Arsenal

[Hazri]

Hope the snow will clear before the next game. I'm beginning to suffer from football withdrawal symptom.

[SantiSuk]

Africa Nations cup next week. Start panicking if they have snow

[Hazri]

I only watch Arsenal games. But when World Cup starts, I'll watch matches that have Gunners playing. But if Arsenal's next game gets postponed again (knock on wood), I'll go into shock overdrive.

[MiG16]

kick off in an hour Hazri

I trust that is soon enough for you?

Arsenal vs Everton

this is what Arsene has to say:

"We are going for trophies," he said with confidence at his pre-match press conference. "And at the moment we are in a position where we can win them.

"We are not guided by fear not to achieve. We are guided by desire, excitement and ambition so we just want to go for it.

"At the end of the day, I believe you can be proud of your season when you can say we have gone as far as we could and given absolutely everything. This team promised at the start of the season that they would do that in every single game and at the moment they are achieving it. If you respect that I believe you always have a very good chance to win trophies."

from Arsenal.com

[mrtoad]

Enjoyed that game, a real rousing finish as well. Everton will feel pretty disappointed not to have picked up all three points, but probably on reflection a drwa a fair result. Looked bloody cold there.

[sharecropper]

Enjoyed that game, a real rousing finish as well. Everton will feel pretty disappointed not to have picked up all three points, but probably on reflection a drwa a fair result. Looked bloody cold there.

I'm an Everton fan and I just watched it on Walking Street with my mate who's a big Arsenal fan. I don't think we have sworn so much in our lives, but it was a superb game and I did feel sorry to draw it, even though before the game I said "if Arsenal go 3-0 up, I'm going home". Given some of the pastings Arsenal have given us in the past, this was a decent result for us.

But I still cannot understand where all the Arsenal players were for our second goal.

[MiG16]

I nearly had heart attacks a few times during the game

serious

like my heart skipped a fraction second cos I was so intent on the game!

that second goal Everton got in was outrageous. but even up to the last minute I somehow felt we could still win it

not a bad result given everything I suppose. the ground was so filled with snow, in the last half the players slipped many times, including Almunia trying to defend that second goal.

perhaps Arsene was too concerned with having too many games to catch up on?

[Hazri]

We could have clinched a win. Gallas should've put the ball in the net and he missed the big chance. Credits to Everton for almost giving me a cardiac arrest!! Credits to the Gunners too for not giving up and managed to equalise.

[Hazri]

Sol Campbell returns to Arsenal. He played for 45 minutes in the Reserves match against West Ham. Hope he'll make it to the First Team.

http://www.arsenal.com/match/report/0910/p...-res?tab=report

[goldmine]

Sol Campbell returns to Arsenal. He played for 45 minutes in the Reserves match against West Ham. Hope he'll make it to the First Team. -- hoping for that too.

[bkkjames]

Sol Campbell returns to Arsenal. He played for 45 minutes in the Reserves match against West Ham. Hope he'll make it to the First Team. -- hoping for that too.

Exactly, I hope Aserne plays both him and Sylvester together.

[Hazri]

The Gallas-Vermaelen combo is doing quite well nowadays. So not easy to crack in. But I'm still hoping.

Now that Sol is in, Senderos wants out. I guess The Prof can't please everyone.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport...ow-Sols-in.html

[SantiSuk]

Does anyone know why Arsene bought Campbell? I haven't read the press and I haven't seen him play of late, but I thought he was over-the-hill and injury-prone. When I mused that it would be good for AW to try to pick up Bellamy someone commented that he only buys young foreign players to mould. ?hmmm

[bkkjames]

Does anyone know why Arsene bought Campbell? I haven't read the press and I haven't seen him play of late, but I thought he was over-the-hill and injury-prone. When I mused that it would be good for AW to try to pick up Bellamy someone commented that he only buys young foreign players to mould. ?hmmm

English quota 6+5?

[Hazri]

Well Santi, Arsene didn't buy Campbell, he joined for free. Just like Owen did with MU. So The Prof need not to fork out millions for transfer fee on Campbell. Except for wages of course. An option I knew Arsene would happily choose for a player like Campbell.

[merck]

Sol Campbell returns to Arsenal. He played for 45 minutes in the Reserves match against West Ham. Hope he'll make it to the First Team. -- hoping for that too.

Exactly, I hope Aserne plays both him and Sylvester together.

Maybe you should be more worried about Man U's crippling debt than Arsenal's defensive capabilities.

Glazers ready to sell Manchester United's home to ease crippling debt

[MiG16]

kick off in

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

(yes I need help staying awake for the kick off, hence the random post)

[MiG16]

Great game

Bolton 0:2 Arsenal

Fabregas was good wasn't he

[SantiSuk]

Great game

Bolton 0:2 Arsenal

Fabregas was good wasn't he

He needed to be. There were a number of sub-par Gunner performances last night which spoiled the rythm. I haven't seen Diaby so clumsy in ages and Eduardo always looks unconvincing when he is moved out of the central spot. As for Traore ... (expletive deleted)*.

