m sat in my dressing gown this morning and Sky Sports have just announced that Ba’s representatives have broken off negotiations following ‘unproductive’ talks. Now, I don’t know much about the inner workings of agents, I just piece together what I hear from different media, blogger and ex-player sources. But to hear comments like that make my cynical eyebrow – the right one – raise to quite lofty heights. Let’s not forget that this Chelski team have a billionaire owner and have no qualms about paying some of their highest profile players around the £150,000 per week mark. If Chelski really wanted Ba, it wouldn’t surprise me that they offered a very attractive package – especially if you’re talking about a £7million release clause – which could justify slightly higher wages. Well, that’s clearly what ‘Team Ba’ think if what is being reported is true.

There is another possibility, which is that all of this ‘Sky Sources’ rubbish is essentially a mobile phone call exchange between reporters and Ba’s agents designed to get the ball rolling on the hyperbole that is the opening of the January Transfer window. It is a provocative school of thought, I grant you, but I see it as the most realistic. This time of the year is when Sky Sports get to be their most excitable. As opposed to the summer, where there is a prolonged period to buy players, January is a concentrated period of time that means Sky need to milk all the click-throughs, TV viewings and alike to generate as much interest and therefore advertising revenue potential as possible. By starting early with a story such as the Ba one, they are getting a few high-profile teams’ fans interested and ensuring that this January starts off well for them. I’m sure that the conversation that may or may not have taken place yesterday evening happens with all of the clubs most of the time, but it just so happens that this has broken just when Sky wanted it to.

Another final thought on this one – I thought players representatives were not allowed to speak to other clubs until fees had been agreed? Given that Newcastle have not announced that a team has matched his release clause just yet – how is it that this story is being conducted so publicly?

The other potential story which doesn’t seem to have been picked up by the media yet, but was listed on LadyArse‘s gossip column yesterday, was that Wilfred Zaha’s former teammate Tom Soares (now at Bury) taking to Twitter saying that he will be a great signing at Arsenal and we have got ourselves a great player. Very interesting comment by Soares to which the Twittersphere practically exploded after it broke. I have a few puzzling thoughts in this regard. Firstly was to question the legitimacy of the account – such is the fickle nature of some human beings trying anything to get a little bit of media attention on Twitter; the second was to question why the player himself would make such an announcement when clearly there is nothing even remotely picked up elsewhere. If there is some sort of deal going on at the moment to bring the player to the club, the last thing Zaha would want is one of his mates running his mouth off and ruining his chances of a deal actually being struck. We all know how secretive Arsenal are, so what does a message like that do other than to generate interest from sections on Twitter? It all sounds a little bit too fishy to me, but I am happy to be proved wrong.

Before I sign off for the day, thought I’d also express out loud how social media has turned football fans (me included at times) into people who always seem to want what others have. With both Ba and Zaha, if neither arrive at Arsenal, it will be seen by some gooners as another example of the lunacy of the Arsenal board and Wenger missing out on another top target. But how do we even know that they were realistic targets in the first place? And even so, how many people in the summer were chomping at the bit to bring these two players on board? Remember Ricardo Alvarez who signed for Inter Milan? He’s hardly set the San Siro alight since joining, yet because we didn’t sign him having got close, some Arsenal fans were ready to pounce. It just strikes me as odd that we always want what others have and if it ever seems like we’re close to any player, we want them even more – regardless of what we know about them.

Anyway, that’s enough warbling for today, tomorrow I’ll actually get to talk about a football match.

Fulham at home – quick off the blocks please Arsenal

Posted on November 10, 2012 by bendtnersbettercousin

Hello happy campers. Unless you have a fundamental issue with the whole premise of sleeping outdoors. In which case, a solitary ‘hello’ will suffice for you no doubt.

Jimmy Greaves famously said ‘It’s a funny old game’. Jimmy Greaves also played for Spurs and so his words can not only not be trusted, but they are to be deplored. Football is not a ‘funny’ game. Sometimes football is a tough game, it’s a painful game and it’s an unfair game. Sometimes it’s a super-mega-’up-for-grabs’ awesome kind of game. That happens when Arsenal win. That is the kind of game I want to see. I would like Arsenal to take Jimmy Greaves’ words and throw them out the window, replacing them with words that will inspire them to three points today.

