Fulham Report / Ladies Final Win

Fulham remain a point above the Premiership relegation zone after losing out to two late Arsenal goals.

We started brightly and were soon ahead when Julio Baptista headed home Emmanuel Adebayor's early cross.

We should have wrapped up victory long before Simon Davies lobbed Fulham level after Jens Lehmann's mistake.

But with six minutes left Adebayor slotted home to make it 2-1 before Gilberto scored from the spot after Alexander Hleb was fouled in the area.

The scoreline was slightly harsh on Fulham but, in truth, they only had themselves to blame for failing to make a game of it until the closing minutes.

There was a minute's applause before the game in honour of the late former Arsenal and England midfielder Alan Ball, as well as well as for Arthur Milton, who had played both football and cricket for England.

And the Gunners were quickly into their stride, taking the lead though Baptista's header after Adebayor had left Carlos Bocanegra trailing in his wake on the right.

Baptista should have wrapped up the win for Arsenal within minutes but he missed two good chances after the visitors' defence had been completely opened up.

Cesc Fabregas was also denied by a superb diving save from Fulham keeper Antti Niemi, who was at his best again soon afterwards to push away Adebayor's header.

It was vintage Arsenal, but they were still without the cutting edge they have lacked all season.
Not that it seemed likely to matter as Fulham were struggling to get near their opponents' penalty area, let alone threaten an equaliser.

The boys took their foot off the gas after the break and it was as if they thought they had already done enough to secure the three points.

Lawrie Sanchez's side did little to suggest anything different until Davies scored a goal out of nothing with 12 minutes left.

Lehmann came out to the edge of the box to punch away a deep cross but was horrified when the ball dropped to Davies who instantly lobbed it over his head and into the corner of the net.

That gave the Cottagers hope and, but for a fine save from Lehmann to deny Michael Brown, they would have taken the lead soon afterwards.

Instead they saw the points slip away as Arsenal belatedly resumed control.

First Adebayor majestically strolled through the Fulham defence before slotting a precise shot past Niemi.

And after Hleb was brought down in the area by Moritz Volz, Gilberto confidently stroked home the Gunners' third goal from the spot.

The win keeps Arsenal's hopes of finishing third alive but Fulham are now without a victory in 10 Premiership games and are in the thick of the relegation dogfight.

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My View:

We were super in the first half but in the second half we took our foot off the gas which allowed Fulham to have more attacking opportunties. Ade was impressive and we managed to wrap it up in the last five minutes. Next Up Chelsea.

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Arsenal Ladies became the first British club to win the Uefa Women's Cup after a tight and tense second-leg stalemate.

The Gunners rode their luck at times, Umea substitute Ramona Bachmann hitting the post and Marta curling a free kick against the bar.

Home keeper Emma Byrne also brilliantly denied Bachmann, while Jayne Ludlow headed Arsenal's best chance just wide.

But, ultimately, Alex Scott's first-leg winner proved the difference as Arsenal were crowned champions of Europe.

It is the third of four titles the London side are attempting to win in their 20th anniversary season, and it was undoubtedly the finest four in the club's history.

The Gunners were underdogs against Europe's only full-time professional women's team, twice winners of the competition in the last four seasons.

But in their first appearance in the final, Arsenal produced gritty performances in both legs to claim the trophy.

In front of a 3,467 crowd at Borehamwood FC's Meadow Park, they were on the offensive for the majority of the first half, although the best scoring effort came at the other end.

Lisa Dahlqvist fired in a 37th-minute drive that forced keeper Byrne into a diving save.

Arsenal began to regain their momentum after the break, with captain Ludlow heading over the bar from Lianne Sanderson's 64th-minute free-kick.

Ludlow was again unfortunate when her header from winger Rachel Yankey's 69th-minute corner was deflected just wide.

But after a spell of pressure, the Gunners had Byrne to thank once again after the keeper made a fine stop to keep out Bachmann's 15-yard shot.

Bachmann and Marta both sent well-struck shots narrowly over the bar as Umea stepped up their search for a goal to bring the scores level on aggregate.

Teenage striker Bachmann, from Switzerland, was desperately unlucky in the 80th minute, her 18-yard drive rebounding into Byrne's face off a post and bouncing behind for a corner.

Two minutes from time there was another scare for Arsenal, with Marta's 20-yard free-kick cannoning back off the bar.

Nerves were frayed in five minutes of added time, but Arsenal held on to produce an historic result.

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My View:

A massive well done to the girls on a super win. Our keeper Byrne was unbelievable and Umea's striker Marta showed why she is the best player in the world with that super free kick at the end. Vic Akers is a great manager and hopefully this sucess will continue in the near future.

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Just before we go read this article from Thierry Henry. Pure class!:

Arsenal captain Thierry Henry took a cheeky swipe at bitter rivals Tottenham by criticising their exaggerated celebrations whenever they avoid defeat in the north London derby.

Henry was baffled when Tottenham's players and fans wildly celebrated Jermaine Jenas's last minute equaliser during the team's 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane earlier this month.

The France striker insists Martin Jol's team should show more restraint because they have failed to achieve anything significant this season.

"What makes me laugh is the way Tottenham always celebrate whenever they get a draw against us," Henry told the Arsenal programme for their match against Fulham.

"I would like to remind them that once again they have not made the Champions League. So I was amazed to see their reaction at the full-time whistle."

I had to look twice at the score on the TV because I thought they had won it the way they were celebrating."

There is little love lost between two clubs who are seperated by just a few miles and, while Henry is currently sidelined with a back injury, his controversial comments will ensure he remains firmly in the spotlight.

"When I celebrated my equaliser against them at home last season I did so because the goal had a meaning," he said.

"It turned out to be an important goal in the race for fourth place. I wasn't going to celebrate just because we drew against Tottenham.

"It was the same when we won the league there in 2004. They equalised to make it 2-2 that day and when I saw Taricco celebrate so much that he injured himself, I said to him 'you do realise we only needed a point and now we are celebrating the title on your ground."

Great piece!

