Blog Archives
Clichy has my blessings|Arsenal get bullied again|Cesc and Nasri to stay?
Granted, I may have popped some dopamine-enhancing pills this morning but I am in my most positive of moods. There have been a lot of paper talk over the past few days, with many of them being nothing but mere lazy journalism. We are actually tired of these stories and that may be responsible for the lack of posts these past few days. Not withstanding, our apologies!
So, first things first, news just in suggests that Gael Clichy just arrived at a private hospital in Manchester for a medical, with a view to completing his move to the Eastlands. This is bad news for us Arsenal fans, as we have just lost the last member of our invincibles team, a hard worker and an arsenal lover.
It may sound absurd praising him on the day he signs for another club; however, we cannot deny that Gael has been a loyal servant to the Arsenal cause. He gave his 100% whenever he wore the Red and White of the club and deserves every form of gratitude for his service.
Clichy came in for Ashley Cole and settled in perfectly, giving us great performance after great performance but last season, his form waned. The first person to notice this was Clichy himself. His performance dropped and he started making silly errors. He may have realised that his time at the top may not be as long as he expected. Having said that, I really do not see anything wrong in him seeking a big payday before he loses his form completely. I’m talking from a professional footballer’s perspective here, not as an Arsenal fan.
Everyone has their limits, he has been with us for over 8 years and he’s probably fed up. So I’ll put him in the category of ex-players who should get a warm reception when they return to the Emirates: Henry, Pires, Kolo Toure, Ljunberg… And now that Clichy is leaving, replacing him won’t be too difficult. We can bring in another left back, promote Gibbs, or shift Vermaelen to left back. The last option is a discussion for another day though.
To other news, Cesc should return to London today to begin preseason, and while his heart is still set on a move to Barcelona, returning to London may just be to our advantage. I believe that Wenger can meet Cesc one on one and convince him to stay at the club; tell him that Barcelona do not want him that much if they value Sanchez and Neymar more than him, tell him Arsenal will always love him more. It’s not going to be easy but if anyone can, Arsene can. Barcelona have no money, and I do not see how Cesc will leave if they cannot provide the funds.
Nasri will also meet with Wenger today to sort out his contract. For all his comments in the papers, it is imperative for me to let you know that everything Samir said, we already know. He wants to win trophies, who doesn’t? But he also added that he wants to do so playing a certain kind of football that we all know only one team in England is capable of.
He won’t play rugby, and he wants to win trophies, my feeling is he wants to push Wenger to sign top players this summer so we can compete better next season. Isn’t that what we all want?
For all our noise about Ricky Alvarez arriving, Inter Milan may just have beaten us to the signing of the Argentine ace. according to Maurizio Zamparini. The Palermo president was the man who revealed last week that Arsenal were set to win the race for the Velez Sarsfield midfielder. Palermo had also been bidding for Alvarez, which gave Zamparini his insight and now he claims that he knows Inter’s late bid for the player looks set to be successful.
It is annoying how we get bullied by other clubs; first it was Jones, now it’s Alvarez. However, we are not sure how much Wenger wanted him at Arsenal since there was no statement from anyone related to the club, and I have not really seen the lad play, so I cannot judge how much of a loss this is.
That’s it gooners, it’s past July 1st and still no action. Nothing on Samba and Cahill, Gervinho has still not been announced. I think Wenger knows what he’s doing, but for how long can he wait on other clubs? This summer was supposed to be about strengthening, but instead it’s another year of replacing.
It’s just amazing how we have these problems with money when 95% of the club is owned by two of the world’s richest men!
Wherever you are reading this from, keep believing. There’s still over a month of the transfer window left.
Remember follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs for Arsenal news as they break.
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Cheers.
See you in the commments!
Worst Transfer News yet|July 1st Approaches
Just a quick one gooners. This week has been dominated by the infamous Cesc story which was first run by the usually reliable BBC.
It is imperative for me to state however, that I still cannot “totally” believe the entire story; this is because there was no credible name mentioned, and that gives the BBC plausible deniability should there be any trouble.
I used the word “totally” because I believe that behind virtually every rumour is a pointer, and an element of truth, no matter how minute.
And to those basing their assumption on the photo shoot for the new away kit, let me point out to you that Van Persie was absent too. And RVP is as loyal to Arsenal as they come. Apparently, Nasri also tweeted that he loved the new kit too, so the story can go either way.
