A disappointing night last night in the Champions League when, despite dominating the game, we could do no better than a 0-0 draw against Fenerbache.

However, I am looking at the positives this morning. Firstly, we didn't lose. Secondly, we kept a clean sheet. Thirdly, Aaron Ramsey looked the part. And fourthly, erm, Cesc's hair really is nice!

The Turks were obviously not going to allow us to lash them out of it like we did at their place and, even though they are crap, were defensively more solid and certainly more cynical. All the same we had some good chances in the first half. Cesc played a lovely ball through to Robin van Persie who had to take it first time and with the keeper advancing, it went just wide.

RVP had another shot blocked when Cesc's miscontrol was parried away by Volkan and the keeper made a brilliant save to turn another of the Dutchman's shot onto the bar. Robin had the best chance of the second half too when provided with pretty much a free header but he couldn't keep it down. He was also cynically hacked down on the edge of the box when turning past the defender to go one on one with the keeper. Kolo's free kick was subsequently saved by Volkan.

Robin's finishing was poor last night but he was busy, involved and creative, unlike his strike partner Bendtner who had a night to forget. He couldn't control a thing, the ball bouncing off him like he was a brick wall, and it doesn't really augur well when you consider he's likely to be our only real striking option for United on Saturday.

We huffed and puffed a bit but couldn't find a way through in the end. A decent point for the Turks but not the result we were looking for. The confidence boosting win ahead of United did not come about and overall we were poor again. The team is in a bit of a funk with the manager suggesting it was tiredness that was to blame. Someone get these boys some pep pills. Truckers Friends.

Trying to stay positive though I though Ramsey really looked the part. Good on the ball and although right midfield isn't his position he looked to get involved throughout. Djourou added a bit of height and aggression at the centre of defence. He went for the high balls, put in a couple of good, solid tackles and would certainly be in my thoughts to start against United if I were the manager.

There was no sign of Manuel Almunia, the manager saying he was sick before kick off. The more cynical amongst you might wish to make your own comments or judgements on that but I don't think he would drop him even though the last couple of games haven't been great. Wenger knows, more than anyone I suppose, Almunia is a keeper that thrives on confidence and dropping him would do nothing but shatter it completely. He's been solid for most of the season, let's not forget.

It was Cesc, struggling with his own form it has to be said, who faced the media afterwards and he acknowleged the difficulties the team are going through. At the same time though he urged fans for their backing to help the team get over it and get up and running again, saying:

We have to try and do the best we can with what we’ve got and I think we have enough quality to do it. We need the fans behind us when things don’t go well and I know it’s frustrating when the team doesn’t get the result they want.

We have to keep going and see what happens in the next game against Man United. It’s a massive game. It’s welcome because good players want to play big games and we are good players.

It's good to hear Cesc talk about knowing how frustrated the fans feel and also good that he's asking for help. There were some boos at the end of the game last night. I thought that was harsh. We didn't lose. We're a team obviously in difficulty and we kept a clean sheet and got a point. Had we lost by a couple you can understand why some people might choose to express their dissatisfaction but I'd worry that booing players after a draw, albeit a disappointing one, is not going to help things much.

On Saturday we play Manchester United and I think whatever negativity people feel towards our team at the moment should be channeled in their direction. The lads are going to need the fans support on Saturday so instead of getting on their backs focus that ire and that frustration at United. Remember how cunty they are.

Seriously, if our team were a little old lady taking a short cut through an alley back to her freezing cold home, the one she can't afford to heat because of rising fuel costs and because she has to exist only on her measly pension, then Manchester United would be the hoodied thug who would beat the old lady, rob the €8.53 she has in her tiny little purse as well as the bag of so-called mince she gets from the butcher which is mostly snouts and entrails because she has to try and feed herself for a week on €2.50. As we lay on the floor they would go off laughing before coming back, looking at us, and kicking us right in the face causing two huge black eyes and the assault would result in some kind of cancer developing in us and we would die within months, too cold, alone and afraid to go to the doctors.

That's what they are. They want to kick us when we're down. Think of us, fans, as the passers-by who see the hoodied thug as he first strikes and take it upon ourselves to teach him a lesson. Fuck the Jedi shit, embrace the dark side, let your hatred take over and remember that we have to get behind the team because they really need us at the moment. 

So, rather confusing analogies over for the day, I promise. But you see where I'm coming from. When the player we love the most is calling for the fans to help the team then we have to sit up and listen. Like a basset hound hearing the rustle of a bar of chocolate opening from miles away.

The Champions League group is still quite open. We're top with 8 points, then it's Porto on 6 points, Kievn on 5 and Fenerbache on 2. Our next game is against Kiev, also at home, so there's a good chance to get the points we need to qualify for the knock-out stages.

