Another player who can't stop talking.

Will Arshavin be at Arsenal long-term? I wouldn't bet on it.

Quotes, presumably accurate, today include:

"Here [England] you have to pay every step of the way. Sometimes I have to shell out to breathe."

You're on approximately £60,000 a week Andrei, get some perspective, stop moaning.

Yesterday, Arshavin was wittering on about UK Tax, and not for the first time. Presumably Spain is cheaper, a destination Arshavin admits to being preferable to London:

"The most beautiful football isn't here, but at Barcelona,"
"When the transfer collapsed (to Barcelona), of course I was upset,"
"I was not against a move to Tottenham. If it was down to just me to reach an agreement, the move could have taken place."

Arshavin may have placated supporters by insisting that by moving to Arsenal he made the right decision in the end, but is this really the way to endear yourself to fans?

In some ways it's refreshing to hear a footballer speak with such blazing honesty. If Arshavin wants out, you know he won't drag the club through the dirt for months, he'll come straight out with it or go on strike.

But again, there remains a certain naivety in making these comments - or maybe Arshavin simply doesn't care how he's interpreted. All this info sits in our mental data bank ready to hatch when things go awry, and in the meantime it's unlikely to get the supporters fully on his side.

I like Arshavin and believe he has made a real difference to Arsenal, but also can't help feeling he has one leg in this club and one leg out. I don't view Arshavin as an Arsenal player, but a mercenary who happens to play for Arsenal.

Of course, I don't have a problem with that if the Russian helps the club secure trophies, in truth, most players are mercenaries, but neither can I help thinking that Arshavin's Arsenal 'romance' will be short lived.

Another crumb. Arshavin doesn't like playing out wide. When Wenger moved him central against AZ Alkmaar on Tuesday night he appeared to put in double the work rate in an effort to prove he is worthy of playing in that role - that much was obvious.

However, if Arshavin has designs on Barcelona, I don't think they'd play him anywhere different. It doesn't matter where you play when you're the king of Zenit St. Petersburg, but top European clubs don't play 5ft 7" strikers on the arrow of a 4-3-3 - and neither will Wenger.

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Arsenal secured a 1-1 draw at the DSB Stadion tonight, home of Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar.

The first chance of the game fell to Robin Van Persie on 8 via a counter attack. Arshavin fed Diaby who slipped the Dutchman in wide right, Van Persie then cut in onto his left foot but struck directly at Argentinian keeper Sergio Romero.

Alkmaar kept possession well, putting together something like 30 passes on the 20-minute mark, but in truth, going nowhere.

Then on 35, Alkmaar conceded posession to Arshavin who ran directly at goal from a central position and played in Van Persie wide left whose unselfish cross was easily converted by Fabregas. 1-0 Arsenal!

On 43, a powerful Van Persie strike fizzed off Romero's hands and just over the bar.

Half-time: 1-0 Arsenal. Alkmaar having the lion's share of possession, but Arsenal solid at the back, sitting off and waiting to pounce. It worked like a charm.

On 54, an Eboue dive led to a central Van Persie free-kick; the Dutchman again warming Romero's palm with a fine effort.

Otherwise, the game was a fairly tedious affair. An Alkmaar corner on 71 was flicked on by Van Persie, whose header struck Diaby's own head and clipped the Arsenal bar. Nearly another collector's item for Diaby.

Arsenal's slackness almost cost them on 76, a long-ball free kick finding Hector Moreno in the box, his goal-bound shot appeared to deflect off his own player and spin wide.

On 83, Arsenal should have had a penalty. Vela reached a through ball first and was clearly clipped in the box, but the referee declined Arsenal's muted protestations.

Then, as full-time approached another long ball set piece from Alkmaar, this time finding Graziano Pelle's unmarked head in the area. Fed on to the approaching David Mendes da Silva, the midfielder slammed home, 1-1! Arsenal concede the two points.

Full-time: 1-1.

Summary: Slight disappointment tonight as Arsenal paid for trying to cruise the game. They never really got out of second gear and, as the game reached its climax, encouraged an average-looking Alkmaar side by wasting possession and conceding free-kicks.

Despite the addition of Vermaelen, Arsenal are still conceding too many goals from set-pieces, which is more down to certain individuals switching off at key moments and a lack of defensive leadership/communication.

Alkmaar manager Ronald Koemann frustrates Wenger yet again, but no need to go overboard - qualification from this group is a surely a formality.

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Player Ratings:

Mannone 6.5
Couldn't be blamed for the goal, made no obvious mistakes.

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Arsenal made certain of their seventh win on the trot - in all competitions - at the Emirates Stadium yesterday afternoon, hosting Birmingham City.

For the most part, the first half was a saunter for Arsenal, with Birmingham failing to close down the Gunners with any real conviction - the West Midlanders looked frightened. This made it easy for Arsenal to spray the ball around and create chances.

Rosicky could have put Arsenal in front but missed two half-chances in the opening 12 minutes, until Van Persie - assisted by Song - scord the inevitable opener on 16, showing marvellous technique to collect the ball onto his left foot before hammering low and hard past Joe Hart.

