Ref's 3 chokes at Stoke

Morning guys @MattCarr85 here to bring you another instalment of what is proving to be a successful blog.

Thanks again for all the kind comments and to all that read the last one and left me feedback on my twitter page, you are the guys that give me the inspiration to sit behind this screen every week and write this.

Now with pleasantries out the way lets get cracking...

First of all to start with Stoke City in a game which again was very slow and offensively displeasing, but what more can you expect from a rugby styled Stoke team. A major plus is that Aaron Ramsey shook his demons off and put in a real shift in the middle of the park, while constantly being booed for having his leg broken by a Stoke player two years ago. The mentality of these Stoke fans is shocking but what more can you expect from fans so thick they don't know if they are watching Football or Rugby. Enough of that though, lets get back to the football. Tomas Rosicky again put in a sublime performance and made the goal with an exquisite cross to the back post for RVP to turn home to go 2 ahead of shrek in the race for the golden boot. Gervinho had a half decent game without impressing and should of scored from a header in the first half, only to see the ball whistle pass that forehead of his. But what strikes me and never fails to amaze is the sheer incompetence of EPL referees. In my opinion Chris Hoy had 3 major decisions to make and called them all wrong.

1. Shawcross's handball from Vermaelens freekick which Hoy himself was stood right in front of.

2. Yossi Benayoun being brought down in the penalty area for what seemed to me to be a stone waller.

3. Dead Whitehead late tackle which should of seen him walk for a second bookable offence.

For all the times I've seen or watched The Premier League this season every game seems to be rife with bad decisions and poor refereeing and you really have to wonder when its all going to stop.

So a 1-1 with Stoke and what on paper seems like a bad result isn't. All the current top 4 have gone there and failed to take 3 points and with Newcastle getting hammered by Wigan 4-0, you have to say that a point with no injuries to our players is a scalp.

Before I started writing this I sent a tweet out on twitter asking if there was anything you would like my opinion on in this blog and a few replied. From my thoughts on Amaury Bischoff's greatest moments to the possibility of having Pep Guardiola as the boss next year. The question I've chosen to cover is, 'how would Arsenal cope playing 4-4-2.

So my thoughts, I have to say I agree a change of tactics may freshen up the squad and do us some good, with Podolski coming in (@Poldolski10 twitter: "Hi folks, as from the coming season I will play Arsenal FC" from the Ed) and providing a partner for RVP (if he stays) it turns out 4-4-2 could be very good for us. Lets not also forget young Ryo coming back having flourished on the wing of a 4-4-2 playing Bolton side. I cant be the only one that feels although we play some beautiful football, some teams seem to have worked out how we play and have almost played us at our own game (Wigan at home). With all this in mind I'm all for 4-4-2 this season.

Thats all for now folks so don't forget to read and let me know your thoughts on my Twitter page @MattCarr85

Thank you for reading

Pep leaving Barca and Our upcoming visit to Britannia with Mrs F

9/4 for Pep Guardiola as the next Arsenal Manager!


Well wouldn't that be great if he came to us! Same style of football, and maybe like Jose Mourinho some of the players from Barcelona might come with him. Just imagine Lional Messi in an Arsenal shirt, I can dream. And maybe my husband might come home. :P


 So after his 4 year reign and winning 13 trophies I think he deserves a break, and so does he. Taking a year off to chill in the sun most likely. Whats next for Guardiola? England maybe? All I know right now is that he's being linked with Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool. Let the year long race begin! 




Anyway enough about Pep, we have Stoke tomorrow. When you look at the stats we've played them 94 times and only won 50 games drew 21 and lost 23. We still need to keep our heads because I know we only have 3 matches to go but we could still lose 3rd spot to Newcastle or Spurs, and we don't want that do we? 
Wenger has said he is ready for battle and to not take Stoke lightly. I agree. They haven't played great this season but with a few draws with the top half of the table and beating Tottenham 2-1 in December, I think Arsenal should watch out. 
Also with Peter Crouch up front we need to keep our play in check and keep the ball on the ground so his height can't be an advantage. 
Arsene has said "We will not compete with Stoke playing an unusual game, we can only win if we play our game" I agree!


