FA Cup Round 4: Arsenal v Huddersfield Town: Match Preview
They are two clubs who’s history has been divergently opposed to each other but is inextricably wound together. And for the first time since 1992 Herbet Chapman’s two clubs meet again. Arsenal get a visit to the Emirates by Chapman’s second club Huddersfield town.
Herbert Chapman took the reigns at Huddersfield Town and made them perenial winners. Only when he left and took over Arsenal did he usurp the Yorkshire club’s throne. The foundation he built at Arsenal turned the London club into the institution it is today. Without Herbet Chapman there is no Arsenal – at least not in this incarnation. (You can read a great article on Chapman in the Daily Mail here – there are some great quotes form the legend that are just as relevant today.)
The gulf between the two clubs is as vast as a canyon. If you removed the table structure of the leagues Arsenal would sit exactly 45 spots above the League 1 team. The disparity in talent is as wide as well, as international players wear the kit of the Gunners while HTFC feature a majority of hearty English lads.
The visitors come to town on Sunday looking to gauge how well their own version of “pass and move” works. Former Newcastle man, Lee Clark has the Terriers playing some of the best football in league 1 and their current form is a testament to that. HTFC are winners of 4 of their last 6 and haven’t lost a match in 6 of their last 7. But their defence is suspect and even a”rotated” Arsenal squad could give them problems.
Yes, you heard me right, rotated squad. Wenger will once again use a rotation policy for this match up. The fourth round FA Cup tie is their 9th match in January. The most I can remember this squad having to play. Throw in the fact that we have a match only 48 hours later and you should expect wholescale changes.
Set for returns to the squad are Tomas Rosicky, Sebastien Squllaci and Abou Diaby. Joining the three is Manuel Almunia. Remember him? He’s been demoted and this is his chance to show that he still has something. But the likelihood of him being our number 1 again is gone as Wenger has placed his chips behind the 20 year old pole Szczesny.
“At the moment he (Szczesny) has played every game so in this position at the moment he is the number one. It is down to the others to challenge him. “
Overall I suspect even more changes than normal, especially in light of Tuesday’s match against Everton. Look for the likes of Arshavin, Chamakh and Bendtner to lead the attack. I wouldn’t be suprised to see a midfield of Rosicky, Denilson and Diaby and a defencive group of Eboue, Gibbs, Squillaci and Koscielny.
Again, not the first team of choice these days but there is still enough talent here to win this match. The question marks are with the health of Rosicky, the mental state of Arshavin, and the commitment of the likes of Eboue, Denilson and Bendtner. I want Arshavin in there because as much as I have been down on the lad, I really think it is a mere case of him firing in a goal or two that should restore or begin to rebuild his confidence in himself (even he has admitted he is not in prime form). If Arshavin comes to life I suspect him Rosicky offer us enough of creative presence to do in HTFC. Chamakh who hasn’t started an EPL match this month and hasn’t scored since Aston Villa away looked a lot fresher as a sub coming on in our last tie. He should give us the presence up front that Rosicky and Arshavin can feed to.
I don’t suspect us to have the lacksidasial approach to the game like we did against Leeds and Ipswich. We’re in it in all four competitions and I look for us to continue moving on in this competition.
Projected Starting XI:
Almunia, Squillaci, Koscielny, Eboue, Gibbs, Denilson, Diaby, Rosicky, Arshavin, Bendtner, Chamakh
Match Officials:
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Assistant referees: John Flynn and Martin Yerby
Fourth official: Paul Tierney
GAMEDAY CHAT IS OPEN: www.youaremyarsenal.com/gamedaychat
Kickoff:
US: 0700 EST
UK: 1200 GMT
YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 4
HTFC: 0
In Other News:
A lot of specualtion has been had about whether or not Wenger is trying to bring in a centre back, especially in light of the return of Seba to the lineup. The naysayers will say he never intended to bring anyone in and they could be right. Here is what Wenger had to say about it:
Wenger added: “If we can get a defender on loan until the end of the season, it is an ideal solution for us.
“If we buy another one, first, we have to buy him for four years and then we have to pay him for four years and then we will have five centre backs.
“People say always: ‘you must buy, buy, buy.’ But you must pay them as well. You want to sign a player for four years, all the others are on long contracts and then suddenly you have five and then Alex Song is six.
“What do six centre backs do? Watch the games in the stands because they don’t play”
I don’t come from the school of Alex Song as cover as a CB. Its true he can play there but why take him out of the role that he is growing into. Ideally the candidate I’d like to see come in is Dinamo Zagreb defender Šime Vrsaljko. Vrsaljko is 19 years old could slot in as either a CB or RB. Frankly I think this makes absolute sense to me. Eboue is not the best option to give Sagna a spell and if you could have someone who rested him but could also spell our CBs then it’s a win win. Word had it earlier this week, that Arsenal reps were meeting with the parent club to hash out a deal.
The other option is a loan and I know that Arsenal scouts were watching Majid Bougherra from Rangers. This would be a purely loan deal until the end of the season and next to signing Vrsaljko it makes good sense. Especially if Wenger and the team believe that Vermaelen could come back this season.
As for the ongoing Oxlade-Chamberlain saga, I am beginning to think this kid won’t move anywhere until summer. If you needed any more indication that Fergie sees Arsenal as a threat again is that United have stepped in to hijack the deal between Arsenal and Southampton for the promising winger from their academy. By all reports it looked like a deal was heading towards completion. The player wanted to come, the father’s player and former Southampton manager wanted him to come and both clubs wanted to come. Than Fergie expressed interest and the deal still lingers on. So I suspect that this will not get resolved and if it does expect it to go into the summer.
Finally, you’ve all heard the Andy Gray and Richard Keys saga. It was a disgusting episode made quite comical by Key’s apparent hare kare on talkSPORT early in the week. Word is now that Gray and Keys are starting their own TV venture to report on Footie. Supposedly they are set to name John Terry, Wayne Rooney and as a suprise to US fans Brett Favre as reporters and pundits.
That’s it for now. See you in the morning.
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Just read Arseblog, don’t read him much but at times like these he is a real breath of Hippie-like fresh air.
He quoted Goonerholic “Name me the players who moved, that we would have wanted to buy, at a price that we would have wanted to pay, and who would have wanted to come to us? You can’t, can you?”
An arguement I have presented to the likes of Fred and Stag almost word for word on a couple of occasions. We can moan about Arsene not buying in the all important postion, (now that we are not moaning about the GK position anymore) centreback, but who do we buy? at what price? and do they want to come to the club? It is very hard to find a name right? I cannot ever remember getting any names in reply.