Two minutes later, Arsenal were 2-0 up when a Rosicky cross wide right evaded the Birmingham defence and landed at the feet of Diaby who cooly slotted home high into the net.

Walcott, having fallen victim to an over-aggressive tackle by Liam Ridgewell and testing Hart with a magnificent long range effort earlier, was replaced by Arshavin on 33, as Arsenal took their foot off the pedal and pondered a third.

This gave Birmingham the chance to put together a few forays into the Arsenal half, and it wasn't long before they made it count as Mannone made a hash of a left-wing cross on 38 allowing Lee Bowyer to fire into an empty net.

Half-time: 2-1 Arsenal. Yet again, the defence conceding a needless goal under very little pressure due to an individual mistake.

Buoyed by the goal, and a half-time bollocking from Alex McLeish no doubt, Birmingham pressed Arsenal all over the pitch in the second half, making it much harded for the Gunners to find their passes so easily.

Arsenal created a smatter of half-chances, but their finishing was awry. Perhaps the best chance of the second half resulted from a back pass to the keeper by Sebastian Larsson on 69, with Birmingham conceding a free-kick 15 yards from goal, but Van Persie's powerful strike would only clip the bar.

As the game approached the final 10 minutes, Birmingham got braver and Arsenal nervier. Mannone was required to palm a dangerous low cross away around the 80-minute mark - and importantly so, then on 84 Arsenal countered from a secondary Birmingham attack. Fabregas brought the ball out of defence and found Arshavin, who closed in on goal and cleverly used the defender as a shield, curling his shot past Hart to effectively end the game in Arsenal's favour.

Diaby could have had a fourth, his close range shot from Eboue's cross brilliantly pushed wide by Hart in the dying minutes. However, none of the action seemed to impress the presumed wife of Birmingham City's new owner Carson Yeung - who could be seen yawning outrageously and feigning discernable boredom on several  occasions, in what is sure to be her last football match. 

Full-time: 3-1 Arsenal.

Summary: Arsenal saw off Birmingham fairly comfortably, but could have shown a bit more conviction in finishing the game off. Again, the concession of a needless goal caused far more problems than were necessary, with Arsenal seemingly cruising to a comfortable scoreline before Mannone's error.

Arsenal look very strong at home this year, and one suspects that a title challenge will need to be founded on their travels, where they have yet to convince despite the wonderful opening day humiliation of Everton.

Still, there's every reason to be cautiously optimistic about Arsenal winning the title this season. The club has improved from last year and the competition is drifting backwards, particularly Chelsea and Liverpool. However, I still have a nagging doubt regarding squad depth; injuries to Song/Vermaelen/Gallas could easily derail a serious title attempt - this area needs to be supplemented in January wherever Arsenal are in the table.

Player Ratings:

Mannone 7.0
Didn't have much to do, but made a hash of what should have been a simple clearance for Birmingham's first goal. Redeemed himself in the second half with an important save, but Almunia's warning has been served and the Spaniard should get his place back now.

Arshavin 6.5
A bit subdued until his goal. May have been carrying a knock, hence Walcott starting.

Sagna 5.5
Hard to impress coming on as a right back for the last 18 minutes.

Wilshire 5.0
Had no time to get into the game; don't even remember him touching the ball.


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Another day, another bid for Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona. They want Cesc now, and after the Spaniard destroyed Blackburn single-handedly on 4th October they want him even more.

They're gagging for him!

Barcelona believe that if they keep applying the pressure, Fabregas will cave in. Every time they make a comment, a gesture, a phone call, it plants another seed in the Spaniard's head.

If Arsenal fail to make a valid attempt to win trophies this season, that seed could well flower into a pot plant and Fabregas might be ready to move on. Barca know a bid will fail in January, but they also know that any sort of bid will send yet another message to Fabregas, we want you and are willing to pay big bucks to get you!

And can you blame them?

Arsenal supporters moan about Barcelona's underhand tactics, and truth be told they are pretty disgraceful, but you can hardly say they haven't been encouraged by Arsenal's habit of selling-off big name players. Nicolas Anelka, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Thierry Henry, Alexandre Hleb, Jose Reyes, Lassana Diarra, Mattieu Flamini - all quality players, sold abroad, destination mostly Spain.

There's little doubt that Arsenal HAVE become a selling club; they've sold big players to Real Madrid and Barcelona countless times in the not too distant past, and few of those departees have been "past it".

While Manchester Utd continue on their merry way, winning trebles with a 34-year-old Paul Scholes, 35-year-old Ryan Giggs, 34-year-old Gary Neville, and 38-year-old Edwin Van Der Saar, Arsene Wenger would have us believe that if you're over 30 you're over-the-hill.

He doesn't really believe that, it's just a convenient excuse to make big money from selling players in their prime. It's the king of managerial spin, spinning another cunning web of ambiguity.

I'm pretty certain Cesc Fabregas will leave Arsenal soonish, if not this summer, then next.

If Arsenal win something big this season, Fabregas will have fulfilled his dream and will go. If Arsenal fail to win anything this season but come close, he might be tempted, or persuaded, into staying one more season - but if that ends up potless as well he can quite rightly claim that he's completely wasting his time in North London, and it would be difficult to disagree.