Well have a wonderful weekend peeps and bring on our visit to Britannia! 


Lots of love 
Mrs Fabregas
xxx

Peering through an Arsenal Haze

Hello all from a hospital bed in the west country!

First a big thanks to all the messages on twitter to get well soon. I am humbled that you all took the time to do so and I will do my best so thank you from the bottom of my heart. The Gooner Family never cease to amaze and astound me!

So why today's title? Well apart from the drugs which when take effect they really do produce a haze, I also think it sums up the Arsenal news of late. Hazy with no real clarity on the horizon.
Both Vela and Bendtner are due back to us at the end of the season. neither want to come back but neither have clubs rushing to knock at Arsenal's door with fists of money for them. My offer to Arsene of arranging a car boot sale still stands (see previous blog) and I still have the wooden clothes hanger to add an incentive. I feel however we will still be saddled with with surplus baggage come August!
See Denilson for an example!

Other news tells us we are in talks with M'Vila, "It's a done deal!" Yes just like Murdoch and the take over of BSkyB, I may be in hospital but even I can see through that nonsense. Arsene always does business in private not in the press!

Talking of which I feel most politicians would make great agents. Greedy, true only to themselves and the biggest peddlers of untruths since the brothers Grim. For an honest Agent/politician see Snow White!

Finally the only piece of happiness I can take out of the Champions League semi finals? John Terry!
"I am not that sort of player" he gushed at the end of the game. Terry, I won't use Mr as that shows some modicum of respect, you really need to go to PR classes or are you running for govement or an agents job?

That's all and back to nurses giving me a bed bath now!
Good health and take care.
The Dog

Clichés & Opinions

It is a much used cliché that people go on a journey or that the said journey is that of a rollercoaster and I think both could used to describe Arsenals season thus far, starting on a decline with our awful start to the season including our mauling at the hands of United, then an incline starting with our 2-1 victory over Sunderland which was the first of 7 victories in 9 matches, which included the scintillating 5-3 win over the Chavs at Stamford Bridge, which I’m proud to say I saw first hand! Then a patchy December, January & February that I’d say was a steady decline.

Then the definite incline started off with our smashing of the Spuds being the first of 8 wins out of 9 and finally our 2 most recent results a loss to Wigan and a drab goalless draw against the Chavs both of which were at home, a small decline but a decline nonetheless, which brings us to our present day.

We were beaten by a better side on the day against Wigan but looked jaded and sloppy against Chelsea, I can’t honestly say why as I believe one of this sides strengths is it’s fitness and the fact that in April we have played four times, three of which at home, I don’t think that is an excessive workload. These are professional athletes I’m talking about after all, yes it is nearing the end of this season/journey but if this is to become the team we hope it will then this period should be all about resilience and strength.There are 3 games remaining in our season Stoke away, Norwich home and finally West Brom away, 7 points from 9 should see us home in 3rd in my humble opinion. Stoke is going to be a VERY tough game without doubt. Norwich on paper should be a home win but then again so was Wigan… West Brom have just turned over Liverpool at Anfield, so that 7 points all of a sudden isn’t looking easy to achieve, so it’s time for that resilience and strength I mentioned earlier.

Finally an observation, when Arsenal are not winning twitter becomes an extremely negative place to be! All our “fans” who whilst they are entitled to their own opinion start stating what is wrong with our play or players. I believe in supporting the side and then venting my frustrations at the final whistle if I indeed have any, perhaps I’m alone in this belief? Please feel free to let me know what you think via twitter @tazwoz200 is my name there so feel free to add me and say hi, thanks for reading and come on you Gunners!

Arsenal v Chelski, The Haters And Podolski‏

Hello and welcome to this which is the next instalment of my blog.

Before we start I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all the guys that read the last one and left me lovely comments on my twitter page (@MattCarr85)

In this blog I'd like to cover a few issues but we'll start with a certain 12:45 Saturday kick off at The Emirates.

