Arsenal 0-0 Manchester City – 24/04/10 – (Premier League) 25 April, 2010

Some 0-0 draws are exciting, full of action and totally don’t reflect the score line. This game however was the most undeserving of any goals for either side I have ever seen. You’d think Arsenal vs. Man City would guarantee goals with their attacking threats and shaky defences but that wasn’t the case yesterday. It was a midfield battle and a more physical game than we’re used to giving and Wenger admitted it’s not the sort of game he’s used to seeing.

It was quite dull but I kind of enjoyed it to be honest. It could turn out to be my last match this season and it’s nice just not seeing us lose! It was the Arseblog 5-a-sides before the game, I didn’t get to play for The Reds much because of my injury but it was still good. We got knocked out in the semi finals to eventual undeserved winners, The Greens. Then it was a few beers at the pub (where I bought this badge) and then off to the match.

I wasn’t so confident before the game but we showed a lot more commitment, which was great to see. Unlike Wigan a week ago it looked like we actually gave a shit about the game and fought for a result right until the end. It was also nice seeing Toure and Vieira back at Arsenal but also a reminder why they no longer play for us; Kolo was ok but Vieira lost his midfield battles with Song and Diaby. I like to think we came close to buying him this season but I can see now that he would’ve only been back up and I don’t think he ever loved Arsenal in the same way that say Thierry Henry does. I don’t think he really cared if he came back to Arsenal or not, he’s just happy with his pay packet up in Manchester so fair play to him.

The first half was quite frankly dull. Not a lot happened at all and Match of the Day last night I think just showed two highlights being two off target attempts. Whether Mancini tried to make a tactical change or he was just bored and wanted a bit of excitement I’m not sure but he introduced Adebayor for Vieira just a few minutes into the second half. As you can imagine he came on to a chorus of boos and a range of different songs were directed at him. It brought the game into life and both teams really started going for it. I think it was Rosicky who had a shot saved and then another after that from Diaby, which dislocated Shay Given’s shoulder. He was down for some time, which was a perfect opportunity to reel off some more Adebayor songs as he stood at the near post with his new 6-year-old girl’s haircut.

City brought on Gunnar Nielsen who is the Faroe Island’s no.2 ‘keeper, I was hoping that it might inspire us to test him and have a few shots but it didn’t really happen. Robin van Persie came really close with a curling free kick but that was about it.

It ended up 0-0 and that was all the game deserved really. City couldn’t afford to lose and spent most of the game playing for the 0-0 and time wasting. We just couldn’t find that killer ball or individual piece of skill to score and we’ll take the point.

The highlight for me was probably van Persie coming through the back of Adebayor to stop a break/get one back on him. Well worth the yellow card and a shame it wasn’t shown on Match of The Day. Fabianski and Silvestre actually had alright games; they didn’t have a lot to do but made no mistakes so you can’t have any complaints. Sol was excellent again and had no problems dealing with Tevez, Bellamy and Adebayor.

That result moves us closer to securing third. A win would’ve done it but we don’t need much now to guarantee that third automatic qualification spot into the Champions League. A win next Monday at Blackburn would be nice and set up a relaxing final day match against Fulham.

Build up, news and what have you to come in the week. Thanks for reading.

Arsenal vs. Man City Preview 24 April, 2010

Let’s face it last weekend was a massive disappointment. The only thing we can do now is to react well get a get a result today. After a couple of losses you’d prefer an easier game to get you back on track but we don’t have that choice and we’ve got Man City coming to the Grove today. They might’ve won earlier in the season at their place but they are beatable and I believe we can do it if we show a change in character.

We’ve got a few players coming back too. Song and Eduardo are in the squad again and van Persie is being tipped to start. Gunnerblog has been talking bout how Alex might be especially fired up for this game, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was an extra incentive for him to get fit. There’s no Vermaelen and Gallas obviously so Song could be drafted in alongside Campbell with maybe Eastmond continuing in midfield.

Arshavin was hoping to be back but he wont make it and is aiming to return against Blackburn. I reckon he would’ve been handy today, oh well. Almunia is still out too, injured or not, which means Fabianski will continue in goal. Let’s just hope he has a good day today, he’s capable of making some great saves so lets hope we see that side of him today rather than the goal-gifting, bad-decision-making Flapianski. Wenger still thinks he’s going to be a good ‘keeper which is fair enough but he’s not a good ‘keeper at the moment and is a liability to us. Arsene was also asked about our no.1 next season and he says Szczesny has a chance. He’s done well on loan but I’d be worried he’s not quite ready for the top flight yet. We’ll see.

Anyway back on to today and this is how I would line us up if it were up to me:

Fabianski
Sagna – Campbell – Song – Clichy
Eastmond – Diaby
Nasri
Rosicky – van Persie – Bendtner

The team could be anything really, I just hope Song and van Persie are fit to start. We’re going to need our best players to beat them and we’ve got enough out as it is.

The visitors are becoming a bit of an ex-Arsenal XI. Sylvinho will probably be on the bench with Wayne Bridge now fit but Toure, Vieira and Adebayor are all set to start. Kolo and Paddy are Arsenal legends and not much can change that, they’ll get a fantastic reception tomorrow and I’m sure they’ll enjoy being back at Arsenal. On the other hand, Adebayor might not have the best of days.

He will be fired up that’s for sure but I don’t think he’ll be quite as big a cunt as last time. There’s been loads of talk this week about him having to calm down in this game and maybe he might be a little less cocky when he’s surrounded by 60,000 haters. Well it depends how stupid he is, we’ll see if he’s learnt his lesson or not later today.

