On Sunday it’s first vs. second at Stamford Bridge, which leaves us in third a chance to make some ground. As it stands we’ve played 10 and have 22 points, United and Chelsea have played 11 and are on 25 and 27 points respectively. If we are to take three points away from our trip to Molineux we’ll draw level with United and be just two behind Chelsea.

Obviously in some way or another one of the two are going to drop points on Sunday so winning tomorrow has become vital.

I don’t want to sound too cocky though – in no way are we going up there tomorrow expecting to win. It’s not going to be that easy. They haven’t been beaten in a month and are proving a tough little side.

We might be in good form but even Cesc Fabregas knows it will be a test

“We will have to be at our best as usual because today there are no small teams in the Premier League, everyone makes it difficult if you are not up for it, so we will have to be motivated to beat them.”

That was our problem last year – we’d beat all the big teams but then turn up at the lesser teams simply expecting to win and not put the effort in. I think (or at least hope) that this year things have changed. Wenger will emphasize the importance of these points and send us out all guns blazing.

As for the team news, not much has changed since the last game but Wenger has reminded us that Rosicky and Nasri are back. I’m not sure how Wenger feels about starting them yet but they will certainly be in the squad tomorrow. It’s a shame Bendtner’s out but we have fresh options with these two back.

Here’s how I’d like us/think we might line up tomorrow:

Almunia
Sagna – Gallas – Vermaelen – Gibbs
Song
Fabregas – Diaby
Rosicky – van Persie – Arshavin

I’d like to see Rosicky featured somewhere because he’s been fantastic when he’s played this season. However, I think you’re more likely to see Eboue in that right-forward spot.

As for Wolves they’ve got a couple out but last season’s top scorer, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake will start against us. I said they’re unbeaten in a month but they also haven’t won since their victory over Fulham in September. They’ve also conceded 18 goals in 11 matches and are about to face the top scorers in the league.

We will fancy ourselves tomorrow, which is natural when it’s 3rd vs. 17th but as I said we need to concentrate and apply ourselves like we would any other game.

I’m driving up to London tonight ahead of the journey to Birmingham tomorrow lunch time. I can’t wait for this one, should be a good trip. You might have to wait until Monday for the match report but whenever I do get round to it I’ll give you an account of my first trip to Molineux.

Thanks for reading.

Last night we beat AZ Alkmaar 4-1 (as I’m sure you’re quite aware…) and Wenger has labeled it ‘a brilliant performance’. The emphatic win wasn’t enough to put us through to the knockout stages though after Standard Liege beat Olympiacos 2-0 but we’re in a strong position going into our final two games. Highlights and goal videos are, as always, available on arsenalist.com.

Cesc Fabregas got another two goals to make it 8 in 14 appearances, Samir Nasri got one to mark his return from a broken leg and Diaby got the other. Arshavin had one of his better nights assisting 3 of those and all four were really well worked goals and taken brilliantly. A shame for Almunia not to keep the clean sheet after making a great save onto the bar but we were caught on the counter from a corner and Manuel got his balance wrong.

So another two for the captain and what form he’s in at the moment. Wenger has described him as the best he’s ever been and said the other day that he couldn’t have had scored that goal against Spurs aged 20. He’s been an absolute legend recently, not only has his football been sublime but he’s wearing that armband like it should be done. You can tell he really cares about this team and gives everything to the cause; He inspires the whole side and is easily our best player aged just 22.

He’s been named the best player in the league by fans this week too as he’s been awarded the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month. Well deserved, I don’t take much notice of how well players of other teams are doing but this boy’s been a star to us. Oh Cesc Fabregas, you are the love of my life, oh Cesc Fabregas, I’d let you shag my wife.

Anyway moving on and Arsene Wenger’s been talking this week. Firstly he’s thanked Ferguson for asking Man United fans to stop the ridiculous pedophile chanting. I don’t think it really gets to Arsene as much as the United fans would hope but it would be nice if they stopped. Man U. travel to Stamford Bridge this weekend and Le Boss says we must make the most of this chance to make ground. If we win at Wolves we’re guaranteed to catch up on one or the other and Wenger says he doesn’t care what the score is as long as we win our game. We’ll have a game in hand either way too so winning at Molineux will really put us in a good position. We need to get our heads down and concentrate on that one.

I’m going to Molineux on Saturday and I’m pretty excited. I’ll be my first away game of the season and I’m really looking forward to the trip. I’ll do a preview of the game tomorrow when we’ve got a better idea of team news but we know already Clichy and Bendtner will definitely be out. Gael’s picked up a stress fracture in his back which will see him out for a month or two at least. It’s the same problem he picked up last year allowing Kieron Gibbs to step up and he’s got his chance again now. Clichy played well against Spurs I thought so it’s a shame but hopefully he makes a speedy recovery.

Bendtner’s also out after coming off in the first half at the weekend. He’d just come back from a groin injury but was risked and ended up aggravating it. He’ll probably be out for another month but luckily we have cover in Nasri and Rosicky who’ve just come back.

Stan Kroenke has reached the magic 29.9% mark in shareholding and it has been officially announced on the website. He is now in a position where he can make a bid for the club but Wenger doesn’t think we’re going to get taken over. We still have no idea what Silent Stan’s intentions are but I’m expecting to find out very soon. We’ll just have to wait and see…

There’s a deal in place for Fran Merida according to Arsene, it is just yet to be officially signed. There’s been a bit of speculation recently about him moving away when his contract expires in the summer but I always knew Wenger would do everything to keep him. Sign on that dotted line Fran so we can all get giddy and excited about your future at Arsenal.

Finally before I go a shout out to Who Ate All The Pies for the mention, the cheque is in the post.

Right I better go now, this is turning into a bit of an essay. I thought I should make more of an effort though this evening after being a bit lazy on here recently… Speak to you tomorrow, thanks for reading.

I know it’s a bit late for a match report but I’m buzzing about this game. It was my first Arsenal game for about two months so I’m was looking forward to it despite it being the derby. When I got to the station on Saturday morning to head into Finsbury Park the butterflies started kicking in. You know when you don’t know whether you’re nervous or excited or both but you cannot wait for the game, well it was one of those ones.

I loved being back at Arsenal, and the atmosphere was extra special on Saturday. Walking to my gate I caught my first glimpse of the ‘Arsenalization’ and made it into the ground a very keen half hour early. The stadium slowly started building up though and as the teams came out the place erupted.

There was a fantastic noise coming from the crowd all game and it was nice to see. Shame we can’t just do that every game but at least I was there when there was that atmosphere.

As Spurs will protest, the first 40-odd minutes were fairly even. Well is wasn’t particularly but if you ask any Spurs fan it was. They had a great chance right at the end of that period when a ball was put through for Robbie Keane who couldn’t quite get his little legs onto. He knew that was a big chance and we were lucky he was born a pikey midget.

Minutes later we made it 1-0. RVP reacted quicker that King to a ball Sagna put in low and squeezed it between the post and Gomes’ butterfingers. The Spurs ‘keeper had made a fantastic save from Fabregas earlier in half but he really let his team down here.

When the first goal went in the place was mental. I feel sorry for the bloke next to me, I’m pretty sure I broke his foot when I landed on it after a giant leap. We we’re still celebrating the first when the second went in. Sloppy Spurs handed the ball to Fabregas in the centre circle who took on the entire team to go one-on-one within seconds of kick-off. The finish was cool and collected and the celebration was spine-tingling.

