Unknown Russian buys Dein's Arsenal stake

Ex-Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has sold his 14.5% stake in the club to a firm co-owned by a Russian billionare.

The involvement of Alisher Usmanov, who paid £75m for the holding, adds to pressure on the club's board to give in to a takeover.

Mr Dein has been named chairman of the firm, Red & White Holdings, allowing him a way back into Arsenal.

He left the board after it failed to back his plan for the club to be taken over by American Stanley Kroenke.

Red & White said it felt it crucial that manager Arsene Wenger stayed at Arsenal as he was "vital to the future success of the club".
Mr Dein, a close ally of Mr Wenger, said the club needed people or consortia "prepared to invest previously unimaginable sums aimed at winning the game's biggest prizes".
He added was "delighted" to have found investors who shared his vision for the club.
"I have always had the best interests of Arsenal at heart. I've had a love affair with the club since I was six," he said.

WHO IS FARHAD MOSHIRI?

*Majority shareholder in Metalloinvest, a Russian mining and metallurgy firm

*Share portfolio includes holdings in Russian business newspaper Kommersant and mobile phone firm Megafon

*General Director of Gazprominvestholding, investment arm of Gazprom

*Heads the Russian and European Fencing Federations

So a rich russian wants to take over Arsenal with David Dein.

Good idea or bad idea - im still undecided?

Arsenal to play Steaua, Slavia Prague and Sevilla or AEK

Another fairly easy draw. The only team that should be a threat is Sevilla, Other than that i'm quite happy with the draw.

Champions League draw:

Group A: Liverpool, FC Porto, Marseille, Besiktas

Group B: Chelsea, Valencia, Schalke, Rosenborg

Group C: Real Madrid, Werder Bremen, Lazio, Olympiacos

Group D: AC Milan, Benfica, Celtic, Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E: Barcelona, Lyon, VfB Stuttgart, Rangers

Group F: Manchester United, AS Roma, Sporting Lisbon, Dynamo Kyiv

Group G: Internazionale, PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow, Fenerbahçe

Group H: Arsenal, Sevilla/AEK Athens, Steaua Bucharest, Slavia Prague

Arsenal 3-0 Sparta Prague (5-0 on Aggregate)

JUST because last night was incredibly dull at times, it doesn’t make a 5-0 aggregate beating of Sparta Prague a bad result.

We were calm and measured in the face of hostility in the first leg and always in control in the second leg. Last night’s ease of victory, and the early opening goal in particular, may have been completely out of keeping with the new norm of dramatic late comebacks, but the fact is you can’t have it both ways.

The team selection at least made interesting reading. Hoyte came in at right-back, Senderos was fit to partner Kolo, allowing Gilberto and Diaby to replace Cesc and Flamini in midfield. Walcott came in for Hleb and Eduardo for Adebayor.

Our start was crisp and professional. Everyone seemed to know their roles and everyone looked comfortable in them. And our early dominance was rewarded with a fine goal on seven minutes. Hoyte showed just how much he has improved on the ball in the last year. He linked up with Walcott, who sped to the byline and then pulled across a ball that was both pacey and accurate.

It was met by Tom Rosicky who swept it home in top David Platt style.
The rest of the half was fairly dull truth be told, but at least we were doing the simple things right. Diaby was on the whole putting himself about, Senderos looked assured, Walcott was clearing at least some of the mental cob-webs that seem to have built up and Eduardo was full of running. A rare error came from the slightly below par Gael Clichy, who allowed his man to get completely the wrong side of him.

The resulting shot flew inches wide.
It was no more interesting after the break, except Sparta began to have more of the play and we started to muck around.

I haven’t read Arsene’s quotes but I imagine when asked about the start of the second half he said something like:

“I feel that physically and mentally our levels dropped a bit. But still, we were professional.”
And that pretty much sums it up. You never felt as if Sparta were about to spring an upset but you still got frustrated with frequent dawdling all round the pitch.
Besides being a fairly decent player, Cesc Fabregas is an exceptional substitute so it was no surprise that when he replaced the (understandably) tiring Diaby, things picked up. The other change was Adebayor for RVP. Now Adebayor is an interesting one. I know he was poor on Saturday but I was still shocked by the number of people who seem to have suddenly turned against him.

From being a deserving cult-hero, some are now seeing him like they did Kevin Campbell in 1994 and I think that’s rather unfair frankly.
Anyway, the last ten minutes came and once again Arsenal made a mockery of those who insist on leaving early. It’s funny, because so often you can’t see these goals coming in the sense of turning to your mate and saying: “We’re going to score in a minute”, but at the same time they seem to arrive with such regularity that not even Fergie could feign surprise if we did what we did to them last season this season.

It was the lively Eduardo who burst down the left, beat his man and pulled the ball back for Cesc. He took a touch and then hit it early from around 16 yards, Frank Lampard stylee. And sure enough, if flew in Lampard style - a thumping finish but had it been your own keeper you might have asked a few questions. The value of taking it early I guess.
Then the crowd were sent home happy when Denilson (who had replaced Rosicky) dilly-dallied in true Arsenal style with Adebayor before eventually sending in a cross that Eduardo kind of skewered home with an outstretched foot. There looked a hint of offside about it a la Rosicky against Wigan last season (except without the chip factory on shoulder Paul Jewell standing on the touchline), but it was deserved reward for Eduardo’s industrious performance.

He and RVP (or any of our forward pairings for that matter), still look a million miles away from Henry and Bergkamp at their best. But the point is that in Henry and Bergkamp you had two of the most sublime touches ever to grace these shores. Neither RVP or Eduardo or any of our strikers will ever be better at being Henry and Bergkamp than Henry and Bergkamp were.

But that does not mean you can’t be just as effective.