And that's all.

Cheerio!

Fulham Preview / Ladies

This game will probably will secure our Champions League place but the match will proably have an end of season feel to it. The team news is that Tomas Rosicky and Freddie Ljungberg are both injured with hamstring injuries so the midfield will most likely be:

-------Hleb--------Gilberto---------Fabregas--------Diaby. Let's just hope we can get the three points and secure that CL qualifaction.

Quote's:

Arsene Wenger:

"It aggravates, but it is very interesting as well.
"Sometimes you have to leave it to others. Others want success as well, that is part of life.
"I feel it has been a season full of tests and I am confident that it will help us to be stronger next year."

Lawrie Sanchez:

"There is pressure but it is for me to try to take that away.
"It goes back to structure, shape and the basics you can hold on to when it is going wrong around you. Then you can pull yourself up and get back into it.
"Ultimately the players have to be responsible for themselves. One, for knowing their job and two, doing it."

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In Other News:

Gunnerblog says it all:

Jens Lehmann is staying
Justin Hoyte is staying (contain yourselves)
Tomas Rosicky and Freddie Ljungberg are injured. I am not sure that this qualifies as “news”.
Arsene won’t be telling Julio Baptista’s agents that they represent the clumsiest man in football until next week
Arsenal will appoint a “Director of Football” (or something similar) in the “close season”. I imagine that we’ll pinpoint the man perfect for the job, then be gazumped by Real Madrid or Chelsea.
Peter Hill-wood has sent a letter to shareholders, asking them to boycott all American produce for the forseeable future. Or something similar.

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Good Luck to Arsenal Ladies tomorrow when they play the second leg of their UEFA Final against Swedish Giants Umea. The game is live on Eurosport with minute by minute updates on UEFA'S website. Good luck to them and good luck to the first team who are playing 4 hours later.

And that's all!

C'mon You Gunners!

R.I.P - A True Legend

Yesterday Alan Ball a player who had an illustrious career winning the World Cup wih England in 66' to playing for teams such as Everton, Portsmouth and of course Arsenal sadly died of a heart attack after trying to put out a bonfire.

There will be a minute's applause in all Premiership and Football League games this weekend when the fans will pay their own tribute to the great man.

His funeral will be held at Winchester Cathedral on 3 May.

Some of his old team mates have told Arsenal.com their memories of him:

Alan Smith:

"In my early days at Leicester I remember playing at the Dell one day. Bally was in the latter stages of his career and playing for Southampton in central midfield. What a player!

We couldn't get near him, so good was his first touch and eye for a pass. It was a real eye-opener for a young prospect like me and a real privilege to be on the same pitch. Several years later, Bally formed part of the England coaching staff that went to the European Championships in Sweden in 1992. He'd take me and Merse for a bit of extra fitness work if we weren't involved. His deep knowledge of the game was plain but what came across most was his deep-rooted passion and love for the game. It was infectious. We loved being in his company. By the way, he was a brilliant after-dinner speaker as well. One of the best I've ever heard because he spoke straight from the heart."

Frank McLintock:

"We were in Mauritius just a month ago and he looked so fit and healthy, so it was such a shock when his son called me at five in the morning to tell me his dad had died. He was absolutely the last person from that England squad that you would expect to die, he was full of fun and energy. Bally was so ebullient. He had his lows and he could be disconsolate if he hadn't played well, but he mostly had highs because he had such a successful career. He was a great laugher, you'd see his tonsils half the time! Bally helped the young players when they came through at Arsenal and I actually tried to help him when he arrived from Everton. The style of play didn't suit Bally at all and he was distraught, but I told him to give it time so he could get used to us and we could get used to him because we had played that way for five years. It worked, it calmed him down and he often embarrassed me when he told the story years later. 'Shut up Bally!' I used to say. I'll really miss him; he was an avid lover of football and a great man."

Liam Brady:

"In my opinion he was one of Arsenal's greatest players of all time Although we didn't win many trophies when Alan was here, he was still a fantastic player. From a personal point of view he was such a great help to me early on in my career. He helped me greatly and, with David O'Leary, Frank Stapleton and Graham Rix, I feel he contributed a great deal towards our careers, passing on his experience of the game. Alan was a larger than life character, he enjoyed his life and just loved playing football. I'm just so sad that he has died at such an early age."

David O'Leary:

"I was a Dublin lad coming over to Arsenal and I used to clean his white boots. They were a real pain to clean! I remember thinking that he must have been some player to wear those white boots - and Alan Ball was some player. He was very talkative to all the younger players and that's how I got to know him. I was a young apprentice at Arsenal and I went home to my digs thinking how good it was that the England captain talks to me. He gave me huge confidence as a young player coming into the team. He had a young centre half of 17 behind him but he used to make me feel good. It wasn't an easy time for the club but he was still fantastic."

Terry Neill:

"It goes without saying that he was a great player. We had our differences when he left Arsenal but thankfully that didn't affect us in later life. We got on fine and I was playing golf with him in the Algarve last autumn at a Bobby Robson charity weekend. He seemed fit and well and in great form so it's a real shock. He brought to Arsenal what he brought to all his clubs - knowledge of the game and great enthusiasm. I knew Alan's dad well and he was the same. They had a real love for the game."

John Radford:

"I was very, very shocked to hear the news like everybody else. I was playing golf with him in Dubai in November and he was looking in good form. It is just very tragic. He was a talented midfielder and very competitive. I remember he used to irritate opponents with his constant chatter. He undermined them with his ability on the ball and with his tongue, which could be quite waspish. When someone you have played with dies it is difficult to put into words. It makes you realise how old you are."
Sammy Nelson"He just lived football. It was all he ever talked about. Perhaps the other 20 per cent was horse racing. Also he was England through and through. If you look back at the 1966 Final he never stopped running throughout. When he joined us we did well again. We went through to the FA Cup Final and did well in the League. He was a larger-than-life type and until then we had not been signing that kind of player."

