The Unsung Gerv

Arsenal continued their climb up the table with a win against the Stoky Stoke.And that feeling of relief seeing no one was injured at the end was unmatched.Last year,we just nicked off the points with a header by our beloved Seb.We won it,yes,but no without losing two of our in-form players at that time.Cesc and Walcott were injured,I remember?

So  it was good that ALL Arsenal players were unscathed at the end of the 90 minutes.It wasn’t easy.Hard fought.Yes,but without some magic upfront,we’d never have won it.Gervinho and RvP is what I’m referring to.When they came together,it was totally different.Gervinho was good for the entire match but with Chamakh as his partner,most of what he created was wasted.And while I’m at Chamakh,he’s really turned into a bad bad player.I’ve supported the bloke for a long time but the fact that he doesn’t even face the goal most of the times really pisses if you’re a fan of the team in Red and White.And NOOOO!!!,Stoke have the same combo…But a Stoke fan probably wouldn’t be reading this.Or as it is,maybe not be reading at all.

Coming to the “One-man team” claims,I completely disagree.How can a team like the Arsenal,with their slow passing football be dependent on one player.How?Just cause Robin scores most of our goals lately doesn’t mean others are just standing puppets.A certain Gervinho scored one and assisted two.And to give credit where it’s due,he’s nothing short of brilliant since his arrival in the summer.The close control and quick feet he possesses is the best in the team.And whenever the ball’s at his feet,my excitement level goes up and I greedily except a goal-scoring opportunity.Every single time.

Arsenal support bigger than your forehead,Gerv!

Of course van Persie’s world-class and if we look at our current strikers,he’s miles away from the rest.That might be worrying looking at his injury record.An injury to him would probably be the worst that an Arsenal fan could think as of now.So yeah,he’s our best player.Yes,he carries the team forward.And yes,he’s inspirational.But he’s only ONE of the Arsenal players.And if the other 10 don’t play well,he’d be helpless.

I’d like to mention some other players too.Ramsey’s chip was unforgettable.Reminded me of someone present last year in the team.And Kozzer was a beast as usual.I regard him as one of the best defenders.Agree or don’t,I don’t care.His consistency and the effort he puts in never fails to surprise me.

I guess that’s it from me.Hope you read this and liked.Also,tomorrow’s Diwali,the Festival of Lights,so make sure you try to light up your neighborhood.

Till then…

We Are The Wiser,Smarter Man City

The transfer window closed at 4:30 in the morning here.I know many of you would’ve still been awake and looked at the on-rushing wheeling dealing.Sadly,I had to wake at 6 and hence sleeping early was the only option.Before putting the lights off,the last thing I read was the Arteta deal being called off.Obviously I was worried and looking at our current midfielders(before him and Benayoun’s transfer),there was no reason to think otherwise.According to my memory,Aaron Ramsey,aged 20, has played 90 minutes of the 5 matches we’ve played this season.Without a single break.A step too far for me.And it certainly showed in the last match which I wouldn’t want to mention(I still will!).

So the first thing I did on waking up at 6 was of course check the deadline deals.And to be honest,I had it in my mind that Arsene had left it too late.Again.The first thing I read was Anton Ferdinand’s transfer to QPR.A day which started with such a bad name couldn’t possibly get better.Thankfully,it did.

And then came Arteta.10m pounds.Bloody brilliant.*Let’s get ready now* Oh wait….. Yossi Benayoun was also in Arsenal stores.I hardly cared about that loan thing.For me,he’s a player as good as Tomas Rosicky.Not any better,not any worse.

And I knew no other thing could cheer me up as this.Simply could not.

Oh and did I forget to talk about the transfers we made before I slept.There was this big giant centre-back we all were craving for.No offence but he’d crumble any player who’d not give his 100% on the pitch.At least he can!

Personally(just to remind that this blog is mine!) I prefer Koscielny over him.You may call it my secret admiration for him or simply because he’s technically more astound.Either way it’s a win for me.Oh and I again forgot to mention the giant’s name…Per Mertesacker it is!

With Vermaelan, it’s called “Verminasacker”.Not by me.Someone more creative!

Dos Santos as a left-back was also signed yesterday.I don’t know anything about him and hence wouldn’t pass any judgments.Though i know he’s got some Brazil caps under his belt.Something which one of our regulars Denilson Pereira Neves never could.And he never will.Nor will his children.

Another thing was that the net spend on the recent 5 transfers was just a bit less than 50m.And then came all Torres jokes.I’m sick of them and no longer find them funny.If you do,Twitter’s the place for ya.Just that I don’t recommend so.

Last is the Korean captain Park.Again,no knowledge on my part.Hope he’s better than Bendtner who’s shipped himself to Sunderland on a year-long loan.Him claiming to be the best striker is just an oxymoron.Obviously.

If you might(just might) be wondering why I haven’t written lately,it’s mostly because of some team losing 8-2 somewhere.Not that I care.

I wouldn’t like to talk about it and nor should I.Would just like to quote P.B.Shelley from one of him poetry I read “If Winter is here,can Spring be far behind?” And I HOPE the spring has already arrived.Or maybe it will against Swansea.