Either way he’s bound to get a lot of abuse. Wenger has called for respect but there wont be any of that for that idiot. By his own doing he’s risen to levels of cuntitude alongside Ashley Cole, he’s adamant it’s not he fault or some bollocks but he all know what he’s like. I’m going to the game later today and I’m going to take great pleasure in shouting abuse at him.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he scored again, I wouldn’t be surprised if Man City score, we just need to do our bit at the other end and hopefully with a fully fit van Persie we can get the goals. We have to keep it as tight at the back as we can with our makeshift defence. A win today and a Spurs loss tomorrow guarantees us 3rd place, which would be a huge weight of our minds. However if City beat us today they will only be 6 points behind us with a game in hand. A result is really important today so lets dig deep, put the Wigan game behind us and beat them money grabbing shit bags.

At lunchtime today I’m playing in the Arseblog 5-a-sides. I’m carrying a groin strain but I’ll have to play through the pain/get in goal! Should be a good laugh either way, I’ll let you know how it went on twitter.

COME ON YOU REDS!

Post Wigan catch up 21 April, 2010

There hasn’t really been a lot of news since the defeat to Wigan which is partly responsible for my week-long absence but I also just needed a little break from football! The past couple of months have been quite intense Arsenal-wise and the final ten minutes of the Wigan game was enough to make me say I’ve had enough of Arsenal for one season. Obviously that’s not true and I’m now looking forward to the Man City game at the weekend but a little break from football has done me good.

The loss to Spurs was upsetting but understandable, they wanted it more and they got a two-goal lead and defended it. However the loss to Wigan was quite frankly unacceptable at any standard at football and as Arsene said after the game, injuries or no injuries, no Arsenal side should lose a game the way we did there.

There’s no point in getting back into what happened because it’s over now and to be honest I don’t really want to think about it. However it can pretty much be summed up as a lack of interest from the players. There was maybe one or two that looked in the slightest bit bothered about the game and all it took was for Wigan to get one back and the next two came naturally. There wasn’t enough commitment and this ‘mental strength’ that Wenger keeps going on about was non-existent. With Spurs beating Chelsea the day before it meant a win would put us three points behind them again and two behind United, a very strong position. However we paid for our sloppiness and are now out of the race for 1st and indeed 2nd.

What bugs me the most is that we seemed to have made some progress this season and it was all pretty much undone in one game. I know we had some vital players out but the Arsenal spirit should remain throughout the whole squad but it was like I had no relationship with those players after the game. I haven’t been this annoyed about a single match in a very long time, this just seemed to really get to me.

The more pessimistic/realistic fans probably thought we’d end up in third anyway and the title race was a long shot but it was worth being in it. I never thought we were nailed on to win the title but I thought we had a shot if we got the results, I wasn’t expecting anything but it’s horrible for it to be ended the way it was.

In the long run the Wigan result might help us; Instead of trying to fight for the title and ending up third, crashing out (and hopefully ending up third) might give us a bit of a kick up the arse. There’s already been a lot of talk about a summer clear out of the players that just aren’t up for the job; some players might pay the price for their lack of interest on Sunday by being moved on. This Arsenal squad has too many passengers and maybe this will be a bit of a wake up call and we decide that enough is enough.

There’s been a lot of transfer speculation since the game and Arsene has hinted already that there will be work done over the summer. A new goalkeeper looks likely to be high on the shopping list as Wenger’s usual policy of bigging up Almunia and Fabianski seems to have been dropped. He pretty much said before the game that Fabianski would play out the rest of the season but then after another fucking cock-up performance I wouldn’t be surprised to see that changed. No one has confidence in our top two goalkeepers and Mannone is far too young. As is Szczesny (who Brentford would like to keep) but some people are still calling for him, he’s done really well in League 1 but so would Fabianski and Almunia; we’ll have to look at Szczesny and see how good he really is but I suspect we might bring someone in.

There really is a lot of work to do this summer, we need a ‘keeper, we need a defender because Gallas, Silvestre and Senderos will all move on this summer and then there’s anyone else that leaves and needs replacing. It’s set to be a busy one for once but we’ll look into that nearer the time.

We have to remember that the season isn’t quite over yet, a Man City win on Saturday could put our position in third in doubt and that would be an absolute disaster if we were overtaken, especially as now the top three teams get automatic qualification to the Champions League. Early team news is that Arshavin is fighting to be fit but we’ll get a full round up for Wenger either tomorrow or Friday.

It’s going to be a massive game, title race or no title race. They’ve got Vieira, Toure and of course Adebayor all returning to face Arsenal and will be looking for a win over their previous employers. A couple of them will get great receptions but Adebayor will get a tough time from the fans and Toure has reminded him to keep calm. It’s probably for the best really, the mood some Arsenal fans are in at the moment he might find a couple hundred fans running the length of the pitch to get to him this time around.

Anyway build up to the game to come in the next couple of games. Thanks for reading.

Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal – (14/04/10) – (Premier League) 15 April, 2010

Well it had to happen at some point, Spurs have finally beaten us in the league for the first time since 1999 and I’m sure they will take much joy in effectively ending our title hopes. However they can put us back in it if they play like that against Chelsea this weekend but lets not think about that for the moment!At the end of the day the losses of Vermaelen, Song, Fabregas, van Persie and Arshavin finally took it’s toll and we were beaten. I don’t want to make excuses about having players out because Spurs did too but if we’d had at least some of those players back I’m sure it would’ve been a different story. We didn’t though and on the night the XI they selected beat the XI we selected.

