I'm getting a bit tired of this now.

You know, sometimes I wish Arsenal would win on the big stage, just so I could do a bit happy blog rather than exactly the same one I did for Barca and Birmingham. What can you stay, we started well, had loads of possession and United scored. We opened up and United scored on the counter. That's your match report right there really. We had chances and could have been a bit more clinical, but Van Der Sar's fully dererved Man of the Match tells a story of it's own, although he was never forced into any wonder saves; he was solid and it cannot be doubted that he made life a lot easier for United.

That's not to say that Almunia was bad for us; he wasn't really at fault for the goals, except maybe he could have parried the shot for the first one in a different direction; but that really would be nit-picking. Bacary Sagna was great going forward, putting in quite a few really good crosses; his inconsistent crossing has often been his  downfall, let's hope his recent improvement carries on. Howver, he was a bit shaky defensively, let's hope a better attacking Sagna doesn't lead to a worse defending Sagna; otherwise we'll get and Eboue. On the other side, Gibbs looked shaky; obviously Old Trafford isn't the easiest place to go but he didn't quite look up to speed, getting muscled off the ball in the early stages. He improved as the match went on, but was quiet at best.

Koscielny was good going forward, carrying the ball out of defence, making passes and could have even scored to make it 1-1 but for Van Der Sar in the United goal. He did look a little shaky at the back, sometimes lagging behind the movement of Hernandez and Rooney. Johan Djourou was solid at the back as always, rarely letting Hernandez or Rooney get the better of him. That injury looked worrying though, six minutes, stretcher, neck brace, oxygen mask. Wenger confimed after the match that it's a dislocated shoulder and he's out for the rest of the season. Such a shame, to prove how important he is for us, we haven't lost a league game this season with him in the line-up. The record goes further back than that as well.

Denilson was caught jogging for the United counter-attacks once again. I know it's his style to pass sideways and backwards, but when we're 2-0 down, you have to be a bit more adventurous really. Diaby put in the effort, but he just slows down our attacks way too much, too one-dimensional and gives away possession way too much. He doesn't play well in the advanced role, he can't make his trademark runs. Jack Wilshere. Legend.

Nasri looked bright, had a few efforts saved by Van Der Sar and looked creative; as did Robin Van Persie, didn't get much service but dropped deep to help out and also looked creative, if not as sharp as we would hope. Hopefully the one week break will give him time to recover. Andrei Arshavin had a few good chances earlier, then must have been abducted because aside from a few passes he wasn't really around that much.

Chamakh came on for Denilson with half an hour left and was decent, running around, pressurising and having shots saved, he;s not doing too badly as an impact sub, if only he could start scoring again. Rosicky came on for Arshavin, had a long-range effort saved and was normal Rosicky. The best thing to happen yesterday, Aaron Ramsey is officially back, coming on for Abou Diaby and immediately made a massive difference, running with drive and determination, looking to set people running. Let's hope he starts at West Brom ahead of the Chcukle Brothers.

So anyways, the boss spoke to the press afterwards about Djourou's injury and also our woeful finishing amongst other things. Check it out here, or watch the video below.




In other news, the U-18s followed up that win against Chelsea with a 3-0 loss to Leicester, although this side is doing worse than previous sides that have come through Hale End, this is a very young U-18 side and next year it will pretty much be the same side so that would probably be the time to judge.

In other news, Crewe beat top of the table Chesterfield, proving that no matter how far up the table you are, you can't take results for granted. Not that we didn't know that already...

United tomorrow, the perfect tonic?

Righto then, let's kick off then shall we?

I always say this, but there really isn't that much to talk about today, even with a trip to Old Trafford kicking off in under twenty-four hours. More news will probably come out this evening and tomorrow morning but for now we only have a few scraps to feed off. I'm drawing a line under the Barcelona match and any comments from there, so it's time to look ahead to United this weekend. As has been said by a few sources over the last few days, Arsene is looking for a boost in confidence from the tie this weekend. Not only does it give us a real chance of returning to Wembley this season if we can get past them, it could also prove decisive in the title race in terms of confidence and self-belief.

In terms of team news, Manuel Almunia will feature in goal with James Shea on the bench. News on Wojcech Szczesny's injury is that he will be out for around four to six weeks after consulting a specialist. We should see pretty much the same back four as has been featuring for the majority of the season, but Alex Song won't be fit in time and Cesc Fabregas has no chance after picking up a slight strain against Barcelona. We could see Diaby, Denilson or both alongside Wilshere, or the possibility of Nasri in the centre with Arshavin and Rosicky on the flanks, leaving probably Robin Van Persie up front after passing a fitness test earlier in the week with Bendtner and Chamakh on the bench.

More of a preview tomorrow... probably. Well who knows, one thing we do know is that Wenger spoke to the press pre-match and his conference and interview with Arsenal.com are here, exclusively from CescyFabGooner's channel on YouTube.

Arsene's pre-match presser

A bit of Arsene's pre-match presser courtesy of FATV.
News on Cesc's hamstring and Szczesny/ emergency loan for a 'keeper.

Bit of a lull at the moment.

Not that there's not much news that is. There's still shed-loads of fallout from the loss in midweek and lets start with everyone's favourite bit, hating on the ref. Johan Djourou has joined in, rightly so of course, and there's been a bit of a verbal bust-up with regards to Arsene Wenger's charge from UEFA. The boos is adamant that he's done nothing wrong and will be contesting the charge of improper conduct, with damning criticism in his press-conference of the idea that he has done something wrong when it's the referee who has not only made the massive mistake but also defended it.

Speaking of the boss, he's been talking about this weekends match at Old Trafford and is looking for a boost in confidence; while United look to be gaffer-taped together at the moment, we're low on confidence and going from fighting on four fronts to one in such a short period of time would pretty much destroy the teams confidence for most of the season in all honesty. He's also been talking about Manuel Almunia, he hasn't made a fuss about being held against his will like we often hear from proessionals, he's sitting around, taking his chances and willing to see out his contract. Good lad. On the 'keeper front, not much more news on the Szczesny injury really and also the possibility of an emergency loan to bring in cover. Manuel Almunia is another who appeared in the press after the Barca defeat, asking whether everyone was really giving their all for the team.