The Grove went fucking mental, two goals against Spurs in the space of a minute and that incredible run from Fabregas just got a bit much and I didn’t know how to express how happy I was. Just sort of jumping around, screaming and punching the air like a lunatic.

We didn’t stop singing until half time and when the whistle went for the break there was a huge cheer as if we’d won the game. We hadn’t though. There was still 45 minutes to go and we had only just found ourselves in this two-goal lead. We needed to keep our heads up and not get carried away; this game was nowhere near won yet.

The third goal game on the hour. Just before that Spurs had another chance with a free kick in a decent position but Almunia simply palmed it over the bar. If that had gone in then things might’ve changed… but it didn’t… and we went on to open a three-goal lead.

Eduardo was taken out on the right wing, everyone inside the ground stopped expecting a free kick to be given. The incident happened right in front of where I sit and I was just about to shout at the ref for not allowing the advantage when I noticed he was waving play on… oops. Sagna saw this too, got the ball and carried on down the right. He played it in for van Persie in the middle but Ledly King got ahead of him and Gomes was in a good position to collect it. However both of them fucked it up allowing the ball to squeeze between them both onto the foot of van Persie who made it 3-0 to The Arsenal. Comical defending from the ever-hilarious Tottenham Hotspur.

It was really game over from here. I was never 100% sure it was over after last year but we were way on top. Eduardo had a fantastic chance to make it 4-0 and really put it to bed when he went thorough on goal with acres of space. Gomes came out, he thought about the chip, steadied himself and went to place it in low along the ground. I watched the ball trickle past the left post in disbelief, you’d expect Eduardo of all people to finish a chance like that – he had too much time.

We should’ve made it 4-0 in injury time when Ramsey and Cesc broke on the Tottenham defence. It was hilarious watching Bassong pull his hamstring chasing Ramsey leaving just one defender to pass around; I don’t know what was going through his head but Aaron passed straight to that solitary defender and the attack was over. Oh well.

So 3-0 it finished, a solid win but 4 or 5 nil would’ve been much, much sweeter. We could complain about those two sitters but when you’re three goals up I guess it’s not that important. All that’s important is the win and watching the scum in the corner walk quietly up the stairs with their heads hung low.

Almunia returned but never really had a save to make. Apart from that free kick stop he made some good catches from crosses but that was it.

I was a bit disappointed with Abou Diaby who I found myself shouting at countless times. He was sloppy, a bit lazy and made poor decisions. I really just wanted to see him do something good but he really didn’t have a great game. Everyone else was great though, Clichy looked like his old self I thought, Sagna got two assits, Vermaelen + Gallas were solid, Fabregas bossed the midfield, Song was on top form and van Persie was on fire. Arshavin wasn’t amazing again, I’m not going to say he was bad because he did create some good stuff but he just wasn’t his best. Bendtner went off injured in the first half and afterwards Wenger said it could be bad, maybe about a month out.

Lets not concentrate on that for now. Let’s look at Harry Redknapp twitching in the corner looking at loss with his side. Let’s look at all the shit that was said before the game from their camp and how they didn’t even come near us on the day. Let’s look at Cesc Fabregas taking on that whole bunch of useless twats from the halfway line and scoring like we’d just won the world cup. Actually yeah, lets look at that.

Well enjoy the victory as long as you can, I know I am. Thanks for reading.

It’s difficult for me to hype up a game like this. We all know what to expect. There’s nothing particularly at stake, except of course a huge amount of pride. A loss for either side wouldn’t be the end of the world for their league campaign, yet it is still not an option. A win against Spurs is always a massive boost, if it’s not just the points it the laughing at their misery.

Last year they had one over us, we didn’t manage to beat them in either fixture – it was 0-0 at their place and of course the infamous 4-4 at ours. Payback is due. That four-all draw was a year ago yesterday but still fresh in the memory. Spurs fans will love this – but it hurt real bad, we cannot afford to repeat that again.

We’ve been making a habit of throwing away leads in recent games. Wenger’s been speaking about the problem and makes reference to fixture last year. As long as they remember how much it hurt and remember to be focused and switched on I do not expect it to happen again.

We have to be solid at the back for the full 90 minutes. The ‘keeper also needs to be on high alert at all times (I’m not having a cunt like Bentley crack one in from 40 yards again). We don’t know who’s going to be in goal tomorrow yet, Wenger does but he didn’t think to share that information with us. Fabianski is injured again so it’s a straight choice between the rookie Mannone and the experienced, but out of form Almunia. It’s a tough decision and I can’t really call it. I think Vito would have his name written all over it if he hadn’t made those mistakes in the last couple of games but it’s brought Almunia back in the frame.

If it were up for me, I’d go for Manuel. In a game like this you want mature and experienced players who can keep their head. It’s not like he’s a rubbish goalie all of a sudden, he just had a few poor games this season. We all know he can perform and if he’s given the nod tomorrow I’d expect him to give everything he’s got.

On the other hand, he hasn’t played in ages and this is a big game to bring him back in for. Wenger could go with Mannone who is comfortable with the current set up and has played the most games recently. Who knows what Arsene will do, we’ll have to wait and see.

There isn’t any fresh team news, just Wilshere, Walcott, Denilson and Rosicky continue to sit out. So here’s how I think we might line up:

Almunia
Sagna – Gallas – Vermaelen – Clichy
Song
Fabregas – Diaby
Eboue – van Persie – Arshavin

Nasri and Bendter are back now but I don’t expect them to start after the game in the week, so I think Wenger will chose Eboue on the right of that 3-man attack. I’m looking for a big game from Arshavin tomorrow, he’s been a bit quiet and a shadow of the player we’ve seen in the past. He likes the big occasions though and this is certainly one of those.

As for Spurs, Defoe and Modric are definitely out, also Woodgate and Lennon are doubts. Whatever team Redknapp fields they will be well up for it, of course they will. We’ll take no notice of who is or isn’t playing and do our best to try beat these lot.

They lost last week to Stoke and we had that disappointing draw with West Ham so both sides are looking to bounce back. We’re level on points too which adds an extra incentive, I hate seeing them above us in the table, thankfully it hardly ever happens.

I’m going up to London early tomorrow morning for the game and I can’t wait. It’s my first game in two months and I haven’t been this excited about going to Arsenal in a long time.

Just before I go I should announce the winners of the book competition I did earlier in the week thanks to Octopus Books. Cheers to everyone that entered, the answer to the question: According to ‘Gunners Lists’, in which year was our highest-scoring championship-winning season with 127 goals? was a] 1930-31. The winners are Derek Pritchard and Ronan McGrath, I’ve just emailed you to sort out getting those books out to you.

Sorry to everyone who entered and didn’t win, if you’re still interested in these great books get over to Octopus Books and get involved.

Right then that’ll do for tonight. Have a good Friday evening everyone but remember you need to get up early, get that Arsenal shirt on in the morning and watch the boys at 12:45pm. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

We’ve reached the Quarter-Finals of the Carling Cup with that 2-1 win over Liverpool last night and we’re set for another exciting year of Carling Cup action for the kids. The draw for the next round is on Saturday and in the hat with us is Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs, Aston Villa, Blackburn and Portsmouth; it’s gonna be tough but after last night the kids will be high on confidence.