As for loaning in someone, generally loans are for players who are not good enough for the first team, therefore they will not be good enough for Arsenal or better than Squilla whom a certain YAMA blogger laughably claimed was ahead of Kosch in the pecking order. A “controvesial” claim in the cold light of day… wrong.
Thinking about “hard reality” I heard the Wenger interview a few days ago where he mentioned Arsenal playing with 3 alternating CMs rather than utilising a DM. I thought it was quite obvious that has been Arsenes policy since day one. Whether a 442 or 433 that generally what Arsene has demanded from his Mids, dynamism, box to box CMs with DF and attacking focus. Not saying that a agree with him though, I think with a 4-3-3 and our DF frailties that Song possessing the most DF intelligence would best suit us with a more DF remit freeing up Wilshere to do what he is best at, attacking.
Well now the manger has brought “hard reality” into the “cold light of day” the scapegoating of Song for our DF frailities may finally be put to bed until Arsene chooses to play him as a CB that is.
As for the loans out, I couldn’t understand it myself, until I heard that he has the option to recall the majority of them anyway. Still we lack a decent a back up for Song, with Denilson apparently not up to the task and Diaby an unknown entity until he regains full fitness at least, that would have been a easier gap to fill as a loan signing. But of course or manger has faith in Denilson and Diaby and of course… Ramsey.
So there you have it a perfect January, I think deep down we all knew this was going to happen.
Manic depressives the lot of you, Arsene Knows :-D .
Just a shame we missed out on Charlie Adam
What pisses me off more than anything when it comes to Arsene Wenger is that he seems to draw a blank when it comes to statistics, especially since he proclaims himself to be statistically oriented.
JD bouncing back from injury, Koz on 2 red cards, Squid on 1 red. If koz gets another red he is automatically suspended for 3 games. Acknowledging that our CB situation is precarious and he can’t find the right bargain he then sell Nordveit and promptly puts Bartley back out on loan to rangers. Those two being the only internal coverage we have at those two positions.
I am getting flashbacks of a few years back when he let Flamini, Diarra and Silva go with no backup at DM except for Denilshit.
For an intelligent man, I just can’t see or understand his reasoning when it comes to certain things. for instance, Denilson as a DM when you have a small team, including a small back 4 is insane. Yes, I know arsene is French and I know he loved the “Makelele Role”. However, we need to put it in the context of the players around him. Makelele had a big team around him and did not rotate into the CB position. PV and Petit did that for him while playing for France and Ballack, Lampard, Essien and some other big shit heads did that.
Time to stop, I am ranting and raving. But, damn it, Arsene looks to Venus and I definitely look to mars.
AAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:reallypissed:
BTW, Torres going str8 to my fantasy team… I see an upturn in goals IF he settles in. The service he had at Pool was woeful and still he put up really impressive numbers. Lot of potential here…
And the value signing of the transfer market IMO, even though I’ve only seen about 5 games of the man, has to be Villa getting Michael Bradley. I think his game is tailor made for the premiership.
@OziKenyan, yeah I was thinking what this Torres deal would mean for the fantasy league even though I don’t have him. Although I was previously debating getting Carroll but not sure what will unfold there either.
given the link DAG posted earlier, I think Nasri’s injury will mean Cesc might have to rethink his fantasy league and be forced to pass to Walcott :)
Beware of Torres as a fantasy purchase. While he will make Chelsea an instant contender and raise their game, Drogba will still be the fulcrum and goals will be shared between them. if you have both in your lineup, then you might reap just rewards.
Just getting on a computer for the first time in a couple of days. Craziness all round! Was hoping for a surprise signing for us, maybe a multi-purpose backup for DM, CB and RB- thought if anything, that would be the most likely. But no surprises…
As for the Carrol deal, I’m with Kiwi on this one. I think the ‘gamble’ aspect is being overstated. Yes, spending that much money on a player, is always going to have a degree of gamble in it.
But from all I’ve seen of Carrol I think he’s under and overrated at the same time. Being English, he’s obviously hyped and the next big thing to take them to world cup glory. But not enough has been said about his game. Everyone knows about his physicality and aerial prowess but he seems to have more to his game. I think his movement is excellent and he has that ability to find that yard of space that lets him unleash a shot/pass or whatever. He also has that winners mentality, go for it at all costs that so many of our players lack. And as Kiwi says, his Englishness (plus his age) means that if things don’t go well, then the resale fee will be higher. The biggest gamble in this I see is his off-the field conduct.
And I have no doubt about Kenny trying to get that Britishness in this Liverpool side. With these transfers, I highly doubt that Dalglish will leave at the end of the season. He’s started a project now and will be looking to see it through. I can’t imagine any football man wanting anything more than that. And I can’t imagine the ‘Pool owners letting him restructure the squad if they didn’t at least have a consideration of keeping him long term.
I somehow doubt his resale value will be higher. Just a year or so ago Newcastle had him valued at 1 million pounds and Liverpool bought him for 35. That’s a hell of a mark up and if it doesn’t work out I doubt Pool gets that kind of value back.
I can’t explain times like this. Why doesn’t Wenger give the squad a better chance? We’re in 4 competitions, the opposition are struggling, we have a shot, why not beef up the squad a little. Bring in a little insurance. You don’t have to break your vows, or kill anyone. Just bring in a couple of seasoned guys that can cover for the injuries through to the end of the season.
On the one hand Wenger complains of fatigue induced injuries, and yet he refuses to mitigate the risk. Really really bizzare. His excuse about talent being absent is just sooooooo lame.
@Kiwi, Almost like seeing my own words echoed here :) That is why I mentioned Arsenal getting 1-2 loan deals with no commitment to buy after the loan expires. Those deals would also show the rest of the Arsenal squad that Wenger means business and no Arsenal player would then question commitment or ambition, words which have been duly erased from the player’s vocabulary. I believe RVP was the last to question ambition but funny no one at Arsenal seems to question that now.
A friend mentioned an interesting point about the Torres deal. He figured that since Torres is eligible for the CL and given Chelsea’s aging team, Roman might feel this is the current team’s last chance to land the CL, so this signing will also boost that. A last roll of the dice.
So taking that thought a bit further, this also might feel like a great time for Arsenal to push for the title because who knows if Cesc will be around next season?
But then again, Wenger feels no reason to hurry when in his mind he thinks no one will leave and if they do, then no worries, others will take their place. There were signs in Jan 2008 there might be a few departures come summer but all Wenger kept saying was that the squad should stay together and believe in his vision. Things didn’t turn out that season and reasons for that season’s failure go down to two key injuries to Rosicky and Eduardo, although the shock at Dudu’s injury takes more attention.