It's only this season that I've realised my suspicions have come true. I now fully understand why Aaron Ramsey was bought by Arsene Wenger. At the time it looked a completely pointless purchase, as Arsenal's midfield was already stuffed to capacity.

But i'm certain now that Ramsey is earmarked for the Fabregas role. Wenger knew when he bought Ramsey that he would not be able to hold off bids for Fabregas indefinitely, and also that Fabregas could bring another £30-£40m into the club to help pay off the stadium debt.

So he bought Ramsey, that's the only reason he could have bought Ramsey. Ramsey is a £4.8m insurance policy for Cesc Fabregas leaving Arsenal - that's why he's now giving the young Welshman between 10-30 minutes in every game possible, and not Wilshere. He HAS to give Ramsey playing time, because he won't spend £20m of the Fabregas fee on a world-class replacement.

Arsenal CEO Ivan Gazidis says Wenger "must win a trophy this season". Well, he didn't exactly say that, but might as well have. The exact quote was, "second, third or fourth" isn't good enough, and if your boss tells you not hitting a target isn't good enough, then you can take it as read that you better hit the target - or at least come mighty close.

Is Gazidis merely spouting empty rhetoric to placate supporters? Is it another Jedi mind trick? Who knows, you can't believe anything Arsenal tell you anymore, nothing is transparent.

Meanwhile, over the weekend paper reports suggest that Real Madrid are set to make a £16m bid for Gael Clichy. This would be the perfect deal for both Arsenal and Real Madrid. They get an attacking defender who can't defend - just how they like it - and Arsenal get a big bundle of cash for a useless full back who makes chronic mistakes virtually every week.

What's more, Wenger can give Clichy's place to Keiran Gibbs and within 6 months nobody would remember Clichy had left - and Wenger can be called a transfer genius ad infinitum.

And the moral of this blog is? When the Spaniards' come calling - it's not all bad.

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3_ Paul Robinson hoofs a 70-yard free-kick into the Arsenal box, Vermaelen backs off then jumps with Steven Nzonzi, but the French midfielder gets there first to plant a looping header over Mannone, 1-0 Blackburn! Mannone wasn't that far off his line, but appeared to mistime his jump.

9_ Pinpoint cross from Arshavin into the box, Fabregas manages a looping a header forcing Robinson to tip onto his own bar. Good effort.

16_ Vermaelen blocked off in midfield, ref allows the advantage. Diaby plays forward to Fabregas who lays off for Vermaelen - 1-1!! Fantastic strike! Vermaelen buries from 20 yards with his left peg.

18_ Another 70-yard hoof from Robinson, but Song manages to get his head to this one. Blackburn repeat the tactic on 20, utilising Robinson to smash long balls into the Arsenal box. Typical Allardyce, no wonder the Blackburn away end is 3/4 empty. It may be effective, but who wants to pay money to watch that shite?

22_ Decent Fabregas strike from 20 yards; Robinson spills but manages to collect before VP hones in.

25_ Mannone rushes out like a maniac and gets flattened by Dunn. The young Italian is looking shaky.

Arsenal playing too deep, need to push up 20 yards.

29_ A Fabregas long ranger forces another decent save from Robinson. Blackburn break forward with El-Hadji Diouf - long ball to Brett Emerton who feeds in David Dunn, one-on-one with Gallas in the box. Dunn tries a curler into the far corner, but the ball hits Gallas's inside thigh and spins past Mannone - 2-1 Blackburn! Fluke goal.

32_ Diaby to Fabregas - threads Van Persie in with a beautiful pass, good first touch from Van Persie, BANG!! 2-2! Van Persie hammers left-footed past Robinson.

36_ Two Blackburn players go for the same ball, header drops to Fabregas - the magician slides Arshavin in, 3-2!! Great finish. Anyone got Fabregas in their fantasy league? A hattrick of assists already - even the ref is smiling.

45_ Van Persie to Rosicky - sweet pass with the outside of his boot into the area, Fabregas at the far post attempts a near post header that Robinson scrambles to clear.

47_ Van Persie booked for nothing.

Half-time: 3-2 Arsenal, a bizarre first-half. Arsenal have been sloppy defensively and need to organise themselves better at half-time to cope with Blackburn's anti-football. They also need to keep the ball a little better, although Fabregas has been simply sensational this half.

47 Dunn goes down in the Arsenal box - the Arsenal players seem to stop expecting a whistle that never comes. Certainly looked a penalty at first glance, and from watching the replay even more so - Vermaelen stretching across Dunn and taking him down before touching the ball.

48_ A Martin Olsson thirty-yarder forces a spectacular save from Mannone, but comfortable in reality. Arsenal start the second half nervily.

49_ Fabregas roams forward; what a chip! Inch-perfect to Van Persie in the 6-yard box, the Dutchman chests down and strikes but too close to Robinson who smothers.

56_ Fabregas spraying the passes around again, comes back to him 20 yards out via Rosicky, chests down, allows the bounce - and half-volleys past Robinson, 4-2!! Great strike Fabregas, he's deserved that goal.

62_ Rosicky lets fly from just inside the box, only two feet from Robinson's crossbar.