Some of you will be annoyed I’ve given so many 7s in the playa ratings. I’m afraid it is deliberate. This was a solid, professional performance where almost everyone did their job well without being spectacular.

To say anything else would be to over analyse.

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The Mighty Arsenal TV will only be avaliable for Match Day's.

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Cheers.

R.I.P Antonio Puerta

This is shocking news and terrible for the game, UEFA have postponed Tuesday night's Champions League qualifier between AEK Athens and Sevilla after the death on Tuesday of the Spanish club's defender Antonio Puerta. The 22-year-old Spain international collapsed on the pitch during the weekend game against Getafe and, though he was able to walk off, suffered a relapse in the dressing room and required cardiac resuscitation. It is believed the first-team squad is currently flying back to Spain from Greece.

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Puerta has been a member of the Sevilla first team for three seasons and spent 14 years in total with the Andalusian club he joined as a boy. Earlier in the day, doctors confirmed Puerta's condition had deteriorated. Dr Francisco Murillo, head of the intensive care unit at the hospital, said: "The condition of patient Antonio Puerta is not favourable due to the progression of the postanoxic brain injury and the multiple organic dysfunction caused by the prolonged cardiac arrest that led to his admission to hospital."

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Puerta, whose girlfriend is pregnant, had been a member of the Sevilla first team for three seasons and spent 14 years in total with the Andalusian club he joined as a boy. A later statement from Dr Murillo confirmed the death. It read: "We regret to announce that the patient Antonio Puerta died at 14.30 (local time) as a consequence of postpanoxic encephalopathy and multiorganic dysfunction provoked by the cardiac arrest."

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ANTONIO PUERTA FACTFILE:

1984: November 26 - Born Seville, Spain.

2002: Joins Sevilla 'B' team.

2004: September 19 - Makes his Primera Liga debut as a substitute in 3-0 win over Levante. November - Starts his first match for Sevilla senior side and scores opening goal in 2-1 defeat to Numancia.

2006: Became a regular in Sevilla side, playing over 25 games in all competitions. April - Scores extra-time winning goal in UEFA Cup semi-final victory over Schalke. May - Picks up UEFA Cup winner's medal despite missing out on 4-0 final win over Middlesbrough.

2007: May - Plays full 120 minutes as club clinch second consecutive UEFA Cup with win on penalties in final against Espanyol. June - Helps Sevilla finish third in La Liga, making 46 appearances during season. August 25 - Collapses on pitch 35 minutes into first match of 2007/08 campaign against Getafe. Though able to walk off, he suffers a relapse in the dressing room and requires cardiac resuscitation after being rushed to hospital. August 28 - After three days in intensive care, passes away aged 22.

Our Champions League Hopes

Can we do it again?

So as we approach our game against Sparta Prague - In a game where we could but more so, should go through to the Group Stage of the Champions League - the media are already questioning our hopes of progressing to the knockout stage, let alone winning the competition. They must have a memory of a fish if they can't remember our inspirational European run in the 2005/06 campaign where we reached the final in Paris and on a another day, we would of won that game at the Stade De France - If it hadn't been down to a crazy German, a shattered Frenchman, a dodgy Spaniard and a Graham Poll-esque referee to cap it all off. But now I can safely say that we are over it and now we will look to go one step further this year.

As you are aware, most if not, all the media is very much anti-Arsenal and will slag off the team at any opportunity they can get so I'd thought that I should write my thoughts on our Champions League ambitions without the anti-Arsenal crap and tell you like it is from a fans point of view.

I'm going to take it that we will win, or at least progress on Wednesday and I will look further ahead to the group stage and beyond because unless we have a big shock on the cards - which I hope we don't - then I could probably put my life on that we will go proceed and be in the draw come Friday.

I believe the main thing to do well in this competition is luck. I know we deserved to get to Paris and our performances were truly breathtaking but to be honest, in 2006 we were a tad fortunate along the way: The group stage draw, who you get in the knockout stage, your ability to avoid injuries and how your players play on the day are just to name a few things we were fortunate in and will need to happen again this year. The other important factor you need to suceed in is a large squad size with alot of depth - how many positions you have experienced cover in. Take a look at the other 'big' teams in the competition: Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter, Chelsea and Man United. They all each have huge squads and have spent millions this summer to try and add depth to their squad and it has seemed to of worked but only time will tell whether their money has been well spent or not. We now have to compete with these teams and I for one, think we can handle it - Assuming that we have a defence by then. By this rate, we'll be lucky if we have 2 natural defenders playing at the back.

Although we have only added to our squad with the likes of Eduardo, Sagna and I suppose Bendtner counts as another. That is nothing compared to what the other teams have done - Well mostly Real Madrid - Robben, Heinze, Emerson, Henry, Drenthe, Sneijder. But now we know what we are up against and need to get ready for one of the biggest challenges for us in years - Compete with the teams with the best squads with the best players from around the globe and compete in the most protegious competition is Europe.

In my unbiased, but none the less honest opinion, our squad is good enough to win it. Although we have lost the likes of Henry, Campbell, Pires and Bergkamp since Paris '06, players like Toure, van Persie, Eboue, Clichy, Fabregas, Hleb and Adebayor have all improved dramatically and with the likes of Sagna, Rosicky and Eduardo coming in since then, we have a real chance of impressing in this competition and shutting up all the Mark Lawrenson's in the world and proving our critics wrong. We just need to keep that 'togetherness' in the team and get a tad luckier with the injuries - especially in our defence.

So, I ask all Arsenal fans to keep the support going, keep the faith up and cheer on the team all the way on our long journey where we should end in Moscow come the end of May.

Arsenal 1-0 Svenchester City

It's funny how a goal and a win can change the perception of a match. For 80 minutes yesterday, Arsenal built pressure and had shots on goals without scoring and flattered to deceive. A 0-0, perhaps worse, seemed on the cards.