Denilson and Vermaelen were both taken off injured last night, the Brazilian is a doubt for the weekend but Tommy V will miss the rest of the season. It’s another massive blow for our season, a season that will forever be remembered for the crazy amount of injuries suffered. A shame too that Vermaelen’s amazing debut season is over but he’s been brilliant and is certainly a contender for my End of Season Awards.

I have to say I was quite confident going into the game yesterday. I thought the 120 minutes played just a few days before would be too much for Spurs but they were really up for it last night and they weren’t going to let a little thing like fatigue effect them.

Obviously they were fucking over the moon with the win and the DVD ‘An Unforgettable Night’ is already out! I know there will be some of the enemy reading this and I suggest you buy up in bulk now and make the most of it guys. I turned over right after the whistle, I couldn’t be arsed to see that parade of monkeys round the pitch, the 10-year-old confetti that has finally seen the light of day and the trophy presentation. I guess you can let them enjoy it while it lasts. I never give out that much grief when we beat them to be honest but the amount of stuff I’ve been sent today and last night I think that might be changing. Next season I’ll remind them just who we are, that’s if I’ve got enough time aside from thinking about the title race (that means the football teams that challenge to come first in the league, you get a trophy for that by the way). Anyway, see you lot in the Champions League then. Or not…

On to the game and we started quite brightly actually. We had loads of the ball and looked dangerous but only a Sol Campbell header in the opening minutes produced a shot on goal. They went 1-0 up after 10 minutes with a wonder goal from Danny Rose; I’m not saying it was fluke but he’d struggle to pull that one off again! Almunia, 1. never really should’ve punched it out, 2. shouldn’t have fallen over in the process, and 3. maybe should’ve got something on the shot. You can’t blame him too much though; it was a hell of a strike.

The goal was against the run of play but it dented our confidence and raised theirs. For the rest of the match they closed down every ball and allowed us no space to work with. We couldn’t find an equalizer in the first half but I wasn’t too worried, they always score first and we had a whole half to even go on and win this game.

We got off the worst possible start though, Sagna was way out of line with the other defenders and Silvestre had no clue as to what was going on behind him and some chimp-looking fella made it 2-0. It was a gutting goal to concede just from how sloppy it was but also it meant we really needed three now to stay level with the title race. I was a bit worried we’d be caught on the break and it’d get embarrassing but Sol Campbell was fucking magnificent. There was mass booing and jeering with his every touch but you would’ve though he was having a kickabout in the park how cool and collected he was. He wasn’t letting a thing past him and showed no evidence of that poor fitness that seemed to be such a worry about him. On last night alone I think he earned himself another year at Arsenal. Sol you’re an Arsenal legend mate and we know you’re a Gooner.

I was screaming for van Persie to come on in the second half, we had nothing to lose – if he picked up a niggle it was worth the gamble because if we couldn’t score at least two goals our season was all but over anyway. His impact was incredible and he showed us just how much we’ve missed him. Arsene said before the game he looks like he’s never been out and he wasn’t wrong there. Check out this highlights package of his cameo, maybe just mute it or something though the soundtrack is a bit shite.

What a star. Imagine if we’d had him fit this season it would’ve been a totally different story. Last night he came on with the intention of winning the game on his own just as Fabregas did against Villa a few months ago. He nearly did and if it wasn’t for Gomes’ ‘crazy’ saves we might’ve been talking about a different result here today. He helped us get one goal and was denied two almost certain looking goals. It’s great to have Robin back, just a shame we haven’t got much to fight for anymore.

So yeah we lost and you can look at individual performances and say they weren’t good enough but I think the main problem is we didn’t have our heart in it us much as they did. Campbell was good, Nasri was alright but had nothing to aim for and van Persie was excellent but there we’re too many who frankly don’t understand how important this match is to us. Maybe that’s part of their immaturity, even cunts like Adebayor and Ashley Cole knew how much this game meant and put every last breath into this game – they might have sunk to equal levels of cuntitude now but they knew what a North London Derby meant anyway.

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this so I’ll just wrap it up! We need to get on with things now, we haven’t got many players at all but we’ve got games to play and we need to just do what we can. 2nd could be a more realistic target now and even that would be a good achievement with the season we’ve had, next up is Wigan away and we need to put a strong performance in there. Come on you Gunners, we’re still with you.

Spurs Preview: RVP’s back but still no Alex Song 14 April, 2010

I’ve been looking forward to tonight’s game since pretty much the final whistle of the Barcelona game. It doesn’t matter what point in the season or where the two teams are in the table the North London Derby is always a special game. This time around you have two teams that are outside favourites for the position they want to achieve but it’s still possible and are scrapping for maximum points along the way. It’s getting to that late, late stage now that a loss for either side and its pretty much game over for them.

The stakes are high and with a possible St. Totteringham’s victory to celebrate plus to return of Sol Campbell to White Hart Lane (again) it’s set to be a noisy night down Seven Sisters Road.

The team news is mixed, the good news is that Robin van Persie is back in the squad which is a bit of a surprise for me but a welcome one none the less. Wenger says it’s “maybe premature” to see him start tonight but he is fit and ready to go and should play some part in the game. My guess would be the last 20 minutes or so when hopefully things are wrapped up by then! Arsene insists he’s not taking a gamble on Robin bringing him back this early and he is fully fit and looks like he’s never been out. Yeah I hope we’re not rushing him back but I believe Wenger when he says he’s ready, he admits that the gamble he took on Gallas against Barcelona didn’t pay off but there should be no such problems this time.