Walcott replaces Rosicky. Thierry Henry applauds from the stands - good to see him.

72_ Clichy gets done on the inside, cross is whipped in - Vermaelen intercepts with a header that strikes Mannone's left-hand post. Keeper was stranded there.

74_ Arsenal break from defence, initiated by Fabregas. Arshavin runs at Blackburn's back four, squares to Fabregas, who prods it to Walcott - 5-2!! Buried by Walcott, to Robinson's right.

The exceptional Fabregas is replaced by Ramsey. Bendtner comes on for Arshavin.

79_ Exquisite backheel by Van Persie, Blackburn caught square - Bendtner is in! Hits straight at Robinson, should have scored.

80_ Lovely Ramsey through ball, this time Walcott is in - struggles to get control, then tries an unbalanced prod past Robinson, but not enough pace on the ball to take it over the line.

81_ Ramsey corner, Song headers at goal point blank, Robinson saves. Now Bendtner collects wide left, cuts inside and smashes it past Robinson, excellent, powerful finish - a real belter, 6-2!!

Full-time: 6-2 Arsenal.

Summary: Wonderful entertainment. On Arsene Wenger's 13th anniversary we pretty much see a performance that defines his brand - superb attacking football, but ropey at the back.

Arsenal's finishing was lethal, with Fabregas at the heart of everything. No doubt this was aided by Blackburn having to field four full-backs in defence due to injuries - but even so, they were cut to ribbons by Fabregas's marvellous passing and vision.

Blackburn scored two, hit the post (via Vermaelen) and should have had a penalty; Arsenal looked dodgy at the back all afternoon.

Despite scoring six (could have easily been eight or nine) it seems trite to complain about Arsenal's performance in any way, so I won't. The question is, can Arsenal win the league by simply battering teams into submission? Few supporters in Europe will be as entertained finding out.

Mannone

Made some positional errors. At fault for the first goal and made other mistakes, which is only to be expected considering his youth. This could cost Arsenal in the long run - they're fighting for the title after all - so don't be surprised if Almunia's phantom stomach bug mysteriously clears up. 

Sagna
Did ok defensively, although his clearances were a bit wayward and was poor again going forward.
Gallas
Could have anticipated things a little better at times, but was unlucky with Blackburn's second deflected goal; couldn't really blame him for that.
Vermaelen
Scored a fantastic goal, but perhaps for the first time this season looked a bit suspect defensively. Lost a few important aerial challenges and was a little clumsy at times. Very lucky not to give away a penalty at the start of the second half.
Clichy
Wasn't really tested down the flanks, Blackburn focused 90% of their attacks on longs ball into the box. Performed adequately otherwise.

Song
Had a good game. No doubt we will see variable performances from Song, but today was one of his better ones.
Diaby
Has clearly lost confidence, opting for the safe pass all the time when he should be offering a lot more in the attacking third. Very weak in the tackle.

Fabregas
Totally outstanding. I doubt any player in Europe will have performed any better this weekend. Four assists, a goal - could have had a hattrick on another day.

Arshavin
Scored a lovely Ljungberg-type goal, running diagonally across the box to pick up Fabregas's pass. Wouldn't say it was his best game, but heavily involved nevertheless.
Van Persie
Scoring regularly now which is great to see; also looked very dangerous as a provider - top class performance.
Rosicky
Had a good game; his passing was crisp and precise and always looked threatening even if he didn't manage to get on the scoresheet.

Substitutions

Walcott
Scored one, could have had another - looked very lively. He's not ready to start games in my opinion; definitely an impact sub.
Bendtner
Should have had two, but the goal he did score was excellent, so we can let him off the miss. Did what good subs should do; had an impact.
Ramsey
Sprayed the passes around, splitting Blackburn open on several occasions. Was impressed.

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Today marks Arsene Wenger's 13th year at Arsenal football club, now making the French manager the longest serving Arsenal manager of all time - edging ahead of George Allison (1883-1957).

Allison did a great job for Arsenal, continuing the success of previous boss Herbert Chapman, who had a slow start to his Arsenal reign, joining the club in 1925 yet not winning his first trophy for 5 years - beating his old club Huddersfield Town in the 1930 FA Cup Final.

Chapman led Arsenal to the the club's first league title in 1930/31, before repeating the feat in 1932/33.

Following Chapman's premature death, Allison took control of team affairs in 1934, replacing the already-successful caretaker manager Joe Shaw. Between them, Arsenal created further history with three more titles (1933/34, 1934/35, and 1937/38). Allison also added an FA Cup in 1935-36.

Following the war years, Allison's successor Tom Whittaker brought more triumph to a football club that, in retrospect, Chapman had clearly put on the map. However, success became sporadic throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s, and it wasn't until George Graham arrived in North London that Arsenal picked up the baton once again and began to have a big say in English football - breaking the dominance of Everton, and particularly, Liverpool.

Graham was successful almost to the end, with a Cup Winners' Cup trophy in 1993-1994 to add to his two titles, FA Cup and League Cup (twice), but the Arsenal brand, once so exciting under Graham had become tedious and defensive as a spectacle.