Now to the title of my post and I was not exaggerating, at least that is what I believe. Just yesterday evening, the agent of our Brazilian “winner” (Denilson), said he doubts that any deal will be made for his client and in the event of no bids, Denilson will be returning for preseason with Arsenal. Said He,
“I don’t know anything about Milan at the moment they are rumours. Spanish or Italian clubs? There are no talks…The only certainty is that if nothing happens in the coming days, Denílson will join Arsenal for pre-season.“
For all He said last season about this Arsenal team not having his winning mentality, Denilson would be brave to stay with us surely.
Life as an Arsenal fan is fun, isn’t it? We are struggling to keep our top players, Fàbregas, Nasri and Clichy; and also struggling to get rid of the deadwood, Denílson, Squillaci, Bendtner and Almunia. Some Arsenal fan even put Denilson up for sale on e-bay! That shows you how much we want him out of the club.
Now we’ll be probably stuck with this “winner” for another season and since he won’t get anywhere near the first team ( fingers crossed), we’ll be paying him just to train. Left to me, we could always give him away for free.
The rumours have continued as usual, and while some are reporting that we have ditched Samba for Cahill, others are making noise about a double swoop. How interesting can it get? Which brings me to this…
For some reason which I cannot explain (and I doubt anyone can), July 1st has become the day of salvation for gooners; that day we look forward to for the fulfillment of our dreams. We believe for some strange reason that our signings (God let there be more than one!) will be announced on that day.
I am as desperate as you all are for signings but a mate recently pointed out to me that we have never announced a signing on July 1st! If this is true, I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you, but what is to say we cannot begin that trend this year?
So while I’m hopeful that July 1st will be that glorious day, I won’t hold my breath though, with the knowledge that it might be like just any other day….rumours, rumours and more rumours!
It’s a wrap guys, let’s hope Wenger can surprise us all and pull something off this week. One thing’s for sure though, we won’t be starting next season with exactly the same set of players.
Have a splendid day wherever you are reading this from.
Remember to follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs for Arsenal news as they break.
See you in the commments!
Cesc believes|Eto’o to Arsenal?|It’s Newcatle first
Our schedule for the 2011/2012 season was announced this morning and it is worth noting that we kick off our campaign on arguably the same ground our we began our decline last season.
St. James’ Park it is, the venue of the infamous Newcastle comeback to draw Arsenal 4-4, in a game they were 4-0 down at half time. It will be important to start our season on a good note and also exorcise the ghosts of that game.
Cesc may have expressed his love and admiration for Barcelona, but he insists he is committed to the Arsenal cause. He also believes that we have what it takes to win major honours.
Speaking at a presentation in Madrid, Cesc told reporters from Spanish newspaper, Sport
“…Arsenal is a good team and a good manager and one of the most faithful fan bases in Europe. With those i believe we can make progress and one day win an important trophy.”
So it is as though Cesc is not only happy at The Emirates, he is confident we can win things. We all share his belief and it’s up to Arsene to get the required players to push past that finish line.
Reports making round have led us to believe that Arsenal is seriously considering a move for Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o who yesterday, made it known that he’s keen to test himself in the EPL.
The lad is 30 years and this may represent his last chance to make a big move to another of Europe’s major leagues. If there is player who defines the word “proven”, I doubt there’s anyone who fits that bill better than Sammy.
Whether an approach from us will be rejected is yet to be known. There have been talks of a money + player deal involving Nasri but I’m sure most gooners will prefer a straight cash bid in the region of £18m and Nasri staying with us.
One downside to the Eto’o story however is his nationality. The Cameroonian will be off to the Nations Cup in January and will be away for probably a month.
We already have Song, Chamakh and maybe Gervinho leaving. Sammy’s departure will leave us with only RVP. That’s a great risk, considering the Dutchman’s affinity for injuries.
In other news, reports have surfaced that our offer of Denilson in part-exchange for Shakhtar’s Brazilian midfielder Douglas Costa has been rejected. The Ukranians are said to be uninterested in Denilson, and who can blame them for that? It remains to be seen how we react to this. Personally, i will take any deal that rids us of Denilson.
Also, Gael Clichy’s agent Yvan Le Mee has come out to say that his client’s future at Arsenal will be decided in the next two weeks. Clichy has refused to sign a new contract at the club and with his contract expiring next summer, the club will be willing to sell him now to prevent him from doing a “Flamini” next year.
That’s about it. we should seal moves for Samba and Gervinho this weekend. Cahill may be added to the mix if Wenger is happy enough.
Trust us to bring you details of those deals as they happen; and you can follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs for more Arsenal stuff.