The bad news is that Alex Song is out of the next two games which is a real shame because we really could’ve done with him tonight. No matter though, I suspect Denilson will take his place and hopefully he recognizes the importance of this game and puts in a good performance.

Sol Campbell will start against his former club alongside Vermaelen. There’s certain to be a very hostile reception for Sol at White Hart Lane; they’re still very, very bitter about his decision to move down the road and win some silverware and it’s going to be tough for him tonight. If anyone can cope with it, it’s him though. He first moved to Arsenal in 2001 and he has been booed by the scum ever since then, even whilst at Portsmouth. He’s used to it now and he won’t be phased by another trip to White Hart Lane. In fact he’s probably looking forward to the chance of silencing his former fans, and how beautiful would a powered Sol Campbell header be tonight?

Well that’s the team news and I think we’ll look like this:

Almunia (c)
Sagna – Campbell – Vermaelen – Clichy
Denilson
Nasri – Diaby
Eboue – Bendtner – Rosicky

It’s our options from the bench that may very well win this tie. Spurs are going to have very tired legs from their 120 minutes at Wembley just three days ago and come the 70-80 minute mark they’ll be shattered. With Walcott and van Persie both able to make an impact as subs they should really be tearing them a new one. That’s what I think anyway, Wenger might end up starting them both but I think them two as options from the bench will be devastating to Spurs.

As I said earlier, every game is must win now and Bendtner believes that this is our best chance yet of winning the league. He says that if we win our remaining five games we will be Champions. Many see tonight as our toughest test of our run-in, then we’ve got Man City at home plus a tricky away trip to Blackburn however all three of those, plus the Wigan and Fulham games are winnable. I said in my last post that if we can win tonight it could motivate us on to take a maximum 12 points from the remaining four games. Anything less than three points though and that might be it as far as our title challenge goes. A win would move us up into second and three points off Chelsea with all three of us having played the same amount of games. I can’t remember a title race as close as this one and Bendtner might be right in saying this is our best chance ever of winning the league.

Unfortunately I can’t make it tonight but those of you who are going I have no doubt you will make a lot of noise for The Arsenal. Everyone else, make sure you’re watching as this is a massive game in our season, and indeed theirs. It’s set up to be one hell of a match.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS.

Win at Spurs could spark title charge 12 April, 2010

Usually I hate it when we’re out of action but for once I enjoyed a little weekend off. We’ve had a hectic time at the moment and these extra few days rest will do us good and allow us to refocus on the task of winning the league. We now really need to win all of our remaining five matches and if we take three points away from White Hart Lane on Wednesday night we will be in good shape to win the remaining four. Newly crowned player of the month, Nicklas Bendtner has been talking about how much it means to beat Tottenham. I believe that any sort of win on Wednesday will put us in the high spirits we need to end the season with that 100% record.

It’s not going to be easy though, we’re without a lot of players. We’ll have no Fabregas, Gallas, Arshavin and van Persie who we would all love to be involved. We’ll have to wait and see on Alex Song who I’m sure we’ll get confirmation on in the pre-match press conference. There are some stories going around about van Persie being involved but I highly doubt that, most of the quotes are from this interview with Colin Lewin where he says, “Robin will be joining the squad for full training imminently.” That doesn’t mean straight into first team football. You never know though, he might make the bench. We’ll have to see what Wenger says tomorrow.

Either way we’re going to miss players but what we do have is fresh legs. We’ve had a week off since the Barcelona game but as I’m sure you know Spurs were hilariously dumped out of the FA Cup yesterday afternoon by Championship newcomers Portsmouth. The tie went to extra time which hopefully should account for some heavy legs come Wednesday. In every game we show our superior fitness to our opponents and that’s proven by the amount of late goals we score, therefore come around the hour mark against Spurs we should be all over them.

There’s been a bit of talk about us bouncing back from the Barcelona defeat by beating our rivals but to be honest I’ve never looked at it like that. Yes it was a shame to be knocked out of Europe but I’m not down about it or anything and I hope the squad feels the same. The Barcelona match and the North London Derby are two separate games to be treated differently. Whatever the result was in the Nou Camp you expect our boys to go there fired up and looking to win. I guess these stories are just to make headlines in a slow weekend for news but I’m not worried about a Barcelona hangover. I guess if we’d have won people would be talking about us being extra confident but even then I’d think we have to concentrate on the game at hand. After all form and everything else goes out the window in this game, even Tottenham’s recent FA Cup exit will have been forgotten – but hopefully their tired legs will remain.

As for the title race itself it took another turn yesterday when United were held 0-0 at Blackburn. It means a win on Wednesday will take us up to second but everything seems to be going Chelsea’s way at the moment. From results to somehow not losing John Terry for three games for that disguising challenge on Milner on Saturday. I don’t know how the FA rate Howard Webb so much, on Saturday he showed another level of incompetence – how long will this go on before they realize how shite he is? Probably forever but he’s definitely got worse this season and it’s a joke he will be rewarded by representing England in South Africa. The tackle was an absolute disgrace and Milner is very lucky not to have had his leg snapped in two. It’s the very thing Wenger was talking about needing to get ruled out of the game, there is no need for him to have his foot in the air like that and whenever you fly in you are risking breaking bones. I’m no fan of Milner but I’m glad he didn’t suffer a career-threatening break.

Anyway I digress, this really is Chelsea’s title to lose now, we need to them to drop points somewhere, Anfield and White Hart Lane are looking the most likely places. However we still have to go to Ewood Park where they and United have both drawn, free-scoring City are coming to ours in a couple of weeks and of course the derby in a couple of days. We have to just do our bit though with the players we have and hope the others slip up along the way.