In many ways, as Chapman had for Allison, Graham at least managed to set the template for Arsene Wenger to arrive at Arsenal and achieve success. Despite Bruce Rioch having supplemented the squad for a single season with the likes of David Platt and Dennis Bergkamp, it was Graham's sturdy defence that laid the true foundations from which Wenger could build. And Wenger did more than build.

When Wenger joined, he was completely unknown amongst football supporters in England - yet I more than trusted the club with his appointment. The board had brought us Graham, and his success remained fresh in the memory.

I very much remember when Arsene Wenger first joined the club. At the time Arsenal were a decent side; Rioch's signing of Bergkamp had ignited the supporter's imagination following a dreary end to Graham's reign, and with Ian Wright still at the club, supporters knew Arsenal now had one of the deadliest forward lines in Europe and a rock-solid defence. Unfortunately, it the midfield left a lot to be desired and the dressing room was unstable; this is where Wenger would first set about transforming the 'new' Arsenal.

Although Wenger was appointed manager at the start of 1996, contractual obligations meant the Frenchman would not physically join the club until several month later. I distinctly remember watching some of those early season games, with Wenger interviewed via satellite prior to one or two of them - not yet able to take his position in the managerial seat.

One of those was at Highbury, a league game hosting Sheffield Wednesday.

I was down the pub that evening, witnessing a difficult game that Arsenal hadn't been playing very well in. Wednesday took the lead on 25, and might have had another, but everything changed on 28 minutes when Ray Parlour left the pitch with a dead leg. His replacement was Arsene Wenger's first signing, Patrick Vieira, who despite being only 20 years old delivered the most impressive debut of any player I have ever seen play for Arsenal.

It was like he came from another planet, striding around the pitch and tackling players with ease with his telescopic legs, before distributing inch-perfect passes like lottery tickets for his forwards to ram home.

Arsenal won 4-1; Vieira had turned the game on its head.

From that moment, you knew that not only was Vieira special, but Arsene Wenger too. Only a special manager could purchase such a special player.

Of course, Arsenal's subsequent success under Wenger remains tangible. The FA Cups, the doubles, the Invincibles - despite the length of time Wenger has been at the club, and the lack of recent success, those memories have yet to fade and still lay the foundations for our future hopes.

Throughout his reign, Wenger has not only changed the culture of Arsenal Football club from the inside out, but also kept Arsenal at the forefront of the sport's modern acclimatisation; now focused so strongly on pace and power.

In many ways, Wenger not only benefited Arsenal, but English football as a whole. The game has advanced immeasurably within the last decade, and Wenger has had much to do with that in England, his dietary, training, and tactical methods analysed, pilfered, then integrated by other clubs, perhaps to Arsenal's own detriment in having to face them as opposition.

The success of the Premier League under the Sky Sports franchise can only have been assisted by Wenger's brand of 'total football', and has subsequently attracted massive investment, enabling  the transformation of many of Arsenal's competitors to a position they could scarcely have dreamt of.

Ironically, the building of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium has meant the club has been somewhat left behind financially, and Wenger has had an uphill battle ever since. Doubtless, the manager has paid the price for protecting Arsenal's future, somewhat leading to the barren spell we are now witnessing in terms of success.

This alone has attracted criticism amongst supporters and pundits, somewhat dividing opinion, although there is no surefire way of proving Arsenal's lack of recent success under Wenger is down to money alone.

Contradictions from the manager and the board have left supporters confused and bewildered at times, particularly in the light of recent record profit announcements. For the first time, people are doubting the manager's prudency and iron-willed determination to do things his way.

Yes, sometimes the supporters moan at our great manager. Many moaned under George Graham too, and doubtless many moaned under Chapman, Allison, Whittaker and Mee. That's because, as supporters, we want success, and it seems within reach. Expectations differ from individual to individual. Many are impatient for success, because success brings gratification. We want a level of control, but supporting a team is not something you can directly control, which brings about a certain element of frustration.

No manager is perfect, there's no model for perfection. Arsene Wenger is not perfect, and sometimes we latch on to those imperfections and analyse them, forgetting about the perfections that we perhaps take for granted. When striving for perfection, it seems only natural to search for the flaws with a desire to weed them out, whereby the negative can dominate the positive.

And of course, as a supporter of almost 30 years, I am guilty of that and I know it. You could say that's my imperfection.

Alas, it cannot be any other way; but one thing is for certain - today we should think about what Arsene Wenger has achieved for Arsenal and celebrate that.

Arsene Wenger is a living legend at Arsenal football club, and whether his reign eventually ends in success or failure - on the pitch - his previous successes will never be forgotten and can never be diminished.

Wenger has not only brought Arsenal heaps of trophies, but has been a perfect ambassador for the club and provided the most consistently luxurious brand of football I have ever had the pleasure to witness. Add to that an immense 60,000 stadium that will set Arsenal financially for life, and some of the best memories and emotions a football fan could ever hope to experience, we can surely only ever be grateful.

Arsenal play Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, and afterwards I will no doubt be nitpicking over this, that and the other. If I was any less of a supporter I probably wouldn't bother. I want success for Arsenal football club, but also want success for Arsene Wenger too, but what's certain is that I feel an immeasurable gratitude to Wenger and my respect will never fade.