So what to make of it huh? It was a game that failed to really live up to the billing or to get going. In all honesty from what I made of it Chelsea had to much of an eye on Barcelona away, which in my last blog I told you would probably be the case, either way it was nice to see Koscielny back and impressing as always and also a starting role for The Ox. Tomas Rosicky played while he was ill and put in an impressive shift while Aaron Ramsey had a solid second half too.

I think Mr Wenger must of read my last blog as he brought on Andre Santos in a midfield role and i have to say he was much more comfortable on the wing.

The only real downside other than the result was the sight of Theo Walcott pulling up with a hamstring injury which will see him out for the remaining games of the season. So all in all it was a bit disappointing, but the fact our scummy North London rivals couldn't even manage a draw with QPR made the day a lot happier one.

As many of you know from reading my tweets I seem to be some kind of a magnet for Spud fans who think they have a point (all be a delusional one) but Saturday night it was all quiet and I cant help but laugh at that.

I may be over confident, but I honestly believe we can push on and make that 3rd spot ours now with the biggest threat Newcastle having tricky games against Chelsea and Man City coming up.

So now we'll look to the summer and a mixed bag of emotions from Gooners on the players that will be bought in.

Podolski I'm told is done and Vertonghen is apparently verbally agreed, so with those pair out the picture who would you like to see coming in?

M'vila and Eriksen have been spoken about and either one would be very well received at The Emirates.

I think the biggest signing we can make this summer is our captain on a contract extension and I'm sure many would agree with me on that.

But for now this is me @MattCarr85 signing off and wishing you a wonderful day.

I'll see you on the otherside of Stoke City away

Kicking and Castrations!!

Hello all you Gooners out there!! (and guests too!)

Surfergirl here, how are you all?  Good I hope, and looking forward to today's game!! Before I start talking bout our beloved Arsenal, I'd just like to say anyone reading this in Brighton/Hove we will NOT be watching the game in The Exchange... We worked pretty hard to promote that pub as an Arsenal venue for all Gooners in the area, and sorry we're not endorsing them anymore, but the new manager is a heartless, spineless person, who screwed over Mrs. F and Shortstuff for jobs and a place to live. He needs a good kicking! They lost their jobs on Monday and he still hasn't the common courtesy to talk to her. SO we are all off to try the Palmeria on Davigdor Rd. Who we here the manager is a Gooner!! Yeah!! So come along and join in the fun!! :o)

Sooooo Chelsea, ay?  Are we scared? I don't think so, I think determined is the right word... The boys have worked hard to get back to a spot for the Champions League and I don't think they wanna lose it.  Chelsea beat Barcelona mid-week and I know we were all wishing they didn't so that they would be going into this game with that weight on the hearts. Well, maybe because they've beaten Barcelona, it might just go in our favor, and they'll be cocky and mess up. I'm hoping Arsenal is going to step up and show what they've got!!
It's unfortunate Mike Dean is the ref as they've won the last 2 against us with him, but let's not look for excuses, let's look for results!!!  Come on boys, who's Kings of London?  And what's the color???  Certainly NOT blue!!

I'll sign off saying a shout out to my poor puppy Rolo who is now a ball-less wonder, and is feeling very sorry for himself, and hates me....

See ya on the other side of the game!!!!  Come on you Gunners, do us proud!!!

Surfergirl xx

Hotels, handshakes, ankles and death threats!

Good day all,
   as expected it has all gone very hushed with Arsenal since Wigan came and conquered. Not surprising really given that all press, pundits etc suggested an easy win but there is no such thing in football. Matt covered it well yesterday so lets move on.

Shock, Van Persie seen at the Barca hotel (No he was visiting friends, humans do that) Shock he must be leaving! Really? The fact that he had friends there, was in his Arsenal Training kit, in full view of the public it hardly seems the stuff of clandestine meetings and contracts does it. As for the nonsense reported on the handshake with the "Bad looser" headlines oh come on boys. Credit where it's due, Wigan played better and a show of passion from our captain is no bad thing. Next it will be we have not won a trophy in.........oh!

The sad news is Mikel Arteta's Ankle. There is nothing official yet but seems likely to be out for our last four games. That gives Arsene a headache, especially with Chelski on Saturday as who to replace him with. Last time he was out we went through a bad patch , he has become our engine in midfield driving the team on and I for one will really be on tender hooks for the end of the season. With Diaby, 10 minutes and gone and Ramsey lacking confidence it does not bode well.