It’s going to be an exciting end of season for sure and if we somehow manage to wiggle our way into first then it’ll be one of the most memorable titles in our history.

Barcelona 4(6) – 1(3) Arsenal – 06/04/10 – (Champions League) 9 April, 2010

Well that’s the Champions League done with for another year but I don’t think anyone could have any complaints about going out. It nice to not be here still thinking about dodgy referee decisions, missed sitters or offsides but instead as it should be – just in awe of a great football performance.

Going into the game whatever chance we had was gradually decreasing every day. I was sitting in a bar on my first day in Barcelona when Sky Sports News broke the news that Alex Song was unavailable for the game and Sol Campbell was a doubt. That was quite unsettling, we were relying on one or both of them really and in the end we had to do with out either. Then the morning of the game I checked Arsenal.com and joked, “Right, lets see who else is injured shall we?” Before seeing the headline: ‘Rosicky rated as 50:50’. It was becoming a bit of a joke really but it never really got me that worried; we were always going to be the underdogs, I was just there to enjoy the atmosphere and the game.

We all know what happened in the match so I think you’d rather me tell you about the trip to Barcelona rather than go into detail what went wrong in the game. My journey started at 8 o’clock Sunday morning, with a coach out of London Victoria heading for Lille. My voice was still hoarse from celebrating Bendtner’s last minute winner against Wolves but it was already time to look forward to Barcelona. I had a feeling was hoping that the bus ride would be a 27-hour party to Barcelona, packed with Gooners in full voice all the way. Instead it was a cramped and stuffy coach with only four other Arsenal fans on including myself and Indie Dave. I had to sit next to some Belgian bloke who couldn’t comprehend a train that went underneath the Channel Tunnel and had to assure him that it was perfectly safe and normal.

Not long after crossing the Channel we were in Lille where there was a two hour break for a bit of lunch before catching a connecting bus to Barcelona. “That wasn’t too bad,” I thought, “This coach journey’s going to be a piece of piss.” Well we were only 6 hours in and now was the killer part of the journey, the overnight bus that reached Barcelona at 10 o’clock the following morning. I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t fun but the sense of relief when we finally got there you wouldn’t get if you flew so in that case it was worth it!

We eventually found the hotel but there was no time to rest, we were back out into town after a traditional McDonalds tapas. We walked around the Ramblas and there didn’t seem to be any other Gooners around there either. Maybe we were in the wrong place or maybe we were just early. We had been advised to avoid bars around the Ramblas and the English/Irish themed pubs so we ended up in some Irish Bar just off the Ramblas where they wanted £6.50 a Guinness. Oh well.

We arranged to meet a few other Arseblog forumers there and this is when we found out about Alex Song – we needed to drown our sorrows somewhere a little cheaper and later that night we found this great little underground bar called L’Ovella Negra (The Black Sheep) where a few pints were drunk and then a couple of Mojitos in some cocktail bar around the corner that were a little more expensive but fucking hell they hit you straight away!

The Tuesday night was a pretty good one and we definitely felt it the morning of the game but it was time to get back on it again. By now there were a lot more Gooners in Barcelona and we met up with Arseblogger and some of the other guys of the forum who’d flown in that morning. We’d all been told to go to some Arsenal Fan Camp down on the pier and after a few beers in The Black Sheep we decided to head down but it was absolutely miles away. We settled for some bar on the water front and sat outside in the sun. Couldn’t really ask for more to be honest and before we knew it, it was time to make our way to the Stadium.

There was singing on the tubes to the ground and when we reached the West part of the town where stadium was every bar was packed out with red and white. We had our final pre-match pint and then it was off to the ground.

From the outside it wasn’t that impressive (well I guess we’re used to the Grove) and a little ugly to be honest. “Are you Brent Cross in disguise?!” started up which was pretty funny but I was told that the stadium had been build into the ground so it looked smaller than it was from the outside. We made it round to our entrance and started the take the stairs to the very top of the stadium; fucking hell it was a long way. Once we’d finally made it to the very top, we had no complaints out the ground, it’s pretty incredible to be honest with you.

We put up the ‘Do It For Aaron’ banner, which you could see briefly on Sky before the game and took out spot in the very two back rows in the corner. I was in the back row and it’s stupidly high from up there! Also there’s no roof which is a bit strange and you could see over the edge back down to outside the ground before the police moved you away and it was fucking scary. It’s an absolutely huge ground and one I’ve always wanted to go and see a game at.

The players were like little ants on the pitch but you could just about make out who was who. It was by no means our best starting XI but we were just going to have to make do and pray Silvestre had the game of his Arsenal career. Barca started the way they left off in the first leg playing some great football and immediately showing who was boss but we did see a little more of the ball in those opening stages than we did in the first leg. We were working hard which is all we could do really with so many of our stars out and it was our closing down and interceptions that lead to the first goal.

Diaby nicked the ball off home side while they were pressing forward and Walcott was sent charging down the right and he had Bendtner open in support. Theo laid it on a plate for him and he almost missed it but before I could get pissed off Nick had recovered and stuck it in the back of the net. If I said it went fucking mental up there then that would be a huge understatement. When that goal went in you might’ve thought we’d won the game the way people were jumping around and screaming. My foot it still killing me from when I must’ve jumped up and forgot about landing properly 100 times and I smacked my head on the concrete from falling back and forgetting I was in the last row.