Too many bad memories and I don’t think I can stand another season of deja vu if Arsenal fail to land the league title. anyway…why do I bother when clearly Wenger and the board don’t care for league titles? 2nd or 3rd should suffice for them. Arsenal are a sensible team after all. Not like those greedy teams such as Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid or AC Milan (seems odd to include Man City in this list).
Arsenal are a classy team with principles like Auxerre and maybe Wenger’s goal is to emulate Guy Roux’s legacy. If some titles come, then extra bonus.
So who would you recommend bringing in on a loan? generally when p[layers are loaned out it means they aren’t good enough to make the first team. If they can’t make the first team at their respective clubs, why do you think they would be good enough for Arsenal? I’m not saying I’m against bringing in a player on loan, though it doesn’t really appear to be the style of the “big clubs,” but I don’t really know of many players who would be much of an improvement over the players that are out on loan now and can be called back when needed.
@seattle gooner, Dont have any specific names but concerned about numbers in case more injuries pile up. I don’t watch as much football as apparently Arsene does, so my player naming knowledge is limited.
Players in major football playing countries always command a premium in their own country – that’s how it is. They find integrating into new teams easier, speak the same language, eat the same food, will likely happily stay longer……
Even if Carroll turns out to be like say Bent, is it a big deal? Bent at 26 goes for 24m pounds. That’s the market. The fiscal downside risk to Carroll is a lot less than you think.
The other really salient point is context. Liverpool play in England so they need a team that can compete in the EPL. I have real sympathy for the doubt surrounding how even the greatest foreign teams would fare in England. It’s one thing to do well aganst English teams in the CL quite another to think you could transpose your style into the EPL. What relevance the price for Ozil or Villa if they can’t impose their talent on the EPL it’s academic, no? We’ve been trying to impose a new style for 6 years with a huge cadre of foreign talent and have totally failed. So we whinge about everything including the refs, pitches, playing styles, but never take a reality check of where we are.
Stag mirrored my points. Bottom line Liverpool got 2 for 1 and a lower wage bill. They rejuvenated their attack. Net – they hardly paid a penny – the sales of Torres and Babel pay for Carroll and Suárez – what’s not to like? Two players who didn’t want to be at Anfield swapped for 2 who do. I’ve been a fan of Torres, but he’s been very injury prone these last 2 seasons and his attitude has stunk out the house.
Bookmark this page and let’s revisit it in 12-18 months.
@Kiwi, well I put that ozil + 4 other players comment just as a means to equate how many recent players could have been bought for that amount not to say those players will be better in the EPL, although VDV has been doing good. Ofcourse that does not take into account the higher wage bill when bringing in 5 new players. When Bent was first traded for a value more than Henry I found that silly even though Henry was not the same at his peak. The market for english players is quite inflated and at times defies belief.
Anyway the experiment continues full steam ahead.
What this sale does do is add some buzz about both Liverpool and Chelsea. I mentioned earlier that this window was the right time for Arsene to show intent by getting 1-2 players, preferbly on loan because I don’t think Arsenal will ever sign anyone unless Cesc or Arshavin is sold.
@Sachin, That experiment comment was meant to be at the bottom and referred to arsenal’s experiment.
On another note, I can’t understand the continued stream of negativity.
Have we played near our potential in any match? Hell no….
Yet, Arsenal remain in 4 cup races, survived the fixture grid lock of December and January. 2nd place in league play. Lead the league in away wins. Close to leading league in goals and not far from fewest conceded goals.
We have key players returning to good form: vP, Cesc, Theo, Djourou, Kos, Sagna, Clichy, Wilshere, Song, Rosicky, and Bendtner. Arshavin will come good. Vermaelen will be our ‘like a new signing’ at the end of Feb. and Nasri not far behind.
Important fixture tomorrow with Everton and somehow need to take the 3 points and avoid injuries. keep the pressure on ManU, City, and Chelsea.
@Arsession, how many times have Arsenal played to their potential over the last few years? Not much. Was injury a big part of that? To a good extent. Is that an adequate consolation? Not really. I just think 1-2 players could have been added as a safety measure in case more injuries pile up. I can’t imagine Arsenal going thru the rest of the season without any more injuries. I just would have liked some temp loan signings because who knows what will happen in the summer with Cesc and maybe Arshavin.
It is true that Arsenal in 2002-04 did not have many backups but those bunch recovered faster from injuries. And those who came on did great. Even in 98 Anelka and Wreh did their part when injuries happenned but after 3-4 years, it is hard to believe this squad can withstand major injury setbacks.
Unfortunately in the reality of life, what seems so obvious rarely comes to fruition.
Chelsea is certainly (on paper) now better equipped to take more points from ManU in their two remaining matches. (with Torres and Luiz) Could Chelsea and ManU draw each other in the FA?
The question for Chelsea this season has been their age: Malouda, Drogba, Anelka, Terry, Lampard – over 30 and look the part. Mikel is out of favor, as is Botswinga.
CG makes a great point in comparing the transfer costs of Villa and Carroll.
I’m in the queue for Carroll being a gamble, on the pitch and off.
Regardless of Daiglish experience and eye for talent, can’t we say the same for Arsene? THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES. Yesterday’s path is often lost in the future.
Peter Wood-Hill did an interview last week and they asked him about Arsenal making a big name signing in the transfer market……he laughed at the reporter. Retorting, “we run our club sensibly.”
Fred, in your depth chart list you left off Diaby in midfield……maybe you’ve already foreseen a new injury?
Also off the list, but returning this month (Feb) is Nasri and Vermaelen, so at some point they will contribute to our depth.
Summer 2010: Barcelona pay Valencia 40m Euros for David Villa.
40m Euros = 34 million GBP.
Winter 2011
Liverpool pay Newcastle 35 million GBP for Andy Carrol.
What the fuck is that? Honestly, that’s all I can say. WHAT THE FUCK! I hate Arsene’s refusal to spend (which I think is more so a reluctance to admit his squad is lacking or to alter his strategy than it is an aversion to writing checks), but if I had to pick between that and paying more for Andy Carrol than David Villa, I’d take Arsene’s slightly less stupid approach. Which is still stupid in its own right, but just a little less.
Honestly…
Andy Carroll > David Villa???
La Liga must be laughing their collective pants off.
@ChicagoGooner, There was another great comparison someone posted on a live game day chat (can’t remember which, soccernet or guardian) that listed 5 players who transfer value matched Carroll. Basically, Ozil + Khedira + van daar vaart + 2 more.
It is indeed crazy. As someone said on the bbc site, if Messi were English then imagine how much his cost would be?
