Is This The Time To Criticize?

….Arsenal are preparing themselves for Leeds United next weekend. Though the chances of winning or for that matter drawing are pretty low,a rusty draw could be on the cards.And with Arsenal’s best player Denilson starting,things are looking a bit less cloudy.Tottenham Hotspurs(or should I say “THE SPURS”) have just won the Community Shield(having won the League last year) and Liverpool look to have bought some real gems…..

While this might seem a bit exaggerated, the truth is that’s how most Arsenal fans feel right now.Shit players,Shit performances,Shit manager and a Shit club pursuing our Shittiest player.To be honest,that’s a a Shit fan’s opinion of Arsenal.The very fact that we haven’t  had a substantially good Pre-season doesn’t mean we are a bad team.To get facts straight,I think Man United lost to some team recently.And the score.8-2.

Neither does that make them a bad team(well,there are other reasons for that!) nor does our not winning the Emirates Cup.Absolutely not.

I agree we have lost some players due to injury(again) but most of them don’t look too serious to be concerned about.And with the possibility of them missing the upcoming friendlies, it might as well turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

As I write, the Community Shield(Don’t worry,Spuds aren’t in it) is going on.And United losing it 1-0.They might well come back and win it.And they might not.*And the noisy neighbors(not ours!) are 2 goals up now*……*And United have equalized now*

The point is,Arsenal will really be tested at Newcastle for the first time this season.Every result before that means nothing.Not a paisa(or cent should I say ).The opening fixtures aren’t easy at all.And fans calling for Arsene’s heads doesn’t improve the situation.

And I also have a different and unpopular opinion on the ongoing Arsenal transfers.Particularly the transfers-Out part. We were on the brink of losing Fabregas and Nasri.The fact- We haven’t.Plain and simple.True we haven’t bought many but those bought look good.Real Good.And it honestly looks like it hasn’t ended.The least we can expect is a traditional Centre-half adjusted to the PL.Can’t help it but that reminds me of poor Squillaci.

The surprise in this pre-season has been the great performances of our otherwise-average players.Rosicky seems to have found his Mozzart-esque touch back and Arshavin looks up and running for the season.The talent was always there but wasn’t showcased enough by these players.Hopefully, it changes this year.Apart from the senior heads, the younger ones are also looking good.Ramsey has probably been the most consistent player this pre-season, Frimpong,though not great, has been decent.Gibbs,Afobe and co also seem to have upped their games.And that’s not for the future,but the present.The 2011-12 season.

Call me naive,or call me optimistic, depends on you.But I do have this great feeling about the upcoming season and I just hope Arsenal have learnt from mistakes in the past and all of their miseries in the past.I HOPE.

*On a good note,one of this Blog’s posts: Reasons To Be Cheerful  just won an Arsenal Season Review DVD 2010-11 courtesy of JustArsenal.com*

Gervinho Transfer Doesn’t Make Me Exuberant

It’s not about his qualities. Nor his attitude. And certainly not his FOREHEAD. It’s the way Arsenal have conducted the transfer. For most, the interest is a player is followed by a quick snapping of him in just a matter of days. Not much changes for us, just the matter of “days” changes to one of  ”months”. All I know is Wenger wants to save every single penny on every single transfer, maybe to buy a cream for a “wrinkle-free skin”. Who doesn’t? We all love a bargain but does that mean you wait for a year to buy a pair of shoes just because you’re saving a couple of bucks. No?I know!

The very fact that last year the players whom we bought early had a great impact and those who joined late(Squillaci) may just be in for a ‘bye’ this season. Not that it’ll again happen for sure but it’s quite likely it does. Also, when the season ended, I’m sure Wenger would’ve thought about the departure of Cesc and maybe Clichy. But more than most, he’d have been thinking about giving Nasri a new contract and Nasri accepting it with a grin. Little did he know how Nasri would hold us to ransom.

About Gervinho, it’s looked so so predictable that when it’s finally official, I don’t get THAT pleasure which I’d get if, let’s say, we sign Cahill tomorrow. That’s what’ll get the fans excited and cheered up. Not that the Gervinho transfer doesn’t, but you get the point.

About my thoughts on Cesc and Nasri, I can’t ever imagine Arsene making a stupid mistake again and let Cesc and Nasri leave at the same time. Even if that means risking letting him go on a Bosman transfer next year. Of course, he might sign a new deal and/or Cesc might stay. And we might win the quadruple next season. And obviously Tottenham get relegated with Bale being suspended for life……. erm I went a bit too much along the tangent, didn’t I?