Onwards and upwards then, Cesc looks set to miss out the United tie after playing on with a knock against Barcelona. Robin Van Persie looks set to feature after surviving Eric Abidal's neck-warming techniques unscathed. SAF also admits that he's scared of Arsenal. Rightly so. In other news, Bacary Sagna has been talking about how failing to win a trophy this season would be a real disappointment, Jack Wilshere on how the only way to respond when you're knocked down is to stand up even stronger and bite of everyone's hands so they can never knock you down again.

Also, we're apparently interested in a young midfielder at Sporting Gijon; more rubbish from the Metro; the same old story about Mexes from Roma and also more interest in Blaise Matuidi apparently.

Finally, the Reserves lost to an experienced Newcastle side as they travelled to St. James' Park yesterday, they fought back from 1-0 to square the score with Josh Rees turning in Thomas Cruises' cross. Despite concerted pressure on the Newcastle goal Arsenal couldn't find a way through and conceded from a headed attempt at the death. Sean McDermott deputied in goal for James Shea who is set to feature on the bench at Old Trafford and managed to save a lacklustre penalty eddort early on. Once again, a centre-back featured as a right back with Hajrovic out of position as Arsenal continue their search for a young full-back. Ones to watch were Ignasi Miquel, the captain returning to the side. Also young left-back Thomas Cruise, midfielder Conor Henderson and striker Luke Freeman. However, reports of a Thomas Vermaelen set-back seem to be true as he didn't feature in the squad.

It looks like he won't really have much part to play in the run in, with Djour-scielny the first choice partnership, but it would be good to see his steely, no-nonsense approach in the starting line-up.

That's all folks.

Well that was a disappointment...

After all the hype, the hoping and praying that we would finally be able to step it up on the big stage it just didn't happen. You could say we didn't take our chances and that on a different day we could have got the result we wanted; but enough about Crewe's loss to Macclesfield though, let's talk about Arsenal.

Well, that was... never mind. The first thing, that was never a red card for Van Persie. Never. Forget inexplicable, it's indefensible. The simple fact of the matter is that we were winning the tie before Van Persie got sent off for the stupidest reason ever; and we know that it's pretty much impossible for a team to shut out Barcelona at the Nou Camp with ten men, especially with no Song or Vermaelen.

Bad news for Wojcech Szczesny as he injured his finger, possibly ruling himself out for the rest of the season. Only Arsenal could lose their top two keepers for the run-in for the rest of the season. Szczesny went off after about twenty minutes, with Almunia coming on to replace him. In fairness, it was the perfect response from Almunia who seems to step it up in the big games. Barcelona came again and again but Almunia did his best to keep the scoreline decent; and probably succeeded. What happens in the logr-un who knows, Wenger will probably want experience on the bench, YoungGuns talks about the possibilities here. Djourou and Koscielny were rock-solid in defence, even with the latter giving away a penalty I have to say they put in a real shift and played well. Clichy and Sagna were also decent, Clichy doing his best to contain Messi and Alves on the over-lap while Sagna did well to mark a quiet David Villa. Sagna has also been talking to the press here.

Jack Wilshere was, as always, incredible. Is there ever a match where he doesn't look like he is willing to die for the club to get the win? Great dedication as always, looked to drive on with the ball on the rare occasions where we had possession. Certainly learning a lot, let's hope he can get over these type of results quickly and move on. Abou Diaby was decent I suppose, we didn't really have enough of the ball to bring his running from deep into play and his physical presence didn't really do that much to help as the Barca midfield just seemed a bit to fast for him. A real crossroads for him, we know he has ability but he needs to start delivering consistently if he wants to be more than just a bit-part player. Then there's Cesc Fabregas. Not fully fit, as shown as he struggled to make an impact, gave away possession with a ridiculous backheel to gift Barcelona's first goal and was eventually hauled off for Nicklas Bendtner as we looked to score an away goal to take us through. Poor, let's hope he is fit for the weekend. As for Bendtner, once again we couldn't really get the ball to him, had a chance to put us in the driving seat again, but hard to score a chance like that with what was probably his first touch of the ball.

In attack, Van Persie was equally unfit, couldn't make an impact as the ball never really got up to him and he eventually got sent off, the first yellow deserved as his frustration brought out the petulent side in him. The second yellow, I won't go into that one for fear of using crude language in my blog. That ref though, what a tosser. Nasri was decent, looked to drive on the counter like Wilshere, won the corner that got our goal and was as I said decent. Rosicky was picked because for his willing ness to track back, which he did. He generally stuck with Adriano and kept him quiet but, a few early passes aside, didn't really offer much in attack. Came off for Arshavin with about 20 minutes left, Arshavin couldn't really do much as once again, we didn't really have the ball.

After the match, scathing criticism about the referee from all corners, the boss had a go and the players joined in on Twitter. Rightly so, one of the biggest games that will happen in world football this season, and they get an idiot to ref it. One who has refereed twenty European games involving Spanish teams, none of which they have ever lost. We know that Barca are divers, cheats, liars, hypocrites and all-round classless thugs, but why Abidal was not sent off I don't understand. Don't worry though, UEFA are sorting the problem out. The rest of the bosses thoughts are here.

Also, a decent piece by Jamie Redknapp on the aftermath of that result, a rather belated Loanees round up of last weekend (my fault) and the reserves are in action today, no Thomas Vermaelen in sight though.

Anways, that was sickening. Laters peoples.

A footballing feast in store for us?

It's the big one this evening, as we all know my hometown team Crewe Alexandra will be taking on local rivals Macclesfield Town in the South Cheshire derby; but perhaps just as importantly it's the second leg of our champions league tie against Barcelona. Where to begin?