The focus now though is all on United this Saturday morning. That can wait, in blog terms at least, for tomorrow and Saturday itself. Till then, Arsebandits. 

Right then, football later and there's nothing like a good win for a bit of redemption. Despite the fact we all claim to see the bigger picture and think long-term and such, the only thing that really matters today is the 90 minutes later on. After that we can get back to 'normal'.

Team news is that we're going to be without Adebayor, Gallas, Walcott and Eboue for the visit of Fenerbache. The manager was hugely critical of Stoke saying that our players were 'deliberately injured'. I think that's really far too strong. You might say they were deliberately fouled but trying to say the Stoke players went out to deliberately injure our players is too much and is, frankly, unbecoming of Arsene Wenger. Normally I can see a logic to what he says but not this time.

Goonerholic believes it's a Wenger tactic to take the focus off the team and put it squarely on himself. That may be true to an extent but I also think Arsene believes what he's saying. Goodplaya describes it as 'clumsy' and points out that Stoke were not really that dirty, and I'd have to agree with that. I thought the tackle on Adebayor was a poor one but, amazingly Arsene, we have players who make poor tackles from time to time too. It does not mean we go out to deliberately injure opponents.

We've met more physical teams in our time and come through games unscathed so this is all a bit undignified to me. We got beaten by a team that was more committed and unless you can compete with that then you're going to lose. And it's not like this is something new. Arsenal players have been kicked and fouled for a long as I can remember, it's just we used to have players who could give a bit back. As it is we just seem to have the most brittle collection of footballers I've ever witnessed.

Maybe he is trying to foster an us against them/the world attitude but that's just as easily done in private as via the press and it's difficult to defend these comments in any way. Still, he's quite bullish about things on a football level as well. Responding to criticism of the team he says:

Let's re-establish what we have not done well recently, defend together as a team and continue to play in a positive way. The same people who say we are not good, let them say it in three weeks when we are the best.

Three weeks, eh? He's certainly challenging his players but also, perhaps, making a rod for his own back there. If in three weeks we've got good results under our belts against United, Villa, Man City, Wigan in the Carling Cup and tonight's game against Fenerbache then he can feel satisfied that his team has responded and proven to the critics they're not as bad as they say they are. However, should things go fair to middling - or worse - then this is the kind of quote they're going to rehash and beat him about his metaphoric head with.

It goes without saying how important the game tonight is. Whatever little bit of confidence we have needs rebuilding and winning games is the best way to do that. A win would also guarantee our qualification to the next stage of the competition and if we can do that while Liverpool and Chelsea still have work to do might provide a bit of a boost to the team.

With the absence of Adebayor and Walcott we're likely to see Bendtner and van Persie up front tonight. The former is likely to have more chances as the latter's domestic suspension kicks in at the weekend. I like Bendtner but I do think he needs to work a bit harder. He gives the impression of strolling through games at times but in an around the box he's a good finisher. A little more application would go a long way, I think.

Tonight's midfield should be interesting. Nasri is sure to play on the left but with Eboue and Walcott out it leaves a question mark on the right hand side. Maybe we'll see Nasri switched right with Diaby left and one of Denilson or Song in the middle with Cesc. Whatever midfield he picks has got to play a lot better than the one against Stoke.

I think it's a game we can win. I wouldn't be surprised if we won it quite comfortably either. On our day we can turn it on and I think the players will be looking to make up for what happened at Stoke. It helps that Fenerbache are worse at defending than we are so an entertaining 6-3 win should give value for money.

The recovery has to start somewhere, no reason why it can't be tonight. More tomorrow.

What a mad game that was last night.

The first twenty minutes or so was like some crazy training game with all kinds of stuff going on. As early as the 2nd minute Manuel Almunia set his stall out for the night with a fantastic save at his near post while the noise from the home fans was deafening.

They soon shut up though. Cesc played a fantastic ball through to Adebayor who scurried through and slid it home to make it 1-0. The replays had barely finished when he found Theo with another great pass and it was 2-0 with a smart finish. It might have been 3-0 but Volkan made a fine save from Nasri after some funky skill from Diaby had created another chance.

The crowd found their voice again when Guiza's shot was deflected in by Sylvester but no sooner had they started to sing than Abou Diaby took advantage of slack defensive work to make it 3-1 with a great left footed shot. Almunia saved from Semih and Guiza and the Spanish striker had a goal ruled out for offside too. I was thinking this might end up 8-6 or something.