Last night was a mix between youth and experience. Nasri, Bendtner and Eduardo all started returning from injury. Fabianski, Senderos and Silvestre despite hardly playing this season provided the experience at the back so it was only really Kerrea Gilbert, Fran Merida and Craig Eastmond who had never had a proper run in the first team. They did themselves proud though, Eastmond made a bit of a name for himself at defensive midfield in front of the home fans for the first time, Merida had a good game and scored a blinding goal whilst Gilbert (and indeed Gibbs on the opposite flank) had a solid game at right back.

I attempted to watch over the internet but struggled finding a stream. I only really got tuned in after about 20 minutes and that’s when we opened the scoring. It started from a throw on the right, Voronin nicked possession but didn’t do enough and Eastmond pounced poking the ball to Merida on the edge of the box who smashed it inside the near post. His first goal for the club and what a goal it was.

We were all over them after we went 1-0 up but luckily for Liverpool they got one against the run of play five minutes later and it was another beauty. A long ball forward was nodded down into the path of Insua who ran onto it, took a touch and blasted it dipping over Fabianksi under the bar. A fantastic strike; it was one of those that even though it was so close to the ‘keeper it was so well hit he could never react to it. I don’t blame Lukasz for it; maybe Bendtner could’ve done better tracking his man though.

We reacted well to conceding and had plenty of chances up the other end. The closest we came to scoring was probably right at the end of the half when a goalmouth scramble came from a corner. I don’t know how Liverpool managed to keep it out but in the end Bendtner’s shot went straight into the ‘keepers arms.

So all level at half time but I would say we were definitely on top. Liverpool started the second half quicker but it was us that was 2-1 up in the 50th minute. It was a fantastic move that started all the way back in the left back position. It was played cross-field to Bendtner on the right who played it and carried on moving central. We were lucky with a couple of miss-placed passes but our persistence paid off and in the end Bendtner picked the ball up around the penalty spot, drove round the defender and smashed it high above the ‘keeper. Another good goal and a bit of a confidence boost for Nicklas who didn’t have the best of games.

There was still a long way to go and Liverpool reminded us of that with a string of attacks. We made some great (and possibly lucky) interceptions at the back and Fabianksi saw one or two shots go just the other side of the post.

With quarter of an hour to go we brought on Sanchez Watt and Mark Randall for Bendtner and Eastmond. Soon after Liverpool brought on Aquilani, what the travelling Liverpool fans had come to see.

Aquilani’s presence raised Liverpool again and soon after the substitution they were unlucky not to make it 2-2. Babel messed up a great low cross from Kuyt and we could breathe a sigh of relief.

We still had most of the possession though and didn’t look that uncomfortable with it, although we were happy enough with just getting it down in the corners.

Late on Aquilani almost had his say when he caught the ball well with a bicycle kick. The ball struck someone in the crowd and Liverpool appealed for handball, I didn’t see it and neither did the referee but the replay showed that the ball hit Senderos in the arms; it would’ve been a bit harsh on Philippe if it was given but it could’ve well been.

In the end it finished 2-1, the visitors might complain about that late penalty shout but we were by far the better team and we’re through to the Quarter-Finals. It was a good performance from our second-string side and Wenger was very happy after the game.

Next up it’s the North London Derby. I’ll be previewing the game tomorrow and also announcing the winners of the book competition. If you haven’t entered already, do so by clicking the link above.

Right, speak to you tomorrow then.

Not a great deal going on today to be honest. It’s time for the kids to take to the stage again as we face Liverpool in the Carling Cup tomorrow night. There’s been a bit of team talk already, you can expect to see a similar sort of line up but with some of our returning first teamers such as Samir Nasri, Eduardo and Nicklas Bendtner getting involved.

Francis Coquelin is hoping he gets picked again but Jack Wilshere will miss out which is a bit of a shame for him. Carling Cup or not, playing Liverpool is always going to be a big game so the kids will be well up for it. I hope to do a quick preview tomorrow afternoon.

Stan Kroenke is now just 1% away from the 29.9% mark which would force him to make a takeover bid. He’s bought an additional 10 shares today pushing him even closer to a bid. Still, we’re not quite sure what his plans are; he had no comment to make at the AGM despite questioning so there’s nothing we can do but wait and see.

Whether he just plans to be in a strong position at 29% or whether he’s attempting to buy the club we just don’t know. Either way, everyone behind the scenes at Arsenal seem very happy with Kroenke’s involvment.

Right, time for a competition.

Octopus Books have given me two sets of these publications to give away to UK and Irish readers. Apologies to those overseas, if you want to buy them follow this link, they’re priced £20 and £10 each.

I’ve been sent a copy of each and they’re really quite good. The Illustrated history is pretty interesting, they have images right back until 1886 up to now picturing some of the most memorable moments in our proud history. The ‘Gunners Lists’ book is cool too, it’s got 250 random lists for all things to do with Arsenal, from the obscure to the fascinating.

Anyway if you want to be in with a chance email me with the answer to this question.

According to ‘Gunners Lists’, in which year was our highest-scoring championship-winning season with 127 goals?

 

a] 1930-31
b] 1952-53
c] 2001-02

If you think you know the answer… or want to take a guess, email me at competition[at]the-cannon.com – obviously swapping the [at] with an @ blah blah blah… I’ll give you until Friday morning to enter, and remember I can only accept entries from the UK and Ireland.

Speaking of competitions, there’s an awesome one on Arseblog at the moment where you can win club level tickets to the North London Derby this weekend, so if you haven’t entered that already get involved.

Right then that’ll do for tonight. Hopefully speak to you tomorrow, good luck with the competition.

Disappointing.

That’s pretty much just what yesterday was. We’ve been pretty good this season, but yesterday just brought me back down to earth and made me realise we really aren’t all that different from last year.

After dropping two points on Tuesday at AZ Alkmaar you’d think we’d have learned our lesson not to throw away leads. Well apparently not.

Just like I was on Tuesday night, I’m not angry that we’ve drew, it’s not the end of the world – I’m just disappointed.

We were cruising in the first half. After van Persie scored in the 16th minute it was all Arsenal. West Ham had their moments but we were by far the better team.

Gallas got the second in the 37th minute, he rose above the crowd to head home a corner. That was 2-0 and it pretty much looked game over; I hardly even celebrated the goal, well firstly because it took me aged to realize it went in, but secondly I thought there was more to come and we were now well in control.

At half time all the talk was about how many we could get and whether West Ham could hold up and save an embarrassing result. It seems like this was the talk in the dressing room too because we came out and never really got going in the second half.

It was just like last season; we just expected the goals to come without putting any effort in. Countless times our complacency has cost us points.

With 20 minutes to go it was still 2-0, I would never have thought that would still be the score after the first half… but it was though. I thought to myself, ‘Oh well, it’s still a fairly comfortable lead.’

2-1 isn’t though. In the 74th minute Cole got one back from the home side, a free kick was taken from outside the box and Vito Mannone made a fatal error blocking the ball back in front of the gaping goal mouth. Obviously it was going to be put away and it was Carlton Cole who reacted first. Why Mannone didn’t just put it round the post or at least away from goal is beyond me. It’s the type of basic goalkeeping error that could for example cost a rookie ‘keeper a place in the first team…

The home side and fans’ spirits were raised and somehow they were now in with a shot. They had nothing to lose and put the pressure on us. Before we had time to take possession of the ball, slow the pace down and control the game, we found ourselves level at 2-2.