I suppose team news would be the best place to start with uncertainty in Barcelona's defence and our attack. With Pique suspended and Puyol set to miss out as well, it looks like Busquets and Abidal are set to deputise in central defence, although both are good players, they're not Puyol and Pique. As excpected Maxwell should feature at left-back and Mascherano as the holding midfielder. On to the good team now, Szczesny should feature in goal, with the Clichy-Djourou-Koscielny-Sagna defence basically first choice. Hopefully Koscielny has got the Wembley horrors out of his system and will be more than ready for Barcelona. In midfield Fabregas looks set to feature, declaring himself ready not only physically, but mentally as well.

Alongside him, we can obviously expect to see Jack Wilshere in his usual role, alongside either Diaby or Denilson. This is the first contentious point. Diaby offers a greater threat and is able to surge forward with his runs from deep, but he's also more of a liability as Denilson usually plays the safer pass and slots into the defence better. I think Denilson will get the nod to fill in for Song here, but I could easily be wrong. In attack, we can obviously expect to see Nasri and Arshavin on the flanks. Up front is a real tricky one. We know that Robin Van Persie's return is a major boost for the club, as reiterated by the captain, but is he really fit enough to start?

If so then problem solved, if not then it's a toss-up between Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner. Take your pick again really; Bendtner is a more varied player and definitely looks to have more goals about him, but Chamakh holds up play and links up better than Bendtner, important if we look to play on the counter. I'll probably go out on a limb and say the Great Dane will start, but once again I wouldn't put money on it. We're yet to see who will be trimmed from the 19-man squad. Van Persie will be included provided he passes his fitness test which I've been led to believe he has. Someone along the lines of Rosicky or Gibbs will probably find themselves axed then.

Other kind build-up stuff: Arsenal icon Nigel Winterburn has been speaking to TalkShiteSport about just how important the return of RVP could be; the Mirror on how much Cesc wants to shut people up and just wants to win and also the Mirror again with some less than less than polite words from Pep Guardiola about Jack Wilshere.

Loads of news as well, Wenger says that 'Fabregas is a winner' and that winning is going to be the only thing in his mind tonight. As with quite a few other players, Gael Clichy's contract talks will be sorted in the summer. Two stories from the Metro, I don't believe this one and don't care about this one. This is from caught offside, I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted him given his brilliant performances in the Dutch league, but they'll most likely have to keep their grubby hands to themselves as I'm sure this is one Wenger will look to hold onto. Former Gunner Mathieu Flamini has been talking about how he likes beating Spurs to help Arsenal, that's nice of him, let's hope Spurs get humiliated in midweek then. Also, another ex-Arsenal man in the form of Jeremie Aliadiere has been training with the club, which is nice for him. He never really had the ability to make it at Arsenal and injuries were a problem for him as well, but I hope that he finds himself a decent club for next season, he's certainly good enough for most teams.

Remember people, Macclesfield - Crewe tonight. It just doesn't get bigger than this.

Barca tomorrow? Let's do it then.

So, just in case you didn't know, we're playing Barca tomorrow, with a 2-1 lead on aggragate after the first leg at home. Any old draw will do then, should be simple...

The major squad news is the Robin Van Persie will travel and that Cesc Fabregas has a '90% chance of playing'; but Alexandre Song looks set to miss out.

Ahead of the match, Arsene Wenger has been talking about adapting our style of play in order to be successful at the Nou Camp and Jack Wilshere has been speaking about the boost beating Barcelona would provide for the squad.

In other news, former player-turned-scout Gilles Grimandi has been talking about unearthing Samir Nasri and his adjustment to life at Arsenal in an interesting and read-worthy interview for the BBC. Also, a feature by BBC Sport on Samir Nasri ahead of the Barca tie. Another must-read.

A bit of a plug as well, I had an article published on Gunnersphere yesterday about the possibility of a high-publicity money-spinning pre-season tour in Japan or the USA rather than Austria. Give it a read if that's your kind of thing.

Anyways, more info on the Barca tie tomorrow, laters peoples.

Well, it wasn't for want of trying.

That was a quote by @SianyMacalarny yesterday after the final whistle, one which probably sums it up. Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland, not what we wanted, but what we got. We all know it was a missed opportunity, United slipped up in midweek, etc. etc. There was no spark, little creativity, but putting it in perspective, we lacked Fabregas, Van Persie, Walcott, Song; the creative burden can't fall simply on Nasri, Arshavin and Wilshere. Sure, it's disappointing, we hit the woodwork, should have had a penalty and had a goal wrongfully disallowed and yes, that all sucks; but the team gave their all. They really looked to have tried their hardest and their's no point hating on them for it, at the end of the day isn't that all we ever ask of them?


Anyways, time to analyse I suppose. Szczesny seemed decent in his first game since the Carling Cup final, one or two moments where communication could have been a bit better, but that's the kind of thing that comes with experience. Koscielny and Djourou were both solid, another clean sheet and Sunderland were pretty much shut out, both picked their times to get forward quite well and had Gyan in their pocket all day long. Sagna was good old Bac really, solid as always and put in a few decent crosses. Clichy was a bit of a tricky one, he was very bright going forward, combining well with Arshavin and putting some good balls into the centre, but he struggled with Sessegnon at the back and we could have conceded early on but for Szczesny.


Denilson and Diaby in front, well... Denilson looked good off the ball, he fit into the backline when a defender goes forward and tried to stop attacks, but if he wants to succeed at this level, he has to do better with possession, admittedly Sunderland looked to be tight and stifle the midfield, but he always looks to pass sideways or backwards rather than looking up, never a good sign. As for Diaby, he tried some off his trademark runs from deep , but couldn't carry them off, often losing possession. These two shouldn't be together, the transition from attack to defense doesn't flow well through a Denilson - Diaby pairing. Ahead of them young Jack Wilshere was in the advanced role. As always, he never stopped trying, but I think a bit more experience wouldn't go amiss before he can handle that role on his own, allthough he was productive, a lot of things didn't come off for him, promising as always though.


