Blog Archives
Why Wilshere comeback was delayed|Wenger fancies Sigurðsson|Thoughts on ‘new kit’.
The initial excitement that greeted news of Jack Wilshere being set to feature in a closed door reserves match got quelled when the team sheet came out and the 20 year old’s name was missing.
Word is, he has suffered a very minor setback in his quest to recovery, which one must state is a normal occurence; however annoying it can be, and thus couldn’t be part of the fixture.
At this moment though, it is anyone’s wild guess as to when we’ll have Jack back and with the reserves team having just two matches left to play this season we may well not see him play competitive football for Arsenal this season.
In lieu of that, it is being reported that a series of closed door friendly matches are being arranged for the reserves to help with his path to full fitness and ultimately give him a chance to make the Euros.
Starting to seem too gloomy there, so some bit of transfer news. This time, Swansea’s on loan midfield star Gylfi Sigurðsson has reportedly (The Sun) caught the eye of Le boss.
The Scandinavian, on loan from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, has only been named the Premier League’s player of the month following a string of good performances for Swansea City and will reportedly cost £6m to prize from Hoffenheim.
In order words, feel free to add Sigurðsson to the shopping cart of midfielders linked to Arsenal that includes Sochaux’s Marvin Martin, Montpellier’s Younes Belhanda, Eden Hazard, Junior Hoilett… Ricardo Montolivo… Yann M’Vila… Shing… I’ll let it rest now.
Finally, some injury news from the Etihad has it that their top scorer Sergio Kun Aguero likely to face us come Sunday after declaring himself fit for the trip to the Ems via Twitter. England defender Joleon Lescott looks likely to be fit for the crunch encounter this Sunday.
That’s a must win for us, made all the more exciting by the fact that it also is a must win for them though I’m honestly hoping Man United get a win on Saturday against QPR to further discourage the City players.
If you remeber clearly, a few weeks ago we brought you a picture of what we think will be our home kit for next season. No one paid attention then; however those pictures are in circulation once again. People are showing a lot more concern this time around and for different reasons.
What do I think of the kit? I see it as change just for the sake of the word; it does not look well designed and it is not one of those that mark a historic period at the club. Let’s hope this is not our new kit or at least that the real thing looks better than the picture.
That’s all for now folks. I think I gave it my best shot conisdering the lack of ‘proper’ news. I’ll have another go at it tomorrow; just before a preview to Sunday’s visit of City.
To our Christian readers who celebrate Easter in the coming days, enjoy yourselves and remember our darling Arsenal in your prayers. We could do with some divine help in the run-in.
To those not celebrating Easter, have fun doing whatever it is you choose, as long as it’s not serial killing or dining with Spuds.
I’d love to read what you guys think of the new kit design. I think it’s however safe to assume that it may turn out to be a fake, one deliberately leaked to spur debate.
Don’t forget to tell a gooner to follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs.
Till we meet tomorrow!
Wilshere ‘Set For Return’ & Arsenal Gunning For 3rd
Lovely weekend it was unless of course you’re Andre Vilas-Boas, the Chelsea manager got the sack yesterday…wait what am I saying? Just thought of how much he stands to make from his sevarance package and all of a sudden, he’s the winner. Boo hoo. He’s always been a small fish in a big pond and the cabal of Terry-Lampard-Drogba was just too much for him in the end.
This past month has just been great for us gooners(if you exclude the Milan & Wearside games), four consecutive wins, Van Persie’s hot streak knowing no end so far and now the good news that Wilshere is set to boost our run for champions league qualification. Lovely. Oh yeah good morning from wherever. Straight to the post then.
Jack Wilshere
Jack Wilshere has returned to training according to Arsenal manager but he assured everyone he’s not closer to making a return, meaning he’s not match fit but is training with the ball I guess…..he had this to say.
- “We have good news but Jack isn’t close to a comeback. The last scan was good and he can start to jog again so he is on his way back. But we have to be cautious with him. I hope to have him back before the end of the season, but we go step by step”
His return would boost us and I’d like to see him play at least one-two games with Van Persie so as not to miss out on what is the dutchman’s best season ever.