I don’t want apprehension. I don’t want to see us start slow and give Fulham hope of a win or a draw. I want us to be down their throats barking like an old Steve Bould and I want to see the players give the fans something to react to. Earlier in the week I talked about how we need to have a little of ‘give and take’ when it comes to the relationship between players and fans and who is responsible for geeing the other up. I think the fans can help today by being noisy – hopefully using the away fans as an example, and the players to respond with a performance early on. I they do that, the fans will react and we can all skip merrily down three-point lane together and wait patiently for next weekend in a happier mood.

I’m not sure what the team will be today, but I would have though Walcott will start along with Giroud and Podolski up top. The OX and Rambo face late fitness tests but I doubt that they will both start, nor do I think either should. The shaky defence at times in the second half last week aside, against Schalke the front three had slim pickings and yet still fashioned two goals against a good German side who look to be challenging for the Bundesliga title this year. Those three all played well and so will be riding on the back of some much-needed confidence so I’d be shocked if they didn’t start today.

I think the midfield trio might be slightly more difficult to pick, but I suspect only slightly. Arsene doesn’t have that many options really, so I’d expect to see Arteta and Cazorla take up their usual positions, followed by Coquelin in midfield. Coquelin is a really interesting player to me. When the team hasn’t been playing that well this season and he’s been on the field, he has tended to be one of the main players that has struggled. But when the side finds its rhythm, he has flourished at times. I thought he was dire in the first half against Reading, yet in the second half he was superb. I also hope we see a place on at least the subs bench for either Gnabry, but I hope Eisfeld too. His performance against Reading when he came on in the second half and I thought that he looked ready for some action. He changed the dynamics of the game and ran at defenders and gave them something to be really worried about. If we’re looking like the last twenty minutes might need some keys to unlock the defence, a wildcard like Eisfeld might be just what the doctor ordered.

Defensively we know what we’ll get and I suspect Santos will once again have to contend with a place on the bench. I do wonder if that is potentially the end of his Arsenal career to be honest. Sometimes Arsene can be a very patient man with some players – just look at the faith in players like van Persie, Diaby and Rosicky as an example. However, when his patience and faith snaps like an Abou ligament, then it pretty much spells the end of a players time. You don’t have to look far to see that – we’re seeing it now with Chamakh, we saw it with Senderos and also with Eduardo. If Vermaelen is now effectively seen as the back up to Gibbs, what chances – bar an odd outing in Capital One Cup – does Santos have to fight for that left back slot?

We know what the opposition can do to us today. Berbatov has slotted right into the Fulham side and banged in goals as if he’s been doing it for years. He’s a quality player and the defence will need to nullify his threat. But that is not where their only threat lies. Riise on the left has caused us problems in the past and was the catalyst behind the Thomas Vermaelen own goal last season that put the Cottagers ahead. Vermaelen’s form has been a worry of late, but it will be left to Big Per and Koscienly to stop both Berbatov and Ruiz, who is a bit of an enigma when I’ve seen him. At times he looks class and at other times, lost. I hope we get the latter incarnation today.

We need a win today. We need to start building a run together now and the only way we’ll do that is by picking up three points today and another three points next weekend. Do that, and I think we can start to look at a march towards Christmas with a genuine attempt to go for that league title. We’re a long way off, of that I’m in no doubt, but we can get there.

We need to be giving our all today – just like the players. Concentration, passion and application – get the mixture right and we’ll be on to a winner – literally.

QPR Review: all that was neeeded

Posted on October 28, 2012 by bendtnersbettercousin

Happy Sunday to you. Ultimately I guess it is a happy Sunday for all us gooners. We needed to removed the funk of back-to-back defeats out of the system and this morning we can say that we got what we wanted. Better to collect three points and not play amazing than to batter the opposition and draw 0-0.

In yesterday’s preview I outlined my request to Arsenal, talking about how I wanted the team to play with passion, desire and hunger. After a hard-fought 1-0 victory like yesterday, I’ve been wondering if you can’t accuse the team of succeeding. It’s always about the result and if a team wins then ultimately they’ve done their job. Had Arteta not poked the ball home from a yard with three minutes to go, there would probably be quite a few of us fans questioning the desire of the players. Football and fine margins, as they say.