For three minutes we were winning in the Nou Camp and for three minutes let me assure you we made the most of it! Messi’s determination and one mistake in defence meant it was soon 1-1 and the celebrations stopped. We weren’t silenced, only maybe by the finish briefly but we carried on signing. 1-1 was after all better than 0-0.

At half time we were 3-1 down, but not out. There was a chance early on in the first half when Diaby was driving forward and had the choice of picking out Walcott or Bendtner and went for the latter which was definitely the wrong option. Theo would’ve been through on goal and if he’d scored there it might’ve been a completely different story. There was no point in looking back to that now though, we needed two more goals in the second half to go through and it didn’t seem impossible. We kept on believing but as the half went on it seemed less and less likely to happen. Every attack I seemed to say to myself, “Right if we score this one then we’re right in it.” It never happened though and in the end it took Messi’s 4th in the 87th minute to come to terms with the fact that we were out.

It would’ve been a completely different game if we’d had Gallas, Song, Fabregas and van Persie playing but that’s just our luck, hopefully we get to play them again with a fully fit squad. However you can’t use our injuries as an excuse, Barcelona had vital players out too; they were simply the better side.

We were held in the ground for an hour or so after the final whistle and there were a lot of mixed emotions. I saw arguments, people with their head in their hands, singing, flag-waving, joking, conversation and silence. It was a surreal place to be and it got a little weirder when an impromptu paper aeroplane competition started with one entry nearly making it to the lower tier with much cheering for the travelling support!

Eventually we got out of there and heading back into town for more beers. We ended up back at The Black Sheep again until closing time where we were just in awe of Messi and spoke about Arsenal trips over the years. Let me just say it was very hard to get out of bed the following morning to check out of the hotel!

We had little wonder around town the next day, went down to the beach and back to the pier and stuff, had a nice paella for lunch there before ending up back at that sunny bar on the on harbour we were at before the game the day before. Me and Indie Dave had to catch the 5:00pm coach out of Barcelona to Lille so we said our goodbyes and looked forward to the epic journey ahead. It was a much nicer coach to Lille this one and to be honest we were just exhausted from everything and got a lot more sleep on the way back. The coach from Lille to London the next morning was a bit horrible on a whole the 27 hours back was a lot easier than the 27 hours out there I thought.

We went the long way around but it was still a brilliant trip. The mad thing was that I wouldn’t mind doing that coach again! It’s the sort of thing I’d only do for football though and if it meant costing half the price then why not, it makes it more of an adventure! I’ve had a bit of grief about the result from some people but they just don’t’ really know what it’s like to go on a European away trip so I’ll just ignore them. The result could’ve gone either way and I still would’ve had a great time in Barcelona with all the Gooners. The atmosphere was amazing out there and I have absolutely not one regret about going. It’s what being an Arsenal fan is all about really and instead of being all doom and gloom and complaining about the outcome I was happy that I was there to see us play in the Nou Camp and had a brilliant trip in the process.

Coming out of the stadium on Wednesday night I was already looking forward to the next game and sorted myself out a ticket for Spurs away. That’s not until Wednesday now, we’ve got a nice little weekend off which might not be such a bad thing you know. Build up to the North London derby to come over the next few days.

I feel so proud to be a Gooner at the moment, well done if you read all of that and I hope you enjoyed hearing about my trip. I know not everyone can do this sort of thing so I’d thought you fill you in! Thanks for reading.

Off to Barcelona… 4 April, 2010

As this blog post publishes, I will be just setting off out of London heading to Barcelona. A bit early you say? Yeah that’s because I’m getting the coach there… The £300 flights were a bit off-putting so I’ve gone for a 27 hour each way coach journey instead! My coach leaves Victoria at 8 o’clock this morning, I get to Lille some time after lunch today before taking the overnight coach to Barcelona arriving about 11 o’clock Monday morning. I’ll probably vow to never set foot on a coach again (which doesn’t bode well for the trip home) but it’s costing me less than half the price of the flight and I couldn’t really afford to go any other way.

Many have called me mad, but I am. Regulars to The Cannon will remember I went to Milan a few seasons ago and have one of the best trips I’ve ever been on out there, Barcelona is going to be up there with that and it felt like something I just couldn’t miss out on. I didn’t actually decide I was definitely going to go until about a week ago but I haven’t stopped thinking about it since then. It’ll be a great laugh I’m sure and I’ll tell you all about my trip when I get back.

It’s a bit early to preview the game now, I wrote this last night so the thoughts are still on Bendtner’s last gasp winner against Wolves a few hours ago. I wrote before the game that I’d like us to get this one wrapped up a bit earlier than we usually leave it but they decided to wait until the 95th minute before breaking the deadlock! I swear to God one day I’m going to have a heart attack if we keep leaving it this late; if the game on Tuesday isn’t wrapped up with 10 minutes to go you’ll probably find me out the back sitting in the corner rocking back and forth.

We needed the three points yesterday with Chelsea beating United; It wasn’t the best result for us at Old Trafford but better than United winning. It now leaves us 3 points off the top (more like 4 with the goal difference) with five games to go, we’re the outsiders but anything could happen. I’d come to terms with us being held to a frustrating 0-0 yesterday and started to forget about the title race but Nicklas Bendtner came up with another vital, late goal and we’re still in it. I went mental again and so did the players celebrating right in front of my seat – especially Sol Campbell who almost scared me the way he was shouting into the crowd.