Just being young and english seems to mean a lot of money.
Andez, good to have you posting man :-)
No, I like our position this season, that’s not really the argument.
And yes, if Chelsea offered 50m for van Persie I’d take it in a heartbeat. Van Persie will likely be remembered as a talented player that never amounted to much for Arsenal FC. And yet….. we wait and wait for that season when his body stays well.
When Dalglish signed Sutton for a record fee (at the same age as Carroll I think) the eyebrows were well and truly raised. But he got it right. Same with Shearer, Barnes, Beardsley and Aldridge. You better at picking winners in the striker dept than Dalglish then?
I haven’t watched a lot of Carroll so I can’t comment on his ability but I’ve watched Dalglish operate and he’s astute, decisive and courageous. He’s won more medals as player and manager than almost anyone. He might be wrong on this ocassion but I’m happy to sit back and watch whichever way it goes.
If Dalglish gets the job permanently don’t be surprised to see a couple more big signings. I’d punt on a talented wide player to feed the new strike partnership and a hard man DM to protect the defence. He’s already steered Liverpool away from the relegation threshing-floor and moving toward the lower-Euro comp placings. You can bet every dollar you have that the Liverpool supporters are thrilled to have their legend back at the helm and moving in the right direction. Dalglish won’t settle for 4th place and a seat at the CL dinner table. He wants trophies and glory.
@Kiwi,
One name – Stephane Guivarc’h ;)
@Mazza,
True, he wasn’t a hit. The upside was he didn’t cost a lot (in fact quite cheap). In Kenny’s defence he was an international who was top scorer in France for the previous 2 seasons – so it wasn’t a ridiculous signing on paper.
@Kiwi,
Carroll’s a talented player. What I’m surprised I haven’t seen people address is his off-field issues. Even more temptation in Liverpool than Newcastle, I’d guess. Seems like a lot of money for a guy who made need a babysitter. I’m not opposed to the notion that you need to take some risk. I’m not sure if I’m ‘pool I’m taking that kind of risk.
@vibe4arsenal,
I had noticed those ‘off-field’ issues too Vibe. Time will tell I guess. If Kenny stays permanently I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the old Liverpool bootroom culture and ethos returning. The fact Carroll is English may be quite important in that regard. Gerrard, Carragher & Carroll – a bit of English grit down the spine. Man Utd and Chelsea have maintained a certain Englishness or Britishness in their squads and have been successful.
Liverpool trade a 26 year old player who had clearly reached a disenchanted stage with the club for a new younger strike force (aged 22 and 24). Two for one, deal done, here and now, looking for an immediate return, that’s looks a reasonable move to me – perhaps a brilliant one.
When Dalglish was appointed manager at Liverpool he bought Aldridge, Beardsley and Barnes (hey presto – titles and style). When he joined Blackburn he signed Sutton and Shearer (hey presto another title). The man’s proven himself capable of judging striking talent and just as importantly fabulously effective striking combinations (probably helped that he was one of the best British attackers of all time).
……we’ve allowed Wenger 6 years to refind a title winning strike combination and he hasn’t managed it yet (try writing a list of the strikers we’ve gone through since 2004). Presumably, if we fail again this year we’ll grant him more grace.
Let’s see what happens at Liverpool….. should be fun and sure beats the long slow boat ride to China waiting for Walcott, Bendtner, Vela et al to come good. Carroll and Suarez might set the EPL alight.
@Kiwi, you rather us to be in Liverpool’s shoes today? Well, six years without trophy or not, I’d take Arsenal any minute.
@Kiwi, how would u feel if we sell van Persie to Chelsea for 50 mil and spend 35 mil for Carroll? Bargain? Man, how I’m glad Arsene Wenger is our boss. Not fans.
@AndezII,
Selling Van Persie for 50 Million is not out of the realm of possibility for Arsenal. Hell, I think we’d sell him for HALF that, because it would be good profit.
And then we’d buy an 18 year old for 10 Million and the board would be thrilled… and some fans would oooh and ahhh… yes, Arsene Knows.
WHO CARES what Liverpool paid for Carroll?
Really… its a straight swap in reality, 2 for 1…
Torres out, and he’s oft-injured… and doesn’t want to be at the club.
I know ARSENAL would just force the player to stay against his wishes, but other clubs sell players who don’t want to be there.
They got CRAZY money for Torres, and basically got 2 young players for 1 injury prone, extremely talented player.
I’d say Liverpool are better off for the move, and they are TRYING to make a move… rather than sitting on their arse, doing f-all…
If they sold Torres and signed NOBODY, I suppose that would be BRILLIANT STUFF? right?
Don’t dare TRY to get better…
The best plan is to sit there and do NOTHING over and over…
and loan out youngsters to the point where your squad is depleted beyond recognition, right when its most important, in 4 competitions still.
Yes, Arsene knows… what the feck he knows, is anyone’s guess.
Barcelona will beat the hell out of us… I’d say by at least 3 goals in the 2-leg tie… probably 4.
We have probably just witnessed the dumbest deal in the English football history ever – Carroll to Liverpool for 35 mil.
I like Carroll, and believe he has potential. He has potential to become a useful targetman with power up front. He also has potential to become a Kevin Davis type of player with nothing but power in the air. A 3.5mil type of striker. 35 mil? With 35 mil, it should be enough to land any team a proven international class striker. Not POTENTIAL. Hell, this deal even made the Darren Bent 24 mil deal look good. At least Bent has proven he can score goals in the Premiership. And Liverpool fans wonder why they are crap these days. Gotta be the dumbest team in the transfer market behind Man City.
@AndezII,
Time will tell.
It might turn out to be a great move, the propels Liverpool back towards the upper echelon of the EPL.
I know, you think they should just accept their current lot, and do nothing.
That dumb team, Man City, is currently in the Top 4.
That is ALL that matters to them and their owner.
Again, I kno wyou think they surely shouldn’t try to win, or be allowed to buy players.
But its is GOOD for football and the League, that other teams besides United and Chelsea are trying to actually be compeititve and win TROPHIES… not just make money.
@AndezII,
Time will tell.
It might turn out to be a great move, the propels Liverpool back towards the upper echelon of the EPL.
I know, you think they should just accept their current lot, and do nothing.
That dumb team, Man City, is currently in the Top 4.
That is ALL that matters to them and their owner.
Again, I kno wyou think they surely shouldn’t try to win, or be allowed to buy players.
But its is GOOD for football and the League, that other teams besides United and Chelsea are trying to actually be compeititve and win TROPHIES… not just make money.