Talking of Ramsey here is a message to the Numpty's on Twitter. Either support the team or bugger off. Issuing death threats from behind your anonymous accounts be it a fan or not is pathetic at best. Have you not learnt the lesson from Muamba's disgraceful experience? Apparently not!

Well rant over from a miserable wet Sussex today. Have a great day where ever you are and remember, Forwards never Backwards.

Laters,
The Dog

"Stunned at Home, Arsenal and Me!"

Hello guys its @MattCar85 here and this will be my first blog for GFS, so sit back and enjoy..

As I sat back in my chair with a beer in one hand ready to watch Arsenal v Wigan I thought to myself that this would be an routine 2-0 with Arsenal running the show as we have so many times at The Emirates this season. So how to my surprise, 10 minutes later can we be 2-0 down with Mikel Arteta on the sidelines receiving treatment for what looked to be a bad injury?

Stunned" is the only word I can use to actually describe it, but at least there was another 80 minutes to go and with Manchester City the only team in the league with a better home record than Arsenal, I was confident we could get back in the game and maybe even win.

What came after was one of the poorest displays of football I have seen at The Emirates this season, and I hope in this piece I can shed some light on why.

Firstly we'll start off with Santos, A player who i was so excited about when he first joined as it seemed we'd signed some Roberto Carlos type full back who had the ability to add a new dimension to our play. What we actually have bought is a winger who at times is outpaced by most and whose tackling leaves a lot to be desired.

I honestly feel this is one of the area's we will strengthen in the summer cause with Gibbs as great as he is somehow always injured, Santos does not have it in his locker to make this spot his own.

Although it may seem unfair to you I have singled Santos out, last night was very rare in which many top class performers just didn't step up. Sagna was out of sorts as was Vermaelen. Theo Walcott at times didn't have his usual spark and with Arteta injured this all played a big part in our downfall.

Many singled out Aaron Ramsey as the perpetrator for last nights result but for some reason he always seems to be the one the hatred is aimed at. I logged on to my twitter to sit there and witness some of the vilest comments you'd ever wish to read, some even involving death threats. All this from our own fans and I'm not going to lie some of our supporters actually disgust me.

The only player who was exempt from these twitter ramblings was Tomas Rosicky.

So on the back of that performance and with one eye on Saturday what can we do to get back on track? The answer is hope Barcelona and Cesc do us a massive favour and run Chelsea ragged on Wednesday night. In my opinion a draw between Barca v Chelsea is a win, win result as Chelsea will look to the away leg of the tie and will be more focused on them as they are Arsenal.

In my 25 years of supporting Arsenal this in recent memory has been one of the hardest seasons I've had to endure as a fan. Possible anti Wenger protests and of course that 8-2 humbling at Old Trafford, but look where we are now 3rd spot in the league, 5 points ahead of the scum up the road in there best season!

Time has come for us to reunite again and not slag off the players or manager but support them and make our voices heard. Thank you so much for reading and I'll catch up with you again after Chelsea at home.

@MattCarr85

Last Howl of Wolves. Confident Arsenal are on the rise

Another week of exciting English Premier League football has gone by and Arsenal with 9 wins in 10 is sitting comfortably in 3d place with a 5 point lead over Spurs and Newcastle. Arsene Wenger has hailed Arsenal's remarkable turnaround. Wenger said: 'Considering where we were before Christmas, we have improved a lot. Maybe it is the most remarkable turnaround I have seen here. ‘But the spirit was always good and we have been very consistent for the past couple of months when we have shown a lot of quality as well.'

I’m delighted with our new found confidence, although I think we should have scored more against Wolfs. We dominated position and Wolfs were out classed by our passing brilliance from start. The 9^th minute penalty came when Van Persie who had actually gone four matches without scoring lifted a wonderful through-ball over a very flat back four of the Wolfs defence .The cross was perfectly read by Walcott, who darted between Sebastien Bassong and the ball only to be clumsily bundled to the floor. There was an argument that Richard Stearman was still in position to make a covering challenge but referee Neil Swarbrick was decisive in pointing to the penalty spot and then also brandishing a straight red card.