West Ham had a penalty shout turned down just a few minutes after their goal, Parker went down in the box but it would’ve been very harsh to give them that after the minimal contact Gallas made. A couple of minutes after that there was another incident in the box, this time it was Song catching Cole who went down like a heap (as you would in the box, I’m not having a go). The referee decided two soft penalty decisions = a spot kick and Diamanti put it away.

We threw on Eduardo and Bendtner late on but it was to little to late. We waited until we’d lost a two-goal lead before actually trying to score.

Scott Parker was dismissed for a second yellow card after a deliberate hand ball but you couldn’t tell they were a man down.

Right at the end Robert Green made a fantastic close-range block with his leg from van Persie’s header. I would’ve been jumping on the ceiling if that’d gone in. But it didn’t, and it ended up 2-2.

If van Persie’s had scored then today we might’ve been talking about our ‘character’, ’spirit’ and ‘mental strength’ that Wenger always goes on about but instead we’re talking about how we’ve thrown away a chance to make ground on Man United and City.

Next up we have Liverpool and Tottenham. We cannot afford to be so complacent in those games. Build up to those ones to come in the week. Thanks for reading.

After being described as 50:50 a few days ago Tomas Rosicky is now definitely out of tomorrow’s game. It’s another knee problem and I’m praying that his bad luck with injuries isn’t coming back to haunt him so soon after returning. His track record makes it hard to believe it’s just a niggle and we’ll see him back next weekend but I’m hoping he can put that reputation to bed by returning against Spurs in a weeks time.

Eduardo Da Silva is back though which is good news. I’d like to see him starting in that front three. Nicklas Bendtner is a doubt though, Wenger said yesterday he’d make a decision on him today but I’m doubt he’ll throw him straight into the starting line up if he’s not 100%.

We’ve got all three goalkeepers fit meaning Arsene Wenger has to make a decision. Right now, I see Almunia, Fabianski and Mannone on a level playing field; any one of those three can get into the side at the moment, it must be very tense for them. When asked about who might play, Arsene said:

“I do not know. Come to the game on Sunday, and you will see.”

Here’s my guess at tomorrow’s line up:

Mannone
Sagna – Gallas – Vermaelen – Clichy
Song
Fabregas (c) – Diaby
Arshavin – van Persie – Eduardo

I just have a feeling he’ll stick with Mannone for the time being. I think Wenger was hinting that he can’t keep everyone happy all of the time. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if in our next three games we fielded three different ‘keepers.

As for the outfield, that’s a pretty decent side I think. Quick and skillful up front and a first choice back four with Alex Song in front should (in theory) keep us solid at the back. I can see counter attacks playing an important role in tomorrow’s game, for both sides. We need to concentrate to not be caught out but at the same time I’m expecting Fabregas to set us off on some deadly moves.

We kick off at 4:15pm and we’re live on Sky Sports 1. Enjoy the game.

First off, happy 60th birthday to Le Boss yesterday. A belated congratulations from me, however there was no time for celebrating the big ’six-zero’, Mr. Wenger was hard at work with the AGM to attend.

As it was his 60th, he was presented a book and Peter Hill-Wood led a chorus of ‘happy birthday to you’ with the couple of hundred shareholders present. Sadly Ivan Gazidis’ stroppy demand for the piece of cake with Arsene’s head on it left a sour note on the occasion, but things were soon in good spirits again when a chaotic version of musical chairs hit the AGM floor.

I guess the main headline from yesterday was Wenger’s insistence that this year will be our year. He knows how long it has been since we’ve added to our trophy cabinet but truly believes we will put an end to that drought come May:

“I know that we haven’t won a trophy for four years, but we have been very close and I believe that this year the team will do it. When I say that, it is not to please you, it is because I am really convinced of it.

This season we are ready to go for it in the Premier League, the Champions League and of course both the cups as well.

We are in October and we know it will be very tight – it will come down to how resilient, consistent, intelligent and united we are until the end. There will be periods when it will be difficult, but we have to show our strengths that has always made this club special.”

It’s early days yet but we’re on the right course so far, we’ve lost two games but they were against two of the top sides so that’s ok. We’ve got a game in hand over the rest of the top four, win that and we’re currently one point off the pace, so it’s looking alright so far. As for the Champions League, we’re in a strong position in our group – but the real test will be the knockout rounds.

Arsene was also asked about the current goalkeeper situation. He was asked whether we have enough quality in Almunia, Fabianski and Mannone to be considered a world-class side and he was adamant we do. All three of those ‘keepers are capable of making great saves and winning games but I don’t ever see any of them pushing to get a world player of the year nomination, if you know what I mean. Every great side has a great goalkeeper between their posts but I don’t think we can call any of ours ‘great’ yet.

At least Mannone and Fabianski have time on their side, they both have the potential to become great ‘keepers but at Almunia’s age I don’t think we can expect a whole lot more from him. He’s back from his ‘illness’ now but hasn’t got back in the team yet. Vito Mannone is over the moon he’s kept his place and the return of Fabianski will put even more pressure on Almunia to get back in the side. It’s not a great time for the Spaniard but if he puts the hard work in and shows Wenger in training what he’s missing I expect Manuel to earn his place as no.1 back.

Who knows who will be in goal on Sunday at Upton Park? Fabinski is unlikely to be involved after playing for the reserves on Tuesday night so it looks like a straight choice between Mannone and Almunia. As for the rest of the team news for the weekend, well we’ll find out more in this afternoon’s press conference but the early news is this: Eduardo’s back, Rosicky and Bendtner are 50:50, Walcott is out and Nasri and Fabianski are unlikely to be included. However wait until later today to get the full picture.

We’ve also got an update on Denilson and Djourou, the former is four weeks away but the Swiss defender will be out until March. It’s a terrible shame for him because this was supposed to be an important season for him. He was established as our third choice central defender in August and now he will miss most of the season through injury. Hopefully it won’t matter too much to the side as a whole and Vermaelen and Gallas can stay fit.

Oh and quickly as I’ve just mentioned them, Wenger thinks we will concede a lot less this season with those two at the back. Hasn’t particularly been the case so far but he reckons in the long run we will become much tighter in defence. So far it’s been a case of just out-scoring the opposition but hopefully we won’t have to do that for much longer.

Right then I best leave it there, it’s getting a bit long. West Ham preview tomorrow, until then.

I’ll get straight into the team news and Walcott, Rosicky, Bendtner and Eduardo are all missing which might give an opportunity to Merida, Wilshere or Carlos Vela in our attacking three. Robin van Persie and Arshavin are in the squad and with all those missing I’m expecting them two to start, Eboue has joined them in the front three before but I think I’d prefer someone else up there tonight. I don’t think Vela has featured yet this season so I wouldn’t mind taking a better look at him. Wilshere’s done well when he’s been called upon but it’s only really been 20 minute cameos here and there, not Champions League starts.

Knowing Arsene Wenger I’m expecting Eboue to start with the front three. He played right back at the weekend but could be called up to play right forward tonight.

The midfield and defence almost picks itself but the goalkeeper isn’t a certainty. Almunia is back now but Mannone was picked ahead of him at the weekend. Tonight will tell a lot about our goalie situation depending on who starts and who doesn’t. I think it’s going to be Manuel though, nothing against Mannone, who’s done brilliantly but I just think the Spaniard will get the nod tonight with his experience.