I heard from a source that Arsenal were close to signing Messi and Pedro but the deal collapsed just before the deadline. Apparently there was a misunderstanding regarding the number of zeroes in the contract. Minor details but soooo close. Also it seems Chelsea hijacked the Luiz deal away from Arsenal by offering 20 million pounds over Arsenal’s offer. Soo close again.
Thankfully the Silvestre deal collapsed as he preferred to
help Werder stay away from the drop zone.
Once again in an important transfer window, when things are pretty well and we have a chance to take advantage, Wenger not only refuses to buy but he doesn’t even open the blinds. Just like 07/08.
The jittery , indecisive old git continues to be a predictable old clown who never learns from mistakes.
Look at the drivel on Arse.com – basically talks himself into taking loanees back and then talks himself out of it in one swoop. Once again playing the victim in a self-made, self-restricted, paridigm of mediocrity.
Seems to be a record for Arsenal this Jan window. 13 loan/exit deals with one import who is immediately loaned out. Wow. Pity there are no world class players available for loan to bring in but hey all the world class players are already at Arsenal so Wenger does not want amateurs for that title push :) and I not only talking of the league title but the much demanded moral title which Arsenal have already locked up.
@Sachin, now its 14 loan/exit deals and it would be techically 15 including Ryo. Is there anyone else that can be loaned out just before the deadline?
Are we seeing the rebirth of Liverpool FC under Dalglish? I hope so. They are a classy club. And there is a massive amount of mutual respect between Liverpool and Arsenal. Liverpool have become a slumbering giant, yet their brand value is enormous.
The return of Dalglish is one the the fascinating subplots to this season. Many won’t understand the nuances, you need to either be a reader of football history or to have lived through the times when Dalglish was a player and manager. Can he re-engineer a new Liverpool team? He developed a fantastic Liverpool side in the late 80s, superb, uncomplicated, wonderful to watch, a multi-faceted attacking unit with a slightly vulnerable defence. They overwhelmed teams with attack and goals. The opposition were too punch-drunk to get back in the game. A bit like Wenger’s early teams.
So Suarez? Scoring for Ajax is not a cast-iron guarantee that his goals will transfer to a higher league. But at this stage I’m happy to back the judgment of Dalglish. Watch Dalglish as he reconstructs Liverpool – it might be enlightening.
Get well Nasri.
Wenger’s banking on a 3-man CB squad – Djourou/Kos/Squil – none of whom have ever played a season in the EPL. Brave or stupid? We’ll know in May.
@Kiwi, are you talking May 2011 or 2014? It is a long term project at Arsenal after all :)
A mad day of transfer frenzy.
But that is what happens when teams do NOT accept losing and giving up.
First of all, its not the supporters money.
Do you think Liverpool fans are upset that they spent a lot of money trying to improve the team? Bringing in players that could help them get into Europe next year, and restore some lustre to the team.
Chelsea going for it. Straight up.
TORRES… to add to Drogba & Anelka up front.
One goes down, oh well…
They are taking their shot at the title hopes, and ensuring that they are a Top 4 team.
Meanwhile… over a the Emirates.
crickets.
keep loaning them out… keep depleating the squad.
BBC reports that Kyle Bartley has been loaned to Rangers.
So Wenger has not “forgotten” that he actually has a CB out there. Instead of returning to complete our lineup – he is being loaned out again.
Sigh.
Lighten up Fred it’s hardly Armageddon :-D
A few hours to deadline and not even a rumor relating to Arsenal …. other than nonsensical Chamberlane BS.
Our hopes for top 3 are completely out the window – Man U have a big, experienced squad even though they havent spent anything. Chelsea have just got a CB and Torres! They are still looking for an additional midfielder.
We on the other hand are not reinforcing -which is not a shocker …. but to make things WORSE we are loaning out our ENTIRE reserves team. We have NOBODY in reserves! Everyone is on loan.
With Flappy out for the season, we are now down to SIXTEEN (16) players! Shouldnt we be recalling Mannone, Bartley, Coquelin, Lansbury, JET from loan?? Why on gods green earth are we loaning out Vela?!
We have 16 outfield players. Forget about the fact almost half of them are utter garbage and nightmare players, but that is just not enough – at all.
GK: CZ, Al (2)
D: Sagna, Eboue, DJ, Koz, Clichy, Gibbs (6)
M: Fab, Song, Wilshere, Denilshit, Rosicky (5)
F: RvP, Bendy, Chamakh, Walcott, Arshavin (5)
With THIS squad we WILL COLLAPSE VERY, VERY, SOON. We will struggle to make top four.
If we were out of all the cups and had to concentrate only on the league then I might understand such an incredibly bare squad. But we are in four vital competitions for crying out loud.
Deep down I am beginning to think Wenger really is afraid of winning. We wants to have the option of blaming it all on injuries and tiredness. I cant think of any other excuse for this.
@ DAG:
Re: Bendy
You are not actually helping against claims of rabid Bendy hating LOL.
He has had HALF the minutes per season that utter clowns like Walcott and Denilshit have had the last few years and has produced twice as much. And that is not taking into account the fact he plays 75% of the time on the wings…. that is like placing a polar bear in Tennessee. Yet he trudges on and has a better goal/minute ratio than Chamakh has ever had.
Ipswich goal a fluke?? Wow. If RvP had done the exact same thing, to paraphrase Arseblog, “there’d be fan jizz everywhere”.
Chamakh is completely and utterly un-dynamic. Utterly pointless for us. Rosicky looks more likely to score than he does. Even his Frenchness is not enough for Wenger … when the going gets tough or someone has to leave it was Chamakh who was subbed.
Ofcourse his fans will bleat about it being his first season … but usually for successful players they start slowly and when they find their feet they blossom … when its the other way round history shows they become “disasters” eg. Sendy, Cygan, and ofcourse Squillaci.
Bendtner is technically superior to the likes of Andy Caroll and Edin Dzeko … who are both getting big fees. Fortunately for the latter two, they benefited from starting their careers at smaller clubs, hence getting consistent playing time down the middle and are are not forced out wide in a foolish and inflexible 4-3-3.
Bendy over Chamakh anyday, anytime.
John henry has decide to spend at Liverpool
Suarez 26M
Adams 14M
Carroll 35M
Total 75M
Torres out for 50M
Net spending 25M
Carroll for 35m is craaaaaaazy
@Caribkid,
The dealings of a SERIOUS team.
@Caribkid, Gotta agree with you there, CK….
