The Goon Blog

We have reached half way, come on guys we can’t give up now. Please stay with me during the next seven days as the insanity of this international break continues.

Now, the title. You may think, ‘this blogger is such a twat’ or ‘not another of these idiots writing out their arse’, or along many other similar lines that are fairly unprintable on this blog. Actually its not unprintable. Its more like i can’t be fussed to write them.

You are probably right thinking it by the way because i am a twat and i am also an idiot writing out my arse, see? The last few lines prove that.

I have chosen to go with this title because it will be one you are all waking up to due to Cesc Fabregas’ dad saying his son is ‘flattered’ at interest from Barcelona. He has joined Gael Clichy and Amaury Bischoff in being ‘flattered’ this week. It seems some clubs are on the pull.

His father (Cesc’s) has said:

“Any person in a job likes it if another company tells them they are fans and that they would like them to join their company. Of course, he likes to hear that Barca or Milan or Madrid like him, anyone would.”

Now the media will twist that, i put money on it. They will ignore the fact he also said this which, unlike any agent or perma-tanned northern loudmouth may say, shows what kind of guy Cesc is:

“The only thing that I can say about Florentino Perez is that four years ago he came to us and we said no. There was a lot of money on the table and we said no. We felt that it was not the best moment for Cesc to move. He has to think of himself and it is not all about money.”

That is music to my ears. You do start to lose the faith sometimes with all the mercenaries in football today, to hear a player plays the game because he just loves playing football with his club is, sadly, a rarity these days.

Not content with winning my love with the previous statement, Cesc’s father continued:

“We are all Barca fans in the family, but everyone must understand that we are with Arsenal. At this moment, he is happy and enjoying himself there. The club values him highly,”

Oh how that has just brightened my week. Seriously! Cesc is going to be around for a long time yet so Gooners you have no need to worry, our diamond is here to stay.

Yes Phil Brown, he is here to stay and you hopefully are not. Jog along with your petty little lie filled petitions, you and your sort are not welcome in English football.

A lot has been made this week of Adebayor’s call up to the Togo squad – Even more was made when it was announced that he was going to start. Wenger kindly cleared this up for us today:

“Adebayor has gone away with Togo. Will he play or not? He will have tests. For us, he was ready to play. Ideally it is good for us and for him to have a game. There is no problem.I had a meeting with their manager and we knew he would be ready for this weekend, whether it was for us or for Togo.”

So to summarise for all you dimwitted, lazy, hypocritical hacks out there:

Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor was FIT to play at the weekend but was not risked. Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor ISN’T disobeying orders from Arsene Wenger and Arsenal FC.

In addition. Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor will not be moving in a ’spectacular 34 million pound move to AC Milan. A) They can’t afford him. B) His agent says so.

I’m not quite so sure on the reliability of ‘B’ but as he signed a new contract in the summer i don’t think he will be going anywhere just yet.

Our little dancing Russian Andrey Arshavin is raking in the praise at the moment, Guus Hiddink has joined in the throng and picked up from where Dennis Lachter left off:

“One should show a stable high level of football for a long time to claim the Ballon d’Or trophy. And I am sure that Andrei Arshavin is able to do so.

“he is not only spectacular but also an effective player”

He is capable of reaching those heights, as many others have already said i wish we had brought him earlier in the season but one thing is for sure. We have one hell of a player on our hands here. Watch out. The article is a welcome read, find it here.

Nice to see this was hidden. Shameful, why don’t they put it on the back page where they misinformed an entire nation of a 20 year old’s character? One thinks they recieved a call from a certain someone’s lawyer.

Just before i bring this to a close i want to say i have it on good authority that the away kit for next season will not be green. I will bring you more when/if it is confirmed.

Thanks for you feedback – its all very helpful, if you want to add more feel free to do so in the comments section!

Right, get your mitts on that lot.

’til tomorrow

ps. Also cop a look at this fine article from our friends over there. Interesting reading.

One of the best second half’s i have seen in a long, long time secured another win in an unbeaten run that is the longest since the amazing 49 game run of the ‘invincibles’.

That is quite some run from a team that has been citicized as much as this one.

I need to start off on a sour note or three though.

Stephen Taylor.

Why was he not at least carded for that horrible assault on Andrey Arshavin? *one look, two look, THWACK!!* It was disgraceful and all we got was a free kick? The way it has been brushed under the carpet yet again by match analysts is criminal as well. My next gripe is with Lawro, he called spitting ‘the worst thing in football’ when having a dig about ’spitgate’.

• I would rather be spat on than have Stephen Taylor’s elbow swung in my face like Arshavin.
• I would rather be spat on than have my leg snapped into little bits like Eduardo.

Rant over.