The first surprise of the day came with the line ups. As I mused over the probable first eleven with The Management (late substitution for Jamo, who couldn’t make the game) over some eggs Benedict, I was pretty sure we’d not see Sagna and Wilshire from the start, but they would play a part. Jack hasn’t played in the first team for 17 months, so to bring him in now would surely be a big Wenger gamble. We know what Wenger’s gambling is like, so I think there might have ben a few faces that were a little worried with the announcement. I also think Carl Jenkinson was a little unlucky to be dropped – not least because he’s in my dream team – but he’ll surely get another chance to fight for the first sport against Reading.

The first half was not one that inspired the fans inside the stadium, as the team looked clearly cautious with some of the build up play, and were faced with another team that wanted to frustrate by being difficult to break down. Ramsey had a header that hit the top of the bar, Giroud had a shot well parried by Cesar and Wilshire stung the palms of the Brazillian. But apart from that it was not the most inspiring stuff. Ramsey started on that right-winger position and once again, whilst he didn’t have the worst game in the world (actually looked lively), he is a square peg in a round hole out right. It just doesn’t work. He doesn’t have the pace to get beyond the defenders, and whilst he does have the occasional trick, he still doesn’t quite fit the bill in that position for me.

For a player that had been out of the game so long, Jack Wilshire was a breath of fresh air. He was composed on the ball, rode a few challenges and even got a couple of shots away. He was able to drive at the QPR defence a few times and for me it was great to see him complete seventy minutes with no ill effects.

But half time arrived and as I chattered away to my peers in Block 5, the overriding feeling I had was that we never seem to play in behind defences any more. I remember the days when we used to have runners in behind the back four, but I haven’t really seen much of that this season. We seem to want to play more in front of the opposition defence, having the occasional shot, rather thana look for more of those killer passes. That may just be a confidence thing at the moment, but it is something I’d certainly like us to see more of from the team.

The second half was a bit more eventful. Arsenal looked like they were probing and pressing more, but were still finding it difficult to break down the blue and white hoops. Cesar made a couple of good saves in-goal, but we weren’t exactly peppering his palms, so when Arteta stroked the ball in after Giroud’s nod down and his header off the bar, the relief inside the Emirates was palpable. Yes, we were certainly helped by a stupid lash out by Mbia to get himself sent off with eight minutes to go, but we still hd to do the business by scoring.

Overall, you can’t say the job wasn’t done, so we should be happy. We were far from convincing, but sometimes you get these games. Before people get too worried, just consider that Manchester City played Swansea yesterday and laboured to a 1-0 victory and by the sounds of it played in exactly the same way as we did. Yet we don’t find ourselves having to listen to pundits talk with as much gusto against our team as they do about Manchester City. Instead they talk of ‘winning ugly’ for the Champions, where as Arsenal are just ‘unconvincing’. Just something to consider as you chew on your Sunday dinner I guess.

On to Reading in the Capitol One cup. Let’s hope for passage to the next round and then the small matter of a trip north to Manchester. Have a good one peeps.

Purring about The Arsenal

Posted on August 13, 2012 by bendtnersbettercousin

Happy post Olympics morning to you great people. The Closing ceremony yesterday was distinctly average for the first hour I watched it, but thankfully there was an Arsenal game on yesterday, so I can talk all day about that! Woo hoo!

Yesterday’s game against a recently relegated FC Koln was our last chance for some semi competitive football to watch before the real thing kicks off next Saturday. It was also our opportunity to see some of our new signings in action for the first time.

As seems to be par for the course these days, I inevitably got the starting line up completely wrong on who would play. Yesterday I talked about how Le Boss would want to see as close to his first team as possible starting yesterday so when the team lined up with Mannone, Yennaris and Mertesacker, I chortled to myself save in the knowledge that now not only do I get transfer announcements wrong (“I don’t think Podolski will sign this week” – signs the next day), I also get formations and team selection incorrect too!

The match itself was a mouthwatering display from the kick off. New signings Giroud, Podolski and Cazorla began and all three looked assured, composed and ready to embrace the Premier League with open arms. It was the latter of the trio that impressed the most by all accounts. Cazorla looked like he’d been playing for Arsenal for years and jinked past opposition midfielders, proved to be pivotal in the build of of attacks and was getting his head up looking to spray the ball around to one of the front three. Whisper it quietly to yourself, but it was almost Cesc-like.