Bob Wilson:

"We became big mates. Bally came to Arsenal just after we won the Double, he was a World Cup hero as everyone knows and had an infectious enthusiasm for the game. He was very much in your face too. He wouldn't think twice about telling you about your faults. He advised me that I made penalty kicks very obvious to the taker and he told me how to change my style. In due course I had a chance to try Bally's method and, of course, I saved the penalty. He loved the game, he was a very charismatic guy and we have been friends since his playing days. He was down to play in a golf day for the Willow Foundation in May and his death is shattering news."

A true legend.

A Fulham preview will be on here tomorrow evening.

MIGHTY ARSENAL!

Spurs Report / Ladies Final Win

Jermaine Jenas scored a dramatic injury-time equaliser for Tottenham to deny Arsenal victory in the north London derby.

Spurs looked to be heading for defeat after Arsenal, inspired by substitute Cesc Fabregas, came from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 with just minutes to go at White Hart Lane.

But Jenas earned Tottenham an undeserved point when he fired a superb 25-yard effort past Jens Lehmann with referee Mike Dean poised to blow for full-time.

It was harsh on Arsenal who totally dominated the second half and recovered from Robbie Keane's 30th minute opener to lead through goals from Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor.

But Tottenham will be celebrating long and hard after their late, late show.

They started the game strongly and almost opened the scoring after three minutes when Dimitar Berbatov hassled William Gallas into a mistake and the Frenchman's header fell for Keane, who couldn't quite find the net.

And, after Arsenal had an Adebayor effort disallowed for offside, the home side took the lead after half an hour from a well-worked corner routine.

The kick was delayed first as Arsenal keeper Lehmann grappled with Berbatov, appearing to elbow him in the chest as the Tottenham striker made a nuisance of himself in the six-yard box.

Referee Dean chose to book Lehmann, Berbatov and Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby for the incident and the episode was enough to cause the Gunners to lose concentration when the corner was re-taken.

Tottenham took full advantage with Jenas sending over an out-swinging kick that Michael Dawson met with a downward header and Keane diverted into the net.

It all looked set for a dramatic Spurs victory but Fabregas changed all that. The Spaniard produced a stunning reverse pass with almost his first touch to set up Emmanuel Eboue, whose low drilled shot came back off the post and Adebayor blasted the rebound over the bar.

Arsenal's revival continued after the break when Toure's header cannoned back off the bar and Tomas Rosicky had a shot well saved by Paul Robinson.

Then, amazingly, they struck the woodwork again when Adebayor's header looped on to the crossbar after 59 minutes.But the inevitable goal came eventually after 64 minutes when Fabregas swung in a deep free-kick from the left and Toure somehow forced home a deflected shot at the far post.

The Gunners then went all out for a winner with Gilberto Silva drilling an effort just wide and Eboue sending over a wonderful low cross that was just missed by Adebayor.

And they got their reward when, from another Fabregas free-kick, Adebayor rose majestically at the far post to head high into the net.

But it was Tottenham who had the last word four minutes into injury time through Jenas' pinpoint low strike which found the bottom corner of the net past the diving Lehmann.

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My View:

We should of won but once again we're not clinical enough in front of goal. I'm glad to see Ade score so hopefully he will get on the score sheet against Fulham next Sunday. Once again Cesc came on and created two goals, Baptista missed a sitter and Lehmann let a flukey strike from Jenas give the Scum a point. Oh well... Fulham up next

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Ladies secure 1st leg win...















Scott Celebrates Strike

Arsenal Ladies secured a late victory in the UEFA Womens Cup Final 1st Leg against Umea IK thanks to a last minute strike from Arsenal full back Alex Scott. The Gunners will take the lead to Boreham Wood FC next Sunday at 12:00 looking to secure a Final win against the current best Womens Football team in the world.

I'll update you next week..

Well Done Girls!

And that's all!

Bye!

Sp*rs Preview / Kroenke Increases Stake

Ahead of tomorrow’s game against Sp*rs there is no fresh injury news with AW announcing Ljungberg and Diaby fit with Fabregas only just passed fit after a virus. We will stay 4th place if we lose or draw so a win would certainly 100% secure that Champions League spot. I’m expecting the same team who played Citeh to play tomorrow.

AW Quote:
We have just won two games and we want to keep winning until the end of the season.
"It's important to finish well and to start again next season with the squad we have.
"We have gone through a little bit of a difficult period but the players have a fantastic spirit and fantastic quality and I follow what I deeply feel which is that they will be up for it from the first game next season."
Hopefully we can get maximum points in the last few games against Fulham, Chelski and Portsmouth.
A full match review, images and report will be on the blog Sunday!
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Other Arsenal News:

"Speculation that Arsenal may soon be the subject of a takeover bid has been further fuelled by the news that American billionaire Stan Kroenke has increased his stake in the club to 12.19 per cent.
The spectre of a possible hostile takeover has been hanging over the club since Gunners vice-chairman David Dein sensationally departed on Wednesday after apparently falling out with his fellow board members over whether to welcome Kroenke's advances.
Following the news of Dein's shock exit, chairman Peter Hill-Wood insisted that the historic club's board would not be looking to sell their shares and that any hostile takeover from Kroenke would be stringently resisted.
However, the club will now be forced to deal with renewed speculation regarding the possibility of Kroenke taking control after his Kroenke Sports Enterprises group increased their holding to 12.19%.
The American became a major player at Emirates Stadium when purchasing ITV's 9.9% stake on April 12th, with Arsenal director Danny Fiszman also selling Kroenke around 1% of his own holding. "
Very interesting considering the board will resist any bid for the club.

Why would Kroenke keep buying small shares in the club if he didn't want to make a bid? Lots of questions need to be answered soon.
Hopefully we will get all three points tomorrow.

C’mon You Gunners!

The Dein Saga

I've been busy today so I haven't been able to give my view on this 'saga'. Basically, I do not believe the theory that Dein will team up with Stan Kroenke to make a bid for The Gunners and I definitely do not believe AW will leave at this current time. It must be noted Dein's son was Thierry Henry's best man at his Wedding so obviously it's a big loss to the club.