And then the little Catalan steps up, works his magic, and a game we might have drawn last year is three points. A win is a win, but its games like these that we should be winning more comfortably, and the team still seems to lack a little coherency and balance.

Credit where it's due though: City have improved massively.

Richards and Dunne are as good a centre-back partnership that exists in the premiership, and with better players in front of him, Elano would have had an assist. One thing does need to be cleared up: Schmeichel did not have a good game.

He was protected by a superb defence, and when he was tested he flapped and parried. His penalty save was illegal (he was about five metres off his line when it was taken) and not very difficult (RvP hit it straight at him). Just because his dad was good doesn't mean he was 'impressive'; he wasn't.

A few things in particular need to be said about our performance. Firstly, the Djourou loan is increasingly looking like madness.

We have, at current, one fit centre-back at the club. Gilberto is not a centre-back and looked uncomfortable there.Secondly, while he can 'do-a-job' there, Flamini is not a right-back. He was particularly guilty of allowing Petrov acres of space which a better played would have punished.Hleb was our man of the match. Cesc may have scored, but Hleb won a penalty, got an assist., and caused all sorts of trouble.

Finally, I think, people are starting to give him some credit, and he's been outstanding so far this year. Yes, Hleb can lose the ball; but at times he looks like the only one of our players who wants to make something happen. His continued unwillingness to shoot remains my major criticism of him, but this seems to be gradually changing.

Almunia was solid, yet only had two real saves to make. The jury remains out, but he didn't put a foot wrong yesterday.Rosicky is becoming a worry. He's not scoring, even though he's been afforded chances.

Personally, I don't think a right-footed central midfielder should be playing on the left. We so clearly need a left-winger, I would almost see it as wilfully negligent of Arsene not to go for broke and try to sign one in the next few days.Bendtner should have come on after an hour. Adebayor didn't look fit and struggled badly at times.

Bendtner looks like a player who can change a game from the bench, and Arsene needs to make this substitution earlier in future.van Persie was effectively nullified by the City centre-backs and started acting petulantly.

He had a visible fall out with Rosicky, and also was unhappy at a final ball from Eduardo. Lets hope he can keep these primadonna tendencies in check.

Overall, 3 games, 2 wins, 1 draw. I can't help but feel that last year, we would have drawn this match, and possibly that against Fulham. When Mark Lawrenson even begins to visibly hedge his bets regarding us and a title challenge, perhaps our status as dark-horse contenders is not wholly unjustified.

Arsenal v Man City - The Preview

I haven't had time to do a preview so Courtesy of Arsenal.com here is Richard Clarke's preview of today's game.

Arsène Wenger has paid tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s survival instincts ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The Swede was left battered and bruised by his five years in charge of England so eyebrows were raised after he took over at Eastlands in the summer. Most expected that resilience would be needed early in the campaign as Eriksson’s numerous new arrivals attempted to pull the Citizens away from their perennial flirtation with the Premier League drop zone.

However, in the words of Wenger, Manchester City have ‘super-clicked, super-quickly’. They arrive in North London as League leaders and only the 11th team in the history of the English top-flight to win their first three games without conceding a goal.

“When you buy more than three players I feel you take a technical risk to destabilise the unity,” said the Arsenal manager at his pre-match press conference on Thursday. “It can take six months to click. But they have super clicked, super quickly. They are top of the league with three wins from three games. You cannot do better than that. It could last, it could not but we will know after a few more games.”

Saturday’s match will mean Eriksson has managed five different teams against Arsenal during his career — Gothenburg, Sampdoria, Lazio, Benfica and Manchester City — surely some kind of record.

“There is no secret there,” said Wenger. “Those who survive are the good ones. Consistency is always linked with quality.
“Maybe he wants to show people how good he is. For me, he is a very good manager and his record with England was very good.

Arsenal have Jens Lehmann sidelined for at least two weeks with an Achilles injury so Manuel Almunia takes the keeper’s gloves. William Gallas is out with a groin problem picked up at Blackburn last weekend so Kolo Toure takes the captaincy. Emmanuel Eboue (ankle) is still absent but Gilberto (fatigue) and Emmanuel Adebayor (groin) are available for the first time this season.

The Manchester City side is a shadow of last term’s version. In the summer the following players went out: Joey Barton (Newcastle); Sylvain Distin (Portsmouth); Nicky Weaver (Charlton); Trevor Sinclair (released), Stephen Jordan (released) and Hatem Trabelsi (released). While these came in: Rolando Bianchi (Reggina), Gelson Fernandes (FC Sion), Geovanni (Cruzeiro), Elano (Shakhtar Donetsk), Javi Garrido (Real Socidedad), Vedran Corluka (Dinamo Zagreb) and Valeri Bojinov (Fiorentina).

The arrivals were unknowns to most but not Wenger. "I knew all the ones who came in,” he said. “Corluka, Elano and Petrov are all good talents in my opinion. And yes they did very well but don't forget the players that have done extremely well this season are Michael Johnson, Micah Richards and Richard Dunne. They've been outstanding. Of course you talk about the players they bought but these three players were outstanding on the reports I got.”
Of those three, Richards is the one who had caught Wenger’s eye. “He can be a great player,” he said. I'm convinced of that when you look at how he plays at his age. He has no inhibitions and such power too. Certainly he has the potential.”

Despite having moved on from the national side, the emergance of Richards and Johnson this season could well mean Eriksson's spell in this country still leaves a positive legacy for English football.

My Prediction: 2-1 Arsenal, Ade to get back on the score sheet with a brace.

C'MON YOU GUNNERS!

Oh no! Not Again!

NOT AGAIN!!!!

Arsenal were left to rue a moment of carelessness by goalkeeper Jens Lehmann which gifted Blackburn a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.