Speaking of the dutchman, oh how I love RVP, he deserves all the credit for our season so far and the lovely connection between him & Alex Song is just marvelous. The goals at Anfield are still playing in my head. Top man.
Gunning For 3rd & Milan…..
Our very poor & history-less & pretty much noisy neighbors have been the toast of our half of north london so far. I doubt they’re enjoying being our source of joy and entertainment. From having been behind them by 13points(when it was 2-0 down against them last week) now we’re just 4 points behind and yet we’re having our worst post-Wenger season.
Credit must go to a lot of people & media for helping Sp*rs capitulate but it all centers around Redknapp, from tax evasion to England coach speculation and his naïve substitutions against Arsenal where it ended 5-2 in our favor.
Special mention goes to AW who has gone through a lot(he put us there in the first place) but has steered the ship around and now not only are we on course to make champions league next season, we might end up above Sp*rs. Great achievement considering all we’ve been through & playing the season without Wilshere.
Milan…….
Wenger confirmed my worst fears when yesterday he said he won’t be resting Van Persie or anyone for that matter against Milan. Oh dear. Here’s how the Milan game can play out for us.
1) We win the match but lose the tie and important players pick up knocks.
2) We lose the match, lose the tie and important players pick up knocks.
3) We win the match, win the tie & no one picks up any knock.
4) We rest key players, win the match, lose the tie and the players are fit and fresh for the Newcastle game next week which is more important.
I want the 3rd option but that’s going to require a miracle after witnessing a 14 minute Zlatan Hattrick on saturday. The 4th option would be nice but knowing Wenger, he’ll never do that. Let’s pray for a miracle then.
I’ll be here tomorrow to give the preview on the Milan game. Have a great day and let’s know what you think in the comments.
P.S. Diaby is injured again, pulled a hamstring…..and grass is still green…. Gibbs & Benayoun also picked up knocks ruling them out of the Milan tie but Arteta has recovered and is fit. Great.
Follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs
Wilshere ‘Out For Season’ | Henry & Co Fit |Chamakh Back Early
Before you get tacchycardia at the first 4 words of the heading, notice the ‘ ‘ I put. That’s what we’ve been told to expect, worst case scenario. Wilshere has gone from being a medical miracle that was ready to return as early as February 4 to ‘setback, out for 6 weeks(possibly the entire season?). There goes Wenger’s big plan to announce Wilshere as a ‘new signing’ come February 1 when the window shuts down.
Not going to go on about mismanagement of youth and how no replacement has been(will be) brought in, its a huge blow(not like we’re chasing the title) but his return would have given the team needed lift and Ramsey in particular would be delighted as it means needed rest. Not going to happen now….well soon.
Positive news now and Henry, Arteta, Coquelin are fit and in the squad to face Aston Villa, Sagna too is but a little short on match fitness and might just about make the bench. Gibbs on the other hand should be ready by monday. Diaby? From ready in 10 days to ‘God knows when’. Oh well, good to see we’re following in the trend we’ve been for the last 5 years or so.
If you don’t like Chamakh, look away now. His national team of Morocco have been eliminated from the AFCON which probably had Wenger excited and foaming from the mouth from pure delight knowing the World’s best striker is coming back earlier than planned(he managed 1 appearance 0 goals & assists). Will AW push to have him back before the last group game like Newcastle are doing with Dembas Ba & Cisse?
To the Villa game, asides Wilshere, Santos & Diaby, almost everyone is fit, AW has hinted AOC could play centrally for us and not on the wings, I’d love that personally, anything to give Ramsey a rest. So I expect the team to look something like this.
Szczesny-Yennaris-Mertesacker-Kozzer-Vermaelen-Coquelin-Arteta-Rosicky-AOC-Walcott-RVP
I’m going with 3-1 in favor of the Arsenal. No upsets please. Hope you all enjoy the game & hopefully TH14 bags another goal.