Van Persie stepped up to take the penalty and gently chipped the ball down the middle of the goal in in rather audacious fashion, not at all put off by the noisy Jack Harris stand right in front of him. Van Persie has now scored 45 times in his past 50 Premier League matches.

With Wolfs stunned and on the back heel Walcott and Van Persie came up with an excellent move to yet again demonstrate their growing understanding. The Arsenal captain produced another perfectly weighted pass to dissect the Wolves defence. On this occasion, Walcott did get the chance to show the improvement in his finishing and calmly side-footed the ball beyond Hennessey.

We had to wait a long time for the Gunners to score again, which was frustrating as we dominated every inch of the field. Finally the final nail in the coffin came when Mikel Arteta, who was generally content to sit deep and recycle possession burst forward to create a good chance for Van Persie. Alex Song then further exploited the growing tiredness among the Wolves players by teeing up Benayoun to seal a comfortable victory with an accurate finish beyond Hennessey.

Wolfs did put in a brave fight, and I have a lot of respect for them. Playing for almost 90 minutes with one man short is a feat in its own. I have no doubt that Arsenal would have won red card or not. Sadly Wolfs will certainly be relegated and this will be their punishment for sacking Mick Mccarthy, they should have done the same as Blackburn and not sack a manager when things go wrong, at least not in the middle of the season.

Wigan next, and no underestimating them, beating Man U was remarkable. Here are some stats for that game. Arsenal have scored 19 goals in their last six league meetings with Wigan (3.16 per game).The Gunners have won 10 of their 13 PL meetings with the Latics (D2 L1).Arsenal have won all nine matches at home to Wigan in all competitions, keeping a clean sheet in each of the last six.The Latics are the only Premier League side to have played at least five times at Arsenal but never taken a point there (W0 D0 L6).The Gunners have won their last five league games at home, and have lost only one of their last 15 (W12 D2).Arsenal have not won six in a row at home in the league since the start of October 2009.Wigan have only lost one of their last four league matches on the road (W2 D1): 1-2 ( at Chelsea )

Laters,
The Ghost

A new blog member, Citeh, Wolves,Arsenal and me!

So…………..where to start then eh?
Arsenal vs Man City game?
Tottenham’s poor form in recent games?
Or how I Became an Arsenal fan?

All 3 sounds good to me J

Right, so as this is my first blog and seeing that everybody else’s first blog is about how they became an Arsenal fan, and I for one not liking to break tradition, seems like the perfect place to start.

I never really supported a team when I was a kid, I can remember supporting Newcastle at a young age as my mum is from there but then my affiliation with them sorta evaporated as I got older, until never really supported a team. So my parents went away on holiday for a week and I got to stay with my dad’s mate who just happened to be an arsenal fan. We watched the game on the weekend and I really enjoyed watching Arsenal play, just the way they passed the ball with ease and the fluidity that they had. We watched another game in the midweek and it was the same again, lovely passing cutting open the defence and walking the ball in. Perfection. Since then I’ve been pretty much hooked and since I’ve never had sky sports, I even had to resort sneaking into the pub when I was underage just to watch the game, and maybe have a cheeky shandy or 2. Any way ever since that week I've been an Arsenal fan, and I'm really happy to say that it wasn’t to do with them winning lots of trophies or being a glory hunter, I just love the way they play their football.

Anyway enough of that boring old stuff lets get into the present and talk about our more recent game against poor old Man City. So what’s happened to Mancini and his men? Looks like the pressures of winning the title has got to them and they have slowly faulted towards the end of the season. His men look tired and frustrated especially Balotelli. His potential leg breaking tackle on Song, thank good his leg wasn’t planted, he also booted the post in anger after he missed in the first half, and he kicked the floor in frustration after he delivered a poor cross. His teams mates seem to of had enough of him also, he was on the floor injured at the end of the first half and did any of his teams mates stop to see if he was alright? Nope, they just walked past him like he wasn’t even there. Sorta shows that he’s not wanted anymore doesn’t it, fans players and manager alike.