Here’s how I think we could line up then:

Almunia
Sagna – Gallas – Vermaelen – Clichy
Song
Fabregas – Diaby
Eboue – van Persie – Arshavin

As I was saying, we have quite a few attacking players out of this evening’s game, but I believe we can still score goals. We have shown this season that we can score goals from all over the pitch and anyone can get on the score sheet. Wenger agrees, he says this side probably has the greatest attacking potential of any side he’s had. We are certainly scoring goals this season and we don’t look like drying up any time soon.

As for tonight’s opponents… well I must admit I’m no expert on Dutch football. I do know they won’t be wearing a shirt sponsor tonight and I do know they lost 3-2 to Steve McClaren’s FC Twente on Saturday making it five matches lost in their last eight in all competitions, winning only two.

They’re bottom of the group with one point and will be without a few players too. To be honest, on paper, it doesn’t sound too good for Alkmaar. However they are at home and they will give it their best shot.

The pressure is more on us to pick up three points as everyone expects us to do. Unless we have a start like our last Champions League away trip then I believe we should win tonight. Three points would put us in a very comfortable position in the group and maybe allow us to rest some players later on in the group stages.

I think we’re on Sky Sports Extra tonight. I’ll be watching over the internet I think so if I find a decent stream I’ll let you know on my twitter. Enjoy the game.

No official match report for the weekend’s game mainly because I wasn’t able to catch much of it. I managed to get off work early and rushed home to watch the second half but all the internet streams I came across we’re a bit shit to be honest.

We played alright, it was nothing as special as we have seen this season, this time we had to grind out the result. Two early goals looked like we we’re cruising but Birmingham got one back putting the pressure on. In the end it took a bit of class, experience and composure from Arshavin making it 3-1 from a counter attack.

The game was marred by an incident in the 33rd minute. Theo Walcott was brought down by Liam Ridgewell in a quite unnecessarily tough challenge. He was down for some time, the last time the two sides met the same thing happened – it was the infamous Eduardo leg-break. The visiting fans took quite some pleasure in this and started chanting Martin Taylor’s name. It’s obvious why they we’re singing it, he wasn’t even on the pitch so it’s not as if they we’re just supporting him. Arsene Wenger wasn’t happy, neither was I but it just showed how classless they are.

The injury to Theo is going to keep him out for three to four weeks which is a shame. He’s only just come back and now he’s out again after a stupid tackle. 2009/10 was supposed to be a big season for Theo Walcott – the 2009 part of it hasn’t gone so well for him so far.

It’s not all bad news today though today. Samir Nasri and Lukasz Fabianski are making their returns from injury in tomorrow night’s reserve trip to Wolves. It will be good to have them both back, especially now that Walcott is injured. Next Wednesday we kick off in the Carling Cup and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nasri and Fabianksi play, if not start in that one.

Arsene Wenger’s been talking about Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso and Gareth Barry here if you fancy a read. He says about how he can’t leave this young side now, however tempting a move to Spain is.

There’s a bit more team news today as the squad fly out to Holland for tomorrow night’s game. Rosicky is out with a knee problem but Wenger says he will be only be out for a few days. Let’s hope that’s true and he’s back for West Ham on Sunday because he’s actually been really good this season. Gael Clichy is back in after missing out this weekend through injury but Bendtner, Denilson, Eduardo and Djourou are all still out. There’s still no place in the squad for Phillippe Senderos which is a bit upsetting. I genuinely thought he was going to get a second chance at Arsenal but obviously Wenger does not have him in his plans. It’s a shame, but Wenger Knows.

Well they’ll be more talk of tomorrow night’s game tomorrow, but for today that’s your lot. Thanks for reading.

Do you want the good news or the bad news? Well the good news is that Fabianski is back and Almunia is 50:50 to return, the bad news is that Clichy, Diaby and Eduardo could all potentially miss out. We’re still waiting to hear today’s update on Bendtner and Arshavin who arrived back late from international duty, but I expect them to be ok.

We’ve also got an update on Samir Nasri, he’s a couple of weeks away still and could target the Liverpool Carling Cup game as a possible return date.

Lets discuss tomorrow’s injury news though. It’s good to have some options in the goalkeeper position but I bet Vito Mannone is a bit gutted everyone is returning. Wenger said that Fabianski will definitely be in the squad and I’m expecting him to start. If there’s any doubt on Almunia he will be saved for Tuesday’s Champions League game.

Clichy and Diaby both picked up knocks away with the French national side, but Wenger describes Diaby’s injury as very minor indeed so we could see him playing tomorrow.

—UPDATE—

New team news has emerged this afternoon, Fabianski isn’t back but Almunia is. Nicklas Bendtner, Gael Clichy, Carlos Vela and Eduardo are all out, so here’s how I see the team:

Almunia
Sagna – Gallas – Vermaelen – Gibbs
Song
Diaby – Fabregas (c)
Rosicky – van Persie – Arshavin

I don’t want to sound cocky, or jinx anything but Birmingham really shouldn’t cause us problems tomorrow. Anything else but a comfortable win would be a bit worrying. Like I say, I don’t want to turn my nose up at Birmingham but being a top four team you are expected to take three points off the promoted teams. There are always upsets but we need to show our professionalism and take control.

The visitors will be missing quite a few players too – Queudrue, Keith Fahey, Parnaby, Martin Taylor, Christian Benitez and more will all miss out but they could be boosted by the return of Tainio and Cameron Jerome.

McLeish will have a field a mix and match side but they will still put out an eleven to compete us. I’m not sure how they’re going to play this, they could park the bus, they could try battle us off the ball or they could take a shot at playing us properly. I think we’ll be prepared for any scenario and I believe we have to players to deal with any of those situations.

I did plan on going to the game tomorrow but I’m bloody working. So not only will I not be going I won’t even be able to watch it. Not happy. Enjoy it to all of those who are going, there’ll be some new murals up on the outside of the stadium for you to enjoy.

Right then I have to go. Thanks for reading.

Last night I had a dream about Arsenal. We we’re playing Chelsea and there were fans everywhere, I wasn’t at the game though. There we’re just loads and loads of Arsenal and Chelsea fans down in Poole, where I work. I realized the time and the game had started half an hour ago and I was running around everywhere dodging all these people trying to get to the pub. I got there and it was 1-0 to Chelsea at half time, but Alex Song scored two in the second half and we won…yay.

Don’t know why I’m telling you this but there you go.

Alex Song can be the new Peter Storey according to Frank McLintock. He’s had a good start to the season. He’s done his job well and been very efficient. Alex hasn’t made any headlines but then neither did Gilberto Silva, that’s just their style of play. He’s stamped his place in the first team in this early part of the season and he doesn’t really have anyone competing for it. It would be nice to have a bit of back up but he’s doing well there so lets hope he can continue.

There’s been some more ‘Arsenalization’ of the ground. It’s another player mural, this one featuring Dennis Bergkamp, Bob Wilson, Eddie Hapgood and Charlie George. I must admit I didn’t have a clue who Hapgood was… plastic fan I know, I know. He was a legendary left back who captained Arsenal and England in the 30’s. I feel a bit bad not knowing who he was but I do now so it’s all good…

Arsene Wenger’s been saying that he will not name the new Arsenal manager. I wouldn’t expect him too anyways. I think considering everything he’s done for the club we’d probably take his opinion on board but that would be it.