I praise David Dein as he bought Bergkamp and Wenger over here and countless other stars who have played or still play for the club.

I'll give a more detailed view in the next few days.

It's worth looking at Arseblog who has a great article on the situation (the link is on the right hand side)

In Arsenal news:

Cesc Fabregas may not be fit for the Sp*rs game as he has a virus, Wenger said:

“He will have a test tomorrow to see how he feels. As it stand he is 50:50 today. We will not gamble on him. He is not injured but he has caught a virus.
“Freddie Ljungberg is a major doubt as well but we have not lost anybody else from Tuesday.”

DEIN SAGA UPDATE:

From Arsenal.com:

Arsène Wenger has described David Dein’s departure as a “sad day for Arsenal” but stressed that his position remains “very strongly” linked with the Club.
Mr Dein vacated his role as vice-chairman on Wednesday afternoon. It was the end of 24 years service on the Board. Speaking exclusively to Arsenal TV Online on Thursday, Wenger paid his own tribute.
“It is a sad day for Arsenal Football Club,” said the Arsenal manager. “It is a huge disappointment because we worked very closely together. David has contributed highly to the success of the Club in the last 10 years and even before that aswell. Red and white are the colours of his heart.”
At the same time, Wenger confirmed his commitment to Arsenal and his bond with the other directors.
“My position is that I am linked with the club very strongly,” said the 57-year-old. “The relationship with the rest [of the Board] has always been very good and we try always to have a good understanding.”

That's all folks!

Thanks to Novel from Arsenal TV for creating a header and a logo for the site! Cheers mate

David Dein Leaves Arsenal

David Dein has resigned form Arsenal Football Club in an astonishing move.

A statement read:

Arsenal Holdings plc - Directorate changeArsenal Holdings plc (the 'Company') announces that David Dein has left Arsenal Football Club and has ceased to be a director of the Company.Peter Hill-Wood, Chairman of the Company, would like to express his gratitude for the many years of loyal service given by David Dein to Arsenal Football Club and regrets that irreconcilable differences between Mr. Dein and the rest of the board have necessitated a parting of the ways.In light of recent speculation as to the ownership of the Company, the remaining Board members (together, the owners of 45.45% of the issued share capital of the Company) would like to reassure the shareholders, employees and fans of Arsenal Football Club that they remain long-term holders of their interests in the Company. To this effect, they have entered into an agreement not to dispose of their interests in the Company for at least one year and have confirmed that they intend to retain their interests on the expiration of this period.Arsenal Holdings Plc.18 April 2007

It is believe the departure followed after the rest of the board disagreed with Dein's opinion that the board should sell up.

More Tomorrow

City Report / Cesc Fabulous

You wait 11 months for a Cesc Fabregas league goal and then two come along in four days.
The Spanish playmaker all but secured Arsenal’s Champions League place with a magnificent late strike at the Emirates.
His first Premiership goal of the season had earned the crucial victory over Bolton at the weekend.
And the sublime senor was at it again last night with an impeccable drive into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Fabregas left to a standing ovation from a grateful crowd as he was replaced by Denilson for the final five minutes with the game won.
The Gunners now have an eight-point lead over fifth-placed Everton and, with an immensely superior goal difference, are now pretty much guaranteed another crack at Europe’s premier club contest.
Yet Fabregas’ 73rd-minute goal was totally out of place in a match played with all the intensity of an end-of-season testimonial.
Even Joey Barton could not raise the enthusiasm to collect a booking.
City arrived in London on the back of five games without a defeat and their Premiership survival all but assured. Boss Stuart Pearce had challenged his players to go the rest of the season unbeaten but that task proved to be beyond their reach.
Tomas Rosicky’s early strike should have meant a rare stress-free night for Arsene Wenger. But Arsenal never do things the easy way and, once again, put their boss through the wringer before settling it.
They had seized the lead in the 13th minute. DaMarcus Beasley was dispossessed in his own half by Abou Diaby’s thunderous tackle.

Diaby fed Emmanuel Eboue and his first-time cross to the far post allowed Rosicky to nip in front of Nedum Onuoha to convert.
Unfortunately, that was Diaby’s last meaningful contribution before departing with a cut head requiring four stitches after an ill-timed sliding tackle on Richard Dunne.
Sub Julio Baptista almost doubled Arsenal’s lead with a power free-kick which Dunne did well to head over.
But Arsenal’s lack of a cutting edge was to come back to haunt them in the 41st minute when they conceded an equaliser to City’s first shot on target.
Jens Lehmann’s poor kick went straight to Barton and his pass allowed Michael Johnson to tee up Beasley for an unchallenged shot inside the far post.
It was hardly a powerful argument for Lehmann to get the long-term contract he is demanding.
The 37-year-old German becomes a free agent next month and has still not committed himself to the one-year deal offered by Arsenal.

And last night’s shaky display will not have convinced Wenger that his accident-prone keeper is worthy of more, despite one neat save from Barton as Arsenal backed off again just before the break.
Yet Lehmann was by no means the only culprit as Wenger’s slackers made yet another mountain out of a molehill.
Emmanuel Adebayor allowed his close-range shot to be blocked by Sylvain Distin when the hitman had enough time to pick his spot.
Aleksandr Hleb also fired wide as the Gunners struggled to unlock a resolute City defence.
But, just when it was beginning to look as though Arsenal had run out of ideas, Fabregas pounced on Distin’s block from Rosicky to pinch the points.

City had deserved better — yet even the consolation of a narrow defeat was denied them when Baptista converted Hleb’s 80th-minute pass from close range.

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---------------Mighty-------------

---------------------Arsenal--------

Away from the pitch the Chairman PW talks about the potential sale of the club. He talks about Danny Fiszman selling some of his shares but this quote is telling and rather splendid:

"We’re here for Arsenal Football Club, not to make a few bob. We would be horrified to see it go across the Atlantic."

Well said PHW

Until tomorrow, my good old friends.