Enough about man city already and lets slag off our neighbours Tottenham. Whats happened to them? They were playing well, maintaining 3rd spot then it all went to s**t, they have only won 2 of their last 10 games and only taking 10 points from a possible 30! Where Arsenal on the other hand have won 9 of their last 10 taking an impressive 27 points to now go above Tottenham by 5 points. I would be fuming right now if I was a spurs fan, they were killing it this season playing well looking like a close squad that knew what they need to do for the season. Shame really, think they should take a leaf out of Arsenals book, Buy a player like Van Persie and everything will be fine.

Talking of RVP, Wolves were finished in the first 11 minutes of the game. His penalty was the start and equalled a record too. Scoring against 17 of the 19 teams in the league, as did Ian Wright in 96-97. Only failing to score against Fulham and Citeh. Lets hope he stays next season to break that record. With goals from Walcott and Yossi it was another 3 points in the bag. 9 wins from 10 and and third place looking better. Bring on Wigan and we will show Manure how it's done.

Cheers for reading.

Mrs F and Shortstuff mix things up

Afternoon all!


Me and Shortstuff have decided to team up for today's blog. So, here goes! It's gonna be a little different with a slightly sadistic twinge to it. 


Well on Sunday morning I woke up with an incredible hangover and a huge bump on the side of my head. Not knowing where it had come from I went and sat down on the couch to watch the Arsenal game. I was meant to be meeting The Dog and The Greek to watch it in the Exchange pub, our local but was feeling a little to under the weather to leave the house. So, what a game! We were all over them for about 75% of the match, we did falter here and there but otherwise we owned them. In my opinion that is.

 Mario Ballotelli, well what can I say. Why didn't he get sent off in the first half for the foul on Alex Song? Did you see when he hurt himself at the end of the first 45 minutes and his team mates didn't even check if he was alright. That says something don't you think? Now Man City don't even want him, haha!   
Anyway I'm just happy that we got 3 more points and we're above s***** Tottenham again! I'm gonna pass you over to Shortstuff now, have fun :)


So what's going on right now you ask? Thomas Vermaelen has told reporters recently the he promised Arsenal can gain enough points to snatch 3rd place in front of Spurs Chelsea and Newcastle and be serious contenders the next season he says 'third place gives us direct qualification for the champions league- that's our main target for the moment'. Arsenal have shown a lot of quality in their playing in recent games, it would seem they are more confident since bigger player's left at the end of last season. Oh I was browsing twitter and i come across nasri's tweet 'i'm aware  what i said about tiles. i'm sure i will lift a trophy with City before AFC do and to all the Arsenal fans move on City are 10 point ahead of you just support your team and forget about me' HAHAHAHAHA, that is all!


Well we've had a long day, Mrs F has to start work in half an hour. Shortstuff wants a drink. So we're gonna make a move. We're gonna leave you with something to think about, just because we're that nice. haha :) 


Looking at the team now, where would you see the team progressing to by the end of next season? Are the players going to gel together, or is it all going to fall apart? 


We've got high hopes! Have a good evening guys and gals! 


Shortstuff and Mrs Fabregas out, peace. :P
xxx

11/8 to win, todays game review

Morning all and Happy Easter to you where ever you are. I hope we all have a fab Sunday topped with a win at the Emirates today. Most bookies have us at 11/8 and Citeh at 13/8, the draw at 11/5 but there is more on this game than just odds!

Spuds dropped two points yesterday, sorry but feeling smug on that part, and Chelski, goodness knows what the officials had been drinking and the Geordies picked up wins so it is tight at the top three battle.
Manure play before us so who knows what type of Citeh will turn out after their game? I hope for the continued meltdown team we have seen recently but who knows with football eh? I am sure they won't be at the Emirates in their usual defencive mode, looking for a point. They need a win and so do we. It will be one very tough game, as I said in my last piece we need to be mentally strong today, no repeat of QPR and two points over the Spuds and five points over the Kings Road mob would be a real advantage in the run in.

Likely team?