Here's to the future and the irrevocabe hope that under Wenger there is yet more success to come.

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13_ Clichy flies down the wing and cuts back to Arshavin who directs a well-placed shot across the Olympiacos veteran keeper Antonios Nikopolidis who saves well to his right.

15_ Fabregas receives centrally from Arshavin, finds space and cracks a spectacular volley against the crossbar. Van Persie finds Rosicky on the follow up, but his powerful effort is pushed out by Nikopolidis.

18_ Great feet by Arshavin in the box, wriggling between two, forces another Nikopolidis save.

Arsenal totally dominant; 68% possession.

25_ Arshavin in the box, great swivel, plays in Fabregas who takes a touch before shooting straight at Nikopolidis; needed to hit that first time.

31_ Van Persie corner - perfect for the incoming Diaby; but he ducks instead of jumping!! Perhaps someone called, otherwise bizarre.

37_ Van Persie makes a fool of the Olympiacos left-back, leaving him on his backside, then shoots straight at Nikopolidis.

45_ An Olympiacos attack, the first of the half! Clichy fails to man mark effectively and a cross is flashed across the box; danger cleared.

Half-time: All Arsenal. 38-year-old Nikopolidis has done well in goal, but most of the shots have been straight at him. Great build up play from Arsenal; fast, effective one-touch football, only let down by the finishing. Need to get behind Olympiacos more and add more players in the box - alas Wenger doesn't seem think that's an effective way to score a goal. Still, if Arsenal keep plugging away they should score eventually.

45_ Clichy beaten on the counter attack, dangerous ball across is cleared.

49_ Olympiacos corner - their first - headed towards goals by Olof Melberg who beats Vermaelen aerially. Mannone forced to push the effort out - close call!

50_ Arsenal attack. Eboue strides into the box and squares to Van Persie whose strong shot is straight at Nikopolidis. Van Persie then booked for a rather frustrated and aggressive follow-up tackle on the covering defender.

Arsenal struggling here, trying to play one-touch instead of two; hence frequently losing possession. Need a centre back to push up and complement the attack, and Gallas duly does that.

65_ Eduardo on for Rosicky, why not Diaby??

72_ Van Persie in the area via Arshavin whose shot is pushed straight into Gallas path by Nikopolidis, but Gallas offside.

75_ Vela readies himself to replace Diaby; a frustrated Arshavin has words with Wenger on the touchline; "can I play through the middle please!?"

76_ Arshavin dink chip - Diaby heads straight at Nikopolidis. Goes off, Arsenal 4-2-4 now.

77_ Fabregas, threads a ball through to Eduardo in the box, beats his man and squares for the incoming Van Persie, 1-0 Arsenal!! A simple goal in the end.

Olympiacos forced to come forward in numbers now, leaving Arsenal unbalanced in midfield. Ramsey replaces Van Persie to solidify.

85_ Arshavin has clearly a got second wind. Ramsey to Fabregas, crosses for Arshavin whose backheel flick cleverly beats Nikopolidis, 2-0!! Arshavin offside, but goal counts - naughty linesman, should have spotted that.

89_ Clichy nutmegged - dear me, schoolboy defending.  Cross comes in, Gallas provides a last ditch header wide.

Full-time: 2-0 Arsenal.

Summary: A little frustrating at times, but Arsenal definitely deserved their victory - eventually making their overwhelming possession count. Olympiacos carried very little threat throughout, the only question was, could Arsenal make the breakthrough? Needless to say, they did.

Mannone

Hard to give him too high a mark as he had so little to do, but made a decent save at the start of the second half demonstrating his ability to concentrate. 

Eboue
Defended well and looked bright coming forward; certainly one of his better games.
Gallas
Breezed through the game.
Vermaelen
Breezed through the game.
Clichy
Even in such a straightforward game he seemed to make a meal out of almost everything. I don't see him becoming a top class left-back. Ashley Cole was twice the player at 24, both offensively and defensively.

Song
Surprised he didn't get booked for persistent fouling. Otherwise did alright.
Diaby
Lousy game. In the first half it was so obvious where his deficiences lie, as everyone around him played sweet one-touch football while he either gave it away or dallied on the ball.

Fabregas
Excellent first-half, unlucky with a fantastic shot that struck the bar, and passed with speed and guile. Taipered off in the second-half, looked a bit tired; has always had a tendency to tire before his teammates.

Arshavin
Wasn't going to give him Star Man, until the last 15 minutes, when he showed some fantastic determination and skill, lighting up the Grove whilst propelling Arsenal over the finishing line.
Van Persie
Played well and deserved his goal.
Rosicky
Had a good game generally, although suffered a little playing wide right - I would have thought it obvious to switch him with Arshavin.

Substitutions

Eduardo
Got the assist that gave Arsenal the lead; important contribution.
Vela
Held onto the ball a little too long at times; but did ok.
Ramsey
Brought on to shore up midfield; difficult for him to shine.

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I'm not a happy bunny this morning, sometimes my fellow Arsenal supporters disappoint me - greatly. Cesc Fabregas has attracted a lot of undeserved criticism for his performance against Fulham yesterday; a performance which I actually thought was very good. Not magnificent - but very good.