Giroud looked good too. He held the ball up at times, looked to have some really good movement, plus he even carved himself a few chances in front of goal. The only thing missing from his afternoons work was the goal he so richly deserved.

Podolski started the game a little quietly for the first fifteen minutes or so, but after the second goal was scored (the first coming from a Bould/Adams reenactment from Mertesacker and Vermaelen) from the penalty spot he grew more and more in influence first on the left, and then in the second half up top. His finish for goal number three was deadly: hammered home with precision from a Kieran Gibbs cut back inside the penalty box.

It’s always great to see new signings perform from the first game, and whilst we must be mindful not to use this performance as a barometer on which all other matches are played, I think it’s fair to say that it left many of us salivating for what may come over the next nine months. We are hopeful of a trophy at the end, but let’s just see how we go for now.

For me, what is just as satisfying to see is not just the new signings, but the established players as well. There were some really assured performances for players like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Kieran Gibbs, but most notably Gervhino. The Ivorian was without doubt my man of the match. He might have only played a half, but he was easily the most influential player on the pitch in the second half and his performance got a well taken goal added to it as well, slotting in at the keepers near post after driving inside along the by-line. This could be a big year for the lad. Of he adds a more prolific finishing side to his game he could easily become one of our stars. He did have a couple of times where he didn’t quite choose the right option yesterday, but he looks like a different player to the one that finished the season in May. I remember many fans seeing him last year and saying the same during pre season, so we should of course be careful not to expect too much, but he’s had his year to acclimatise so let’s hope this season is a big one for him.

I could go on purring all day about the performance and how good we look at the moment, but we all know that friendlies essentially count for nothing, it’s the real thing we care about. But as a sneak preview of how some of our players might perform goes – it was pretty juicy stuff. But do you know what the best part about this blog has been? I’ve managed to go the whole time without mentioning a Dutchman. He got 20 minutes. That’s all I need to say really.

Until tomorrow.

Attention seeking Tweeters and no small club comparisons

Posted on August 3, 2012 by bendtnersbettercousin

“I can now officially say I am an Arsenal player” – the irony of a statement from an unofficial, or ‘fake’ Santi Cazorla Twitter profile, that still managed to dupe a hell of a lot of people into thinking that there was an announcement about to be made on the protracted transfer saga of a Spanish international.

We all know that fake profiles are just the way of social media life nowadays. Attention seeking morons pretending to be somebody else for nothing more than a little attention. Extremely pathetic and a source of much irritation for those people that use Twitter as a social platform to converse with like-minded individuals who might have something in common. In my case, and yours too, it’s about talking to, and hearing from, fellow gooners.

So where’s the problem if they aren’t actually doing any harm to anybody? I guess there isn’t really a problem, until you learn that media organisations are beginning to pick up these phantom accounts and use their content as a facts-based ‘story’. Sky Sports last night took the bait and ran with the news that Cazorla had admitted he’d signed. Which of course he hadn’t. In fact, after seeing the story appear I did a quick Google search and found out through forums and a Twitter link to the Malaga profile that the account had been deemed fake about a month ago. That’s all it took. I’m no journalist, I don’t get paid to write, yet a few seconds on a search engine and I found my answer.

What all of this essentially boils down to is that when media sources that you actually thought were a little bit closer to the truth are using their own ‘sources’ like that to determine what to publish, we’re probably all better off just being cynical to everything and waiting for official confirmation before getting our hopes up. It’s pretty obvious this deal is going to happen – no smoke without fire and all that – but lets wait until its official and say “who cares who broke it first?”

An Arsenal XI played Dartford last night, and whilst I know the score was 2-1 to Dartford, I can’t really go into too much detail because I didn’t watch the game. What I did do last night was to flick on to the Arsenal website occasionally – for no reason at all – and see that Abou Diaby is looking forward to playing with Mikel Arteta this season. Whether or not that actually happens I guess depends entirely on Abou on two counts: 1) he stays fit, and 2) he gets regular game time. Assuming Cazorla is done and Sahin is close, competition in the middle of the park is going to be tight. When Wilshire comes back I have Diaby down as a fifth choice midfielder, which means even his own fitness might not get him the game time he needs. Anyway, it’s good to see him training properly and having a decent pre-season and lets hope he’s become allergic to the treatment table.