He allowed Blackburn to secure a point when he flapped at a shot from David Dunn and watched in disbelief as it nestled in the net.

It was the second time this season the German has been punished for a lack of concentration. On the opening day of the season he allowed Fulham's David Healy to score from close range.

Arsenal went on to secure a victory against their London neighbours but were not so fortunate in Lancashire after Robin van Persie had given them the lead.

The only sour note for Blackburn was the dismissal of skipper Ryan Nelsen for two yellow cards.
Arsenal took the lead in the 18th minute when Van Persie took advantage of some sloppy defending to score.

Goalkeeper Brad Friedel failed to deal with Eduardo Da Silva's shot after Theo Walcott had headed the ball on.

Nelsen and David Dunn both had chances to clear but failed to do so and Van Persie took advantage his second goal of the season

It was just the start Arsenal wanted after their Champions League victory against Sparta Prague in midweek.

However manager Arsene Wenger was forced to make a change in the 25th minute with William Gallas limping off and replaced by Philippe Senderos.

Blackburn almost drew level in the 34th minute following a free-kick from David Bentley.

He picked out Christopher Samba at the back post and the towering defender headed the ball back across the area.

Nelsen was the first to react and powered the ball forward only to see his effort come back off the post.

Blackburn, though, were still looking vulnerable at the back and a mistake by Stephen Warnock let in Walcott with Nelsen dragged out of position.

Walcott was in two minds whether to shoot or cross and failed to trouble Friedel in the home goal.

The Arsenal youngster sent a harmless ball across the face of the area and Van Persie was unable to get a touch.

Then Senderos delivered a goal-bound header a minute before the break only to see Samba make the clearance.

Bentley then tried to curl a free-kick beyond Lehmann in the 53rd minute but his effort fail to trouble the goalkeeper.

This was a good spell by Blackburn and Roque Santa Cruz sent a header narrowly wide of the post in the 57th minute following a free-kick from Bentley.

Derbyshire then almost equalised three minutes later when he got on the end of a cross from

Bentley but Toure made a vital interception.

There was controversy in the 62nd minute when Cesc Fabregas handled Samba's effort on the line but referee Alan Wiley awarded Arsenal a free-kick for an infringement.

Lehmann had to look lively in the 66th minute to push away an inswinging free-kick driven at pace from Morten Gamst Pedersen.

Then came his howler which allowed Dunn to score his first goal in his second spell for the club.
Blackburn were growing in confidence and Pedersen made space down the left only to find the side-netting with his shot.

However they were reduced to 10 men in the 83rd minute when Nelsen picked up his second yellow card of the game for a challenge on Van Persie.
Blackburn, though, kept their shape to take a point and continue their good start to the season whereas The Gunners will feel they lost 2 points thanks to their German keeper.

Next up: Manchester City at the Emirates next Saturday

The Mighty Arsenal Preview: Blackburn v Arsenal

Tomorrow's game may not be entirely dissimilar to that on Wednesday night. When Arsene says, "Teams reflect the character of their managers and yes, of course, Blackburn have the aggression of Mark Hughes" you hardly have to work at Bletchley Park to decode the meaning. In our two visits to Ewood Park last year, Blackburn tried to outmuscle us, and not without a degree of success. I particularly remember Tuguay putting in several vicious challenges before being withdrawn in our ill-fated FA Cup replay.

But in the league match in Blackburn, Arsenal triumphed against the odds. We did so, after Gilberto was sent off, through superb passing and possession football from a midfield triumvirate of Cesc, Hleb and Rosicky. However, it also took a wonder goal from the Barca Boy to secure the win and another Arsenal player will need to conjure something up tomorrow if we want anything from the game.

Blackburn haven't a great deal to them, but they have enough to force a combative victory if, as predicted, conditions are difficult. They have possibly the biggest player in the Premier League in the form of the centre-back Samba who has impressed me with his sheer power on the occasions I've seen him. Striker Matt Derbyshire is a real prospect and should be knocking on the doors of the top four and the England squad soon. Friedel is a very decent keeper, and, regardless of his personality, David Bentley could cause us troubles if Gael isn't careful.

As for us, the wafer-thin nature of our squad is already apparent, with both our starting 'wingers' - Eboue and Rosicky - ruled out. What that means for the flanks is anyone's guess. Hleb on the left? Flamini on the right? Will Walcott be thrown his first start so early? Will Diaby be forced to play on the left yet again? All the injuries have shown is that we desperately need a new left winger if we are to have any depth to our squad, especially if Rosciky keeps on picking these niggling injuries.

Eduardo may be given his first start, but I would hope to see Bendtner feature: we could use his power. RvP has a very decent goalscoring record against Blackburn and there's no reason why it shouldn't continue. Despite the recent form of Hleb, it would be a shame to waste Robin by continually isolating him as we seem to be doing at present, so maybe a more traditional 442 would be an idea.

The game is a good early test in the season for the team. The North-West 'graveyard', a physical team, and bad weather should give an indication of what the squad is made of. If we're serious about the title we should win the game; a draw would be a fair result but it's imperative that we maintain a good start to the season.

Champions League Qualifier: Sparta Prague 0-2 Arsenal

Arsène Wenger had remarked in the countdown to this Champions League final qualifying round first-leg fixture that he did not anticipate a red carpet to be rolled out for his Arsenal players. There would be no elegant stroll into the lucrative group phase of the competition, not against a club of Sparta Prague's pedigree.

If the tightness of the tussle that followed did not, therefore, surprise him, the fractious nature of it did. For spells in the first half matters threatened to boil over. At the heart of the brouhaha was Cesc Fábregas, the Arsenal playmaker. He clashed with Sparta's captain, Tomas Repka, and became a villain in the eyes of the crowd. But Fábregas was able to enjoy the last laugh.