City Preview

We’ll be basically the same with only Freddie Ljungberg missing from Saturday’s squad. Who he picks to replace him will be interesting.
Does he play two strikers with or will he bring Abou Diaby into midfield. I suspect the latter. The boss is looking for stability in terms of his team selection so it makes sense to bring in somebody who, finishing aside, had a big impact against Bolton.
A win tonight would give us an eight point lead over Bolton and an Everton side who are building quite the head of steam at the moment. Plus we owe Citeh a beating after losing to them at the start of the season in a game we probably should have won.

Likely Line Up:

----------------Lehmann-------------------

-Eboue-----Toure-----Gallas-----Clichy----

-Hleb------Fabregas---Gilberto---Rosicky--

-----------Diaby----------------------------

---------------Adebayor------------

Well Done to Cesc Fabregas who has been nominated for the PFA Players player of the year and the PFA Young Player of the year award. He’s up against some decnt opposition on both fronts.

And that's all.

C'mon U Gunners!

Bolton Report

'At Fucking Last!'

In what was billed as a Champions League fourth place showdown Arsenal came out on top by beating Bolton Wanderers in a nail-biting, pulsating encounter at the Emirates Stadium.

This was a "must win" game for Bolton if they were to be seriously considered for that all-important final place and the chance at Champions League glory next season.

Yet it wasn't to be for Sam Allardyce's men as the Gunners shot them down although they made hard work of it and were forced to fight to the very death.Arsenal started the brighter yet it was the Wanderers that shocked the 60,000 fans by going 1-0 ahead thanks to former Highbury marksman Nicolas Anelka who prodded home from point-blank range on 11 minutes.

Once again Arsenal were to do it the hard way and found the equaliser after attacking relentlessly on 31 minutes through Czech Republic international Tomas Rosicky. He latched on to Emmanuel Adebayor's cross, shooting home from close range and levelling matters.

Both Arsenal and Bolton had chances to go ahead before the break with Fredrik Ljungberg going close for Arsenal and Anelka almost grabbing his second for Bolton.

The second half started in explosive fashion as Arsenal's Spanish wonderboy Cesc Fabregas fired Arsenal into the lead. The midfield starlet continued to dominate proceedings and was always instrumental in both Arsenal's defensive and offensive movements.

He rubbed salt into his countryman Ivan Campo's wounds by teaching him a footballing lesson throughout.However, Bolton were far from done and continued to pose a worry to Arsenal's fragile rearguard with great aerial threat and plenty of muscle-power when going forward.The Gunners then upped the ante by re-discovering their fluent passing game, but typically squandered numerous golden opportunities to put the game beyond doubt.Second-half substitute Abou Diaby was guilty of missing two golden chances which had the home fans on the edge of their seats for the full 90 minutes.

Their nerves were eased considerably with eight minutes left when a frustrated Campo picked up his second yellow card for an infringement on Rosicky.

Arsene Wenger's troops managed to old on to a precious three points and have now created a comfortable cushion between fourth and fifth place.After a disappointing first season in their wonderful new home at the Emirates Stadium, the minimum requirement for Arsenal was Champions League qualification and it seems as though it will now be achieved.

Reaction:

Wenger:

"I don't think fourth place is secure for us yet but this is another step forward after a very good performance.
"Once again we had to come from behind, but we played very well, created chances and the only regret is that we didn't finish them off sooner.
"Finishing in the top four is always our minimal target but sometimes, to improve, a young team needs to flirt with difficult periods so that you can come back stronger and I have been deeply impressed by our mentality."

Fat Sam: "It's hugely disappointing for us after such a very good start - that's the first time this season that we've gone in front and lost.
"But I think two big decisions went against us as well. Ivan Campo's first booking was unwarranted, even though the second was fair, and we think that Eboue's handball at the end was a stone-waller.
"We've also conceded two poor goals from our point of view so, all in all, it's disappointing.
"However, if we can finish fifth I would regard that as a fantastic achievement."

Piss off Sam you fat cu*t, how the fuck was that a penalty? It was ball to hand - Eboue might have a history but really Fat Walrus as talked shit all his managerial career.

Any way, it was a good result again but the worrying thing is that we failed to finish all our chances which isn't suprising considering we don't have our full strike force fit and ready.

The match report says it all - can you believe Diaby and Craptista fighting over that shot in the last ten minutes?! Fucking hilarious if you're a Bolton fan but we won eventually and Cesc scored a goal at last.

The Gunners host Man Citeh on Tuesday and if we win that we will certainly secure that Champions League spot.

That's all Folks!

The blog will continued to be updated - but not every day as i don't have a lot of time on my hands.

Adios

Bolton Preview

Ahead of tomorrow's match against Bolton there is no fresh injury worries with the threesome of Henry, RVP and Theo all out. The same defence will probably start whereas Denilson could start ahead of Hleb in Midfield. I'm guessing Ade will play upfront with either Craptista or Jeremie Crapialiere.

For Bolton their Star Captain Kevin Nolan Bolton returns after completing a two-match ban to give boss Sam Allardyce a virtually full-strength squad to choose from. While Kevin Davies who I believe is their biggest threat will start with former Gunner Nicolas Anelka upfront.

Hopefully Ade will cause problems against the Bolton defence.

My prediction is 2-1. I don't believe we will beat them the easy way but maybe if Gallas and Toure keep Anelka and Davies out the game we will have a good chance.

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In Other news:

It has been confirmed that Kroenke Sports Enterprises have a total stake in Arsenal of just over 11 per cent. One of the club's majority shareholders Danny Fiszman sold off around one per cent of his holding last month, and an announcement on the Alternative Plus Market Exchange - where Arsenal's shares are listed - has now confirmed that KSE were the buyers.
The Geneva-based Fiszman still has a 24.11 per cent stake, but if he decided to sell that to KSE, the US group would have well over the 30 per cent threshold needed to launch a formal takeover bid for Arsenal.

Interesting...

That's all!

They'll be no Blog tomorrow! so see you Sunday

Happy Friday 13th!

C'mon you Gunners!

We won't buy 'super super super' players...