Yes, the Spaniard played a few sloppy passes early doors and his corners in particular were poor, but people tend to ignore the fact that Fabregas is playing in the heart of Arsenal's midfield and is often under immense pressure.

Yesterday's game was played at a ferocious pace, especially in the centre of the park with Fulham's midfield giving no quarter. Opponents know that Fabregas is Arsenal's playmarker - the man that makes Arsenal tick - therefore the little Spaniard is often man marked or paid very close attention to, and is usually on the end of a bit of a clattering.

Many have lamented Cesc's performance yesterday, but he actually had a 70% success rate - overall. Of his 63 passes - considerably more than any other player on the pitch - only 9 were unsuccessful in open play.

In games like yesterday's, Cesc usually has a second to release the ball, and is continually under pressure to make forward, creative passes - not safe, square passes. That's the responsibility he shoulders, and these days he only has one target man to hit, Van Persie, who usually has two defenders on his back and is quite easily intercepted.

If people had paid a little closer attention, they would realise that other Arsenal players could have made better use of Fabregas's forward passes yesterday. On 21, he played Arshavin clean through but the Russian failed to convert a decent chance, on 50 he set Diaby up with a chance that he really should have hit but wasted, a minute later he set up Van Persie's goal with a delicious looping pass, on 86 he put Eboue clean through but the Ivorian's touch was poor allowing Schwarzer to close him down, on 89 he set up Bendtner who hammered over the bar, and on 95 he put Eboue in again, but he slashed his shot well wide.

Maybe if his surrounding players made a little more of the frequent chances Fabregas creates for them he would be given more credit.

Some tend to consider Fabregas to be having a poor season, but Fabregas is already joint second in the Premier League assists table - with four, one behind Ryan Giggs. And Fabregas has only played 3½ league games, compared to Giggs 4 + two 45-minute sub appearances.

The Spaniard has also completed more successful passes than any other Arsenal player this season.

People forget that Fabregas is only 22 and has a lot of pressure on his young shoulders. As club captain, he's usually expected to carry this Arsenal team, despite often being surrounded by incompetents. Perhaps Cesc is slightly off the boil compared to his usual very high standards but he has been getting kicked from pillar to post in the games he's played this season, which doubtless explains his deflated body language at times - he's not uberman!

Maybe the Spaniard does have one eye on Barcelona, and who could blame him? Put yourself in his position; the boy needs some strength around him, not lazy wimps like Diaby or weaklings like Denilson and Clichy or the snail-paced Song etc. who do very little to help him out on the physical side. If I was him I'd certainly be casting envious glances at Barcelona, as Wenger has hardly gone the extra yard to win trophies let alone give the lad the world-class midfield partner he deserves to help take the load off his shoulders.

It would serve Arsenal a lot better if the fans forgave the odd stray Fabregas pass - and if his corners are bad maybe the manager should get someone else to take them. Why is Fabregas taking them anyway? They're clearly not his forte, Van Persie or Arshavin should take them.

If Arsenal fans want to push Fabregas out the door, they're going the right way about it. Maybe they're anticipating his departure and looking for a few good reasons to hate him - more fool them, without this lad Arsenal haven't a hope in hell of competing for anything.

On another topic, well done to the reserves in the Carling Cup victory - beating West Brom 2-0 midweek. I didn't get to see the game, but it was a decent result. Alas, with Liverpool in the next round I think Arsenal will find it very tough going if the merseysiders decide to put out a strong side.

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Fulham have played 12 games already this season, compared to Arsenal's 8 - does that mean anything?

2_ Brede Hangeland gives the ball away needlesly, then slips. Looks nervous - wonder why?

4_ Clint Dempsey manages the first shot on target, following Fabregas's hospital ball to Song.

8_ Zoltan Gera replaces the perpetually injured Damian Duff (pulled calf).

14_ Gera crosses wide right, Andy Johnson gets his head to it, super save from Mannone; Dempsey stabs the ball back towards goal and Mannone manages to get something on that too.

The game is remarkably open.

17_ Fabregas blasts over from 12 yards.

21_ Fabregas and Van Persie combine to open Fulham up, Fabregas slips Arshavin in, but the Russian scoops over under pressure.

24_ Bendtner strikes directly at Mark Schwarzer from distance.

28_ Van Persie free kick, 25 yards out - miles over!

Neither side controlling the game, but Fulham more effective with the ball when they do get it, playing a more direct game and certainly more physically powerful.

35_ Johnson wide right, flicks the ball past Vermaelen into the oncoming Gera who takes it early - good save Mannone, low to his right - palms wide for a corner.

46_ Zamora booked for lunging in on Clichy. Fabregas swings the free kick in but Schwarzer punches clear.

Half-time: A tough, gritty, physical first half - just how Arsenal hate it. Roy Hodgson is a tactical master and is doubtless winning the tactical game over Wenger. Arsenal need to keep it tight and try and steal a goal, perhaps when Fulham's relentless pressure eases.

46_ Clichy loses the ball clumsily, Bobby Zamora shoots from distance, but wide.