So in attack, we started with Arshavin-Bendtner-Nasri as expected. Where to begin? Arshavin had a goal ruled offside, which wasn't, he also should have been awarded a penalty, which wasn't; and should have scored from a Chamakh cut-back (I like the sound of that). Lively, combined with Clichy well and as always looked to set players running, it looks like some semblance of his former self is re-appearing, that can only bode well. Bendtner looked to get into dangerous positions, forced a cracking finger-tip save from Mignolet and tried an over-head kick into the hands of the 'keeper. Good effort, no end product on this occasion though. Let's hope he's saving the goals so he can score a bucket-load in the Nou Camp. Nasri wore the arm-band, looked lively and motivated and forced Mignolet into a few decent saves, created a few oppurtunities for others as well.


Denilson and Diaby came off for Chamakh and Rosicky respectively. Rosicky settled into the midfield, did a bit of leg-work, that was about it. As for Chamakh... what a difference a goal makes! Hit the bar, created oppurtunities for others, good effort from the Moroccan, if he's truly back then it couldn't have come at a better time.


So, the post-match fallout. It's fair to say that Wenger wasn't pleased with the decisions, I for one don't blame him. I don't know how many points we've dropped this season due to poor officials, but it would seem to be quite a few. Never mind that though, FIFA have got rid off the biggest threat to modern football; snoods. You can check out the rest of the post-match chat here.


The boss has also been speaking about Tuesday, saying that nerves on the big stage won't be a problem and that our defence will be key. I have to say, the Koscielny-Djourou partnership at the moment is looking solid and Szczesny is looking promising as well. Thank god we have no Silvestre this time around. In nicer news, the U-18s thrashed Chelsea 4-1 yesterday, Josh Rees and Zak Ansah both bagging a brace. Check out this in-depth match report on the official site.

Sunderland? This one could be bigger than it looks...

Okay then, let's get the transfer rumours out of the way, Eden Hazard has extended his contract with Lille, but could still be tempted by the right offer. I wonder if the new deal will drive him out of Arsene's price range though? The Metro has something about Gael Clichy saying that he'll move on if he doesn't get a new deal. Not sure how much I believe that one, maybe because it's the Metro? And the cherry on top is a piece in the Daily Mail talking about Milan looking to join the Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain race.

So, it's Sunderland then. The good news is that Sunderland are missing 'keeper Craig Gordon, defender Michael Turner, midfielders Cattermole, Zenden and Meyler, forwards Welbeck and Campbell. The absence of Lee Cattermole could be pivotal in terms of not losing players to injuries. Also, Onuoha is a doubt for Sunderland.

For Arsenal, Laurent Koscielny could yet feature, but it could well be that Squillaci deputises as Koscielny is saved for Tuesday. Szczesny should come back in for Almunia and Djourou should come back into the side, along with Sagna and Clichy. We know Fabregas and Song are set to miss out, alongside Van Persie and Walcott; so in front the defence we know Wilshere will feature with possibility of Denilson, Diaby, Rosicky or possibly Ramsey joining in. In attack, the chances are we will see Nasri, Arshavin and Chamakh.

Both Samir Nasri have been speaking about Aaron Ramsey; Nasri about the reception he will get and Wenger about his recovery. Wenger has also been urging the side to cut the gap at the top and pile the pressure on United after they dropped points in midweek. Also, news on Fabregas and Song regarding Barcelona, a word from the professor on Kolo Toure and he's also been talking on winning Manager of the Month.

That's it for today people, let's hope for three points today!

Just what the professor ordered?

So, Arsenal 5-0 Leyton Orient. Not stellar, but the perfect tonic for our Wembley blues?

Well, a quick summary, we lined up with Manuel Almunia in goal who looked exactly what he is, a decent cup keeper, he came for most crosses without too much fuss and was largely untroubled by a gutsy but muted Orient attack. As expected, Eboue and Gibbs came in as the full-backs, both contributing well going forwards and mainly unruffled at the back, although it's worth noting that when Eboue gallops forwards, he isn't really aware of where he's going and tends to leave big gaps. Squillaci and Miquel were both decent at the back, Squillaci without any real 'moments' and Miquel still looking promising, but maybe a little inexperienced around the edges.

Denilson and Diaby both looked decent in the engine room, Denilson looking to direct distribution and Diaby impressing with more skillful runs from deep. Rosicky played further up and impressed with an assist and good running throughout the match. Nasri and Wilshere both got around 30 minutes, coming on for a roughed up Rosicky and Abou Diaby who could be in line for a start at the weekend. Both the substitutes helped Arsenal slow down the tempo and play keep-ball to see out the match.

In attack, we saw Marouane Chamakh, Nicklas Bendtner and debutant  Conor Henderson. Henderson impressed on the left with his technique and passing, his ability at set pieces was certainly promising and he looks like one to watch. As we know, Bendtner managed a hat-trick and was pretty much superb. He didn't make a big fuss as it was only Leyton Orient, but goals are still goals and I'm sure he's happy. Chamakh also got his first goal since late November, let's hope he can push on from here and provide a bit more firepower up front. Clichy came on for Chamakh with about half an hour left, I'd guess he shifted to left wing and Henderson moved into midfield, anyways, Clichy scored a goal. I know, great isn't it?

So after the match, le boss spoke to the press, stating the importance of a quick response to our defeat last weekend. Bendtner has been talking along the same theme as well, saying that the squad has moved on, personally, I don't think the result will be fully out of our minds until next week and, hopefully, after a good performance against Barca. In other news, Wenger revealed that we're unlikely to see Robin Van Persie until at least after the international break, a bit of news on Cesc's injury and also an update on Aaron Ramsey, which is nice.

That's pretty much it until tomorrow where he'll hopefully have a bit of early news about the Sunderland match.

So, the O's are up next then.