Olivier Giroud thinks Arsenal can upset the odds like Montpellier did last season and win the league. I like his ambition and it’s good that we’ve got somebody who’s just tasted victory and wants it again, but I’m not too sure I like the comparison with a team that was probably seen to be the same sort of club size as a team like Fulham, maybe I’m being a bit of a football snob though. We are a big club and every player should believe we could win the league. If any players don’t, then we should be showing the exit of London Colney to them.

I think that will probably do me for today. Have a good Friday people, and remember to only refresh the Arsenal homepage every 15 minutes – otherwise you might just go mad.

Taking stock and looking forward

Posted on July 22, 2012 by bendtnersbettercousin

Howdy doodie Arsenal comrades,

Decided to take a day away from all things Arsenal and blogging to enjoy a bit of sunshine, canal boating boating with the family and a little bit of lady liquor to cap off a lovely Saturday. I also wanted to take stock of some of the announcements from Le Boss, the pre-season tour of Asia and of pottentiala signings before the transfer window slams shut on 1st September. I saw the stories yesterday and I also had a quick flick on to Twitter, which did nothing except get me more wound up about the RvP situation. Wound up, feeling betrayed by an individual that I thought understood what I felt about Arsenal – even 10% of what I feel towards Arsenal.

So blogging yesterday would have meant just another ranty, bitter, angry gooner wanting to know why we seem to be constantly kicked in the balls by the plaayers thata not months earlier we were chanting and singing and worshipping like the Greek gods and demi-gods of mythologies past. Instead i’ve chosen the ‘breathe, count to ten, and begin’ mantra instead.

So what did we learn yesterday? Firstly, Arsene is putting a brave face on the dogs dinner that is the RvP situation. Unfortunately for Le Boss he keeps getting let down by the players that he has invested his time in, nurtured, and grown into superstars. We can all talk about the lack of investment, the silence of Stan, and the general uselessness of the Arsenal board, but the one constant that always remains is Arsene Wenger. He’s there to be shot at by the media and the fans when things don’t go his way, yet still he remains as custodian of the club. Arsene has invested so much time and energy into Robin that it really must break his heart to see him throw his toys out of the pram over a golden gravy train in Manchester. Becuase that’s what this is. And as each day passes, and more information is leaked into the public space, we see more and more about what Robin van Persie is about. No interest in doing his professional duty, he is taking the Cesc Fabregas school of leaving Arsenal by refusing to go on tour. And even then, after letting Arsene down with his statement over two weeks ago, and not travelling with the team as captain of the football club, Robin drives the knife in further by not travelling to Asia – something even Samir Nasri did. It’s a real shame that he’s done more to sully his name in three weeks than in eight years of building his reputation at Arsenal. Arsene is even now still giving him the protection he doesn’t deserve, saying he’s not quite fit enough to go out and so will concentrate on his fitness in the UK. I feel for Arsene, it’s the most transparent lie we’ve ever seen from Le Boss.

Wenger said he wanted to keep RvP, but we all know it’s an empty statement. Robin is gone and it’s time for us to look at how we improve the team to challenge for the league next year. Which is the more positive news. Wenger has said that we are looking at a couple of options, and the news that has beeen filtering out from yesterday was that we’re taking a long hard look at Santi Cazorla. Yes please barmen. Cazorla would be a great addition to the team and, coupled with a defensive midfielder, would put us in a good position for the new year.

Believe it or not, i’m actually in a good place now. We have Podolski and Giroud would will ffigth for that top spot, and if we can tie down Walcott and Koscienly, as is expected, to new deals, I think we should be ok with one or two additions like Arsene mentioned. Yes, we relied on Robin for goals last year, but it was such a shambles of a summer that we were playing catch up. We’re not now, so let’s hope the pre-season goes well and we keep players fit for the first game against Sunderland.

Let’s be positive gooners – the season is approaching fast and we’ll soon be able to ignore all of this speculation and get down to supporting the lads.