Escobar
Follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs
Wilshere ‘Out For Season’ | Henry & Co Fit |Chamakh Back Early
Before you get tacchycardia at the first 4 words of the heading, notice the ‘ ‘ I put. That’s what we’ve been told to expect, worst case scenario. Wilshere has gone from being a medical miracle that was ready to return as early as February 4 to ‘setback, out for 6 weeks(possibly the entire season?). There goes Wenger’s big plan to announce Wilshere as a ‘new signing’ come February 1 when the window shuts down.
Not going to go on about mismanagement of youth and how no replacement has been(will be) brought in, its a huge blow(not like we’re chasing the title) but his return would have given the team needed lift and Ramsey in particular would be delighted as it means needed rest. Not going to happen now….well soon.
Positive news now and Henry, Arteta, Coquelin are fit and in the squad to face Aston Villa, Sagna too is but a little short on match fitness and might just about make the bench. Gibbs on the other hand should be ready by monday. Diaby? From ready in 10 days to ‘God knows when’. Oh well, good to see we’re following in the trend we’ve been for the last 5 years or so.
If you don’t like Chamakh, look away now. His national team of Morocco have been eliminated from the AFCON which probably had Wenger excited and foaming from the mouth from pure delight knowing the World’s best striker is coming back earlier than planned(he managed 1 appearance 0 goals & assists). Will AW push to have him back before the last group game like Newcastle are doing with Dembas Ba & Cisse?
To the Villa game, asides Wilshere, Santos & Diaby, almost everyone is fit, AW has hinted AOC could play centrally for us and not on the wings, I’d love that personally, anything to give Ramsey a rest. So I expect the team to look something like this.
Szczesny-Yennaris-Mertesacker-Kozzer-Vermaelen-Coquelin-Arteta-Rosicky-AOC-Walcott-RVP
I’m going with 3-1 in favor of the Arsenal. No upsets please. Hope you all enjoy the game & hopefully TH14 bags another goal.
Escobar
Follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs
What I learnt in Greece|Fabregas says he gave Arsenal his best|Identities of the Statues revealed
This post should have come earlier in the day but I was busy with an 8-page Literature review I just submitted. It took my whole morning, but hey, I’ve got more news for you than I would have had I posted in the morning, so it’s all good.
Following yesterday’s defeat in Greece, the boss did not have much to say. He did give credit to Olympiakos for playing a “committed game” and admitted that on the whole, they were sharper than us and wanted the win more than we did. I won’t bore you a match report, just a number of things I noticed from the game.
Arshavin and Chamakh are in the last chance salon at the club. Both men have turned in indifferent performance over and again since the start of the season and it is quite hard to see a future at Arsenal for either of them.To say Andrei isn’t pulling his weight will be an understatement, he looked like a rookie last night, like he couldn’t be bothered. It was no surprise to see a lot of fans rip into him after the game.
And while I am still one of the very few (and I mean VERY few) Arsenal fans who still believe in Andrei, time is not on his side. With Oxlade-Chamberlain already impressing, he may be pushed down further in the pecking order. Chamakh’s case is baffling; he obviously has not recovered from the fatigue he suffered last winter. This does not bode well for the club, as we need both of them in good form if we are to challenge for any honors this season.
Szczesny is more important than we imagined. Granted our defence should have done better on but we played two goalkeepers yesterday and none of them impressed me. Mannone chose yesterday to display his kicking skills and flapped at a ball my kid brother would have saved. And to think he thinks he should have had more appearance in the Arsenal shirt; performances like that won’t win you the gaffer’s trust Don Vito. And that means you won’t get to be a club legend.
Talking legends, Arsenal are set to unveil statues of three of the club’s greatest-ever heroes at The Emirates Stadium on Friday. And thanks to a leak by the Daily Telegraph, I can tell you that Tony Adams, Thierry Henry and Herbert Chapman are the chosen trio. Legendary defender Tony Adams captained the Gunners to five league titles across three different decades, making nearly 700 appearances in 19 years at the club despite years of battling his off-pitch demons.
Titi was saved from a bad spell by Le Boss, but was a huge hit at the club and scored a club record 226 goals in 370 appearances. For those that don’t know me personally, he is my favourite footballer of all time! Say a bad word about him and you’ll have me to contend with.