The truth is, both are Arsenal players and if the club doesn’t want to sell, it doesn’t. Cesc is too big a professional guy to force a move.And how can I forget his love for us? About Nasri, I honestly don’t know. His interviews have worried me. And probably worried Arsene. If there’s any person to gain his reputation back which has dealt a certain blow among the fans, it’s Nasri himself. Commit to a long-term deal without more fuss and ALSO score some hattricks against Spurs. Though one against Barca will do…surprised I KNOW(hehe) we’ll again be pitted against them this year.And the next…..till Cesc finally moves to Barca. They’ve got everything planned with their brother and sister and everything in UEFA. Fabregas returns to Barca for the away tie, meets Pique and co,gets sentimental and all that.

One thing that’s got me crazy is how Arsene stressed again and again on the lack of our “defensive efficiency” last season and we’re yet to buy a decent defensive player. No Cahill, no Samba, not even that French guy we’ve been monitoring since ages. None. A certain Carl Jenkinson has arrived to push Sagna. Give him some competition. But for a 1m pound player, I think that’s it. Sagna is the league’s best right-back and if CJ is able to provide enough competition, it’ll do the job for me. Don’t forget there’s Eboue as well. And he’s no slouch.

Without much ado, let’s talk about Edu. Yeah Eduardo’s the one I’m referring to. I recently watched his 2 goals against Arsenal in CL along with some others. And the way he’s finished them has got me wondering,”Why the hell did we sell him.” I mean we could have loaned him last year. Why sell? For me, I’d happily take him back now that he’s recovered from his injury. And I’m pretty sure he’ll scoring goals right,left and the center.

On a much more personal note, I apologize for not writing for so long. As I’ve already mentioned, I had this BIG exam on Sunday which I was preparing for. Didn’t go great though

That’s it for today. By the way, do any of you know Gervinho’s full name???

Till then.

Most Memorable Arsenal Matches

It’s just around 3 years since my support for The Arsenal began. At first, it was quite mild and I rarely watched them. But what amazes me is how far I’ve gone from their. Not a single match missed in almost two years(except the first half of CC semifinal 2nd leg ).  There have been good moments, bad moments and those brilliant moments. Along with it have come those awful moments like the Cup Final defeat. But it wouldn’t be fair not to suggest my journey with the Gunners as one hell of a ride.

Here are some of the most memorable moments of MY Arsenal-watching career(as a FIFA 11 commentator would say!). Just to inform you, its only been 3 years since I’ve started watching them, so I’m not counting the matches we’ve played before. This compilation is based on how great I felt when Arsenal finally won the game. Hope you like it:

7. Arsenal-Stoke City 3-1(Britannia)

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah I know about Ramsey’s horrific injury. I was watching it with volume muted and all of a sudden I had the worsts of thoughts. I wouldn’t tell what that was but that moment almost made me cry. But after that, we showed some real grit and ultimately were rewarded with a penalty in stoppage time. That wasn’t all. The Verminator managed to get another one and at that moment, I thought that now the title was ours and our players would win it for Aaron Ramsey. They gave it their all but still ended up finishing 3rd.

6. Arsenal-Bolton 4-2 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember the game where we were 2-0 down after Bolton scored the 2nd goal off a penalty. I do.Winning that game by more than a one goal margin would’ve taken us to the top of the league. And what I instantly thought after they scored twice was that we’d always crumble under the pressure of being at the top. And an hour later, I was proved all wrong. Goals from Rosicky, Vermaelan, Arshavin and another Arsenal player(c’mon you can’t expect me to remember that much. And if you do please inform me too!). And we ended up winning the match and going top of the league on goal-difference.

5. Arsenal-Hull City 2-1 (at their stadium)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicklas Bendtner, to remind you, can sometimes finish. And a predatory finish was what won us the game that was level at 1-1 at Hull and probably kept our title chances alive. Denilson(oh all our poor players did well at that moment). He went for a 20-30 yard shot which the Hull keeper failed to hold on. And Bendtner was, for once, there to pick up the pieces and win it for Arsenal.

4. Arsenal- Manchester United 1-0 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were missing a number of key players. And with that, we were also missing some key ingredients such as our confidence. The feeling at the start of the match was a bit of worry and tension. All of that was gone when, just after 90 minutes the final whistle blew. We showed grit, determination and passion to win the game. Combine that with our quality and all that was left for Ramsey was to slot the ball home for the winner.

 

3. Arsenal-Barcelona 2-2 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

Maybe it was not the whole match, but the last 30 minutes that were too good to forget. Wenger brought on Theo Walcott and he split the Barca defencee like they were….. Arsenal themselves. Goals from him and Cesc at least kept the tie alive which eventually we ended up losing. Still it was a night to remember.