Here’s hoping…

When It Rains,It Pours

Not writing for 2-3 weeks.Promising to write.And then failing.This blog looks to be heading down the drain.And I’ll be the only one reading that (D)rain-drenched blog,I guess.Finally I’m writing and the fact that I can read it means the next hour or so won’t be a complete waste.

On towards some serious matters.The start of the season hasn’t been much better than last one’s end.Players getting injured left,right and center.Arsenal not being decisive enough at either ends of the pitch.And the fans booing.That certainly doesn’t help the cause.

Losing your best player after such a long saga never helps and that is bound to show over the course of the season.Not saying that Ramsey isn’t ready to fill in but admit it,he’s no Fabregas.His work-rate and engine might be better but Cesc’s vision is only his.No one can match that.

It’s been 3 matches and we’ve scored one tiny little goal against Udinese.That’s it! We are yet to open our Premier League account.Going forward looks the major problem to me at this moment.Suspensions and injuries might be the reason.Gervinho’s looked seriously threatening EVERY time the ball has touched his gifted feet.And the end product will be visible in the upcoming days when he settles in with the team and its style.All in all,he’s looking our best attacking player.Better than RvP who hasn’t got the support from other players which he deserves.Walcott,you might wanna consider this!

The defence looks extremely solid with Koscielny and Vermaelan.Absolutely world-class.But as soon as Kozzer went off injured,it was there for everyone to see.No quality backups.Djourou is decent enough but I honestly don’t rate him.And regular readers will know of the extent of my love for Sebastian Squillaci.

Arsene,Your Legacy Might As Well Be At Stake

Next up is the suspensions.1 I like,3 i don’t.All of Frimpong,Song and Gervinho suspended.The ones I don’t like.Arsene suspended,I prefer.Lately,all he does is throw some unlucky water bottles here and there and cry when Ramsey puts it in his own net.And bring on Bendtner when we need a striker.A real one at that.

I’m not the only one who knows new players are needed.Both quality and quantity-wise.But to sign someone like Mertesacker or Dann doesn’t help either case.First of all,seriously talented players such as the likes of Hazard,Cahill,Jagielka or even Zarate are quite difficult to sign considering Arsenal’s strict wage structure.Second,what are the guarantees that the player signed will adapt well and help us mount a serious title-challenge.

One thing I’d like to see is to give the young AOC and Miyaichi a chance.I mean it’s the start of the season.And you try all new combinations and players NOW.Arsene,any reasonable explanation why you already haven’t?

And with that I sign off.There’s this little poll I’d like you to vote on.Your opinions will be hugely welcomed.They’re coming after such a long time you know!

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.

New Signings To Have Little Impact

First, I apologize for no post in the past 3-4 days. I was somewhat busy through that period and even if I wasn’t, I had very little to write about. Couple that with the ongoing French Open and there was very little or no time to write. As you might know, India’s Sania Mirza reached the Women’s Doubles Final. I won’t say she’s a good enough player because she isn’t but it is sure as hell I wanted her to win. Sadly she didn’t. There was also the small matter of the Men’s semifinals the latter of which was completely heart-throbbing and exciting. But nonetheless, lets talk about Arsenal, shouldn’t we?

Now as one might expect, the transfer rumors are circulating around the web as fast as Bolt himself. And you’d think you’re somewhat in a dream when the likes of Benzema,Falcao,Higuan,Hazard and co are all linked at the same time to your favorite club. And then comes everyones Dream XI for the next year. I confess even I like to do such things but are they really worth it.

Here’s the point I’m trying to make.

The core of this Arsenal team is well and truly there and all it needs is some tweaks here and there. That probably means around 2-3 or at max. 4 new players combined with the young-blooded youth players. There’s wouldn’t even be that many changes in the first team though. Just 1 or 2. So is it safe to say that with a Parker or a Samba or even a Benzema in our team, would we seriously improve. Remember it’ll be their first season with us and to make a straight impact at a club like Arsenal is, to put it politely, not an easy task.

It’s not that no one does that. Some actually do. But that number is very minute. Especially those players coming from outside the club, or in a worse case, outside the country. That’s why Wilshere and Szczesny are now first-team regulars. And Squillaci is not. I agree that Koscielny and, to a lesser extent Chamakh, have had a very solid first season in England but we all know how Chamakh faded in the 2nd half.

Like the last season, I expect our own youth players to outperform the players brought from outside. Its not that I’m saying the new signings would be worthless as they won’t be. A Parker will provide much-needed depth and steel to our midfield. Any goal-poacher will finish the ample chances our forwards love to create and miss. A versatile defender would add quality and quantity to our back-line. But the impact won’t be huge. It ain’t supposed to be. And even if it isn’t, these players are required. For me, to provide freshness to the squad. A spark which we’ve lacked recently. A leader to man up the team when it gets tough. But that doesn’t mean he has to be from outside. A look at Wilshere this season supports my argument.

So all in all, no matter how little minority of fans might accept this, new players would in most cases fail to make a very big impact. There might be an exception.That’s what I hope for. But it will have to be the current players to step it up to show the world what “The Arsenal” stands for.