The third statue is Herbert Chapman, the iconic manager credited with first making Arsenal a force in the English game. He had already made Huddersfield both league and FA Cup champions, and did the same with Arsenal as he revolutionised the approach to football training and tactics. He also championing modern developments such as shirt numbers and evening matches being played under floodlights, before his tragic death from pneumonia after watching the Gunners’ third team play a match in Guildford in January 1934.
So there you have it, three men who will be immortalized on Friday and deservedly so. This is coming at a time the club is struggling and the thought of being immortalized my help fire up the current crop of Arsenal players. Who is to say Arsenal won’t be erecting a Jack Wilshere statue in the couple of decades?
Now to a player who might have had a strong for a statue had he not bailed out when we needed him the most, Cesc Fabregas. The 24-year-old made more than 300 appearances, scoring 59 times, after being plucked from the Camp Nou club’s youth team by Wenger in 2003. And after a sixth successive year without silverware, which included a last-gasp loss to Birmingham City in the League Cup final, Cesc says the time was right to move on and attempt to win honours with his star-studded hometown team. Said he,
“I thought it was the right moment. I’d given everything for Arsenal. I played with a broken leg, I played when my grandfather died. I gave everything but you reach a moment when you say: ‘I can’t give any more”
Fair enough Cesc, we do not dispute the fact that you gave us your best, we just asked you to give us a bit more, seeing as your best wasn’t good enough. But it’s in the past now, he’s enjoying life in Barcelona and we are recovering from losing him, so both parties are sort of happy now.
Onto some transfer news, Wolves are keen on signing Emmanuel Frimpong and Francis Coquelin on six-month loan deals. The two youngsters have had limited opportunities in the first team this season and Arsene is likely to be in favour of providing the pair with more football. Frimps has already spoken out that he would like to explore the possibility of a loan deal in January and it seems that Wolves could move to please the 19-year-old. Coquelin also expressed a desire to go in search of some regular footy in the winter.
I’d love for both of them to stay in the EPL, that way we get to see them often and we can measure their progress more accurately.
Coming at a time when a club on the other side of London is struggling to keep its top players, having dressing room disputes, and praising a drab win over Valencia as their best performance of the season, it’s not really a bad time to be a gooner, is it?
Keep it goonerish from wherever you are reading this and do let me know what you think in the comments!
Cheers!
Arsenal vs Dortmund : Match Preview + Transfer & Player News
MUST WIN, no excuses, no complacency a la last season. Knowing quite well that a win guarantees us qualification and facing teams of lesser quality, I mean no disrespect. Its a match of two inform teams as both sides have gradually climbed their way into the top half of the table of their respective leagues. More so, its a duel of two inform players in Red (Hot) Robin & Young Super Mario(Gotze) who continues to be linked with a move to the Emirates.
TEAM NEWS
Not much is happening here, Rosicky is ruled out with a thigh strain but perennial absentee Diaby is back to take his place in the squad. Djourou might come in for Mertesacker at RB and Kozzer moving back to CB. The rest of the team is going to remain unchanged and RVP is to lead the team out.
Possible Formation: Szczesny-Djourou-Kozzer-Vermaelen-Santos-Song-Arteta-Ramsey-Gervinho-RVP-Walcott
Prediction: Arsenal 3:1 Dortmund
Transfer News + Player News
When quizzed on Gotze and the rumors, here’s what Arsene had to say:
- “We have a big squad and we are after nobody. Gotze is a very good player and I can understand there is a lot of interest in him around Europe”
Typical Arsene, dodged the question. Knowing how Arsenal does its business, I’d say we’re definitely going for him. Let’s wait and see.
Szczesny says despite what is perceived as over confidence, he’s his own biggest critic and still has a long way to go before being considered great and first aim is to help Arsenal become big again.
Jack Wilshere has been chatty of late. He got infuriated by Spu*s fans saying they’re going for the title and made a wager saying if they finish ahead of Arsenal he’ll donate £3K to charity, if not, every spu*s fan following him donates a pound to his charity. What a legend.
From wherever you are, have a swell day. Qualification awaits. Cheers
Escobar
Follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs
Guess Who At Age 11?
Escobar
punkenstein
qed14