2. Arsenal Chelsea 3-1 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

A match that could be watched again and again by any Arsenal fan. Or a football fan in general. A game that had the biggest impact on Arsenal. We got to know our First-XI. We hunted the Chelsea players in pack and never allowed them enough space. For me, the most important match in the 2010-2011 season for us.

1. Arsenal- Barcelona 2-1 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has got to be at the top.  There wasn’t a part of the room where I was watching where I hadn’t jumped around. This match and every single detail of it will stay in my head for a long long time. Bendtner to Jack to Cesc to Nasri to Arshavin to GOAL!!!! The stadium erupted. And so did I.  The best match I’ve seen ever and possibly the best Emirates has ever witnessed.

That’s it for you. Hope you’ve liked the list.Another reminder it’s pretty much based on memory so I may have missed a match or two. Feel free to post yours below.

Alvarez To Replace Fabregas! Are You Having A Laugh?

The rumour that is gathering some pace around the internet is Ricky Alvarez joining Arsenal from the Argentine club Velez. Just for some formalities, he’s a creative midfielder who plays a similar role to Cesc Fabregas. I don’t know how good a player he is. And seeing videos on Youtube doesn’t help that. But still I can say he looks a decent player. And so does Denilson, Squillaci and others(at least on Youtube).

It’s obviously good that we are linked with him but the story running parallel to it is certainly not. It says we are buying him as a replacement for Cesc. Just to confirm, we are talking about The Cesc Fabregas. possible the best playmaker in Europe. With loads of experience at the age of just 23. I won’t hide that I love him and would never want him to go. But we all know he would. But not now. There’s also Nasri who’s not agreed a new contract as well. That means losing one would increase the chances of losing the other as well. Apparently, Nasri’s waiting for greater ambition from Arsenal in terms of players before signing an extension. And selling Cesc surely doesn’t help it.

Cesc's The Name....Well Not Really!

And now we travel to Argentina. Alvarez, if he signs, will play his first season in England and adapting to the English game is not easy. And even the best of players fail sometimes. The minimum requirement is time. It takes some time to adapt to the hostile environment. Then there’s also the weather, culture, food habits and all. Believe me, it’s no easy task. Selling Fabregas would mean Alvarez is thrown into the deep end. Some survive it(Koscielny) and some don’t(Chamakh).

Fabregas is also the captain of Arsenal and when he plays, it’s almost as if the most important cog of the Arsenal machine is put in place. And when he doesn’t, we do lack that special *Cesc* spark.

That’s it for today. Somewhat busy nowadays.

 

Walcott To Win Arsenal The Title

One major positive in an otherwise disappointing season has been the form of our own speedster, Theo Walcott. He always had shown his talent in bits and pieces(especially against Barcelona) but never looked likely to perform on a consistent basis. This made the fans give him the tag of a “Supersub”. But he proved it all wrong.

Its not that he had an outstanding season with no injury worries. But if I don’t say he’s had a decent statement won’t be justified. His hard-work on the training pitch is clearly visible and if it was not for our striker’s poor finishing(RvP may not read this!), he’d have got an awful number of assists this season. His finishing is amazing. In fact I remember Theo’s goals more than any other Arsenal player. The one against Blackburn was top-notch. Blackpool, Shaktar, Chelsea, Chelsea(brilliant!) and Fulham on the last day. These are the ones that just came even without remembering. There were some others too which I have  forgotten but his tally of 10-15 goals(I hate searching for exact stats!) is great given his injury woes which were less visible this term. But still more than most.

Yeah Theo! That’s The Way To Do It

Walcott is being rumored to shift to play more centrally next season. Yeah I know its just the fans wanting that. I also think the striker role would suit him better as we’ve seen how teams coming to the Emirates and just trying to defend have crowded the right flank making Walcott not-existent. Also given the possible signature of Gervinho who’s a right winger, Walcott’s change of position looks inevitable. And that’ll probably play the biggest role in Arsenal’s title ambition last year.And when he’s not played, we’ve lacked width,pace and ruthlessness. I know Walcott does put some crosses for the ones paying a 100 pounds to watch him do that for van Persie. But still his finishing has been better than our other strikers apart from RvP.

In other news, Barca President Sandro Rosell(due to the Cesc transfer saga I think I know the Barca board more than Arsenal’s!) has questioned Fabregas’ value and said Barca won’t pay over 35-40m pounds. Well I think Cesc’s worth that money. Not more. But that would be in a normal world. And we live in one where Caroll is worth 35m. So that just doubles Cesc’s valuation. Or probably even more.

England crashed out of the Under-21s and Pearce says they could’ve reached the finals. The World Cup problem is still there with England. I guess it’s down to the tough, strong and physical demands from a young player. No one looks at their skills. Oh wait! One club does. And is also criticized for doing that.There is something seriously wrong in there.

Till Then.