50_ Fabregas to Diaby, good first touch, hones in on goal - it's begging to be hit - but the big lumox passes into no-man's land.

51_ Paul Konchesky gives the ball away to Song in midfield, he touches to Fabregas who plays a marvellous swerving through ball to Van Persie. One touch with his left, onto his right - great finish!! 1-0 Arsenal! Top class by Van Persie. That's the all-important goal Arsenal were looking for.

59_ Clichy beaten all ends up by Zamora who changes foot and crosses, Johnson rises - good header, but Mannone is equal to it. Dempsey follows up - but blasts across goal aimlessly.

Why do all Arsenal's problems come down Clichy's side? Because managers do their homework. The overwhelming majority of opposition attacks comes down Arsenal's left - and have been for three years.

Meanwhile, Arsenal away fans in fine fettle - singing louder than 60,000 at the Emirates.

63_ Rosicky on for Arshavin.

66_ A long Fulham ball finds Dempsey whose shot clips Sagna and then swerves and clips the upright - that was inches from an equaliser.

67_ Another long ball, this time finding Zamora in the box, half hits it on the volley buy Gallas blocks fantastically well.

70_ Arsenal counter, Bendtner to Van Persie who stabs infield to Rosicky just outside the box, but his shot is blocked well by Pantsil.

77_ Clichy and Diaby contrive to give a stupid free-kick away, ball is flung in by Fulham and cleared by the melee, Johnson outside the box with a low shot, well parried by Mannone.

Fulham pressurising Arsenal relentlessly; but Arsenal just keep giving it back.

79_ Song climbs all over Zamora - giving away another daft free kick. In it comes, Zamora with a powerful header, fantastic save Mannone! He's saved Arsenal's skin today.

82_ Eboue on for Van Persie.

86_ Eboue to Fabregas to Eboue in the box, but the Ivorain too close to stab past Schwarzer.

89_ Fabregas to Bedtner in the box, controls well and faces up, tries a power shot but rises high over the bar.

5 minutes injury time, Wenger throws his arms up in disgust. Can Arsenal survive Fulham's long balls?

95_ Arsenal counter, Rosicky to Fabregas who plays in Eboue, advancing on goal, but slices horribly wide.

Full-time: Final whistle blows - at last! Gunners take it 1-0.

Summary: A marvelous game for the purist, but pretty painful to watch for Gooners. Fulham played about as well as they can and gave Arsenal a real battle. Arsenal stood up well in the first half then managed to carve out that vital goal in the second.

But Arsenal also displayed their immaturity on countless occasions, continually giving the ball away and conceding cheap free-kicks, which so nearly cost them goals in the second half as Fulham heaped on the pressure.

Arsenal have their goalkeeper to thank, Mannone - without him Arsenal would have come away with nothing and it would have been the same old story, "Arsenal bullied into defeat".

Yes, this is an important three points, and it proves that Arsenal can grind out results on the road - but they still have a lot to learn if they're to put in a serious title challenge. The lingering fragilities remain, doubtless waiting to haunt Arsenal later down the road.

It's not just winning, it's how you win, and you can't expect a goalkeeper to perform like Mannone did today on a regular basis, he really was outrageously good. It was Mannone's day more than Arsenal's.

Mannone

Best goalkeeping performance I have seen from an Arsenal goalie for years. Mannone pulled off four top class saves; his performance was practically faultless. What a boost for the young man - exceptional!

Sagna
Defended admirably, but also gave the ball away a lot - his loose clearances continually fell into Fulham's lap.
Gallas
Brilliant performance, made some vital blocks and put his body on the line time and time again - Arsenal need him fit all season, big time.
Vermaelen
Did well on the deck, but not as aerially dominant as we have seen from him recently and Fulham won too many headers in the box. Still, games with this intensity are likely a new experience to him - he will have learnt a lot.
Clichy
Pulled all over the place at the back, doesn't know whether he's coming or going half the time. Can't believe he wasn't dropped after his woeful performance against Man City.

Song
Showed good composure on the ball at times - as we know he can, at other times conceded cheap free-kicks that only served to pile the pressure on.
Diaby
Gives nothing to the team; he's a big, lazy sack of shite, and physically dominated by a midget (Danny Murphy) most of the game.

Fabregas
Quality performance from the young Spaniard, everything positive Arsenal did flowed through him - his creative passing in tight spaces was a joy to behold.

Arshavin
Been out for a month and it showed, in a frenzied game his passing was often wayward - although did threaten on a few occasions when he got into the Fulham box.
Van Persie
Excellent goal - is learning how to play the lone forward role and adapted to it quite well today.
Bendtner
Worked very hard and rarely lost possession; but still suffers from being stuck out wide - not much of a goal threat.

Substitutions

Rosicky
Gave Arsenal exactly what they needed, a cool head.
Eboue
Threatened a couple of times, but as usual his composure let him down. Did some stupid things, conceding possession when he should have just held on to the ball - makes you wonder what comes first to Eboue, Arsenal or Eboue.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Note: Either respect the views circulated on this blog by its users and respond articulately or your comments will be deleted and ISP banned.

To read all Arsenal Truth stories, bookmark the main page <here>
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