Gaël Clichy, the Arsenal left-back, seized upon a loose crossfield pass in the 72nd minute and embarked upon a swashbuckling run. His momentum took him past one challenge, his fleetness of foot another and when he rolled square for Fábregas the young Spaniard finished in style with his right foot from 15 yards. The temporary silence of the home crowd was golden. Despite a disjointed performance, there was more to come. Bacary Sagna released Alexander Hleb in injury-time and his finish effectively moved the tie beyond Sparta.

Arsenal also had Jens Lehmann, their goalkeeper, to thank for their advantage. Pilloried on Sunday for his aberration against Fulham, which handed them an early goal, he put his boots to better use in the first half here with a fine save from Jan Rezek. Late on, he reacted smartly to palm clear a header from Martin Abraham. Arsenal could not have wished for a more perfect scoreline. The £25m wind-fall that comes with qualification beckons.

"Possibly 1-0 would have been fairer but we took our chances and defended well," Wenger said. "It was a very physical game, we needed to be patient and we had to be lucky as well. The second goal was a mental blow for them."

Sparta's full-blooded approach was reflected in the yellow cards for Lubos Husek and Marek Kulic while Repka, a familiar face to Premier League supporters from his time at West Ham United, snarled at centre-half. He clattered Robin Van Persie in the second minute but was not booked and the resentment lingered.

Arsenal's players were also unhappy that Repka had told Czech television he would dish out some rough stuff and when he squared up to Hleb midway through the first half, Fábregas had seen enough. Turning enforcer, he clattered into Repka, leaving him in a heap. Sparta were furious. Repka battled on, then stopped for treatment and when he came back on, the insults flew. Fábregas was seen to mimmick his limp. Repka could not continue and thereafter, Fábregas heard his every touch jeered. Battle lines had been drawn. Arsenal are clearly determined to shake off their image as soft touches.

The tie had opened at pace and only Lehmann and his far post had stopped Arsenal from falling behind on nine minutes. Pavel Horvath floated a ball across from the left for Rezek at the far post. He caught his volley sweetly but before it could fly into the corner of the net, Lehmann instinctively thrust out a boot to divert the ball on to the post and away.

Wenger persisted with the team that had fought back to beat Fulham, although with five men out injured, most notably Gilberto in midfield and the strikers Eduardo Da Silva and Emmanuel Adebayor, it could be argued that he had little other option. Hleb was asked to break forward to support Van Persie but until the 70th minute the Dutch striker was too often isolated.

William Gallas, Arsenal's new captain, excelled but his team seemed strangely content to contain. It wasn't until the 54th minute that Tomas Postulka, the Sparta goalkeeper, was called into action, to save from Van Persie's turn and shot. His reflexes were not dulled by his inactivity. Fábregas, though, added gloss to a tenacious performance when he found a way past him. Sparta had penalty appeals turned down, after Fábregas halted Abraham. And when Hleb struck in the second minute of injury-time, Sparta were on their knees.

Next up: Blackburn away at Ewood Park on Sunday afternoon

MIGHTY ARSENAL!!!!

Arsenal 2-1 Sanchez's Northern Ireland

This game brought back some painful and familiar memories.

It looked like all the optimism of the preseason was about to get two-flushed down the toilet up until the 83 minute mark. Now it might appear like Tony Warner had an unbelievable game but we’re Arsenal and we’re in the business of making average goalies look great, so we did that again. We created 36584 chances in this game and probably should’ve scored on 12587 of them, but it’s good for us we managed two.

Lehmann had a brainfart that reverberated the entire stadium, instead of just clearing the ball, the fucker decided to be cute and cuddly and play it back to Clichy while doing a sort of fucked up German dance, it didn’t work and the 65,000 at the Emirates plus the 100,000 watching on Sopcast were in shock disbelief. How could he fuck this up so early in the season? We had barely gotten underway.

We can’t finish worth shit but we can create chances, that’s been our story the last two years and it looks like that disease hasn’t been cured yet. Rosicky, Fabregas, RVP all failed in their early goal-scoring opportunities, at times denied by Warner who at one point actually thought that he might win this game for Fulham. Although we were down 1-0, this still looked like a 3-1 result for us from the beginning, it’s just when the clock struck 80 that fear crept into me.

Our defense looked suspect just like it did in preseason and we should all thank God for Toure. The man saved at least a couple goals - make him captain already before it’s too late. If Fulham had their wits about them they probably could’ve scored at least another goal but we got bailed out by the Gods. We were playing a very high line at times which almost cost us. The Eboue experiment as a midfielder is officially over, he was taken out for Walcott who still appears raw as hell.

Eboue is NOT a midfielder, he’s a foward-thinking back, let’s all accept that and never speak of this game again. Fabregas was brilliant in the second half after a so-so first where he was being tackled a little too easily. Rosicky for the better part of the game was in goal-hunting mode which is what he was hired for.

Hleb should’ve had a penalty awarded when he was brought down in the box but the referee made up for it later by making a 50-50 call our way. RVP nailed the penalty. So let’s get to the man of the hour, Alex Hleb, he says he can score 10 goals and he’s on his way. Excellent game overall by Hleb although at times both him and Rosicky were shooting without looking for other options but I’ll welcome that anyday over too many passes. Hleb isn’t the quickest of cats but he’s crafty and worked the ball around well on the left side all day. I know Fulham is a shit team but Hleb looked really good today, maybe some of you fuckers who hate him should ease up.

Next up, Sparta Prague away in the Champ League qualifiers. Sorry that i couldn't put a stream up for yesterday's match. I was feeling a little ill.

C'MON YOU GUNNERS!!!!

Fulham Preview - Eduardo in line for Arsenal debut?

Arsenal and Fulham meet at Emirates Stadium with both sides looking to prove the doubters wrong on Sunday.