Have a swell day mates!
See you in the comments
Stoke vs Arsenal : Match Preview
With little or nothing to play for again in the season than securing 3rd place, with the day already shadowed by the super sunday game between United and Chelsea we travel to the Brittania stadium to meet Stoke City. Only the hardest fans would say mathematically we could still win the title, but I don’t share their optimism.
As Expected, a lot has been made of this fixture because it marks the return of Aaron Ramsey to the place where he got his ankle broken by Ryan Shawcross & ultimately ruled out for 8 months. This led to a series of back & forth between both club managers which spilled to the Arsenal fans who continue to boo Shawcross each time both teams meet. Its reported that Ramsey still hasn’t returned any of his assailants calls or messages. Oh well.
On to team news for the day, Captain Cesc is still ruled out and he’s joined on the sidelines by Nasri, Diaby and Djourou who is carrying a knock. That means Ramsey is set to keep his place and Arshavin should come in for Nasri. Thomas Vermaelen has also been pencilled in for a return to the line up in Djourou/Kozzer’s place. With nothing much left to fight for, it would be nice to win our remaining games just to end the season on a high.
Possible Formation : Chezzer-Sagna-Djourou-Vermaelen-Clichy-Wilshere-Song-Ramsey-Walcott-Arshavin-RVP.
Prediction : 1-3
From wherever you’re reading, have a lovely day.
Escobar
Tottenham Vs Arsenal : More Than Just 3 Points At Stake
Good morning to gooners all over the world, and a special one for those of us who still think we have a shout at the title. Of which that shout was thrown another lifeline last night as a determined Toon Army held Man Utd to a goalless draw, normally I’d be excited but each time United play & drop points before us, we go ahead & do exactly the same. Before the players decide to shoot the clubs bid to end the drought again, the might want to consider who our opponents tonight are.
Its the 3rd fixture against our lowly and overly achieving(in the champions league this season) and the reverse league fixture, with the other being in the Carling cup(yeah the same Carling cup in which we were brilliant all the way through & then choked in the final) and I’d rather our players DIE on the pitch than see Sp*ds do a league double over us. We lost the first fixture at home despite going 2 goals up in the first 45 and playing them off the park for 60 minutes only to lose at the death. The last time Sp*ds did a double over Arsenal in the league, dinosaurs were still in existence and we don’t want a repeat of that.
Why? Well winning tonight cuts Utd’s lead to four points and keeps us ahead of Chelski just barely though. So unless we want to fight for 3rd place with City, its best we win and keep fighting. Sp*ds are not exactly at the top of the form table and neither are we so there’s a lot to play, our neighbours on the hunt for fourth place, us the title chase and surviving the pack snapping at our heels then throw in the bragging rights part. A draw is not acceptable.
To team news, (notice how I haven’t mentioned Fabregas’ interview where he apparently said Wenger would have been fired if he was in Spain, he denied saying it that way but its the truth but we don’t need that now) looks like its going to be the same squad going down the road but maybe not the same lineup & formation. A 4-4-2 won’t be a bad idea, or a 4-2-3-1 with Fabregas beside Song, van persie behind either NB52/Chammy with Wilshere on the bench to give us extra goal threat, but I don’t see AW buckling. Sagna returns to the side after missing out at the weekend. So that’s pretty much it. Our away form has topped our home form this season so hopefully we can win tonight.
Possible Formation: 4-2-3-1 : Chezzer-Sagna-Djourou-Kozzer-Clichy-Song-Fabregas-Nasri-Arshavin-RVP-NB52
Prediction : Sp*ds 1 : 3 Arsenal
We’re still keeping the faith not because we’re die hard fans(maybe a little bit) but because we keep getting lifelines, let’s take the initiative tonight and make the title fight one helluva fight.
From wherever you’re reading, have a great day. Your thoughts?
Escobar
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Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
Arsenal vs Liverpool : Match Preview
Greetings Gooners Far & Wide,
Its only right to pay respect to Daniel David Fiszman (9 January 1945 – 12 April 2011). May His Soul Rest in Peace.
Its another cracker tomorrow in the EPL as we welcome Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool to the Emirates. This fixture is one to look forward to as both teams have had their own fair share of ups and downs this season but from where we’re standing, we’re rooting for an Arsenal win.
The team is bolstered by the return of Song for some much needed muscle in mid-field. Djourou and Szczesny also make their return in defense and goal respectively, with rumours of Vermaelen making a bench appearance. So its safe to assume that this is “The return of the first Team”. Kudos to the team that played Blackpool last weekend, Cesc , Wilshere and most surprisingly Diaby who did a fairly good job in the midfield but would need to step up their game against a very determined Liverpool side.