That is what AW has literally said today and here's the quote:

"I'd be happy to go into next season with the same squad because we are in a growing process," said Wenger in The Mirror.
"The temptation is always there to spend but I'm more concerned with developing the young players.

You'd sometimes think London Colney is a nursery for 5 year olds who are 'great dribbler's' and a 'good prospect' but will end up going to Reading like Sidwell and Harper did. I think Ribery would be a 'super super' signing and would wrestle that right-midfield spot of Alex Hleb. If we (hopefully) don't sign 'The Beast' Craptista we would bring Bendtner into that role which would be interesting in League Cup games, Bendtner and Ade upfront would be a great striking partnership but that is if we keep Jeremie 'Can't score in the Premiership for my life' Aliadiere in the squad for next season with Boro interested in him.

Ahead of Saturday's game against Fat Sam's Bogey Men Kevin Davies has started the mind games:

"All the pressure will be on Arsenal, because they are expected to get into the Champions League," he explained.
"But we proved in the FA Cup that we can go there and get a result and we're really looking forward to Saturday."

I am as well, hopefully the atmosphere will be good and we will see the likes of Ade, Cesc or even Freddie grab a goal in a vital match would almost secure 4th spot in the table.

That's all today!

Thank's to 'The Online Gooner' 'Arsenal TV' and Shakeel for the link exchange and of course thanks to everyone who has left comments on the blog.
This time next year we'll be up there with Arseblog and the rest!

Later!

Reserves win / Henry Staying

Not much today but last night our Reserves won their match against Fulham by a goal to nil thanks to a header by Swiss Defender Johan Djourou.

Our Midfield Maestro Cesc Fabregas has warned his team mates ahead of the match against Bolton on Saturday he said:

"We have to beat Bolton because we have to fight for the fourth place and be in Europe next season, then forget about this season"

Yep, forget about this season! It's not as simple as that, first we need to get points out our final matches this season.

In other news once again Thierry says he's staying:

"I don't know what to say any more or what to do - maybe having a T-shirt on me saying I'm staying at Arsenal and walking around London is the only thing I can do,"

The press would probably complain that the T-Shirt is Barca colours and that he will join them!

That's all, some French midfielder might join us but i can't be arsed to put a link up.

Good Day!

Toon Review / Transfer News

Yesterday's match wasn't particuarly entertaining - mainly because both teams played 48 hours before against United & United. Arsenal were not really fluid and a draw over 90 minutes was a fair result considering Lehmann made a difficult fingertip save from Milner's cross/shot. In the last ten minutes we nearly one the match but Newcastle's saviour - the smallest man on the pitch Nobby Solano! He cleared of the line first from Fabregas then from a curling Gilberto shot which whipped itself onto Solano's head... so unlucky. But after the game I was thinking we were let off by the Bolton result and it got me thinking I said to myself 'Shit we're playing those bastards again'. Our last result against them was a great scoreline - 3-1 we had two penalties, two 1 on 1's and eventually won the tie in extra time. Some fan's our confident that we will muller them but I think if they play like they do every time they visit us we will lose or draw.

Where will the goals come from? that's one of the question's AW has difficulty answering. So Arsene where will the goals come from? I'm guessing his reply will be:

"We will find the resources because we have to win this game on Saturday"

Let's just hope we can get a result against Bolton on Saturday.

In transfer news: Jens Lehamnn will open talks with the club in the next few weeks about a new contract at the club.

Franck Ribery has warned us and Manure that he will leave Marseille at the end of the season.

Arsene Wenger says Bolton have blown their chance to sneak into the final Champions League spot.

and finally... Wayne Rooney's brother Graham and his girlfriend Carly Gardiner are in demand as lookalikes for the Manchester United star and his fiancee Coleen.

Toon Report

Honours even as Newcastle have now gone three successive matches without a goal at St James' Park in what was the second draw between these clubs this season. Neither side appeared to have the drive or determination to break the deadlock in a season that will end trophy-less for both clubs.

Newcastle's slim hopes of a UEFA place are as good as over - the best they can hope for being a shot at the much maligned Intertoto Cup for a second successive season. For Arsenal, it looks like being a season that can't come to an end soon enough. The best efforts saw James Milner rattle the Arsenal bar while Gilberto had two shots cleared off the line by Nobby Solano.Alexander Hleb created the first chance with a left-footed drive that brought a good low save from Shay Given.At the other end, Solano broke on the right and his telling cross was just deflected wide of the onrushing Kieron Dyer.

Jens Lehmann then came to the Arsenal rescue when an Emre free-kick broke to Steven Taylor and the big defender looked on course for goals in successive games, only to see the German defender claw out his low shot.Newcastle suffered a setback after 26 minutes when Given limped off with what appeared a recurrence of his groin injury, with Steve Harper taking over in goal.Emmanuel Adebayor should have done better than to head over when meeting a Cesc Fabregas corner on the half hour.Newcastle finished more strongly and Damien Duff had two good chances. First he saw Gael Clichy force a shot wide and then pulled an effort wide himself when in a great position. The woodwork came to the rescue for Arsenal just 30 seconds into the second half when Milner made space on the right and his deep cross sailed over Lehmann and crashed to safety off the bar.

Dyer limped out of action after 52 minutes to be replaced by Charles N'Zogbia, but the young Frenchman struggled to make any impression on the game.With Obafemi Martins ineffective up front, Newcastle were left with few options having already lost Dyer.

But it was not much better at the other end where Adebayor and Abou Diaby made little impression against the Newcastle rearguard.

The best chances for the Gunners came six minutes from time when Stephen Carr was caught ball-watching and twice Solano had to be at his brave best, blocking Gilberto shots on the goal-line and winning praise from Harper for his heroics.A draw was by far the fairest result for both teams, who overall lacked any clinical finishing.

Toon Preview

Newcastle v Arsenal
Barclays Premiership Mon, 9 Apr 07, 15:00 St James' Park

Tomorrow at 3:00 we are away to Newcastle in a game which could put us into a good position to qualify for the Champions League. If we don't win - expect a bad reaction from the Supporters and pray that we take all three points when we play Bolton at the Emirates this Saturday.