A young Arsenal side will be keen to show they have what it takes to make a serious impact in the Premier League title race, while Fulham will be looking for a new dawn under manager Lawrie Sanchez.


Season openers do not tend to have a great deal of impact on the remainder of the campaign, but supporters will be hoping for a signal of intent.


Arsene Wenger has only seen his side lose one Premier League game at their new home, 1-0 to West Ham in April, and this is unlikely to change.


The Arsenal boss could hand debuts to summer signings Eduardo da Silva and Bacary Sagna.
Emmanuel Adebayor, though, is struggling for fitness as he continues his recovery from a pre-season groin injury.



The Gunners will also be without midfielder Gilberto Silva after the Brazilian was given an extended break following his participation in the Copa America.

C'MON U GUNNERS!!!

The Mighty Arsenal Blog Fantasy Premier League

Battle it out with other Mighty Arsenal Blog readers

Just a quick post about the The Mighty Arsenal Fantasy Premier League:

*First you need to register Premier League Fantasy League

*Pick your team of players - not all of them can be Gooners though.

* You have £100m to spend on 15 players

* When you have done that and picked your Starting XI, then Join the League using the following link: Premier League Fantasy League

* Type in this Code to join the league: 818313-141646 ...Now you are finished. I'm not sure what the prize will be yet....

P.S GALLAS HAS BEEN NAMED CAPTAIN, GILBERTO AND TOURE VICE CAPTAINS

Arsenal 2007/2008 Season Preview (Part One)

Out with the old, in with the new

It is no secret that off the field, Arsenal’s build-up to the 2007/2008 season has been far from perfect. There was the loss of a certain Arsenal legend, the resignation/sacking of one of its most influential board members as well as the constant speculation that the club was in crisis thanks to a media barrage from just about every newspaper from an English-speaking country. But I am a realistic supporter and an optimist at heart, so instead of harping on the problems the club may have at this point in time, I would much rather focus on what the club does have at its disposal to achieve some success this season.

The club has lost two truly great players of the modern era in Thierry Henry and Fredrik Ljungberg, as well as Jose Antonio Reyes, Julio Baptista and Jeremie Aliadiere, but it has also signed the likes of Croatian striker Eduardo da Silva, French defender Bacary Sagna and Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to compliment a young and talented first team squad. There was a little bit of an outcry from a select group of Arsenal supporters about the supposed lack of big names being brought in, but the fact is that manager Arsene Wenger has never had much success with bringing in big name players and has proved to be far more adept at purchasing unknown gems and integrating them into his preferred style of play.

The new players have already shown signs in pre-season that they are more than up to the task. Fabianski looks set to challenge Jens Lehmann and Manuel Almunia as the team’s first-choice goalkeeper, and will no doubt be given chances in the Carling Cup if not the Premiership. Sagna has slotted neatly into the starting team on the right side of defence and looks set to maintain that position throughout the course of the season. Eduardo has also fit in well with various attacking partners and looks an exciting prospect up front. If his scoring record in Croatia is anything to go by then once settled, he is likely to be a reliable source of goals for the club - especially in games where Arsenal’s champagne football is not reaping the rewards.

The Arsenal Squad (Goalkeepers & Defence)

As for the rest of the squad, they are a year older and wiser and should prosper with the more individualistic senior players like Henry and Ljungberg now plying their trade away from Emirates Stadium. William Gallas and Kolo Toure struggled at times last season - mainly due to persistent injuries to the Frenchman - but the signs are there that the two are beginning to form the defensive partnership that will be crucial to the club’s success in the new season. Both players are athletic and composed on the ball and natural leaders on the pitch. If the pair can click then the Arsenal defence will be a much tougher nut to crack than it has been for the past three seasons. In the case of any injury Swiss duo Phillipe Senderos and Johan Djourou will be first-choice cover. Senderos has looked sharper than I have ever seen him in pre-season and Djourou remains an outstanding prospect. Both players will need guidance on the pitch from their more experienced teammates but can be relied upon to do the job when called upon.

The aforementioned Sagna will slot in on the right side of defence with Justin Hoyte and Emmanuel Eboue providing cover whilst the exciting Gael Clichy is a certain starter on the left. I have previously mentioned the importance of Clichy’s role to this side, but it is worth reemphasising. With a lack of width on the left wing the onus will be on the Frenchman to use his remarkable engine to motor up and down the left flank in a manner similar to ex-Real Madrid wing-back Roberto Carlos. Clichy has looked outstanding in pre-season and all the signs are there that this could be a very special year for a vastly underrated player. If the unthinkable does occur and Clichy takes a knock then fellow Frenchman Armand Traore will slot into his place. The 17-year-old is a raw prospect; strong, lighting quick and bursting with enthusiasm, and like Senderos and Djourou I have no doubt that he is a reliable enough defender to cover for Clichy when required.

What do you think?

Gallas - Young pretenders? We're challengers

William Gallas insists Arsenal are ready to prove they are genuine title contenders and not just young pretenders.

The French international has seen a change in attitude among the Club’s younger players since returning to pre-season training and says they are determined to demonstrate their title credentials.

“They are professionals and they have had one more year's experience behind them,” said Gallas, speaking at the London launch of the Premier League’s Creating Chances campaign. “As far as I'm concerned they will be ready this season. I realised that during pre-season. What I saw during the tournaments - against Paris St-Germain, Inter, Ajax and Lazio - it was different.
“The spirit was different. Everybody fought for his team-mate and when you see that you realise.
I don't know why it's changed but something clearly has. I can't call them 'the kids' - they're not kids any more - but the young players really want to win a trophy. They won't be bullied this season. They don't want people to keep saying Arsenal are just young kids. When I train with them I don't see them as young kids any more. I see only players who are ready to fight this season.”