Playing Liverpool earlier this season was not an easy task as we were just able to scrap a point after an own goal by Pepe Reina in the 90th minute of a match that ended 1-1. At this stage of the season its in the Teams best interest not to drop any points so as to keep title dreams alive. With Andy Carrol bagging his first two goals for Liverpool on Monday he will definitely be one to look out for as he has already scored against Arsenal at the Emirates earlier this season and we don’t want him becoming the first player to score against us twice with two different teams at home. January Super signing Luis Suarez would also be another player to look out for, remember how he single handedly bamboozled the entire Manchester United defense? We wouldn’t want a repeat of that, Portuguese man Raul Meireles is also having an amazing season in Liverpool’s colors having scored some crucial goals for them this season.
In general this team is not one to be taken lightly. But if you’re talking of form, one man certainly at the top of that table is Robin Van Persie, who I fancy to grab another goal this weekend.
Possible Formation: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy, Song, Fabregas, Wilshere, Nasri, Van Persie, Walcott.
With 7 games left, let’s hope on the day of that seventh match we would see on our respective TV screen’s “Arsenal’s Recent Form : ” W W W W W W” & with some sort of miracle The EPL will be ours.
From wherever you are, Keep the Arsenal dream alive and let’s do this for Danny Fiszman if not for any other reason.
Faf Says So
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Diaby Stars As Arsenal Win : The Blackpool Player Ratings.
Surprise start by Lehmann who replaced the ill/injured(depending on who you believe) Almunia. Diaby, Eboue, Fabregas came in for Song, Theo & sagna. 2 goals in each half saw Arsenal run away with the 3 points. Below are the ratings.
Mad Jens- 7.5
Second First debut for the overly eccentric german. Handled himself well, came out and dealt with crosses, even composed enough to round an on rushing blackpool striker and a good save after Clichy faltered.
Eboue 7.5
Stunning finish from the much maligned overly loved fullback. Ran the wings well and put in one or two tackles and also caught out of position. Good day.
Squillaci 8
High rating because of that last ditch tackle that preceded the 3rd goal. With the game at 2-1 and Blackpool one shot away from levelling, he came through BIG. Probably his first ever tackle since joining Arsenal.
Koscielny – 7
Was comfortable against the threat of just one Blackpool forward. He was ok throughout and covered well for Clichy.
Clichy – 6
Would have gotten a 7, but the stupid lapse in concentration in the dying minutes of the game could have cost us. He seems to do it every season, remember City & B’ham a few years back.
Wilshere – 7
Solid going forward and defending, found himself on the wrong end of the oppositions tackling but his character shone through. Picked up a booking trying to prevent a counter.
Diaby – 8.5
I think the last time diaby got a rating this high must have been in a Fifa 11 video game. Started the game on fire, profiting from good build up play between Cesc, RVP, Arshavin. He was immense in the midfield and stupidly picked up a booking but showed considerable strength & grit in the second 45.
Fabregas – 8
Pass after pass, lob after lob, he lost me with his precision and decision making and the number of chances he created in the opening half alone. Set Theo on his way for the assist to RVP’s goal and Arsenal’s 3rd. Good outing.
Nasri – 7
Not his best game for Arsenal, but for the goalkeeper he would have gotten his name on the score sheet.
Arshavin – 6.5
Was more out of the game than in the game. Posed little threat but he defended well.
Van Persie – 7
On another day he could have scored 5. Poor refereeing coupled with profligate finishing cost him. Made amends after being offered a good assist by the speedy Theo
SUBSTITUTES
Walcott – 7
Came on with the game finely poised and he turned it on its head with his pace and laid on the winning goal for RVP after great play by Eboue, Cesc & Diaby.
Gibbs – N/A
Ramsey – N/A.
Man of the Match – Abou Diaby
Good to see us pick up a vital and necessary win. The gap is back to seven points with a game in hand.
From wherever you’re reading have a great day.
Escobar
Fab & The Gang Return : The Blackburn Preview
Another must win game. I wonder how many times this has been said or mentioned on blogs and in the media in general. And yet, we’re still in the thick of it with United, BUT make no mistake, we lose this game or drop points coupled with a United victory and its ‘over’. Why? Add a chelski win to any points we may drop and you have us fighting to stay in the top 2 instead of the title.