The second half wasn't quite as goalmungous but it was barely 5 minutes old when we went 4-1 up, Alex Song volleying home after the ball had pinged around the box from Cesc's free kick. Guiza got a goal to make it 4-2 but Aaron Ramsey scored his first Arsenal goal right at the death to make it 5-2. An incredible scoreline when you consider Fenerbache had gone 15 European games unbeaten at home. Not so incredible when you looked at how they defended but still a fantastic win.

I have to say I raised an eyebrow at the line-up before the game began. The inclusion of Diaby seemed odd to me but he showed why the manager has brought him back so quickly. Those hoping he might be the answer to our central midfield problems might be disappointed but he does have something about him in the final third and some of his play was surprisingly excellent. I suspect this is how we're going to line up in away ties in the Champions League this season.

I thought Almunia had an outstanding game. Perhaps it was the captaincy or perhaps he has just matured into a very decent goalkeeper but whatever it was hats off to him. He's not showy but he's consistent and his saves have kept us in games this season - he deserves the plaudits. I was glad to see Ramsey do well when he came on and his goal was very nicely taken indeed. Theo is proving a real threat from the wing and his goal showed fantastic composure. We spoke last season about how lack of goals from our wingers were a problem but he and Nasri have a decent three each so far.

The only negative I'll touch on, and I'll do it very briefly, was the centre of our defence. As good as we were as an attacking force I thought we were very suspect at the back. To me Song really isn't a centre half and Sylvester was, kindly speaking here, extremely rusty. They got caught out on a number of occasions and I'm not sure that's any kind of a partnership I'd be interested in seeing too often. But let's not dwell on that after a great win, rather compliment the two full backs who were very good indeed, Eboue having a decent and committed game.

Afterwards the manager said:

I am very proud of the team. The average age was 23 and I am proud because we came in and tried to dictate the game in a very heated atmosphere. It is very pleasing that they seemed to play with no fear. I am pleased to see it works.

We came here and had a go. We started strong, we remained quite strong and we finished strong. Our pace, movement and technique made the difference.

Theo was also fulsome with his praise of the team and the performance. And at times we really ran them ragged. Poor old fat-arsed Roberto Carlos must have been wishing he'd been anywhere else as he just couldn't cope. Nor could the rest of them in fairness but I've never liked Roberto Carlos so I'm singling him out.

So top of the group with 7 points now and two home games still to play. It would be some kind of reverse miracle if we didn't qualify now. The other game in the group saw Kiev beat Porto in Portugal.

So, overall a very pleasing night but at the same time I don't think we should get carried away. We've had two good wins in the last few days but we've seen before with this team that on their day they're capable of beating anyone. Remember the Porto result came after the defeat to Hull and was followed by a last gasp draw against Sunderland - so while I hope this will spark a run of good results and performances it remains to be seen whether or not the team can find the consistency we all hope for.

In a way I suppose it's nights like last night that make the pissy games against the likes of Hull and Fulham so frustrating. We know what they're capable of and when it doesn't happen it can be difficult to cope with. I know it's a young team and it's difficult to maintain the level of performance week in, week out, but ultimately that's what you have to do if you want to win things. Let's hope last night was a spark and the flame is well and truly ignited now.

It remains only to wish Arsene Wenger a happy 59th birthday. Lots of candles on the cake today but after last night I'm sure he won't mind at all.

Till tomorrow.

Well we'll start this morning with team news ahead of tonight's game.

There's good news in that Johan Djourou and Nicklas Bendtner are both included in the squad but as expected Kolo Toure joins Sagna and Gallas on the defensive sidelines. The boss has said that the defence that finished the game against Everton will start tonight so that means Eboue, Song, Sylvester and Clichy across the back.

It does seem like a bit of a makeshift defence but our Champions League run to final came about with a defence nobody would have picked at the start of that particular season. Still, there'll be plenty of work for them to do and with Song a more natural centre-half than right back and Eboue a better right back than anything else he's tried then hopefully it won't be too bad. There's a lot of onus on Sylvester as the most experienced defender to show he's got a bit about him. He's been there and done that with United in the Champions League, of course, so it'll be interesting to see how he plays. 

There's no word yet of Samir Nasri but Arsene has been lauding him, saying he didn't expect so much from him so soon. He says:

I didn’t count Nasri in here for the first six months of the season, like I do for everybody we buy at such a young age. When you look at the impact he had already here you can say he’s ahead of what I planned for him. He’s doing extremely well and he is already becoming an important player for us and that is why you do not want him to get injured.

You also don't want him to get injured because the next best player we have for that position, Rosicky, is banjaxed. Hopefully Samir will be fit for tonight though as he does make a real difference to the way we play. With him on the left and Walcott dangerous from the right it gives us the kind of attacking balance we had with Pires and Ljungberg. A genuine threat from both flanks will keep teams on their toes and while it's early days and I'm not trying to compare them too much with their illustrious predecessors the signs are promising.