Carroll is very likeable, you know, if you like the long hair and don’t mind the beating up the girlfriends, etc. He plays an exciting, unfettered, aggressive style….The problem, I think, is that he throws his body around a bit irresponsibly, and is thus a candidate for serious injury or a bunch of niggly ones (see for example, Robin Van Persie….) This is a tremendous piece of business for Newcastle and should help them challenge (teams like Liverpool….) for European football over the next couple of seasons….
Suarez may have a different sort of body problem….To me he looks a solid 10-15 pounds heavier than he did when he was top ‘keeper at the World Cup….
And Charlie Adam….Hmmm, just a few million more than we paid for Nasri, (but those living in the moment will note that Nasri is out indefinitely….) and at least he’s a ready-made challenger for Lucas and (so far over the hill he needs a road map….) Steven Gerrard….
And what about Ashley Young? Is that one off the table?….Somebody’s got to fill Stevie Starfish’s big ol’ diving shoes and put those crosses in for young Andy….
Exciting times to be a Red…..
Torres/Drogba….Sounds good on paper, that’s for sure….
Oh man! I had the craziest dream last night… among a bunch of other really weird things, was me watching leg 1 of the Arsenal-Barca tie with a bunch of my buddies, and seeing the final score be Barca 10, Arsenal 4. Let’s hope this isn’t some kind of foreshadowing.
Honestly I don’t see us beating Barca, and I think everyone here, if pressed to wager a large sum of cash, would put it on Barca. But, as they say: That’s why you play the game. Nasri’s loss is huge, and as has been pointed out we will need Arshavin to step up. The good news is that he seems to prefer the “big” games, the glory matches, over the run-of-the-mill games.
Here’s my take on a couple of things:
1. As a whole unit played together our second team is not good – why because the midfield back ups are not up to the level as Cesc, Wilshere, and Song
2. They were fine yesterday with Nasri pulling the strings. Frankly until he got hurt I really thought we would run that team into the ground.
3. Rosicky, looks like he is coming back but he still is not offering the quality in the middle we need.
4. Only when Fabregas came on in the middle did the game change back to Arsenal being deadly again.
5, Individual players on the second team can slot into the first team and not cause too much pain – Arshavin, Chamakh, Rosicky, Gibbs. The rest in my opinion needs to be brushed aside and replaced with capable backups or tossed aside so some of the other promising players can develop.
Other things I have know:
1. Almunia is not going anywhere as originally projected. Fabianski is now set to go under the knife for his shoulder. Szcznesy’s ascension to the number 1 slot is now complete.
2. Nasri is likely out for the first leg of the CL tie. Which means Arshavin has to continue to build on his recent performances. Maybe this will be the showcase to show he is back. Frankly I’d be more concerned if they came out and said Nasri would miss the second leg at Camp Nou.
3. Barca look solid all the way around however, they could be hamstrung as well (pardon the pun) as Iniesta is out for the next few matches and that is likely to include the first leg of the CL tie. But who worries me more than Messi right now is Villa. As creative as Messi is, Villa is just that clinical.
Though this nearly kills me to say it….
I agree with Fred….
The team is down to bare bones, there is a marked drop off in quality IN SEVERAL POSITIONS (beyond the starters) and we’re in 4 competitions with legitimate chances/good draws in 3 of them and our big signing will be the new Theo Walcott, whose one highlight I’ve seen was an attempted chipped pass that somehow went in for a goal….Maybe’s he like some super combo Theo/Vela sorta guy….Well, at least he’s got three names….
WTF!!!!?????!!!!!
(I should stop now….but, I want to explain myself…pardon the following “blog”…..)
So it goes. This Club will not sacrifice to the “Tyranny of the Moment” and in the end, that’s OK by me….and DAG’s summation of the Jan. Transfer market (below) is fairly spot on. Ah, If only we had the deadline day excitement of being like Liverpool and thinking what we might do with our ‘Nando money. Likewise, the report is that we OUTBID ManCity to get the new Theo/Vela/Chamberlain fellow….Shows just how “risk averse” (or short sighted?) the Sheik (and his CEO, Garry Cook) and the current manager-on-a-hot-seat are….I guess if Theo/Vela/Chamberlain comes good (and the Sheik is still interested….) they can buy him for 60 million down the line….
Oh well….Instead of (living in a fantasy WORLD and) cursing the Club I support, I’ll spend a moment thinking about if I need to transfer Nasri out of my fantasy TEAM and maybe snap up Robin Van Persie….
Back in the real world, however, Nasri’s hammy means that the onus will be on Arshavin to produce and I’ll pray that my feeling that he’s past it is wrong. Or maybe he’ll make the mental adjustments and wring out whatever he’s got left given this new opportunity.
From Yesterday’s match (which we should have lost….) we can see a few things. Bendy’s a legend in his own mind (and will make a great striker in the Bundesliga or Championship). Sorry, Fred, can’t back you on this one….That extra touch he took when Andrey teed him up (2nd half) said to me that he’d watched the tape of his Ipswich goal a dozen too many times. I wonder if he watches the absurd misses of the glorious chances he spurns over and over….Doubtful, (there’s not enough time in the day AND he’s got a kid who also could use a little attention)….At least his dive “won” us a penalty….Classy, like the goal celebration…
In MF, at least we looked better when Sicky came on, and personally, I think Diaby looked spirited and he survived the match, though the haters will glom onto the fact that he got climbed like a ladder for the goal. I like him fighting for Nasri’s spot on the left with little Andrey (i.e., not Bendtner), rather than being another “DM” whose static way of receiving balls (he wants to turn and run) is low risk like (always poor) Denilson, but also low reward. At least he didn’t pass any straight to the opposing forwards….
The big problem, of course, is at the back. Yesterday, Eboue actually looked good relative to Gibbs, and Squill (still a better signing that Kos?) had a shocker that should have cost us the tie. Mooney did his thing blocking one on the line and inspiring fear (in supporters and teammates) at set pieces. Latest rumors are that Flappy is done for the season (surgery), so in Sneezy we trust. Frankly, any success we might stumble towards this season could turn the (bean) Pole into a legend….but maybe we’ll get Shay Given at the deadline….(HAHAHA….)
Bare bones indeed and I think we’ll do our serious business over the summer. (Who comes back from their loans, after the positive experience with Wilshere, will define the younger part of the squad in a big way….) In other words, Wait ‘Til NEXT Year” (says the rationalist)…. For this year, in MY fantasy world, we just need to cross our fingers and keep hoping those planets all line up….
@highburyterracesteve,
“Though this nearly kills me to say it….
I agree with Fred….”
LOL, the things I say often seem “controversial” but in the cold light of day, they are backed up by hard reality. :-D
@Fred, Indeed….