In the first half yesterday i was pretty nervous, we did not really get a hold in the game and when Almunia had a penalty awarded against him (one of the softest i have seen this season), i was really nervous. The turning point probably came when he saved it, he is a renowned penalty saver and does not get enough credit for that. He has won us penalty shoot outs in the FA Cup before and saved one at a pivotal point in a NL derby from what i can remember.

Despite his assault Stephen Taylor was doing a good job of being a right pain in the arse to our strikers, he saved a couple of dead cert goals whilst ‘keeper Harper was in inspired form as well. Before the game i thought it would be down to whether we can score more goals than Newcastle who will put up a good fight due to their league position, it is stating the obvious but what i mean is that emphasis will be on how good our attacking unit functions because i was pretty sure we would concede with our defence looking very uncomfortable at times.

Then Bendtner stood up in the face of his critics and buried a fantastic header, he has so much potential and some people need to realise it, if you are going to earmark a player to spring a big surprise next season it could well be him. He had another very good game up front.

In typical style we then conceded due to a defensive cock up, maybe there was something in the water yesterday? Man Utd were dire in defending, as were Chelsea.

Then it was Abou Diaby’s time to silence the ever growing group of critics with one of his stunning runs encapsulated with a brilliant finish, it was like his run against Villa but more central. He picked up the ball near the center circle, played a one-two with Van Persie and blundered forward, finishing it with aplomb. The boy has bounds of talent but he is far to erratic at the moment, this goal came after a horrible first half where he was managing to pass pinpoint balls through two Arsenal players to a barcode. That sure takes talent.

A couple more minutes later it was Nasri’s turn after being played through by RVP again, he finished it brilliantly at the near post after another great game. Again, next season he could be a quite brilliant player, he has notched seven goals so far in his first season and at 21 that is impressive.

The team is really starting to click but now we have to go two weeks without another game, and what effect will that have on the team? So far this season we have been very poor after international breaks (Fulham) and we can’t afford to let this one knock us out of our stride, with things really looking up there are murmurings of the title which i think is ludicrous but it shows what this season really could have been. We have Adebayor, Fabregas and Walcott to come back after the international break and with those players not jetting off on international duty it will be a big bonus, things are really starting to look up for this side. There is a sense that this season we can win something, i feel something i have not felt in a long time, a trophy could really be on its way.

The wry little smile has returned to the face of Arsene Wenger and the players really look like they are enjoying themselves. I think it has been a year since we have been playing like this, when we threw the title away last season with a run of draws we were not the same despite murdering Derby 6-2 or whatever it was, we struggled a bit in every game after that. Now, this team looks rehabilitated, and hungry.

This team is capable of special things i am sure. When were we last confident of saying that without getting ridiculed?

The sun’s out, the Arsenal have won. We have two big trophies to play for. Lets savour the moment.

’til tomorrow

Our pint sized Russian looks like one hell of a player doesn’t he?

Ive said this before, he is the only player in the Arsenal squad that when he is running at people i think ‘he can beat this man’. There is no other player i have that sort of confidence in. He can be our Ronaldo, Gerrard or Lampard, he can really be the shining light in this team ahead of Fabregas and Van Persie. He really does have a rare talent and it is a shame he has only just come to light in his mid to late twenties. Here are his goals and the two goals from our Ivorian goal machine. Yes, its Emmanuel Eboue.

Catch the highlights here.

Arshavin’s second goal, (or first depending on your opinion of the goal after 2 minutes), was one of the purest quality and class. It was truly out of this world and you just sense that the confidence is returning to this side at just the right time. They seem tougher, stronger and really ready for the last few months of this season that can still be a massive success.

On a slightly darker note i thought the fans treatment of Bendtner was disgraceful, at least he was in the positions to get those chances because at the start of the season, or even a month ago, he would not have been in those positions to even have a chance of scoring. I feel the big man was very very unlucky today and credit to the die hard fans that chanted his name when he came off. His game is improving, just look at the pass to Walcott for the first goal. Brilliant.

I want to say this now, El Hadji Diouf is an animal that should not be playing football. He is the most despicable being on the planet, up there with Robert Mugabe in my view. A simply horrible person and one if dearly love to punch, he has a horrible square face with stupid hair. That assault on Almunia could have done serious damage and he warrants a ten game ban for it. Horrible, horrible, horrible, odious little man.

Eboue has been redeemed to a certain extent, he is on four goals this season now and it looks like the fans are starting to side with him again. There is no doubt he is one of the most popular people in the dressing room and the others love him, ‘goal machine Eboue’ as the stadium announcer said is back, and scoring goals.

Now that is something i have never thought i would say.