Turkish teams are always dangerous and renowned for the intense atmosphere they create at their grounds. The boss says we won't be intimidated by that but describes it as 'very tough'. We last played Fenerbache en route to the 1980 European Cup Winners Cup final and we won 2-0 over two legs. Am I right in thinking the last time we played any Turkish opposition was in the UEFA Cup final against Galatasaray? 

We currently lie top of our Champions League group and a win tonight would leave us with 7 points and still two home games left to play. That said a point wouldn't be the end of the world but we spoke about momentum and confidence and going out there and winning the game would be a big boost to the squad, especially when we have so many missing through injury.

Fenerbache are coached by Luis Aragones, infamous for his comments to Jose Antonio Reyes about Thierry Henry some years back. Despite not having the best of starts to his career in Turkey he is fresh off the back of winning Euro2008 with Spain and we know he's a wily old fox. Whether or not he has the players to make it truly difficult for us remains to be seen but he'll know exactly what Cesc is capable of and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him tightly marked throughout the game. What we do know is that Fenerbache, in front of their home fans, are going to give it 100% right from the start and we have to be ready for that.

We've been a bit of a one half team this season. Sometimes a no half team. We need a good, consistent 90 minute performance tonight. If we can do that then I think we'll win the game. 

Captain for tonight will be Manuel Almunia. A number of people emailed after the Everton game wondering who had been given the armband when Kolo went off and it was Almunia then too. Obviously the boss has gone for age here. I thought this might have been a decent opportunity for Cesc to lead the team but the manager must have his own reasons. Perhaps he doesn't want to put too much pressure on him (not that I think Cesc would be in any way fazed by it), perhaps he's determined not to bow to pressure from fans or pundits who think Cesc should be captain anyway.

I've got no real problem with Almunia having it though, despite the fact I don't think the keeper is ideal as a captain in any team. He's having a decent season and if this gives him more confidence, something he appears to thrive on, then fine.

Right, that's about that. Looking forward to this one tonight now. Fingers crossed for a good game and a good result. Till tomorrow. 

Good Monday to you all.

Barely a day of recovery for the lads before they fly out to Turkey for tomorrow's game against Fenerbache. As yet there's little or no news about who's going to be fit but it looks like we'll be without Kolo Toure following his shoulder injury on Saturday. We await news of Samir Nasri and I do hope he'll be fit. He's had a niggly start to his Arsenal career. Almost every good thing has been balanced out by a little injury and you suspect that if we are to win anything this season we need him fitter more often.

The travelling squad is usually announced the day before the game and it'll be interesting to see who makes the trip. The players are under no illusions about how tough it's going to be with Robin van Persie saying:

It will be really tough out there. I experienced it a few years ago and the fans are amazing. It was really aggressive. You have to deal with the atmosphere. It’s not nice but if you play for Arsenal, you have to adapt and just play your game.

More on that game tomorrow. Robin has also been talking about the comeback against Everton and he reckons the side is 30-40% mental. Or something. He says:

The way we came back was fantastic. Once we scored, you could see the heads of the Everton players go down. In football, the mental aspect is really important, maybe more than 30 or 40 per cent. Sometimes it is more important than the way you play.

I'm not sure where he gets his figures from but he does have a good point. An unwillingness to be beaten is what separates good teams from great teams. Having the mental strength to dig out a result when you're playing poorly is a brilliant thing. So while the result against Everton was great you do wonder where that mental strength was against Fulham and Hull. It's too early to say we've turned any kind of corner yet. The proof will come with the results in the next few weeks. We've often been a team that thrives on momentum but so far this season we have failed to get that going. Fingers crossed we can do that as there are some big games on the horizon.

Perhaps the incessant Interlulls haven't helped us and, in today's blog brought to you by the letters R, V and P, Robin says:

We were fantastic for three-quarters of last season and then suddenly everything fell down. We have learned a lot from that. I prefer it when you can have a good long run with your club team, get together and get results.

Obviously what they've learned is that in order to not make the same mistake as last season they've decided not to have a good run until a quarter of the season is over. Revolutionary thinking, I like it. That said the disappointing results this season have come pre-Interlull when the squad has been together and not post, as you might expect. Maybe they've all been thinking about how many pairs of underpants they have to pack before they go away. They need to be more focussed on football and less on underpants.

You can read more Robin, and Arsene saying he doesn't know what kind of car Theo Walcott is, here. There's a thing - what kind of cars are our players? I don't know enough about cars to even try although Eboue could definitely be a clown car. 

Right, nothing else to report. Have a good Monday. More tomorrow.