I’ve always maintained that hyperbole is the essence of communication…
Too bad you just seem to hate the club you love so much….or something…..
@highburyterracesteve,
Yeah, I “hate” the club so much I have seen all Arsenal”s matches for 15-16 years running …
@Fred, I feel your pain….
Yesterday’ (Good result at least….) was a 4 a.m. kickoff for me, and I was up for it, mixed drinks, albeit at home the night before, notwithstanding….Screwed up my day pretty good, but not as much as if we’d gotten the result we (probably) deserved….
As for the transfer window –
OUr own Jamie Dalton is doing a live blog event until the close of the transfer window.
Simply go to the Rumour Mill page at the top of the web site – visit that page and you can take part in the discussion.
@DaAdminGooner,
What is the point? Like I said a few weeks ago, we are getting absolutely no one.
Classic Wenger in regard to the transfers…
what would we do with a healthy CB? what if the injured players actually return, then we’d have too many!
Well, you could loan them all out, like you do with all the young players anyway… why not help other teams… we get points for that right? or do we just SAVE MONEY on the salary?
With or without Nasri… Barcelona is going to just beat us down.
15 wins in a row in their league, confident and riding high, and playing against Arsenal, whom they played off the pitch in BOTH matches last year.
So, it will actually be a positive, in that it will be less matches for us to play, because we don’t have enough players anyway.
We’ll have the CC Final, should beat Leyton Orient in the FA Cup, and then the league matches… we have more than enough on our plate… and some key injuries could bury us.
Another empty transfer window … other than the players going out on loan. SHOCKING! saving more money on salaries. Brilliant.
@stag133,
Stag we very well may get beat by Barcelona, but I have watched their last few matches and they could be had. The Spanish league is always going to be two horses and right now the best horse is Barca. Hell even a Mourinho led Madrid look mediocre in that league.
Another empty transfer window for about 75% of the teams in the league. The prices for players in the January window are over inflated who wants to spend £20 million on Gary Cahill? The fact of the matter all the managers agree if a good price on a player can be had they’ll do something but not if the price is over inflated.
Sorry our club likes to run as a money making business. Get used to it. All sports is a business now. And as a business they have to have a sustainable business model. Arsenal have chosen this route.
This was great from the Mirror on what the transfer window means to everyone involved;
The January Transfer window:
Chairmen’s definition
The period of time where pressure is applied to spend beyond the budget for someone else’s dregs.
Players’ definition
Try to be misquoted in a foreign paper and engineer more cash from a lucrative move.
Managers’ definition
A month of media-driven transfer requests; incessant calls from different agents (each alleging to be the sole representative of the same player); arguments with the press, the players, the supporters who want to keep their idols and your wife, who feels she has to make an appointment to see you without a mobile phone pressed to your earWe all know how Ian Holloway feels with the calls about Charlie Adam’s future.
Agents’ definition
Wait until the last four days of January and as for your fee, think of any number and treble it because clubs are desperate for cash at this time of year.
Fans’ definition
A period for dashed dreams as your club brings in no-one of any note and sells your one and only star.
@DaAdminGooner, A look in the mirror moment. Terrrific!
@DaAdminGooner,
Obviously its OK that we don’t spend SOME of the MEGA Millions we make to improve the team… especially when it is so obviously needed in some areas.
That’s great for you… but I will never agree that its OK.
Sorry.
I won’t get used to it. I don’t really accept losing, because the club wants to make millions upon millions based on the SUPPORTERS showing up like sheep, buying tickets and merchandise.
But you enjoy being also-rans if you want.
I will CELEBRATE the day we move on from this model, and from Wenger… and we try to actually win the league and CL again.
Your comment on Barcelona being “had”… is LAUGHABLE…. when you are talking about Arsenal beating them.
They KILLED us last year… or do you not recall that far back.
Re-watch. It was an embarrassment.
They are playing BETTER, we are limping in.
I’m not even interested in watching … I don’t enjoy seeing us humiliated.
It’s a bit like watching Ali fight Larry Holmes. You don’t want to see your favorite get beat on…
Today showed how quickly this team deteriorates when you replace any of our first 11.
Bendtner was back to his ways – shanking crosses, fluffing volleys when under NO PRESSURE. His goal was a lucky deflection and he has the gall to cup an ear to the Huddersfield fans. Honestly, what a squid. (I just pray Van P. stays fit till we can offload NB in the summer.)
As for the other Squid at CB. Nice guy, but he keeps getting caught out and costing us dearly.
Arshavin is at least trying again. He made a great sliding tackle in his own penalty box – a first for him!
Without Cesc coming on, we would not have won, and probably even lost. Chamark is getting more and more anonymous. Denilson’s tackling is still clunky. Rosicky is still rusty.
Nasri’s injury is the big worry, for sure. I’ve not got a crumb of hope for the Barcelona games, but in the Prem we still have a glimmer of chance to run ManUre close.
The Sp*ds game was pure heaven!
@Macmac007,
The rabid hatred a lot of guys have for the Bendtmeister is just hilarious.
He plays out of position on the wings and he is blasted for not being a good winger. SHOCKER! He cups his ears at the OPPOSITION FANS and he is a bastard!
He scores a goal, he is a squid and should be gotten shot of ASAP – all because it was deflected and therefore not “pure”. And am also guessing all those EPL trophies Chelsea won on the back of Lampard’s numerous deflected goals were illusions.
At least you are objective enough to call Chamakh anonymous – which is a MASSIVE understatement.
Bendtner over Chamakh anyday anytime.
No need talking about Robin God Persie till he completes a full season.
@Fred,
I’ll take Chamakh any day over barn door.
When was the last time Bendy held the ball up? Or even tried? When was the last time Bendy scored a goal that wasn’t a fluke? (That goal the other day – watch the replay, he clearly has surprised himself that the back heel he tried is still there – even he knows it was luck). The shot he took was slow and a dacent keeper would’ve had it.
Bendy has no pace (neither does Chamakh), he does nothing in the air. His ego is bigger than his ability.
So what if he plays out of position the only two people not playing ou of position on this team are Cesc and RvP – and frankly everyone on the pitch rotates – at least in attack. So if Barndoor can’t do it then really doesn’t belong on this team.
Face it Fred, the kid with the pink boots is woeful.
@DaAdminGooner, I imagine his goal against Barca (the 2nd tie last season) was a fluke?
Hold up the ball? Look at all the times he takes the long goal kick (on his chest) and keeps ball possession. Other times, when the ball is played up to him and no one is making a run into space – he takes the ball inside and then plays off to teammate; re-watch any of our matches.
When he returned from injury last spring…….how many matches did he supply the game winner? or draw saving goal? Flukes?