We couldn't beat them at the first time of asking, so Leyton Orient will be coming to the Emirates this evening as we contest the right to go to Old Trafford. A lot has been said about the team that will play today, Almunia looks to line up in goal with Szczesny and Koscielny not likely to feature due to the fall-out from the cup final, Almunia looking like the 'cup keeper' anyway and Koscielny having a small hamstring problem. Sagna and Clichy will probably be rested so Gibbs and Eboue should get another chance to feature while we'll probably have Squillaci partnering either Djourou or Miquel. Although Djourou would be the safer option, he could probably do with a rest as well and Miquel looks set to at least be in the squad as he didn't feature for the reserves last night. Diaby looks set to get another chance and he will probably partner Denilson with Rosicky getting the last central midfield place. Attack-wise, something along the lines of a Bendtner-Chamakh-Arshavin trio would probably be expected.

Speaking about the last third of the season, Wenger has been speaking about how every game is so vital that it is like playing 'cup football', even in league matches as nobody can afford to drop points. He has also been speaking about the club's 'massive targets' as we are still fighting on three fronts. In other news, the reserves lost 3-2 away to West Ham United, albeit a young Arsenal reserves facing a much more experienced West Ham side with a lot of first-team players.

In other news, CaughtOffside think that following his below-par performances, we're asking Juventus to do a straight swap, Denilson for Felipe Melo. Not too sure about that myself, I don't really think they're that different. Also, the Sun reckons we're selling off land around the Emirates to make up the small loss we posted. I know that we're not really that bothered with the loss we made so I'm not sure how true that one is. Oh well, here's to a win tonight and some confidence back in the team.

Injuries? Surely not??

So RVP is out for three weeks, we already know that Theo will miss the Nou Camp and all of a sudden, Cesc is only a possibility for Barca, I'm sure we were told he would only miss a game or two, but what can you say. For the match tomorrow, I don't know where to begin with Song looking to be out for up to a week, and the Koscielny and Szczesny almost certainly not starting against the O's. Diaby looks set to return but the latest bout of injuries is starting to make our squad seem a little thread-bare and the return of loanees like Ramsey, Lansbury and Vela wouldn't go amiss as we get into the business end of the season and games come thick and fast.

In other news, Chamakh speaks about the game against Orient. Personally it's worth a read, he's saying all the right things, lets just hope he can pick up his form in the next week for the trip to Spain. Also, the reserves are set for a showdown with West Ham today, but I'm told that any news of a Thomas Vermaelen comeback is probably not true, although the match in about a weeks time could be more realistic. Henry loves Arsenal and wants to be back in North London one day, I'm sure he'd get a warm welcome. Also, I was remiss in forgetting to post the link to YoungGuns loanees round-up for this weekend, while Carlos Vela came off the bench to secure a point for West Brom yesterday, the second time in as many matches which is good for him. Precisely what this loan spell was meant to bring out in him.

Bit disappointing news-wise today. All we can do is keep calm and carry on as the old saying goes.

Hey, the only way is up right?

Winston Churchill once said, "Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential." We've lost cup finals before and we will in the future, we know the feeling and by supporting Arsenal we know that it won't be the last time. Kudos to Birmingham, they didn't try and break legs, they defended resolutely and looked to nick it, which they did in the end. I wouldn't go as far to say that they deserved it more, but they certainly desired it more and linking back to my Churchill quote in the beginning they seemed to have a bit more determination. There were a few players who would die on the pitch for Arsenal: Nasri was always trying, Van Persie's knee exploded as he scored the equaliser and of course there's Jack Wilshere; unfortunately they were the exception rather that the rule.

Where to begin with young Jack? There's not a single match this season where I haven't watched him and thought "Wow. He will be incredible". The best part is it's true, whisper it quietly, but I think he has the potential to be the best, possibly the very best. That's not the brilliant part though, the brilliant part is that he's Arsenal through and through, obviously he showed it at the final whistle, but make no mistake about it, I would quite happily take this season as successful if Jack Wilshere carried on developing at this rate throughout the season.That was raw passion and real emotion we saw from him and that wouldn't go amiss from a few more players.

More news expected with regards to RVP's shattered knees, but he could be a doubt for the Nou Camp, at least Bendtner knows how to score there though. I suppose the brief respite we can take from the loss is that, after performances like that the team usually bounce back on the biggest stage, but before looking ahead to Barca it's the O's that could pose a problem in medweek, we can't be complacent.

Remember what it means to be a fan, as someone said yesterday on Twitter: "Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it.". It's times like this the the crowd really have to get behind the team and ensure that the desire is always there for every match, whether we're playing Barca, Birmingham or Bournemouth.


Anger fades and tears dry, but my love for Arsenal will never die. Through think and thin, highs and lows, a Gunner to the end.

A week in and I'm blogging a cup final...

I'm clearly a good luck charm for the Arsenal then!

Well, cup final this afternoon. Win and we're back in business, trophy drought over in ninety minutes, the squad free of self-doubt and confident that they can perform on the biggest stage; lose and it all falls to pieces, doubt creeps in, the team lose their belief. Hey, it's just the Mickey Mouse cup right?

Ahead of the game, Wenger has been speaking about his targets for the season, saying that he wouldn't be satisfied if we just won the Carling Cup, because he believes the team can challenge for more silverware. The right kind of attitude, let's hope to see it in the players as well.

Speaking about young Jack Wilshere, Wenger has speaking about the problems faced by young English talents, i.e. the hyping up as we saw with Theo, and believes that young Jack is grounded enough to keep calm and carry on.

Johan Djourou has been talking about breaking the mental duck as it were, by winning the cup, hoping it will lead on to better and less Mickey-Mouseish things.

Oh well, let's hope for a win! :)

Ooh. I'm so excited!

Only 24 hours to go!!!! I can't wait and I'm sure you can't either. As we already know, Cesc Fabregas will be looking on from the sidelines with us. He's obviously disappointed, but according to the Mail, if The Arsenal win, he'll still be the one lifting the cup. Nice to know because he's put in a lot of effort. Speaking of attacking midfielders, Samir Nasri is rumoured to have signed a new deal according to the Sun, quite pricy though so I'm that sure about it, given that Wenger said it would probably be sorted in the summer.