Wenger was chuffed to meatballs with the performance and it is sure to spread the confidence around the side, we quickly move on to Hull midweek and it may be another chance to keep this scoring run going as they have been far from stable recently and their priorities certainly lie with Premiership survival, though an appearance at Wembley would be welcomed by anyone.

It may well still be our season in two of the worlds biggest competitions, even two weeks ago saying that seemed pretty stupid. It is not so now is it?

Just as we were staring at fifth place misery we are now in fourth (albeit with Villa having a game in hand), but it has changed remarkably.

Its been a day of fours, four goals to nil, fourth place and a fourth goal of the season for our goal machine.

Up the Gunners!

‘Til tomorrow, happy Sunday.

This team is back

Nikky hits back

West Brom 1 Arsenal 3

The Hawthorns

Well that was all rather nice wasn’t it! At 1-1 i have to say i was worried but the stream i was using was not helping me one bit, i missed the majority of the first half because of it.

We saw what Niklas Bendtner has the potential to do to defences last night, he was fantastic and fully deserved a hat-trick, sadly he had to settle for the brace. He was a totally different player from normal, he linked up very well with the lively Arshavin and glided past players with ease, his first goal was slightly scuffy but his second was fantastic lashing his shot into the net on the angle.

It was good to see a performance like this from the big man who has 11 goals this season now i think, where have all the doubters gone? Wenger still believes in him:

“It is difficult when you’re a fan of Arsenal you are always comparing the players with people from five, six or 10 years ago. But you have to accept that a guy who is 19 or 20 years old will get better every three months. He has shown tonight he has the talent to be an Arsenal player and he’s on the right path to mature. I liked his presence, his determined attitude and I thought the way he took people on showed he has improved a lot.”

Its really good to see him playing like that, Eboue had a very good game as well and overall it was a good team performance. I’m a happy gooner!

The finishing was not top class but it did the job, it was good to see the chances flowing again and another three or four goals at the weekend could well put the confidence into this side that has been needed for so long.

We are three points behind Villa and tonight is a big night for us, we are not playing but any points dropped by Villa will be more than welcome, its about time we got some luck and im just looking forward to seeing how they react to the pressure they are now under, a few minutes from an 8 point lead has diminished to a 3 point lead in a matter of days.

Remind anyone of this time last season? We have to do what United did then.

Wenger was very happy with his side last night and rightly so, Merida looked good when he came on, along with Ramsey who was fairly busy in the few minutes he got. On ending the goal drought Wenger said:

“It is a strange situation because we have created the same amount of chances as we did tonight in many games but didn’t win. We are on a long unbeaten run since the beginning of November and I still believe that if we had taken our chances in a few of the draws we could still be in the title race. Now, we want to focus on reducing the gap with Aston Villa and maybe other teams.”

The fact is draws have cost us again this season, it may end up much worse than it did last season too. We seem to struggle after Christmas but to be fair, last year and this year have been very tough times for the club, injuries have been pretty rampant. Toure picked up a calf knock and was off at half time, that’s our tight defence blown to pieces!

I don’t know how much more there is to say rather than, thank god for getting some goals because they were needed so badly, we can get fourth, it will take consistency and a slice of luck and they are two things that have been lacking this season, Rosicky is back in a week or so, Theo is back for the weekend maybe along with Eduardo and Adebayor, Cesc is due back the week after that.

Suddenly its all starting to brighten up in the Arsenal world.

Up The Gunners.

I understand that Andrei Arshavin will be a gunner within two days as a £15 million bid for him has been accepted by moneybags Zenit.

Its just one of three occurrences today.

The information on the Arshavin deal comes from here, the £15 million will be paid in installments over a period of two years and after weeks of rumours, false stories and stuttering negotiations a deal could finally have arrived.

I brought news to you earlier yesterday that said an Arshavin deal was looking likely as Arsene allowed Niklas Bendtner to talk to the German League leaders Hoffenheim regarding a move there, but i am yet not sure as to whether it was a loan option or a permanent one.

To be honest i am fed up of all this Arshavin stuff. Onto the other bit of transfer news.

Arsenal have swiftly rejected a move for Eboue by Athletico Madrid and Arsenal have opened contract negotiations, I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing because Eboue is not a right midfielder, he is not a great right back either because Wenger would not have gone out and bought Bak Sagna if he though Eboue was good enough there. So if we got a wide replacement i wouldn’t be upset to see him go.

On the other hand he is great for team spirit, it seems he is loved by players at the club but is this a good enough reason for us to keep him?

No in my opinion.

Now, my say on our wonderkid. Jack Wilshere. I have refrained from saying this for so long, the kid does not need pressure on his back but most seasoned pro’s can’t think quick enough to do something like this, let alone execute it to perfection.

Wow!

