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…

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.

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.

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. . .