According to Arsene Wenger, we should be able to win at Wembley and he is confident of lifting the cup. As Wenger has said, the winners aren't just the eleven players in the final, but the players who have contributed throughout the campaign, so Cesc can hold his head high. In the absence of Cesc, Wenger believes that Jack Wilshere will be able to unleash his more creative side to help power the Arsenal side to victory. Finally, Bacary Sagna has been talking about how the team has matured and mentally and have 'lost their fear of winning'.

In non-Carling cup news, it looks like Chelsea have their sights set on Arsenal's chief scout Steve Rowley, who has been very good for Arsenal, but their are some things money can't buy and class loyalty is one of them, so I don't see this as being a problem. Financially, it looks like Arsenal are going to post a small loss, having not sold a major player in the summer, but as someone who understands these things, it's not a big problem so don't worry. :)

That's it for today peoples.

Poor Poor Cesc

Well it's a real shame isn't it, after all the talk he's put in, it looks like Cesc won't be making Wembley at the weekend, with RVP set to take the armband. It's bittersweet, obviously Cesc has stayed put rather than moving to Barca in the hope of winning a trophy and, although he's featured in the campaign and will no doubt lift the trophy on Sunday, it's just a shame he won't take part. Hopefully this will spur the team on to win more trophies in the near future. However, you have to feel happy for Van Persie, he's been at the club throughout the whole trophy drought, never looked liked leaving and is Arsenal through and through. You can tell he loves wearing the shirt and, assuming we win on Sunday, I'm sure he'll relish getting his hands on that cup.

Injury wise, it looks like Cesc will sit out Sunday at least, with the possibility of missing out next weeks midweek tie at home to Leyton Orient, but should be back for next weekends match at home to Sunderland. For Theo, things aren't so bright as it will be a race against time if he wants to play at the Nou Camp. I really hope he makes it as his pace on a pitch like that are a match made in heaven, especially against a full-back like Maxwell who isn't the best at defending against pace.

Looking ahead to Sunday, Szczesny is looking forward to playing at Wembley, admits he is crazy and also lets us know that his dad is his role model. The young lad has a lot to say. He's also been speaking about whether we can overhaul United at the top of the table. Former Gunner Sebastian Larsson will be lining up in blue for Birmingham City but admits that his time at Arsenal helped develop him into the player he is today.

That's pretty much it for today, bad news on the injury front but all quiet elsewhere.
Oh well, see you soon peoples.

From a corner? Who saw that coming?

So, we beat Stoke. Squillaci scored. From a corner. Not the most likely of goal scorers you would have thought. All in all a decent match, injuries aside. Stoke's five-man midfield tried to crowd Arsenal out, failing as Arsenal burst out of the gates and could have been 2-0 up withing two minutes, Walcott hitting the post amidst other good chances. A Jack Wilshere corner was controlled by Bendtner beyond the far post who played it back across goal for Squillaci to head home. Stoke weren't exactly threatening, but a snap-shot towards the end of the half from John Carew required good concentration from Szczesny to palm it away.


After half-time,  Stoke came out looking more determined, i.e. more fouling, particularly a studs-up challenge from Delap on Sagna. Arshavin, on for the injured Fabregas, showed good determination to get past his man, get to the byline and cut it back for Walcott; who was caught on his heels by the pace of the ball and sliced his shot wide when he really should have put us two up. Stoke threatened briefly towards the end of the match, but Arsenal were able to hold onto possession and gain a valuable three points to close the gap on Man United.

Read Le Boss' thoughts here. It's been a while since we scored early and shut out a match, it's nice to see this increasing solidity and resilience around the Arsenal team.

It came at a price however, with injuries to Fabregas and Walcott, the latter leaving on a stretcher. Fabregas looked to have a muscle strain, but the prognosis seems to be that he was taken off as a precaution. After all the talk about winning a trophy for Arsenal, you really hope he makes the final on Sunday and, from the man himself... " I dont know if i'll make sunday or no, but all i know is that from this moment to sunday 16'30 i wont sleep if its necessary. Ive waited too long to captain a final for arsenal and i wont give up till the last second." Legend.

On the Walcott front however, things look a good deal worse, with him leaving on a stretcher and missing our Wembley date at least. It's a shame for both of them, particularly with Theo's ability to torment Maxwell in the Nou Camp, but at least Arshavin is coming into the attack with form rather than without.

So overall Szczesny (7) did well saving Carew's snap shot and dealing with Stoke's physicality at set pieces, punching a number of corners. Bacary Sagna (7) was a rock at the back, as usual, but wasn't able to offer that much going forward. Clichy (6.5) had a decent game as well, handling his defensive work well but not able to offer much going forward, like Sagna. Djourou (7.5) was solid as we have come to expect, always dealing with Stoke set pieces and Carew wasn't able to get much change out of him and his partner Squillaci (7.5). It was good to see Squillaci, who has been poor on occasions this season have no major troubles at the back and get on the score-sheet as well.

Song (7) had a decent game, always available for a pass and his physical presence was always going to come in handy. Wilshere (8) carried on his good run of form with mazy runs from deep and solid distribution, he showcased his defensive talents as well, coming back to help defend. Fabregas (6) was only on for about 14 minutes but his absence clearly affected the team as the tempo slowed right down. Given the stats out this week, that's not surprising though, he's officially the best playmaker in Europe. Walcott (6.5) had a bit of a mixed bag, almost scored after a minute and looked to be getting in good positions, but was profligate in front of goal and the injury ended his night earlier than he would have hoped. Nasri (7) stepped into the 'Fabregas role' but was quieter than we've come  to expect, tried to make good runs and used the whole width of the pitch in his distribution.