Hleb (hopefully) will be replaced by Freddie while Cesc has been good but give Diaby another chance and i'm sure he'll impress. While i think Ade needs another striker to play with him. It's Ali or Bap! After yesterday's poor finishing I expect Baptista. As for Newcastle coming into this game they have beaten Sheffield United where Obafemi Martins was the main-man for The Toon. James Milner put's in the crosses Siberski heads them in, Martins runs at the defence while their weak points are at the back where Titus Bramble looks more Conference standard than Premiership class. If Arsenal finish their chances they will win by a couple of goals but if they don't Newcastle will get the same result The Hammers got yesterday.

Team News:

Newcastle captain Scott Parker is a major doubt with the ankle injury that forced him off in the 56th minute the 2-1 victory at Sheffield United.
Emre, who replaced Parker at Bramall Lane, is in line to start should Parker not be passed fit.

Arsenal will bring midfielder Denilson back in the squad after he was rested for the defeat by West Ham on Saturday.
Manager Arsene Wenger may freshen things up at St James' Park following three straight league defeats.

If Cesc plays he will make his 100th appearance for the club.

In transfer news: Jean Makoun claims that Arsenal could launch a summer bid for his services, the midfielder spoke of Arsenal's interest:

"Arsenal are a possibility," admitted Makoun in the Sunday Mirror.
"I know their scouts have come to see me play several times and I have had a phone call from Arsene Wenger too." said the Lille Midfielder.

That's all for today!

Come on you REDS!

Missed Chances....

The story of our season has been missed chances and lazy finishing. Yesterday I said Zamora and Tevez would be threats to our Defence...they weren't.

Here's Pete's report on the game:

"West Ham's resurgent form continued witha 1-0 win against Arsenal at the Emirates. The Hammers had to thank Bobby Zamora for his chipped goal, but more importantly, Robert Green, who made a number of crucial saves. The Hammers however held on and after becoming the last team to beat the Gunners at Highbury, have become the first to win at the Emirates.Arsenal dominated from start to finish, but just like against Blackburn and CSKA Moscow, couldn't get the goal.
The Gunners saw many chances wasted in which they really should have put away. We should have won this one, but it's the same old story we've seen this season with us dominating but somehow coming away with zero points. It leaves us worryingly looking over our shoulders with Bolton just two points behind.
The problem now with Arsenal is that they've not got a prolific goalscorer since Van Persie and Henry got injured. The goals are going to have to come and fast.The win gives West Ham renewed hope of escaping relegation, and looking at their performances, could just make them pull off the great escape. The vital goal came just before half time, when Bobby Zamora chipped Jens Lehmann to give the Hammers a most unlikely lead.
The most extraordinary thing about the match is just how West Ham held on, as the second half was just Arsenal leading the charge with attack after attack. Many player including Gilberto and Fabregas saw their chances squandered with Robert Green putting in a heroic performance with brilliant vital saves.
Arsenal were left perplexed at how they didn't get anything out of this game, while West Ham revelled in their third straight win."

Quote's:

Wenger on the Fans frustration:
"I can always understand the fans frustration. They want us to win and that's understandable. The players gave absolutely everything and we have to deal with the frustrations of the fans. It's part of our job. We have not to judge how people respond, we have to accept that and deal with that. We have to make sure we give everything we can and on this side I feel the team deserve a lot of credit. Of course the fans want us to win the game and when they see you lose a game like that they are frustrated, that's normal. "


That report says everything about our poor finishing. Last week at Anfield the players looked like they had nothing to play for - they did. The fourth Champions League spot is gradually drifting away from us with Bolton three points behind though we do have a game in hand. On Monday Arsenal visit St James's Park in an important match against Newcastle. Maybe we will play like we did agaisnt West Ham and waste/fail to finish chances OR possibly score 2+ goals and keep a good run going til the end of the season. I'm not bothered about the first Home defeat or the fact West Ham did the double over us this season, I want to see Arsenal secure that 4th spot and come back next season firing all cylinders...

Maybe it will happen or not.

I'll try and get round to doing a Newcastle preview for tomorrow.

And there you go... more tomorrow

Henry Staying / No Bid For Tevez

I wasn't too sure if I should post today so i'll do news in brief.

Our Master Striker Thierry Henry is (of course) staying at Arsenal. The newspaper stories yesterday saying Henry will go to Barca/Inter for £16 mil are a pile of crap, here's what AW said

"I had a chat with Thierry this morning. He asked me whether I’d read the newspapers. I’d not heard about his story. But it’s completely invented. He’s clear, he wants to stay. I’m clear, I want him to stay. So that story has been created. The story is wrong."

Thank's for clearing that up Lord Arsene!

Oh... and some interesting news on the Transfer front. AW has said he will probably stick with this squad for next season, Franck Ribery has said if Marseille fail to qualify for the Champions League he will leave. That surely signals that we should make a move for him, he's a quality player and would challenge Hleb & Freddie for that RM spot.

That's all for today Folks!

Good luck to the lads for the West Hame game today which is on Arsenal TV Online.

Au Revoir

West Ham preview / Kroenke buys stake in Gunners

Tomorrow's match against West Ham can put us third if Liverpool lose against Reading (ok that's not going to happen) But the match is important for the players and it will help the players get their confidence back for the final games of this difficult Premiership season.

The team news is that our probable captain for today Gilberto is back in the squad after a hip complaint whilst Jeremie Aliadiere might challenge The 'Beast' Baptista for his place upfront.

This game is also important for West Ham who have a relegation battle to fight and their recent form against Arsenal is good, maybe they will be the first team to win at the Emirates though i hope these words don't come back to bite me.