Bolton played well above their game and 2-0 was a bit flattering, but yes it was a good game to watch MiG. Arsenal will need to be more convincing when we get to the Man U and Chelsea games (I nearly included Liverpool in that sentence out of habit!). I still worry about our lack of height and presence in front of goal - we rely too much on midfielders raiding forward, which luckily they have been doing with aplomb against mostly moderate oppositions for the last few weeks. I know that is Arsenal's game but there were at least 3 plum crosses or passes into the central striker area last night that had no-one within many metres.

* Edited to add - I retract - there is a role for Sol Campbell after all - even if it's his wrong side he couldn't do worse than Traore! [Maybe harsh on Traore though - I see he is still a young lad and I can't recall having bad feelings about him before].

Edited January 18, 2010 by SantiSuk

[Hazri]

Agree about Traore. He lost the ball too many times! He'll be replaced by Clichy soon IMO. Yes he's young and inexperienced, but it's too much a gamble to start him when we're in the thick of the title race. To me Clichy's the better choice. He's faster and more experienced.

Eduardo didn't score but he did take part in both goals. So he's alright in my book.

[SantiSuk]

If anyone is waiting up for the Arsenal v Bolton game, you're a better man than I gunga din. I'm off to bed and hoping it will be on TrueSport 1 in the morning.

Here's hoping we don't slip up!

[MiG16]

Arsenal 4:2 Bolton

top of the league

top of the league

top of the league

ohh, was I repeating myself?

(and yes I realise Chelsea is now one game behind....not sure when that happened though?)

[Hazri]

:D

Magnificent. I believe we can clinch the title this season.

But the clueless Malaysian Astro didn't show the game. Aaaarrrggghhh!!

[MiG16]

Im not making any predictions just yet

(MiG is partly Thai.....we Thais are superstitious )

[Hazri]

Miss Mig, I retract my remark about us clinching the title. I don't want to jinx it.

Malaysians are superstitious too.

[SantiSuk]

Sorry to pour a bit of cold water / realism into affairs but we will have to do better than that (not the score but the performance) to get through get through to February 11th still on top. If the ref had correctly sent Gallas off for that horrible tackle it would have been a different ball game.

The defence was woeful, playing ping pong football at the back instead of clearing the lines - dam_n it Cameroon have just qualified for the next leg, so Arsenal's second best player of the season, Alex Song*, will not be coming back early. The bright spot in defence was a great first time back performance from Clichy (you got that right Hazri) - and Vermaelen was solid as ever.

To still be on top at the end of the big four games mini season ahead (Villa, Man U , Chelsea and Liverpool in 14 days - ouch!) we need everyone in top form - Diaby and Eduardo have been unconvincing for me in the last two games and Gallas, great Arsenal player that he has been, is starting to look past his sell-by-date. Luckily Fab was fab again - I loved the way he created or scored the goals to win it for Arsenal and then retreated to the back of midfield as if to conserve himself and get some better order into the rear end. Rosicky also had one of his best games. If Diaby, Eduardo and Denilson can come back on song then we can surely push it all the way.

*Fab first and Van P would probably be second if he had not been injured - but for me Song is the heart of Arsenal's back half and the best all-round defender in the EPL this season. I worry that he is attracting a lot of kicking attention in Africa!

[Hazri]

Consistency is the key. Gallas is not, IMO. Maybe Campbell can share his vast knowledge with Gallas and improve the French composure in big games.

I think we need to go back to our style of fast attacking football to slice open the opponent's defence. With Walcott still out, it's left to Clichy to provide the much needed pace.

But I believe we have what it takes to face the tougher opponents. Bendtner's return will be a significant one, I hope.

[goldmine]

Bolton played well above their game and 2-0 was a bit flattering, but yes it was a good game to watch MiG. Arsenal will need to be more convincing when we get to the Man U and Chelsea games (I nearly included Liverpool in that sentence out of habit!). oh yeah!

[SantiSuk]

Consistency is the key. Gallas is not, IMO. Maybe Campbell can share his vast knowledge with Gallas and improve the French composure in big games.

I think we need to go back to our style of fast attacking football to slice open the opponent's defence. With Walcott still out, it's left to Clichy to provide the much needed pace.

But I believe we have what it takes to face the tougher opponents. Bendtner's return will be a significant one, I hope.

Actually Walcott is back Hazri (unless I missed something post Bolton 2), but I guess he will work his way up to 90 minutes over a few matches and then go sick again; such a shame he has not got some of Rooney's genes - or Ronaldo's come to that.

[SantiSuk]

Thank goodness the Stoke game didn't finish in a draw!

I'm marginally pleased Arsenal are out - check earlier postings if you think this is just post humiliation rationalisation. I'm not alone in thinking the FA Cup is a spent force - look at any of the terraces if you doubt it.

We aint going anywhere with that defence - hopefully Campbell's last appearance. Come back soon Song!