Szczensy- Koscielny, Vermaelen, Sagna, Gibbs- Arteta, Song,Rosicky,Walcott, Ramsey and Van Persie. I expect Arsene to go for experience but hope that the Ox will feature at some point.

In other news, The Sunday People states Mertesacker is facing the sack,oh dear and has played his last game for Arsenal and The Mirror goes with Sagna and his thoughts on Arsenal players that have gone to Citeh and other bits. Not a lot of news just talk of pressure of the game ahead but as an Arsenal manger, George Graham once said " if you lose hope, or lose belief, you may as well get out of football" I have belief but pressure does funny things to teams!

Finally if your anywhere near the Herbert Chapman pub today and see a Ray Winstone looking Arsenal fan go say high to @Arsenal_Winston, you maybe lucky to have a chat with Arsenal Statto too. I will also tweet during the game as well so come say hi. @Dognash1 and @Dognash1live.

Laters,
The Dog

Theo's Foot in Mouth, Where is Jack?

Hello all,
   well when I woke up this morning I really felt that it was one of those days I should have stayed in bed. It was a cold grey start here in Sussex and having a sneezing fit did not raise my spirits for the day. Ho hum maybe some Arsenal news would lift my spirits. Oh no Theo!

When a footballer speaks, you really hope and want some honesty to flow seamlessly from their mouth, something to stir your blood as a fan but today I feel Theo has gone a step to far with his assessment of Arsenals game against QPR. Theo spoke to the Daily Mirror and said...

" With QPR we probably underestimated them. But it's always going to be a tough game. I felt that we didn't really want it as much as QPR did but that will change on Sunday"

Really? Is that what Arsene instilled in the team before they went out? "Do not worry boys, they are a little bit not good so no effort is required today!" As he swanned off to the dugout whistling "Don't worry, be happy" No Theo no. You may be being honest but if that was how the team felt we really are going to struggle. A size 14 boot should be placed firmly back in that mouth. Only a few weeks ago our captain was saying about our run that we need to play that way all the time, run our socks off and if required, win ugly. Now Theo's comment might have been a throw away line, something for the press to leap on but not the kind of thing I want to hear coming from an Arsenal player. Own up to errors of course, be honest in your play and above all always want a win. Not a bucket of disinfectant outside the Emirates doors where players are given a stiff brush, told to clean themselves to avoid foot and mouth!

Theo also went on to say that he did not think he was certain for a place at the Euros this summer, not want it then? He did however say that Spuds should give up any thoughts of getting 3rd place back (much better Theo) Lets keep that type of thought for Sunday and enough of the nonsense!

Anyway, Twitter was a buzz yesterday with the news of Jack Wilshere's return in an arranged friendly against Birmingham. Alas it was not to be. There is nothing official being said but Arsene is monitoring him closely so lets all hope it is not a set back but just a precaution. I do however have my doubts of a full return this season. He will be fresh but with a lack of game time is Jack worth the risk?
With our current run in we need certainty of the players ability to perform and I doubt Arsene will risk a rush back.

Finally it is reported that Arsenal are interested in Clint Dempsey and that at £10 million Arsene may be tempted as he was a previous target if you read the Daily Express here. With all the talk of M'Villa and Podolski etc as our summer targets I will take this with a very large pinch of salt. You may think different but that's the fun of being a Gooner, we all have an opinion and maybe my foot should be wedged in my mouth on this one.

Laters,
The Dog

My First Arsenal Blog…

Well here goes… I’m going to start by asking a question, were you one of the ‘fans’ calling for Arsene to spend big in the transfer window at the start of the season? I know I have the benefit of hindsight when I write this but spending big doesn’t always reap huge benefits and rewards, just ask a Liverpool fan!

Overall so far I’m happy with how our season has panned out, if you were to remove three players with the quality of Fabregas, Nasri and Wilshere from any side I’m not sure they’d be in the same position as we are now, however I do feel we need to bolster our squad in the summer, if we are to believe what we read then Podolski is a done deal, and if that is the case I’d be delighted with that signing. A proven international with a good goal scoring record and thunderous left foot to go with it.