“If they consult me I will give an opinion but I certainly will not name the next manager because that’s not my job and I wouldn’t like to do anything other than my job.

When I leave this Club one day I would like to leave it in fantastic shape and give the [new] manager an opportunity to do better. [I want to] leave a team behind that has potential, not a team where nobody is there anymore.”

I don’t know how long Wenger’s going to stick around for to be honest. I think he would like to at least spend another two or three years bringing this current side through. There’s no indication yet of when he might call it a day, he’s just passed the 13 year mark but I don’t see him still being here on the 20th anniversary. I don’t know, we’ll see.

There’s really nothing else to talk about, it’s soooo boring around here. We have a game at the weekend but that just seems so long away. There’s another round of internationals this midweek so we won’t be able to start talking Premier League until about Thursday or Friday. It sucks.

I better go then. Thanks for reading.

The top story today is that the story of Walcott’s injury isn’t really a story because he isn’t actually injured, therefore there aren’t really any stories…

Stuart Pearce has confirmed he got a dead leg when he bumped into Andy Carroll but he will be fine.:

“He got a dead leg when he bumped into Andy Carroll but he will be fine. I can’t see it lasting too long, I would have thought after the weekend he would OK.

But obviously with his injury record early in the season, the physios thought it was prudent to bring him off the pitch. We’ve looked after him more than probably the injury entails.”

Kieran Gibbs got on both sides of the score sheet in England U21’s 6-3 win over Macedonia. I have not seen any clips of the game so I’m just going to guess it was a 40-yard screamer.

Cesc Fabregas has been talking about how his new role in the Arsenal team is getting the best out of him. Last season Wenger kept experimenting with Cesc further up the field and it wasn’t working but in this 4-1-2-3 he really has found the best place to fit the captain in and we’re really benefiting from it. He’s got a few goals already this season and loads of assists.

Going forward we really are quite threatening this season – You’ve got Fabregas and the creator through the middle with Arshavin, van Persie and Bendtner/Rosicky ahead of him. However even though I’m really happy with our current back four and Alex Song has been doing well as the holding player, we’re still letting in goals. Blackburn last weekend was the prime example of what can happen with our formation but I’m sure Wenger will be working on tightening it up.

Gavin Hoyte has joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a month’s loan. Cool.

I don’t know who, but obviously someone has questioned the sale of Patrick Vieira in 2005 saying it is the reason why we have not won anything since. Arsene Wenger has denied it and said we have been close to claiming the biggest prize in club football in that time. I don’t think losing Vieira has been the sole reason for our empty trophy cabinet, however you could say not replacing his with a strong character such as his could be. Cesc Fabregas has slowly been evolving into our leader and I don’t think we are far away now from emulating that kind of captain that Vieira was for us.

That’s your lot then for today. England are playing later today, not sure if I’m gonna watch. If I can I will but it’s not exactly high on my priorities today…

See ya.

Where the bloody hell are all these international breaks coming from? Alright, I know it’s World Cup year but fucking hell is it really necessary to interrupt the league season every other week? It’s incredibly boring and although some might see it as a kind of little break from Arsenal and a chance to watch some international football it’s very frustrating for Arsenal bloggers worldwide. Not for a second there saying that you’d want a break from Arsenal but I think you know what I mean? Na I don’t really know what I mean either, I’m talking crap.

For me, it gives me two weeks to regurgitate the bits of news that fell out the copier earlier in the week and tell you all the wonderful things about Gordon Brown visiting The Grove, or maybe about how Theo Walcott got Thierry Henry’s autograph or even possibly how Mikael Silvestre thinks we have not seen the best of him…

One rather worrying story did catch my eye though and that’s that Vito Mannone almost went out on loan this season which would’ve left us in a bit of a situation if he had:

“In the summer, yes, we had a talk about a loan move. The boss was quite happy for me to go somewhere and play, because as you can see now, I was ready to play games.

Now things have changed, it’s a different situation, but in the summer I was looking forward to a loan move, to get some experience. But if you play five games in the Arsenal first team, that’s equivalent to the experience of about three months in the Championship. A couple of teams were lined up.

However he goes on to say that when Fabianski got injured he was told he had to stay. So the boss knew that if anything happened to Manuel Almunia then it would be young Vito who’d have to step up. And step up he has – I bet he’s over the moon he ended up staying at Arsenal this summer.

He goes on to talk about how he shared his heroics at Craven Cottage with his family and how his nickname around the training ground has become Gigi Buffon. It’s all good for his confidence but there’s a chance he might’ve played his last game for the first team (Carling Cup excluded) as Almunia is expected to return after this international break.

Theo Walcott wasn’t selected in the England squad for this weekend but he won’t be staying with us, he’s been called up to the U21s for a bit of match action. I think it’s a good thing. Well, as long as he doesn’t get injured, touch wood. He’ll be joined by Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs in the squad, you can see all the lads that have gone on international duty this week here.

That’s really about it as far as news goes. So I’m going to use this opportunity to let you know about a charity event going on. You’ve probably heard about The Gooner Review, it’s a new DVD coming out which is basically a season review but it’s totally independent from the club. It’s made by Gooners, for Gooners, hosted by Paul Kaye with a whole load of big names and big opinions sharing all the stories from last year. I’ve been sent a preview copy of the DVD and I must say it’s really quite good, makes a nice change from the official season reviews and covers all the areas that the fans are actually talking about.

I’ve been asked to tell you about The Gooner Review 08-09 Premiere Screening in East Finchley where 100% of ticket sales from this screening are going to Bob Wilson’s charity The Willow Foundation and the Phoenix Cinema Centenary Restoration Project. Here are all the details if you think you might be interested:

—

The Phoenix Cinema, East Finchley
Tuesday 13th October 2009: 9-11pm
Tickets £10 / £7 concessions (Limited tickets available)

Tickets can be purchased from here

The screening will be attended by the fans, former players and celebrities who featured in the film, as well as a limited number of tickets for the general public…What’s better than a cinema full of Gooners!

Copies and signed copies of the film by Bob Wilson, and signed copies of Peter Marinello’s book Fallen Idle, will be available to purchase throughout the night.

—

Should be worth going to. Unfortunately I can’t make it being down in Bournemouth but I thought I’d fill you in. For more information about the DVD and the premiere screen visit the website at: www.thegoonerreview.com

Right then that’s your lot for today. Tune in soon for a load more non-news…

Well yesterday we were given a display of pretty much what we can do when we turn it on. Cesc Fabregas was sublime, showed exactly why Barcelona would want him and then stuck two fingers up at them by confirming his love for The Arsenal.

We weren’t perfect; we were caught out in defence a few times and paid the price conceding two goals. It could’ve been more though, Blackburn hit the woodwork and we’re unlucky not to be awarded a penalty at 3-2 down. However I’m adamant that however many Blackburn scored yesterday we would’ve scored more. Our attacking was a treat to watch, every move was beautiful and deserving of a goal. Without any exaggeration the score could’ve been about 9-4 yesterday.

Blackburn opened the scoring in the 3rd minute when Paul Robison punted the ball long and Nzonzi got a looping header over Mannone. I don’t blame Don Vito, Robinson’s free kick came from the complete other end of the pitch, therefore he was positioned a bit off his line. The defence didn’t anticipate the ball coming that long and we were caught out. Mannone was caught in too minds whether to come out or not, in retrospect he should’ve tried to claim it but he learnt from it and later on in the game a similar ball was played forward and he came forward to take it down well.