Now we can turn our heads to the mouth-watering tie at the Nou Camp on Tuesday. I’m not expecting anything, the result really could go any way. We’re the outsiders but I kind of like it that way, there’s less expectation and we can almost go there with nothing to lose. As long as we give it a go and say we did everything we could to win I’ll happy. If we do beat Barcelona then it’s going to be one of the most memorable matches is our memory of supporting Arsenal.

Either way, it’s going to be a really great trip. I’ve never been to Barcelona before, I’ve always wanted to go and now I’m making the trip out there with thousands of other Gooners. It’s going to be awesome. I get back Thursday evening so I’ll probably write up my trip on Friday, speak to you then.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

Wolves Preview: Injuries, injuries, injuries. 3 April, 2010

We really are down to the bare, bare bones now after the Barcelona game the other night. We took risks on Gallas and Fabregas which backfired and add to that knocks picked up by Arshavin, Denilson and Clichy. We have many of our best players out now and for us to win anything this season would be a huge achievement. We’ve just got to pull together though and do what we can; We’ve got lots of good players and we need to prove we can do it without them.

Clichy and Denilson are, “OK.” and are both back in the squad. Whether they start or not today is another question. We’re sure to rotate for obvious reasons but we need to put a strong side out against a battling Wolves.

So I’m sure you’ve heard Fabregas is out for the season with a broken leg – well, unless we reach the Champions League Final. Wenger has refused that Cesc was selected with a cracked fibula which is expected really, obviously we wanted the captain to play but we wouldn’t have selected him if he already had a broken leg.

It’s a real, real shame for us and Cesc says he feels, “broken” himself. However I feel so proud of him and probably never felt so attached to the captain. Let’s get the story straight – so he started the Barcelona game with a bruised bone, a bit painful but he played through it. He then had his leg broken late in the second half by Puyol but insisted on taking the penalty himself, absolutely smashing it into the back of the net as hard as he could. He really felt the broken leg now but he refused to get off the pitch when asked. For the final 10 minutes he hobbled around the pitch just to ensure we had that man advantage and to be acting captain on the pitch. What a fucking legend! Cesc, I love you man.

Arshavin and Gallas both have calf injuries which were initially diagnosed as three weeks out but since then we’ve had more news that Gallas’ season might be over and Arshavin is aiming for the Man City game.

So with all those injuries we just have to assemble the best team we can. Nasri will take over Cesc’s role in central midfield and I’m sure he’ll do a good job of that. We’ve also got Rosicky and Eduardo to come in who both haven’t played that much recently. Today we need to get the right mix of resting players and fielding a strong side and I’d guess at it looking something like this:

Almunia (c)
Sagna – Vermaelen – Silvestre – Traore
Song
Nasri – Diaby
Walcott – Bendtner – Rosicky

As Silvestre seems to be banished from the squad I wouldn’t be surprised to see Song alongside Vermaelen again with Denilson in the holding midfield role. There’s also room for Eduardo and Eboue in that XI possibly so don’t be surprised if you see something completely different that that line up this afternoon!

With the Champions League draw this was always going to be a difficult game to be completely focused on. If it was say Chelsea or someone then it’d be fine but because it’s Wolves you sort of have an eye on Barcelona next week. They will be coming here today knowing that and will try to nick a result while we’re not fully focused.

We need to make sure that doesn’t happen and for today be entirely devoted to the Premier League and the match with Wolves. It’s definitely a game we should be getting three points out of and with Chelsea vs. United kicking off at lunch time it’s vital we get maximum points. I think the result in the early kick off will help lift us and help to realize we can gain ground in the league here today.

The visitors are out of the relegation zone but by no means safe and the points are just as important to them as they are to us. They’re on a good little run at the moment so they are going to high on confidence. An early goal for us would go a long way to settle some nerves and allow us to play our game. If it’s still level with 70 minutes gone I’m going to be shitting myself – I don’t care if we are the highest scorers in the final minutes I can’t take the tension! So please Arsenal, score early, and consolidate it!

I’m off down the Grove now. Enjoy the game, speak to you later. Come on the Arsenal!

Arsenal 2-2 Barcelona – 31/03/10 – (Champions League) 1 April, 2010

What a game that was! The build up was focused on two of the best footballing sides in the world squaring up against each other and we got the display we expected. All over the blogs this morning the general feeling is just ‘wow’. I’ve never really properly watched a Barcelona game (since the Champions League Final obviously) but I have to admit they are fucking good! I’m used to seeing our brand of football but they are the masters at it. For the first half an hour of the game they had us almost at awe, we could hardly touch the ball, which is so unlike Arsenal. I think the final possession percentage showed we only had 38% of the ball, which is usually completely unheard of. The visitors lived up to the hype but afterwards Pep Guardiola said it was the best he’s seen his side play which makes me feel a little better!

[Edit: Just read that through and it sounds like I'm sucking their dick a bit. They were good but once they'd scored they turned into typical Spanish bastards diving around, time-wasting and general cuntery. Yeah their football was good but they're still not The Arsenal]

The teams were announced an hour before kick off and I found out that both Gallas and Fabregas had been selected to start. It meant it was pretty much our strongest XI minus Robin Van Persie. I felt confident walking up to the ground that we might be able to get a result last night and the early signs were good when we got down the left from pretty much the kick off and created the first opening inside 60 seconds.

However that was soon to change and we wouldn’t see the ball very much for the rest of the half. Barcelona demonstrated the level of football that we try to produce and we couldn’t get in the game. I now know what it feels like to be a fan of a team when they face an in-form Arsenal. It’s horrible watching someone walk all over you like that while you fight for the ball and hope for a lucky break.