With many of Arsenal’s rivals spending record amounts this summer, Gallas believes the battle for the Premiership will no longer be restricted to the ‘Big Four’. With Arsenal themselves buoyed by the signings of Eduardo and Bacary Sagna, the defender has warned Chelsea and Manchester United there are more teams than ever vying to end their duopoly over the league crown.

“People talk only about [Manchester] United or Chelsea winning the league, though this season will be different,” he said. “A lot of clubs will be ready for the title race, like Tottenham, like Portsmouth, like us. So the Premier League will be very exciting.“This pre-season hasn't gone too badly. The Ajax game was a bit tough but, in the end, we did a good job. That has helped our confidence going into the season.
“I don't think a team can beat us by being more physical than us this season. I think we can give a good answer. There are teams that just want to play the long ball and you have to be ready. You have to be physical and to fight and I think we will be physical enough to cope with that this time.
“There are other clubs, like Arsenal, who will also be challenging and no-one can say who is definitely going to win the title.”

Gallas looks a decent captain; van Persie looks sensational; a perfect pre-season?

An interesting pre-season, it has to be said.

Aside from the games in Austria, we've been involved in two reasonably big tournaments and come out triumphant in both.

Whether pre-season friendlies actually mean anything is, of course, a matter for debate, but it's always nice to win trophies.

The main highlights for me have been the performances of certain players and the new sense of unity in the team.

The first, and most obvious, player who's starred has been Robin van Persie.

His goal against Inter was so good, you almost wished he'd saved it up for a more important occasion.

His persistence and even his abrasive attitude were also good to see in the Ajax game.

It's never a bad thing to have a few spiky characters on the pitch.Gael Clichy has been outstanding.

His run against Ajax which led to the goal was little more than sensational.

For a long time it may have been wishful thinking to say this, but we may actually have the best left-back in the premiership.

Alex Hleb has looked a lot better in a more central position, even if it's one he probably won't get to occupy come the beginning of the season.

It was great to see him score against Inter, and his overall range of creativity is a joy to watch.

The way he carries himself on the field, and his desire to find defence-splitting balls, makes him the player in our current squad who has the greatest potential to really replace Dennis.

Nicklas Bendtner has proved intriguing, scoring twice, providing an assist and missing a penalty.

He clearly thinks a lot of himself but, to be frank, so what if he's performing.

There's something to him, I'll say that: when I was watching the PSG game you could sense he might be a really big player for us, and not just in terms of his height.

He gives us options, if nothing else.

Eboue is a winger.

I'm glad we've sorted that out.

He could be a real handful this year, even if I implore him to cut out the diving.

Sagna has looked good and has proved that we needed a right-back of proven quality.

He also seems capable of putting in tasty challenges, which we've needed.

Gallas looks like captain material.

Gilberto could, and has, done the job very well hitherto, yet I wonder if Gallas has that aggressive attitude that captains need?

I think the first team is in good hands under his stewardship.

The defence as a unit continues to worry me.

It has looked reasonably solid but we're still leaking goals.

The individual players look fine - it's the inability to co-ordinate which is costing us.

A decent defensive coach is needed.

Overall, the team looks more like a team again, rather than 10 players and Thierry.

I don't think it's unfair to say that we have the whiff of a dark horse team this year.

And Gallas is right: if we concentrate on getting fourth place, we'll become a fourth place team.

The title should be our goal for this year and the fans shouldn't forget that.

The squad as it stands is still a little thin for my liking but we're only a few steps away from something really quite exciting.

And, while I don't normally do this, I shall make the following transfer predictions for the next twenty-five days: we will sign someone; it won't be Diarra from Chelsea; it may well be Quaresma.

Arsenal to sign Quaresma: there, I've said it.

It's based on nothing more than a gut-feeling; one which may, in fact, be nothing more than the beer from last night awkwardly swilling around inside me.

Gallas for captain?

Hleb the new Bergkamp?

Quaresma to Arsenal?

I've either lost it or triumphant vindication is around the corner.

LG Amsterdam Tournament Winners 2007 - Ajax 0-1 Arsenal

Robin van Persie's late goal earned Arsenal the Amsterdam Tournament honours after a 1-0 win over Ajax.

In a tetchy game against the hosts, the Holland international's deflected strike three minutes from time ensured The Gunners finished top of the four-team table.

The tackles flew in from both sides during the 90 minutes, although Ajax were perhaps the most culpable of the two teams.

Arsenal were on top in the early stages and Ajax keeper Maarten Stekelenburg produced a superb reflex save to keep out Kolo Toure's close-range effort from Van Persie's clipped free-kick.

At the opposite end, substitute Dennis Rommedahl almost had an immediate impact as the winger cut in and fizzed a shot just off target.

Hedwiges Maduro's long-range drive dipped narrowly over, while Jens Lehmann was stretched to push out Wesley Sneijder's free-kick.

Deflected winner:

In the second half, Clichy was denied at the near post by Stekelenburg, while another Sneijder free-kick rocketed past the goal.

On 74 minutes, Van Persie should have given Arsenal the lead after showing quick feet in the box before being denied by Stekelenburg.

The Ajax keeper then denied substitute Eduardo da Silva from close range before Lehmann tipped over Klaas Jan Huntelaar's header.

With three minutes to go, Arsenal made the breakthrough as Clichy set up Van Persie after a barnstorming run and the striker dispatched his shot past Stekelenburg via the aid of a deflection.

There was a scare before the final whistle when Van Persie was stretchered off after another robust tackle, although he was soon back on the field to be part of the trophy presentation.