So we were 1-0 down after just a few minutes, not good but I wasn’t too worried. I was a bit pissed off but I knew we had time to score.

Our equalizer came in the 17th minute and it was that man Thomas Vermaelen again. He started the move bringing it forward but was fouled and lost the ball, luckily we managed to keep possession and took the advantage. Vermaelen picked himself up and carried on his run, Fabregas squared him up on the edge of the box and he let fly with a left foot shot that snuck inside the post. Another finish any player would be proud of – keep them coming Tom.

The visitors re-took the lead after half an hour, which was incredibly frustrating. It all came from one of our attacks, we lost the ball and it was taken to their corner flag. We had players surrounding, putting pressure on but it left us in trouble when the ball was punted up field. Our whole midfield and wing backs were taken out of the game in one ball and it was pretty much three on two. Gallas did his best to block Dunne but when he got the shot away it deflected off the underside of Billy’s leg and went in. I wasn’t so bothered about conceding the first, but after pegging it back I was furious we were behind again.

However before I had time to think about it properly van Persie had made it 2-2. Fabregas’ great through ball was thread perfectly into the path of RVP who smashed it low in the far corner. Good goal.

This time I was hoping we could hold off another Blackburn goal but 5 minutes later we took the lead for the first time in the game. It was very similar to the last goal – Fabregas put a through ball in the left hand side of the area, this time it was Arshavin who got onto it and he put it low into the opposite corner again.

So at half time we had just about got ourselves in the lead. Five goals already but you could just sense there was more to come out of this game.

Early in the first half the visitors were unlucky not to get another. First they had a penalty claim denied when Vermaelen stuck out a leg in the area and I’ll admit it should’ve been awarded. I can see why the ref didn’t give it though, when I saw it happen live it looked like a great interception but from all the different replays at different angles you can see it was a clear foul. If we had video evidence then could’ve been facing a red card for Vermaelen.

Then after that Martin Olsson took a chance on a dropping ball and smashed a volley from 35 yards. He caught it perfectly and was swerving inside the post but Mannone was equal to it. What a goal it would’ve been though – credit to Vito for making a fine save.

In the 57th minute we got that all important two-goal lead and it was Captain Fantastic, Cesc Fabregas with the goal. First he tried to put someone through into the box but it deflected off a heel and came back to him, then he tried to pick out Rosicky but he lost his space and flicked it back over his head to Fabregas. Cesc had enough of trying to sort other people out, lined up a shot and tucked it inside the left post with a looping shot from range. I can’t believe he was allowed the space he was in that position, it was too easy for him.

In the coming minutes it was clear this game was won. First Rosicky was brought off after 70 minutes for Theo Walcott; It was another very strong performance from Tomas but he made way for Theo’s first appearance of the season.

He’d been on the pitch just a few minutes before getting Arsenal’s 5th.

We broke from defence with Fabregas poking it out to Arshavin on the left for him to take it up field. Cesc carried on his run and Andrey squared it to him on the edge of the box but instead of taking the glory he showed great awareness and simply spread it to Walcott unmarked to his right who finished powerfully but accurately low into the far corner. Another fantastic goal.

Soon after we made a double substitution, Fabregas and Arshavin coming off for Ramsey and Bendtner. And again it was the substitute with the goal, Super Nick made it 6-2 just before the 90 minute mark picking up the ball on the left, cutting inside before unleashing a belter going in off the inside of the far post. A great shot, more of an individual effort this time but it was another great goal from a great Arsenal performance.

So 6-2 it ended but as I said it could’ve been many, many more. I could go on about all the other chances we had but we’d be here forever. Fabregas could’ve had a hatrick, he headed against the bar early on and was lethal throughout the game. Robinson, despite conceding six was actually quite good and made some very good saves.

I’m sure you haven’t but if you haven’t seen any of these game you need to check it out. If you only get to see the goals, that’s good but even last night’s MOTD slot wasn’t long enough to fit in all of our highlights. A breathtaking performance.

We’re high in confidence now, but we’ll have to try hold onto that as it’s another International break now. A shame we can’t just play right away but oh well. It’s Birmingham at home next and fingers crossed we could go into that one with a fully fit squad. Shock horror! Well, we’ll have to see how kind the Internationals are to us.

Thanks for reading, speak to you soon.

Tomorrow Theo Walcott will be involved for the first time this season and it leaves us with a wealth of talent to pick our front three. With Rosicky also back in action, Wenger now has a decision to make. I don’t see Theo starting tomorrow afternoon to be honest, he wouldn’t throw him in like that but I’m expecting to see him at some point.

Ahead of the weekend Arsene has been bigging up some of our attacking players, talking about Walcott’s England chances, saying Arshavin can become a great and what Nicklas Bendtner has to offer. Le Boss is clearly happy with his current crop of attackers and is looking to them to turn it on this season.

Eduardo’s out of tomorrow’s game but we’ve still got van Persie, Bendtner, Rosicky, Arshavin, Walcott and I guess Eboue too… And then we’ve got Nasri (and Eduardo) who will be back in the side soon plus Vela, Merida, Wilshere etc coming through. When you look at it like that you can see why Wenger is reluctant to spend. It’d be nice to have the same wealth of options in central midfield or a decent amount of backup for the defense but oh well.

Vito Mannone will start in goal again. Apparently Almunia is close to a return but Wenger’s put no date on it. This ‘chest infection’ is very suspicious and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a tactical dropping by Wenger to get the best out of our no.1. When Wenger dropped Lehmann a few seasons ago he came back a new man, it’d be nice to see Manuel come back with the same point to prove after the shaky start he’s had this season.

Ok so with all that team news here’s how I think we could shape up tomorrow:

Mannone
Sagna – Gallas – Vermaelen – Clichy
Song
Fabregas (c) – Rosicky
Bendtner – van Persie – Arshavin

If I had to put money on it I’d say Diaby is more likely to start alongside Cesc but I just think it’d be nice to see Tomas in there. He’s been great in his return – he really does make the difference, however Wenger might see him and Fabregas together as too like-for-like.

Either way we’ve got a decent side out tomorrow and we really should be winning this game. Blackburn are a good side and they know how to cause us problems but our home record against them should never come under threat. I’d still say our weak link is Mannone, I think he is a good young ‘keeper but I still don’t trust him week-in week-out. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure he’ll do us proud again and make some great stops but I just feel a bit nervous with him guarding our net.

I’m sure Sam Allardyce will instruct his side to have a pop at our third choice ‘keeper but Mannone will be expecting it. I don’t see them coming at us much, it’s typical of an Allardyce side – I think they will sit back, frustrate us and take any chances they get up our end.

The best remedy against a side like that is an early goal or two, it completely destroys their game plan, forcing them to come at us and then we can play how we love to.

I’m looking forward to the game but I’m a little bit gutted I can’t be there. I haven’t been to Arsenal in ages now. My last game was Celtic in August and if I wasn’t working then I’d love to be there tomorrow. Oh well, maybe I’ll try and make Birmingham in a couple of weeks.

Those of you who are going, enjoy it.

Thanks for reading.

As I am sure you are aware by now, today Arsene Wenger became the club’s longest serving manager. He’s beaten George Allison’s record of 4,748 days in charge which has stood since 1947.

I guess it’s not really big news, we have all shown before just how much Wenger has meant to us and we all know what a massive influence he’s been on Arsenal. I think it’s pretty fair to say that without that one man we might not be anywhere near where we are now.