Mathematically, anyone in the top four can still win the race, but to limit the chances of the 3rd & 4th placed teams, Arsenal & United need to keep winning, most especially Arsenal. Hopefully with some good luck on our side and bad luck on United’s, we can ‘smile to the bank’ come end of May.
Fresh off the dreaded international break, the only casualty seems to be RVP and according to reports, its not that serious. A lot of players were involved during the break with some being used like donkeys e.g Nasri, Wilshere, Bendtner while some got off lightly by playing one game instead of two. Aided by the return of influential captain Fabregas, wing wizard Walcott, Anchorman Song, we’ll be looking for nothing less than the 3 points required and what better way to do that than against Blackburn at the Emirates; but we all know its against teams like this ESPECIALLY at home we always mess it up.
To team news, as said earlier, Fabregas along with Walcott, Song have all returned from various knocks and the likes of Ramsey, Bendtner should be fit to tackle the opposition. Lehmann was a clown in his second audition so Almunia would probably retain his place and the back four too should be unchanged. Due to Wilshere’s involvement in two games in four days, I reckon a rest maybe on the cards for the youngster. As revealed by Arsenal.com, this would be our 50th game this season and even though now is no time to rest players, Wilshere is due rest. So fancy the team to look something like this.
- Almunia
Sagna Squillaci Kozzer Clichy
Song Fabregas Nasri
Walcott RVP Arshavin
So there we have it. Players are back, most of them fresh and relaxed and roaring to go. I feel Theo is going to be key in our title run in so it would be great if he doesn’t get injured again. 3 points and we’re still in it, dropping points coupled with Chelski picking up points, puts us in between a rock and a hard place. I don’t mind us conceding silly goals, (let’s accept it that with the CB pairing we will) so long we score in abundance in the same game.
From wherever you’re reading, do have a swell day. Faf would be here with the ratings come Saturday evening.
Your thoughts?
Follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs
Escobar
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Arsenal Choke…. AGAIN : Sunderland Player Ratings
We’ve seen it happen over and over again. Arsenal FC’s fetish with De Ja Vu’s is really appalling. How can you continue to blow away chance after chance to either win the title or close the gap on the leaders? Are we cursed as a club or is winning a trophy, any trophy unattainable heights for Arsenal or are our players werewolves and vampires (allergic to silverware)? On a day when polished performance by certain players is going to be overlooked due to failure to bag the 3 points. Below are the ratings.
Szczesny- 8
One superb save in the opening 15 minutes followed up by another superb one in the closing stages. Showed no after effects of the Wembley loss.
Sagna 7
The only Arsenal defender shorn of mistakes the season. Another solid outing.
Djourou 7
Relatively untroubled asides from being on the receiving end of Muntari’s fingers n elbow.
Koscielny – 6
Sloppy, shaky, erratic with his passing. Needs to up his game asap before the game at Nou Camp.
Clichy – 6
Had trouble dealing with Sessegnon early on in the game but recovered in the second 45.
Wilshere – 8
Asked to play the fabregas role in the first 45 and would have been rewarded with two assists if not for profligate finishing from the forwards.
Diaby – minus 0.00000001
Relatively useless, continually incurred the wrath of the Arsenal faithful by ruining counters and losing the ball. Shocking game.
Denilson – minus 10
Was he even on the field?? Oh yes he was, he was tackled poorly twice. Five years in the first team and no improvement whatsoever. Sad
Arshavin – 6
Should have done better with the two chances he had, he can point to Bramble’s push for skewing that chance but a player of his quality should have scored.
Bendtner – 6
Barring the excellent snap shot he had in the first half which the keeper did well to stop, he was a shadow of his former self. Still looking for his first PL goal in 2011.
Nasri – 7
Played very well in the second half, unlucky to be surrounded by the likes of Diaby and denilson, showed real drive and promise. Should have scored from a set piece. Unlucky.
SUBSTITUTES
Chamakh – 6
Hit the post with a header when it was easier to score.
Rosicky – 0
Over 15 minutes and no notable contribution. How he recovered from the knock against Orient surprises me.
Sunderland
Mignolet – 9
I had to rate the lad, he was the difference between both sides, excellent showing, save after save. Take the plaudits son. Good game.
Referee & Linesman – 100
Both men receive the award for ‘Men of the match’ for excellent and error free performance from both of them. We need more referee’s like them.
Well, like we always say, keep the faith, we still have the game in hand and hopefully the scousers can do us one hell of a favour tomorrow against Manure. Your thoughts?
Escobar
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Escobar
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