Video's:
Ajax - Dennis Rommedhal's Reaction
Ajax v Arsenal - Toure
Ajax v Arsenal - Wenger
Build up and Robin van Persie's goal
Sky Sports News Report - Ajax 0-1 Arsenal

Champions League Draw: Gunners get Prague

FH Hafnarfjördur or FC BATE Borisov v Zaglebie Lubin or Steaua Bucharest

Tampere United or Levski Sofia v Astana or Rosenborg

Spartak Moscow v CELTIC

Werder Bremen v NK Domzale or Dinamo Zagreb

FK Ventspils or FC Salzburg v Pyunik or Shakhtar Donetsk

Ajax v MSK Zilina or SK Slavia Prague

Valencia v Debreceni or IF Elfsborg

Genk or FK Sarajevo v Dynamo Kiev

Fenerbahce v Anderlecht

RANGERS or FK Zeta v FK Crvena Zvezda or Levadia Tallinn

Toulouse v LIVERPOOL

Benfica v FC Copenhagen or Beitar Jerusalem

Lazio v Dinamo Bucuresti

Sparta Prague v ARSENAL

FC Zurich v Sheriff or Besiktas

Sevilla v AEK Athens

LG Amsterdam Tournament: Lazio 1-2 Arsenal

Eduardo celebrated the granting of his work permit by scoring the winning goal as Arsenal beat Lazio 2-1 in the opening game of the Amsterdam Tournament on Thursday evening.

Just a matter of hours after the 24-year-old striker's move from Dinamo Zagreb had been rubber stamped in London by the Home Office, he was scoring a straightforward header against the Roman side in the Dutch capital.

Nicklas Bendtner put Arsène Wenger's side ahead in the 19th minute but Lazio were level just before the break Goran Pandev pounced onto a slip from, ironically, Eduardo.

However soon after the restart the Croatian, who also completed 90 minutes for his new club, was left unmarked when Tomas Rosicky's corner found him at the far post. The result was inevitable.

This victory gave Arsenal five points. Like at the Emirates Cup at the weekend, each goal scored adds one point to your tally.

Wenger's side now have a great chance of securing their second Tournament title in the space of a week.

It was a clammy summer evening in Amsterdam. In truth the ArenA was barely a quarter full at kick-off.

Arsenal v Lazio was not top of the bill today and the hosts would be on later.

Just before the game, the good news had filtered through about Eduardo.

The official seal made this game feel like his debut and it was not the only 'first' on the night.
Arsenal were wearing their red and blue third kit and Philippe Senderos was captaining a first-team game.

Both had not happened before.

At 22, the Swiss centre back was one of the oldest outfield players on show for Arsenal - only Eduardo and Justin Hoyte were more senior.

In fact this could have been one of the youngest XIs put out by Wenger if you omitted keeper Manual Almunia, 30.

The manager had played with his formation again.

Armand Traore was behind Gael Clichy on the left flank while Alex Song was moved into his more familiar role in central midfield.

The Cameroonian had been employed at centre back for much of the pre-season campaign so far.

As for Lazio, they were shorn of the household names of old but they had finished a creditable third in Serie A last season and started this game with purpose.

In the opening minutes, Christian Ledesma hammered a long-range shot into the midriff of Almunia and then Stefano Mauri bulldozered his way to the byline but his dangerous cross came to nothing.

Arsenal's best attacking outlet in the opening quarter was Traore. The second of the full back's curling crosses was the more dangerous, fizzing through the area before Luciano Zauri turned the ball behind for a corner.

But gradually the London side found their feet.

Walcott's right wing cross narrowly evaded Bendtner and Hoyte when either could have put Arsenal ahead.

The ball flew to the other end immediately.

Goran Pandev fed the ball in from the right and Tomasso Rocchi skipped around the onrushing Almunia to give himself a clear sight of goal.

However in doing so he pushed the ball too far and Senderos intervened.

Still, Arsenal now had a measure of control and, in the 19th minute, they took the lead. Clichy cut in from the left and tapped a square ball to Fabregas just outside the area.

He let fly and the ball ricocheted off Gugleilmo Stendardo into the path of Bendtner.

The Dane still had something to do.

However he pulled it off with aplomb, dancing past keeper Marco Ballotta and hammering home a low shot past the covering defenders on the line.

The goal inspired the Romans and they pressed forward for the remainder of the half. But they did not create that much and you sensed it would take a brilliant moment or a mistake to get them on level terms.

It turned out to be the latter.

Five minutes from the break, Lazio threw a hopeful corner into the area.

The ball ran loose for a second but the alarm seemed over when Eduardo shaped to clear.

Unfortunately he slipped and Pandev swivelled to send a low shot past Alumina at the near post.

On the whistle, Zauri sent over a hanging cross from the left and Mauri met it with a firm header.

Almunia clutched the ball on the line.

Wenger made two changes at the break - Rosicky for Clichy and Mathieu Flamini for Fabregas.

However Lazio continued in the same dominant vein after the restart.

Pandev burst through but stumbled at the crucial moment.

However it would be Arsenal who took the lead once more in the 55th minute, Rosicky floated a corner to the far post and Eduardo was left unmarked to steer home the simplest of headers.

Lazio's response was swift.

Rocchi fired over a low cross from the left that troubled Djourou at the near post. Ledesma then had a goal-bound shot blocked.

After that Mauri steered a header wide and the sliding Rocchi spooned the ball over the bar.

A stream of substitutions on both sides did little to help the game build momentum.

Lazio had enjoyed many opportunities but you always felt Arsenal had another gear in which to move to if they were to lose their lead once more.

However they would have hit cruise control had they converted a simple chance 15 minutes from time.

Substitute Robin van Persie fooled the keeper on the corner of the six-yard box and then passed to Rosicky, who was central 10 yards out.

He elected to pass to Hoyte rather than shoot and the right back planted his cross shot again the outside of the post.

They were nearly made to pay two minutes later when Gaby Mudingayi cracked an effort again onto the angle of post and bar.

However this day would belong to another striker.