Bendtner (6.5) had a mixed bag as well, another assist can't be argued with and he played the typical target man well, trying to hold up play and bring other in, but his link-up play could do with improvement. Replaced by Chamakh (6) with about 10 minutes left, didn't really have much to do, just helped play keep-ball as the team looked to see out the win. Arshavin (7.5) came on for Fabregas after about 15 minutes and looked lively, the little Russian looks to be back to his best, even with his dislike of criticism,it's clearly spurred him on as he came on and looked to set people running and was generally quite creative. He mucked out and tracked back when required as well, good to see. Denilson (6) came on for Walcott and sat back next to Song, like Chamakh there's not that much to say, he tried to help the team maintain possession to see the win out, but did give away a silly free kick just outside the box from which Pennant hit the side netting.

So, Stoke aside a few other things have been going on, earlier in the season there were rumblings that despite his dislike of pre-season tours, Arsene Wenger was willing to take the team on a pre-season tour to Japan for a week in late July. Given this article in the Sun backing this up, I'm hearing from numerous sources that this is confirmed and that the club is looking into this possibility. I think Japan is a good choice, a market which hasn't really been looked at, it is estimated that the tour could bring in upto £15m, with sponsors looking to get involved. Aside from his managing experience in Japan, the signing of Ryo Miyaichi, a skillful winger set for a big future has seen Arsenal's eye casting a glance at the ranks of young Japanese players.

Following his impressive performances, RVP has been nominated for PFA player of the month, which is quite nice for him. Also, Neil Banfield has been talking about Ignasi Miquel; Elton Monteiro has signed a contract with the club and YoungGuns has more on the signing of Toral Harper from Barcelona, who are really throwing the toys out of the pram. Mind games? As if a team that big would stoop so low.....

Elsewhere, Aaron Ramsey feels that his goal last weekend against Leicester was the icing on the cake as he returns to top form and it's all eyes on Wembley as Johan Djourou believes lifting the cup could well lead to greater things.

Well that's it for today peoples. :)

Urgh... Stoke.

No doubt we're all excited about the footballing feast we will see before our eyes this evening? I thought not.

Obviously the most important thing is the three points, especially with United playing twice over the weekend, we need a performance like that against Barcelona, both from the players and the fans. So preview-wise Diaby finishes off his suspension tonight whilst Van Persie and Dave Koscielny are mysteriously injured. It looks like Djourou will be able to take Koscielny's place as he returns to the squad from his bad back. This could just be Le Boss being ultra careful, but I won't complain even if it does mean Squillaci being on the pitch. Interestingly, numerous people have pointed out that the referee is Peter Walton, none other than the man who refereed at the Britannia last season. Actually no, that's not really interesting, never mind.

I suppose that leads to a line up somewhat like:

Szczesny----Sagna-Squillaci-Djourou-Clichy--
---Wilshere-Song---Walcott?--Fabregas--Nasri?--Bendtner

I've got Walcott and Nasri down, I think that, despite his upturn in confidence amd his performance against Orient, Arshavin might be benched as he did play 90 minutes at the weekend. I also think Bendtner will get the nod ahead of Chamakh as he looks to have more goals in him at the moment.

So Ryan Shawcross... in case you don't recognise him he's the one on the right, breaking Aaron Ramsey's leg. But don't worry, he's English and not that kind of player, the tackle Adebayor recieved off the pitch from him and Francis Jeffers ankle ligament damage in 2007 were just unfortunate really. Poor Ryan, he's the victim here really. Now I'm not one to bear a grudge but it would seem that the Emirates faithful are, and I don't think he's going to get a warm welcome this evening. It's official according to the Mirror, although once again the journalism is a bit shocking really, I mean talk about hyping it up.

I mentioned United's heavy fixture list earlier, and the boss agress that the run-in will be tough for everyone, but thinks that out home form could swing it our way. Like a massive swinging Premier League trophy. Also, there's something about Pulis targeting 40 leg breaks points this season, I'd much rather his head exploded to be honest, although he'd probably just wear his baseball cap on his shoulders then. One last Stoke-related thing, I personally hope Glen Whelan gets a warm welcome this evening, I'm not sure whether it will happen and I know he's a Stoke player, but he was the first one to realise what was happening and he was there to reassure Rambo, which Rambo said was very comforting. So that's nice.

On the subject of Rambo, SkySports believes that he is set to return to Arsenal next week rather than his loan spell being extended. Wenger pretty much said this on the club's official website, pencilling him in for the match against Leyton Orient. Maybe like Eduardo he could score on his comeback in an FA Cup tie at home. I'm sure the fans would love that.

Elsewhere, Wenger has been talking about debutant Ignasi Miquel who featured at the weekend, on where he is now and where he can go. It seems that the boss rates him quite highly. The reserves came from behind to grad a third successive draw, with Roarie Deacon grabbing the equaliser. Read YoungGuns report for more information on the performance. After the match Neil Banfield spoke to the club, to summarise the team had the lion's share of possession but just couldn't make it count. Sound familiar?

We're near the end now, just two more things. I mentioned an interest in Stefan de Vrij recently, it has been made known to me that he can play either RB or CB and, as I was saying to the editor of the Gunnersphere blog (a first class blog, catch them here or follow on twitter @gunnersphere), it's a while since we had a good young right-back, with the Hoytes and Kerrea Gilbert failing to make the grade and, as he pointed out, with Sagna and Eboue both in their late 20s, we could do with a bit of youth in department. Whether it's de Vrij or not, I wouldn't be surprised to see something happen in the summer.

And finally...  Arsene Wenger and Tony Pulis both cancelled their press conferences yesterday. Is this making something out of nothing or was Wenger just sick of getting the same old questions? I don't know nor do I think it's particularly important. Before I go, take a look at this from Alan Davies r.e. Shawcross. Top stuff.

Well that was a long one (that's what she said ;) until tomorrow peeps. :)

Sammy to Barca? You're having a laugh!