We were lucky not to concede in this period and we probably would’ve done if it wasn’t for an inspired Manuel Almunia. He made four or five world-class stops inside the first half an hour, chances that looked dead-cert. goals from point blank range he somehow got a strong hand on and kept it at 0-0. There was this one attack that produced about three clear shots at goal for Barcelona and we managed to keep them all out. It really raised the crowd, the team were showing fighting spirit on the pitch and were doing everything to stop that ball going in.

Our best chance came through Nasri who came infield from the left and hit a curling shot towards the far post. It seem to surprise Valdés but just went the wrong side of the post. If it had gone in it would’ve been completely against the run of play.

Just before the half hour Arshavin limped down the tunnel after an unimpressive opening. There hasn’t been a lot of sympathy for Andrei today who looks to be out for three weeks. Last night was a chance for him to redeem himself for some poor performances this year but he didn’t seem that interested the half an hour he was on the pitch. He was replaced by the much more enthusiastic Eboue who did well on the right. Not long after that William Gallas went down and looked very frustrated as he threw his shin pad to the ground. He was soon stretchered off down the tunnel and afterwards Arsene said to French TV that his season is quite likely to be over. It was a gamble to start him and it didn’t pay off. I was very shocked to him in the squad in the first place to be honest but it says a lot about the fitness of Sol Campbell.

Just before the break Cesc was booked for a sliding challenge that meant he was suspended for the Nou Camp. He was visibly upset at the referee who booked him for a brilliant tackle. In England that sort of challenge would’ve been applauded but the incompetent ref showed him a yellow. So in a matter of 15 minutes we lost Arshavin, Gallas and Fabregas for the second leg!

At the break I was still fuming about the card and so was pretty much everyone else around. However we had to look on the bright side and consider ourselves lucky to be at 0-0. Almunia had been brilliant in the first half, which just goes to show you never know what to expect from him. I said, “Oh I’m sure he’ll do something to fuck it up later on.” It was meant as a joke but lo and behold just seconds into the second half Manuel Fawlty comes wondering out of his goal making it easy for Ibrahimovic to chip over. Fuck. Arsene Wenger hadn’t even made it back to the dugout before the goal went in meaning everything he said at the break was pointless.

The goal was a shock to everyone and it took the fans and players a little while to get back into the game. We had one chance to equalize when Bendtner rose for a clear header but shot too close to the ‘keeper. It was a huge chance and one that Bendtner will rue missing. 10 minutes later it got worse when Ibrahimovic was allowed through again, this time Almunia stayed in goal but it was a sublime finish high inside the near post. Bollocks. I have to admit I was pretty down at this point. It wasn’t over but those two away goals were going to be hard to overcome. I started to think about my long trip to Barcelona next week and how the match out there might be insignificant.

After a few minutes the crowd picked up and got behind the team. We never stopped playing and instead of sulking we started working on turning this score around. Theo Walcott was brought on for Sagna in the 66th minute and that was the turning point of the game. Barcelona aren’t a slow side but they’re not as quick as Theo and he was causing them problems down the right. Immediately he got behind the defence but they got a block in on his cross. However a few minutes later Bendtner put him in coming in from the wing and he went alone shooting underneath Víctor Valdés. The crowd erupted – we were still 2-1 down at home but you could feel this was the start of something.

Now it was our turn to put Barcelona on the back foot and they just didn’t expect it. The crowd were really getting behind the team and they just couldn’t deal with our persistence and the danger of Walcott. Thierry Henry was brought on for Ibrahimovic who I heard today didn’t even run 500m last night! Of course Titi got a great reception but then was booed every time he got the ball, it was pretty funny. I had a feeling that Guardiola might’ve brought him on to distract the home crowd that was clearly carrying the team forward but it didn’t exactly work.

A few minutes after Henry’s arrival a ball was put into the box and instead of taking it for himself Bendtner nodded it down for Fabregas. He lined up to take a shot but his leg got tangled with Puyol’s bringing him to the ground. The referee took his time but eventually pointed to the spot and showed the Barca captain a red card. It was harsh but what do I care? So was Fabregas’ yellow. It means they will be without both their first choice centre backs for the second leg as Pique was also booked.

Who else but Cesc lined up to take the penalty. Usually I can’t watch the nail-biting penalties put last night I just had to see what happened as many turned their backs to goal. I had no idea what was going to happen but he absolutely smashed it down the middle to complete a famous comeback. In fact he smashed it so hard that he fucked his knee in the process. We’d made all our substitutions so it was either play 10 against 10 or try and run it off. He was clearly injured but you couldn’t physically drag Cesc off that pitch last night if you tried and he hobbled round for the final ten minutes hardly getting a touch of the ball but just wanting to be on the field as captain. We fucking love you Cesc.

Those last few minutes were unbearable. Both sides were still getting forward but I just wanted it to end! We might’ve made it 3-2 but I just couldn’t handle any more, it was getting too much.

In the end the whistle was blown – a famous 2-2 draw with Barcelona to take to the Nou Camp. It’s not the greatest result but it could’ve been a lot worse and we’re still in it. We’ve shown we can compete with the best side in the world even when their manager admits it’s the best we’ve seen them play. We might’ve been a bit lucky with some of the chances they missed but we could’ve got more too.

I’m so proud to be a Gooner today and so proud of Cesc.

There were a lot of injuries last night which could prove very costly but we’ll have to take a look at the casualty list tomorrow. Fabregas’ initial scan was inconclusive and he will have another this afternoon but hopefully it’s not as bad as he fears it might be. News on all of our injuries tomorrow. Until then, thanks for reading.