Other names are being mentioned as potential signings, is that agents creating those rumours to create interest in their client or is it paper talk? I don’t know the answer to that, and I really don’t believe people who claim to have insider knowledge of our transfer activity, I like the fact that Arsenal are a club that is VERY secretive with its business, it’s frustrating at times I know but I’d rather that than have the manager of my club hanging out of his car window talking to Sky Sports every time the transfer window is nearing its closure.

What players would you like to leave this summer? Personally I think Diaby whilst he has been hampered by injuries throughout his Arsenal career, he has been given more chances than other players in our squad and apart from rare outstanding performances he has on the whole for me been disappointing! I’m not sure as regards Arshavin whether he should be sold or not, he can as we all know be a devastating player but this season before his loan he was largely anonymous. Vela for me can go, and Denilson again can go too.

I think of our new signings Mertesacker has had a good start to his Arsenal career although a lot of people are very quick to criticise him, Arteta had a quiet start but is starting to show what he can do, Chu Young Park is a very confusing signing, has hardly been given chance to show what he can do, so I’ll reserve judgement on him for now, Benayoun also in the few chances he has been given I feel has done well, but for me could and perhaps should be played more.

So here we are in the final stretch of the season, which most critics or experts predicted us finishing outside the top four or even outside the top six, we have as it stands proved them wrong. I hope that our next 8 games accrues at least as many points as our last 8 have done, and if that happens I feel a top 3 place is ours….

Thanks for reading and COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!!

Tazwoz @tazwoz200

The first in Eight! QPR 2 Arsenal 1

 Well yesterday was rather a day to forget for two reasons. Firstly a big thank you to the idiots who decided to vandalise the Southern Rail line at Burgess Hill yesterday morning. Why do these morons think it is such a laugh to do this? God knows, I expect if they were to be hindered in anyway by something like this they would be screaming from the roof tops! So I missed my connections and ended up missing being at Soccer am yesterday. Grrrrrr.

So secondly the game yesterday. Where to start on this? I know that all an sundry were expecting a win from Arsenal, except Micky Quinn on Talk Sport with his mystic Micky stuff, so perhaps the team were thinking the same thing. A walk in the London Sunshine? Well it was overcast and a bit grim and that sums up the performance quite nicely!

We looked bright in the beginning but QPR were putting in a workman like performance and getting back into the game. Loftus Road is a small ground, smallest in the league in fact and can be intimidating. Last week the QPR fans were booing their captain off the pitch. This time they just booed us and seeing the way we were playing it was not surprising. Ramsey seemed to want to be in the centre of the pitch instead of on the left wing, wanting to get away from the fans? I have to say the line up from Arsene was a bit odd. I feel the Ox would have been a better choice on the left. We looked off balance, out of sorts and unhappy with ourselves which is strange given our run of late and the confidence that has provided. What we must remember is that QPR are fighting for their Premier lives and I think the team, although playing ok, forgot that and we gave to much away when in possession of the ball.

Vermaelen really did have a stinker of a game, worst I have seen in an Arsenal shirt. He produced errors which led to both of the QPR goals and the slapping of the ground showed his frustration as the winner went in. We all have our off days and it was his turn today. The "I am taking the bus" Taarabt producing the first on turning Vermaelen an the second when he failed to deal with a chip, letting Fraser Makie to cross and a good finish from Samba Diakite on 66 Minutes.

There was only a glimmer of hope when at 1-0 Rosicky had time to pass to RVP. He turned Ferdinand and got the ball to Walcott. First attempt hitting the post but got the rebound and side footed the second to make it 1-1. It was the only time we really looked good. We had lots of possession but we really struggled against QPR's organisation and commitment.

So well done to QPR, I hate to say it but they were better on the day, even Barton played better and that hurts alot too. On the downside for them though they are facing an FA charge for an incident in the 90th minute. It came as Van Persie was preparing to take a free kick. The assistant ref was nearby when a coin was thrown from the crowd and struck him. Were they aiming for him or RVP? There is no room in football for this and I hope QPR investigate.

Well that's it, I hope you had a better weekend than me and next up is Citeh. They seem to be on meltdown at the moment, Balotelli resuming his bad boy ways. Maybe we can take advantage of that.

Laters,
The Dog