I think if the Arsenal squad is motivated we should win by a couple of goals but if they play like they did at Anfield then they will punish us and most likely get a good result at the Emirates. I've already said that their main threat is Argentine striker Carlos Tevez but a few other players might impress like Reo-Coker, Zamora etc

Sadly i can't find many quotes from Wenger about this match but West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand has spoken of playing at the new stadium against The Gunners:

"It's going to be a very tough game for us but we always play well against the big sides.
"I've been there to watch my brother Rio and it's an unbelievable stadium. I'm really looking forward to it.
"They have players that play in big games, so it's going to be a very hard game. But hopefully we'll be the first team to beat them there."

That's hope we can get one over West Ham!

In other Arsenal news Stan Kroenke's company KSE Enterprise has bought a 9.9% stake in Arsenal PLC (The club's company)

He will also buy 50% of Arsenal Broadband LTD, all of this could cost the American up to £65,000,000. Don't tell me the man is going to pay that much of his money and not going to bid for the Club!

Maybe more info will come in the next few days.

In other news Barca apparently want Henry and are willing to offer 50 mil for him. No thanks. Oh yes... remember yesterday when i said Sp*rs were going to lose against Sevilla? Well they lost 2-1 and some of their fans got hurt in some crowd trouble - Ah diddums.

That's it for today. I'll do a review of the West Ham game on Sunday.

Gooner Chris

Champions League / New Signing

Not much to talk about today, it seems as if the Champions League has been the Main Topic this week and that's what I want im going to start with.




Horrific scenes in the Champions League Quarter's yesterday. Roma got themselves in a one goal lead before half time and then...it all kicked off.


Some sort of missiles were being thrown back and forth (most likely coins) and as United fans responded to the taunting from Roma fans, Italian Police stepped in. Some fans were on the floor getting batons across their bodies whereas others were being restrained for no apparent reason. Those scenes cleared up and after Half Time and Roma went on to win by two goal's to one - with Ginger boy Scholes getting sent off for United.

In the other Champions League tie played last night Chelsea fought out a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge against Spanish Giants Valencia. David Silva opened the scoring with a spectacular shot which arrowed past Chelsea keeper Cech from an acute angle. After the break it was Chelsea who controlled and it paid off when on-fire foward Didier Drogba neatly finshed. At least there was no crowd trouble here.



In Arsenal news we will apparently beat Liverpool to the signature of Valencia's young Portugese defender Yago Fernandez. Fernandez plays for the Portugese under-19 team and with a possible move to a Premiership club on the way Fernandez went against signing a Pro contract with his club. This is what he said:


"This is the biggest opportunity of my life," he is quoted in the Daily Mirror.
"I know Wenger works with young players and I will have more chance at Arsenal than in Spain."


He is sure right - and maybe it will be good for someone to challenge Big Phil and Johan in that postition.



More transfer news and Samuel Eto'o might join Liverpool, Nicklas Bendtner's agent has told Celtic and Rangers they have no chance of getting him to sign for them and finally if your interested in the UEFA Cup, Sp*rs play Sevilla tonight in a game which they will defintely lose!



Finally... we've seen some pictures of what looks like our away kit for next season. Some people have a problem with it as it's Sp*rs colours but to me it doesn't matter what kit the team wears - it's about how they perform on a Football pitch.





That's it for today.



Enjoy your day.



I'll do a West Ham preview for tomorrow.



Au Revoir



Gooner Chris

Welcome... to my Blog!

Well, i've just created this blog for no real purpose other than talking about Arsenal and of course The beautiful game.

First, I'll start with the Champions League and Liverpool. Last night they managed to do something Arsenal couldn't in this year's Champions League - win against PSV. Not only did the scouser's win 3-0 comfortably, their support was terrific as usual with the 'Fields of Anfield Road' song belting out with 1,600 Liverpool fans singing. Hopefully next season the atmosphere will change at the Emirates with a few drums to make the noise. If you're wondering who else played last night, AC Milan and Bayern Munich fought out a fantastic 2-2 draw with the opener from Andrea Pirlo after some astounding saves from Bayern rookie goalkeeper Michael Rensing. Bayern started putting on the pressure and it eventually counted when Van Buyten finished neatly after some great work from the German Champions.

The second Milan goal came in second half, a dubious penalty from Kaka - when it looked as if Lucio made contact with the ball. Ten minutes from time you'd expect Milan to just edge it but as four minutes of stoppage time were added a free kick taken by Man United target Owen Hargreaves reached Van Buyten for the late, late equaliser to ensure Bayern take a good score to the Allianz Arena in the second leg. The team that goes through will play either Roma or Manchester United which makes for an exciting semi-final tie. Those two teams are playing each other tonight as well as Valencia v Chelsea which will surely be a watchable tie with Spanish hotshot David Villa on show.

Now onto Arsenal! Mighty Arsenal host relgation zone team West Ham who hope to continue their recent good run against us. It is most notable of their threat upfront with the in-form Argentine striker Carlos Tevez looking to make an impression against a team he might of joined in the January Transfer window. Arsenal though, need to get back to form as fourth place still hasn't been wrapped up with Bolton, Everton, Reading and even Tottenham looking to get qualify for the European spot's next season. One thing the team don't lack (apparently) is motivation, that's what our Ivorian Rock Kolo Toure said speaking to Arsenal.com after the loss at Anfield Toure told reporters:

"We lost but it is definitely a big motivation for the players to finish in third place. We are professional and we need to stay motivated because we are a big club and every game is important for us. We need to be really strong all over the pitch. When we win we win together and when we fail we fail together"

Well said Kolo.

Oh and just before I forget Mathieu Flamini has decided he will leave in the summer after not getting much playing time this season. It's understandable as he has chipped in with a few important goals most notably Zagreb and Liverpool and hasn't been in the Arsenal squad recently. The Frenchman said enough is enough:

"I have reached the end of a cycle. The Arsenal team is young and has qualities, but I play rarely at the moment. It is a difficult moment to experience and in such a situation any player asks himself some questions. Above all I want to go on working and improving."

We've got quite a few midfield players ahead of him like Abou & Denilson but if he goes I'd like to say thank you for the work you have done and wish him luck for the future.

Maybe I'll do a West Ham preview in a couple of days.

Look out for it!

Gooner_Chris