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!

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*

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.

What To Do About Samir Nasri

He was our best player in the first half of the season. Possible the best in the league. But he faded in the second half and now he isn’t agreeing to sign a new contract. That’s Samir Nasri for you.He was signed only 3 years ago in a big money move and he failed to justify the amount until this season. That’s half a good season and he possible thinks he wants a move. I mean if he doesn’t, why wouldn’t he extend his contract or at least rubbish the Man United rumours. But no, he does the opposite. I guess he wants money and trophies. Obviously there’s nothing wrong in that until you remain loyal to your club(look at van Persie).

This is in complete contrast to Robin van Persie. He probably earns less than what Arsenal want to offer Nasri to extend his contract. And we all know who’s better. So the question that has to be asked is, can we live without him?

Of course we can. If we can without Henry, we can. But what if Fabregas also leaves. That might be a bit too much. That’ll leave us with Wilshere and Ramsey to fill their boots with no other cover. And even if we sign players, it is most difficult to gel together as a midfielder. You can put a keeper straight away into the team, but certainly not a midfielder. It requires understanding between themselves.And that requires time. As it stands, Arsenal don’t have a lot of it at present.

Nasri, You Can't Train with Shrek, Can You?

Nasri was the reason we did so well in the earlier part of the season. And maybe it’s because his form dipped in the second that we performed so badly. But then again, almost all Arsenal players’ form did.

And his recent comments have made the matters worse. He’s stated he’d like to know whether the Man United interest is real. That’s not very loyal of him. He’ll surely get more money but doesn’t he owe Arsene a bit. A lot to be honest. He was the one to have faith in him and when all went against him, Wenger kept faith in him. Can’t we have some loyal players like Barca? Or even they are loyal just because they win a lot of trophies.

Nasri is on his way to do a “Cashley” in the very near future. And that’ll do his karma a whole lot of bad. Arsenal have had so many players like him in the past. We had Adebayor, remember. Nasri is way better than Adebayor but even if he’s sold, I don’t think it’ll be that big a blow as Fabregas leaving. Nasri didn’t even have a significant impact up until this season, right?

So I’d be more concerned about the transfer of Fabregas and hope that he stays rather than Nasri. It’s better that they both do considering the fact the debt they owe to Arsenal FC. But we all know how footballers are nowadays. . .

Arsenal is much like an Indian Daily Soap Opera

The heading might be a bit misleading but it’s true to be honest. The varied emotions an Arsenal fan has to face though the course of a season are unparalleled. You can compare them to a title-winning team or a relegation threatened one but there’s nobody above Arsenal. Much in the same way, an Indian soap creates such numerous emotions that a viewer has a rollercoaster-ride(certainly not Literally) in the space of 30 minutes. A women’s husband dies in a car accident and he appears on the same show after some months having undergone a plastic surgery. Or they might even claim that it was look-alike who was present in the car.

At Arsenal, it is much the same. One day we beat Man United, the other, we lose to Stoke. All these emotions surely do make an Arsenal fan mentally strong, if not a player. Believe me. Most Gooners would know how to cope with pressure and what to do when the going gets tough. But sadly, our players seem to learn nothing. Even beating the best doesn’t help them. Interestingly, whenever we’ve beaten a strong team, we’ve always followed it up with a miserable performance(s).

We beat Chelsea 3-1 at home only to draw to a faltering Wigan. Barcelona were beaten at the Emirates which sadly was followed by a draw against a third-tier side and a Final defeat at the hands of Birmingham. The same has happened over the last week. Exactly the same happens in our soaps. It only takes 2-3 weeks for the story to take a complete U-turn. And all those melodramatic scenes shown in slo-mo with the most important ones shown thrice in quick succession and you’re in for a not-so-mild headache.

I’ve always hated these T.V. shows but the similarities were clearly visible.I sometimes wonder how these shows last for 5-7 or perhaps 10 years. But I guess the fans never get tired of watching them.Just like we Gooners never are. Perhaps their unpredictability is what separates them from the rest. Maybe that’s why we are the Best Club in the World.And maybe it’s India’s unpredictably that prevents my love for it from diminishing.

(NOTE:This article is meant to be a fun read and to cheer all fans who are low at the moment.)

Here’s a picture just to do the same:

Imagine how Wenger would look on similar editing