The goal against Ipswich – fluke?
When he was primarily a sub two seasons ago……how many times did he make an appearance into the 80th+ minute of a match to eventually score a late header from corner kicks?
Lets talk about Arsenal and our corner kicks. How many times have we witnessed the corner kicks not reaching the goal box?
Instead of berating a player that was pivotal in both of our goals yesterday, ugly or not, your comments are not justified.
Bendtner is not flashy like Nasri……..but his skill with the ball (passing) and his movement to exploit the opponent is as good as vP, Cesc, and Rosicky – and a level above Nasri.
Dag – foot speed is a luxury. Look at Theo, SWP, and Aaron Lennon; you are average in this sport if their is no brain combined with technical skill to execute.
@Arsession,
The goal against Ipswich was an absolute fluke. Watch the replay, even Nicky is surprised the ball is at his feet – he has this “oh shit the back heel worked” look on his face. The shot was slow, an EPL keeper makes that save.
Nicky doesn’t bring anyone into play. His passes are usually off the mark, are usually without any sense of purpose or strength leading to steals . . .
The Nicky Barndoor scoring machine is a myth. He isn’t as prolific as you would like to think.
Sorry if Chamakh is useless to us, then Nicky Barndoor needs to be playing for Notts County
@DaAdminGooner, I never said Bendtner was a scoring machine. Arsenal quality, yes.
and……all your reply is a whopping generality. Barca goal????
Just focusing on your bias.
From my experience, scoring is the most difficult by product of this sport – regardless of our opponent.
ManCity play Notts County: 1-1 . What should be performance expectations with their budget and talent?
ManU has to rally to beat an unlucky Southamption 2-1.
With all the offensive talent at Spurs…..unable to score against Fulham.
Scoring machines are a rarity in this sport.
I hear you, Fred, But the thing with Bendtner is the sense of entitlement before he’s proved himself any near to being an automatic first choice.
Honestly, his goal yesterday was pure luck, so to then crow about to the away fans is just immature rather than imperious. It’s not like he did a solo run and slammed into the net a la Henry.
Bendtner is just okay at best for a team with title aspirations. Unless he dramatically improves or gets faster, he should really be seeing out his career at somewhere like Birmingham or Newcastle.
Don’t get me wrong. I’d love him to blossom like Nasri and show us what Wenger sees in him. But that mishit volley was woeful. He had all the time in the world to line it up.
They didn’t really replace some of the first 11 as much as they replaced ALL of it. Expecting a team to perform well that way is just dumb and Wenger should know better. I’m all for rotating players but it needs to be done better than that. I watched the Man U Southampton game on Saturday and it was the same way until Sir Red Nose brought in more starters in the second half.
With Nasri and Squill out for the next few games and with Fabianski still “injured” enough for Almunia to play … we are down from 20 to 17. Sweet.
Ofcourse in this 17 are 6-7 certified perma-crocks (Abu Dhabi, Sicknote, Persie, Walcott, Gibbs, DJ) … so things will definitely get “interesting” very soon. And unfortunately too many people will be surprised by the upcoming events.
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_6710985,00.html
Wenger says Nasri is now a “major doubt” for the CL clash against Barca. Just great. That’s exactly what we need. To be honest, I am more pissed off about all the league games he will miss, since I never gave us much chance against Barca, where as in the league I think (thought?) we have a decent chance. The quote from Wenger says probably 3 weeks. So how long will it be? 1 month? 2?
@ChicagoGooner, We’re all unhappy with Nasri’s situation…….but this type of injury can occur (and has) in any training session as well as match play against any level of competition.
In previous years, with this type of below par performance, I think we would easily have drawn or lost.
Can’t say any Arsenal player will feel good about their performance today. It was important to see Diaby, Rosicky, and Almunia get in minutes.
All 3, as expected were rusty, but the playing time and our outcome are a warm fuzzy.
Its obvious we missed Djourou’s height at CB in the 2nd half.
Curious to see how Arsene handles the transfer window.
Vermaelen returning in Feb appears to be a big gamble.
@Arsession,
“In previous years, with this type of below par performance, I think we would easily have drawn or lost.”
Really? How do you figure that? I dont recall Arsenal ever dropping against a third tier team at home in recent history. Me thinks one is dipping into the “it was worse this last five years” well one too many times.
@Fred, my comment was not intended to refer to Arsenal competition specifically with a 3rd tier team.
Its not uncommon (in every sport) during any season, when the favored team is not in sync, underperforms, then endures a player being sent off (or injury to key player)…giving the obvious underdog the belief that this is their day.
Carling Cup results this season were peppered with upset results. I’m only commenting that the team advanced in this competition when we could have been sent packing.
I suppose if I wanted to find negatives to dwell on from today, I’d have plenty of examples. We won, it wasn’t pretty, but not every win is a highlight reel.
@Arsession
Session I’m not saying I disagree with Wenger’s decision to play Nasri, but that the injury is frustrating nevertheless.
@ChicagoGooner, maybe I misread the frustration, totally agree.
I was hoping to play Barca with close to our best XI.
WOW!! Fulham beating Tottenham 4-0 in the 68th minute at Craven Cottage!
From looking at the score sheet, it seems Spurs conceded a pair of PK;s, in the 11th and 13th min, with the second one also involving a straight red for Dawson.
Well, one less good team for Arsenal to worry about in the Cup.
@ChicagoGooner,
And SPurs are out of another competition. Only two things make me happy – Arsenal win and Spurs lose
Interesting next round of the FA Cup –
After last season where we drew an EPL team at every turn we now get Leyton Orient in the next round.
United for their part take on non-league Crawley Town
My absolute apologies – at 6:38 AM EST this morning my hosting company had a system wide failure. Since they do not have 24 hour Tech Support I was not able to get a hold fo anyone until a few moments ago.
They had no clue their entire syustem was done. I am in the process of looking for a new hosting company.
Again my apologies for anyone who tried to get this site during the match.
Starting XI:
Almunia, Eboue, Squillaci, Koscielny, Gibbs, Denilson, Diaby, Nasri, Arshavin, Bendtner, Chamakh
Seems I only missed Rosicky for Nasri.
On Andy Gray, some quite funny photoshops.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f310/ospreyseven/runtheline.jpg
http://www.footballfancast.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/GraysAnat-413×600.jpg
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/5804/shiningw.jpg
@Mazza,
Gray’s Anatomy, FTW!
United down 1-0 at the half.
” a suprise to US fans Brett Favre as reporters and pundits.”
I’ve also read that Charlie Sheen would be a special correspondent, pending availability.