You can see highlights of the game here but that goal was something special, its something Thierry Henry would be proud of and that is high praise indeed.

He has the potential to be in Messi’s class in my opinion, he has similar attributes and is a cross breed between Messi and Joe Cole, the longer this season goes on the more appearances he will get and he could well be our hidden weapon we could produce when we really need to produce something.

Potential is all it is at the moment, he has the footballing brain, he has the foundations to build but he has to stick to his guns, not get distracted by outside influences and work bloody hard because he is already being tipped as an Arsenal legend in the making. I think that it will probably be a year until he is in the England squad but if he is not going to get much more playing time next season than he has this, he should go out on loan for the second half of it, but that’s a long way off yet.

On the injury front Eduardo feels he is ready for first team action now but sadly Sunday may come just a fraction too soon. He had a lovely finish disallowed in the final minute of the Stoke reserves game and his old sly movement is still there. He said,

“I think I am ready for the first team but you would have to ask the boss,” I feel very well and I’m training hard every day. Of course I want to come back quick and strong. Now, every game for me is a big step.

“In my head and everything I am ready. I am happy with the 90 minutes tonight on a very hard pitch with all the hard rain. I needed time in the Reserves to get my match fitness back.

“But playing my first game for the first team, I am ready now and I am just waiting for my chance.”

Great, great news and that eight hours of rehab a day will pay off. On the goal front he said,

“The goal is coming, I am happy because I have got the chances, and that is not easy. Only when I get a chance can I finish it.”

Ominous for Premier League defences, when he gets going again he will have a point to prove. A thug can’t end a classy strikers career.

It will take time but it will be worth the wait. Will it be the same story with the Arshavin saga?

‘Til Tomorrow, any updates and i will let you know.

Ive heard that Arsenal actually did consider the offer for Niklas Bendtner from German league leaders Hoffenheim.
It was actually Niklas Bendtner that didn’t want to go but Arsenal’s willingness to listen to offers for the striker could be a sign that Andrei Arshavin may well be on his way as we would really have a surplus of talent in attacking areas (apart from out wide).

I have no idea as to the amount that Hoffenheim were willing to offer for the Dane but ive told you what ive been told so watch this space.

Right, i will be back to normal blogging so the next one will be here at just gone 12 tonight.

Til then.

Hello all, hope you all enjoyed the celebrations last night.

Day 1 of the transfer window – We will bring you all the news of the January transfer window so stay tuned for the next 31 days.

The news that a transfer request from Kilo (he is waaay overweight) Toure has been rejected by Peter Hill-Wood hit the press today. The number that continues to be branded around is £10 million, now i would bite your hand off if you offered me that for an unfit, overweight defender that has really lost his old form.

I see Toure’s problems on par with Sol Campbell’s eppy when he stormed out of Highbury at half time after a shocker against West Ham Utd. People are really going to hate me for suggesting we sell him but for £10 million we really could get a much much better player. At 27 he has about 3 years left before he starts to lose his greatest quality, his pace.

I’m a massive fan of his but he has been in decline in the last year and im not sure how he can reach his former heights, which really is a sad thing considering he was in the running for the captaincy this year and also the fact he has been overlooked as the vice captain. I think the story about the bust up with gallas is fabricated and is playing on the Gallas issues faced this season with the stripping of the captaincy and the comments he made, that were in my opinion, entirely true!

I will watch with great interest to see that happens, though i hope he stays and regains his old form, i wouldn’t be sad if he did leave.

A player that is sure to stay is Niklas Bendtner who was said his heart is with the club and he is not interested in moving, he has said;

“I don’t think about all the rumours because I am an Arsenal player and really love it here,”

“I hope that I can say stay here for a long time because to me Arsenal are the dream club.”

I have supported Bendtner in the past but he really has to work hard now, he put in a good performance at the weekend so now its time to do it whenever he is called upon and give 100%. Otherwise he will probably end up going, at the moment its all about strengthening and not letting players go without getting better replacements. Even if there is a potential star in the background.

There has been a lot of movement on the loan front, here is a brief summary:

• Jay Simpson has signed a new long term deal with the club and will go to West Brom on loan until the end of the season.
• Gavin Hoyte has gone on loan to Watford until the end of the season, he has also recently signed a new long term contract.
• Nacer Barazite has extended his loan at Derby and signed a new four year deal with the club, he was expected to return to the club but Derby were determined to keep him until the end of the season.

Good prospects and i hope they show their potential, we have seen each one of them show it in the Carling Cup and on loan so lets hope it continues! Good luck to them.

Lets keep hearing your top 5 wanted arrivals at Emirates stadium in the comments, im going to do a post on all of them in the next few days, the more the merrier!

Right i think i will leave it there for today, Til next time.