The new stadium, this current side, the financial structure, impressive training ground and a whole lot more have all been his vision and he’s crafted it almost single handed. 13 years he’s been here now, I’m sure a lot of fans can’t imagine Arsenal not under Arsene Wenger. I vaguely remember the end of George Graham’s reign, I remember Bruce Rioch being in charge and I remember us being manager-less for that short period but when this French guy took over I didn’t think 13 years later I’d be here worshiping the ground he walks on with memories of titles, FA Cups, European finals and unbeaten records.

When he started I knew nothing about him. I just thought it was cool that his name sounds like Arsenal. 13 years later I guess not a lot has changed, I still think it’s pretty cool.

His first game in charge of Arsenal was against Blackburn on 12th October 1996 and fittingly we face them again this weekend marking Wenger’s achievement as longest serving manager. The injury news ahead of Sunday’s game is mixed – Theo Walcott is involved for the first time this season and Bendtner is back after crashing his car, but Eduardo is out with a recurring thigh injury and Manuel Almunia is a big doubt.

We’re getting used to seeing Don Vito Mannone between the sticks at the moment so I’m not too worried about Manuel, but it’s a shame Eddy’s injured again. We have plenty of options going forward though now – we have van Persie, Bendtner, Walcott, Rosicky and Arshavin to chose from for that front three.

We’ve got an update on Samir Nasri and Fabianski, they should be back in training just before the international break and then back in the squad when everyone returns from playing with their countries. So once again just as we head into an international break we’re just getting back to a fully fit squad… and no doubt we’ll pick up more injuries bringing us back to square one again. It’s just becoming expected now. It is funny though how the international breaks and the fitness of the full squad coincide all the time.

Right then I best be off, turn’s out today is my only day off this week so I should really be going and getting drunk by now. Thanks for reading.

You can’t be anything but pleased with last night’s win. 2-0, 3 points and we’ve already established a lead at the top of our group. It was a good performance too and it could’ve easily been more than two.

It was still goal-less at half time but Olympiacos were very lucky to still be in it. In the end it took a bit of hard work and persistence, and we eventually scored in the 78th minute with a second coming 8 minutes later.

I spoke about the possibility of Tomas Rosicky starting yesterday, I didn’t think Wenger was going to do it, but he did and he was very good again. Tom was replaced by Eduardo after 65mins as we pushed for a goal but he looked in good shape even after an hour of football, I think it was just a precaution. In my mind he’s pretty much back in frame now.

Olympiacos’ captain and goalkeeper, Nikopolidis had a very busy night and did a great job keeping his side in it. He made a string of saves in the first half however he was beaten by Fabregas in the 17th but was saved by his crossbar. The ball came to Cesc on the edge of the box, took a slight touch to flick the ball up then volleyed it over Nikopolidis’ head. It would’ve been one of the goals of the season if it had dipped a few inches lower but it wasn’t to be for Cesc.

Before half time came Arshavin, van Persie, Cesc again and Vermaelen had all seen shots saved by the visiting captain. We were all over them but we just couldn’t get past him.

We came close to conceding early in the second half but Mannone did well again. It would’ve been such a shame to go 1-0 down after all that work in the first half. It was a bit of a reality check and we got back up the other end in search of a goal.

An hour gone and still stuck at 0-0, it was just starting to get frustrating and it was then that Eduardo was brought on and we played most of the game with a risky 4-2-4.

In the 73rd minute I found myself shouting at the TV when van Persie almost squeezed in the opener then the following up Gallas couldn’t get it in even when the ‘keeper was on the floor and he was one-on-one. In the end Billy was flagged offside but that’s besides the point.

My frustration was vented just 5 minutes later though when we finally made it 1-0. Eduardo had the ball down the left, waited for the right moment and slid a ball in along the six-yard box for van Persie to come rushing in and give us the lead. Nicely worked goal, not the most beautiful you’ll ever see but that’s something we’re learning how do to.

With a few minutes to go Arshavin made it 2-0. He started the move outside the box and made his run into the area. His initial pass-and-move didn’t go to plan with Ramsey choosing to play it to Cesc on the right but the captain spotted Andrey in the middle who finished with a cheeky little back-heel flick.

So 2-0 it ended – job done. It was frustrating for a while but we got there in the end. We might’ve been able to relax a little easier had one of the earlier chances gone in. We’ve now got a few days to prepare for Blackburn on Sunday which should see the return of Theo Walcott; he played an hour for the reserves against Olympiacos reserves yesterday at the training ground and in last night’s post-match thoughts Wenger confirmed he is now available for selection for club and country.

Right then, I’ll speak to you tomorrow I guess. See ya.

I know I’m not great with getting up to date on here sometimes but two weeks without warning with no update is pretty poor, so I’m sorry. My internet was cut off without warning and I am back online as of this morning. It’s been quite surreal having no internet for this long, all I’ve had is Sky Sports News and word of mouth for Arsenal news. I’ve just got used to not knowing anything that’s going on.

For example I’ve just found out that Nicklas Bendtner wrote off his Aston Martin and he will miss tonight’s game as a result. Denilson is also out, he will miss two months with a back injury which is bad news for him. After the important part he played in last season, this year was set to be the one were Denilson really pushed forward. It’s a shame but lets just hope he can make it back for Christmas.

Theo Walcott is also out of tonight’s squad lacking match fitness but he (and Bendtner) should return for Sunday’s game against Blackburn. We could’ve done with Theo tonight but I’d rather we eased him in than rushed him back.

Vito Mannone will start again and lets hope it’s more of the same from the weekend’s performance at Craven Cottage. Obviously I haven’t been able to write about that game but I was watching and he was fantastic. He made some great instinct saves and without him we might not have taken all three points. By no means is he now ready to be our no.1 or anything like that but it’s promising for him and good for confidence. Another performance like that tonight and again on Sunday and Almunia will have some work to do when he returns.

Eduardo’s in the squad and he’ll be looking to put in another important performance for us. He’s got the goals when it’s counted this season and that’s what really matters.

Here’s how I think we might line up:

Mannone
Sagna – Gallas – Vermaelen – Clichy
Song
Fabregas – Diaby
Eduardo – van Persie – Arshavin

Tomas Rosicky could be ready to start; he’s done really well when he’s come on in the last few games but I’m not sure if he’s ready to be in the starting XI yet. It would be nice to see him but every time he plays at the moment I’m watching with everything crossed and my hands shielding my eyes. He doesn’t seem afraid to get stuck in though and (touch wood) he actually looks like he could be officially back.

Olympiacos beat AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the first round of fixtures so join us at the top of the table on three points. I think it’s fair to say that we are probably the two favourites to progress so tonight is set to be one of the toughest tests of the group stages. A win would be great, we’d open a gap from the rest of the pack and give ourselves a great chance of an early qualification.

At Liege we found ourselves 2-0 down inside five minutes, one of the most incredible starts I’ve seen us have to a game and we were lucky to complete the comeback. Tonight Wenger should have his team concentrated from the very first second to avoid it happening again. I’m sure it wont, we’ve learned our lesson now.

It would be nice if we could get an early goal or two ourselves, force Olympiacos to come at us and we can dictate the play.

Enjoy it to everyone that’s going, I wish I could join you but I have work to go to.

Thanks for reading, speak to you tomorrow.