Now as many of you probably know, Samir Nasri's contract runs out next summer and Barcelona, miffed that they can't afford Cesc have decided that Samir would be just as tasty. Wenger has already said that a new contract will most likely wait until the summer and now Nasri has come out and said the same thing. Why this is news I really don't know but hey-ho, that's the English press for you. On the issue of useless news articles, check this out. Clearly a slow news day at the Daily Mirror offices if that's the best that they can do. Also, for some unknown reason Wenger decided to mention Adebayor being talented. I hope he washed his mouth out afterwards. I don't know about you but I couldn't care less what that money-grabbing douche-bag does with his life.

Onto matters remotely interesting and Alex Song has been doing a bit of talking, stating that while he is confident of a win when we entertain Leyton Orient at the Grove, the team have to keep focus with us in all four competitions if we want to have some silverware at the end of the season. Wenger has also mentioned our upcoming match against Stoke, stating that Delap can't trouble us with his long throws if we keep the ball. A cunning plan no doubt.

A piece in the Metro, that most reputable of sources, has Wenger talking about Andrei the meerkat's recent form. We all know he hasn't been as effervescent as we would hope this season, but he's been putting in a ton of effort recently and hopefully, that goal against Barcelona could spur him on to becoming super-Andrei for the rest of the season. Form-wise, you have to worry about Marouane Chamakh, I know he played a lot of games at the start of the season and he isn't used to a lack of winter-breaks, but he looked very out of sorts against Orient. Once again though, you can't really argue with the effort he puts in and it's surely only a matter of time before he's back to his Pepe Reina troubling best.

In other non-first-team news, the well-informed YoungGuns have announced the possibility of a deal for young Barcelona midfielder Jon Miquel Toral, an U16 international for Spain. Being Barcelona, they're throwing their toys out of the pram but let's be honest, nobody cares. Congratulations are also in order for promising young midfielder Kyle Ebecilio as he signs a professional contract with the club. Congratulation Kyle.

Also, the reserves host West Bromwich Albion this afternoon, with the possibility of a Thomas Vermaelen comeback. Reports of a set-back are widely being announced as wide of the mark, but we're yet to see if he will feature*Update: Vermaelen not in the squad for the reserves match, he may feature for the reserves on the 1st or 9th of March depending on how his rehabilitation goes*. More tomorrow if he does. Finally, a piece from Arsenal.com about the rise of partner club Colarado Rapids under their manager, something Smith.

Finally, the England rugby union team has been at London Colney this afternoon to help Arsenal prepare for a Rory Delap's line-out long throw in tomorrows match against Stoke RFC.

I can already see that working, Jack Wilshere lifting up Andrei Arshavin, they would almost make a Robert Huth. Anyways, that's it for now folks. Don't forget to leave a comment be clicking on "comments" (funny that) if you have something to say. I'll do my first ever preview tomorrow. Yay!

My first ever blog!

Well that went well, I almost mis-spelt blog as bolg in the title, not a good omen I'm sure.

A quick word on the weekend action as Arsenal "B" team took to the field against Leyton Orient, there's no point reviewing the match now as I'm sure you've formulated your own opinions as to the result, but it was pleasing to watch the performance of Ignasi Miquel on his debut; the goal aside he was generally composed and held firm against a strong Orient front-line. Let's hope he can build on this and, along with Bartley, challenge for a first-team place in the future.

Speaking the day after the match, Wenger spoke about his opposition to changes to the Cup and about the way in which lower league teams have improved since his arrival at the club.

With the club not in action until Wednesday, it looks like a bit of transfer speculation will have to do for today. Following his impressive performance last week, Barcelona were linked with a move for Jack Wilshere in the summer, an idea that was quashed quite quickly by Pep Guardiola. To be frank, that was never one that really looked like happening, given Jack's affiliation with the club for almost ten years now. However, the Mirror has pulled a stunner here, Barcelona are interested in none other than...... Cesc Fabregas! Who saw that one coming? According to the Mirror's website, the Catalonian club are ready to weigh in with a £38m offer. In all honesty, this get tedious about a year ago. Aside from the fact that they're bloody annoying, is the offer not way under the club's asking price, i.e. £50m?

Elsewhere Arsenal-news-wise, not that much I'm afraid. According to Young Guns Blog, head scout Steve Rowley was watching on from the stands during Feyenoord's weekend action; checking up on the progress of Ryo Miyaichi as he plies his trade on loan, as well as watching 19-year old centre back Stefan de Vrij amidst ongoing speculation around his future. Contracted until the summer of 2012, he is seen as one of Holland's biggest talents.

A few weeks ago, YoungGuns also broke a story about 15-year old Swedish midfielder Kristoffer Olsson joining the club for a second trial following a first trial in the summer. The Daily Mail backed the story up, with the possibility of Olsson's compatriot Robert Mirosavic getting a second trial, having joined Olsson in the summer.

And finally, a round-up of the loanees progress this week by.... YoungGuns. Who else? Carlos Vela, Benik Afobe and Henri Lansbury looked to be the winners this week with Vela coming on, changing the game and equalising for West Brom in the 91st minute as they drew 1-1 with Wolves. Afobe had a hand in Huddersfield's equaliser as he came off the bench with 17 minutes left and Lansbury played 74 minutes before looking tired, but did manage to equalise for Norwich City whilst on the pitch. Kyle Bartley also got big match experience under his belt, having a quiet game in central midfield for Rangers as they lost the Old Firm derby.

Elsewhere, JET came on for Cardiff and caused problems for both sides with dangerous shots testing the Nottingham Forest keeper and what looked like attitude problems testing the patience of Cardiff manager Dave Jones, or maybe Paul Jones. Well it's definitely something Jones anyway. He has talent, but he won't last a minute at Arsenal if he carries on like that. JET that is, not this Jones fellow. Aaron Ramsey wasn't in the squad. Shame, it remains to be seen whether or not his loan will be extended. You would think not.

That's all for now folks. Click on the word comments (below) if there's something you want to say. Until tomorrow. :)