Julio Baptista arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2006 - a year too late, but still able to excite the fans. Along with the signing of Gallas, he helped to snowball the fans' expectations to gargantuan proportions that would quickly dissipate into disappointment. Gallas was mostly injured and under-par, and Baptista was an almighty, almighty flop.

He arrived with this tag and reputation of being "The Beast" - a goal-scoring powerhouse that could barge past anyone and thump in the goals. Well. He wasn't.

Apart from one storming performance against Liverpool where he scored 4 goals in our 6-3 Carling Cup win at Anfield, he was awful. And to be honest, that game was such an anomaly that I can't believe it even happened. Not only did we go to Anfield and score 6 goals, but Baptista scored 4 (and missed a penalty, which isn't surprising), Aliadiere scored the first and setup 3 more, and ALEX SONG SCORED. Freakish.

He really did seem like a nice earnest lad who gave his best, and to his credit he ended the season with 10 goals (although 6 of those were in 2 Carling Cup games), but he was rubbish - a big lumbering cow more than any sort of fearsome beast, his missed chances deprived us of so many wins.

And why am I suddenly bringing up "The Beast" all of a sudden? Because a quote I came across today from Ryan Babel only serves to confirm what we all suspected... that despite his bulk, incredible muscle percentage and density, and ninja-turtle like exterior, he was just a great big softie:

"A big body doesn't mean you're strong. I understand from Robin van Persie at Arsenal that Julio Baptista isn't strong at all, even though he's a massive guy." - Ryan Babel

Not strong at all... hilarious stuff really, considering that his size and strenth were one of the few things still going in his favour. But I think we all knew what the real deal was when PSV's frail looking Chinese left-back Sun Xiang comprehensively barged Baptista to the ground in a soft little shoulder-to-shoulder encounter.

Not to say that he's a bad player though, he isn't - his performances for Sevilla were oustanding, and he showed in flashes at the Copa America how good he can be. The problem is that he's just very limited. He's not mobile, not that quick or strong, and needs too much time and space. He was found out in fast pace of the Premiership, and especially so in Arsenal's quick passing-and-moving system.

The other problem with Baptista, is that he thinks he's better than he is. We've all heard the stories about how clumsy he was in his Sao Paulo days, and how the fans used to laugh and call him a clown, but did you know that they also used to call him "Zidane"? Not out of any recognition of his oustanding abilities, but rather the lack thereof, and his continual attempts to try tricks and skills that he was so far from mastering, that they often ended in complete embarassment.

Good luck to him, and here's some highlights from his one "good game" for Arsenal:

Well, good riddance to bad Reyes.

He's cried and moaned and whinged like a little baby for years now, and really needs to grow up and act like a professional. Arsenal paid a lot of money for him, and he basically put them in a position where they had absolutely no bargaining power and every club in the world knew this.

He's signed for Atletico for about €9 million, which is pitiful considering his talent and ability, and that he was valued at almost £14 million (approximately €20 million) when he went on loan to Real last season.

He always gave 100% on the pitch for Arsenal, even though he played like shit for a lot of it, and although he's never said anything bad about the club, his acting like a sissy has cost them in the transfer market. He's nearly 25 now, and needs to stop behaving like a lost, little boy. After crying all year round about the weather and how he wouldn't play in England again, he's gotten his wish, but at the expense of Arsenal. It's sad, especially when Arsene Wenger showed so much faith in him and gave him so much support.

Anyways, good luck to you Reyes. Hopefully he can make use of his incredible talent and stop crying in the media every other day.

And of course we have some leaked photos for you: 

  

Barca's radio station, Cadena Ser has announced that Henry has signed for Barcelona for 4 years, for €24 million.

Sad if it's true, and many Arsenal fans will not be very happy with Henry.

The most frustrating thing is that there doesn't seem to be any sign of Eto'o coming the other way, and the fee that we're receiving for Henry is pitiful considering a player of his stature. He signed for just under £11 million, and he's being sold for about £16 million.

I don't think there's any question that he needed to go, because he was making his position at the club very difficult with his comments about David Dein and all the goings-on. It's not what you expect from a player committed to the club, and most definitely not the captain of Arsenal Football Club.

Last season, when Henry wasn't injured, he seemed to not care much. Many speculated that his heart was elsewhere, but by the end of the season, with both our top strikers out, fans were desperate enough to believe whatever excuses were on offer.

I can't really hold any grudges against Thierry for what he's given to the club, but the way in which he's behaved over the last year has been awful, and a bit reminescent of Patrick Vieira. He's openly flirted with other clubs, made vague and misleading statements, and set an awful example for the younger players. His comments about people within the club (and allusions to some of his teammates) have been very destabilising, and it's hard to take many positives from these events. He had almost become another Mr. Arsenal, and his lack of honesty more than anything else has been most frustrating.

I'm sure Arsene Wenger has a plan, and to be honest after his absences over the whole of last season, the team has learnt how to play without Henry, and to be honest, played better without him on many occassions.

But Arsenal is a big club, and needs its star power, so a big name will have to come in. Will it be Torres? Will it be Eto'o? At least we know what Arsene Wenger was meeting Barcelona for, but hopefully he will not be following TH over there.

It's a testing time for Le Professeur as well... he's lost his main ally David Dein, he's lost his two major protegees in the last two years (Vieira and Henry), and with all the politics at the club I suspect there might be doubts over his future as well. Maybe Henry knew that Wenger wouldn't be there to take care of his future after this season?

 

Following on from my own views on David Beckham joining the MLS, here is what the rest of the bloggers at OleOle had to say:

Mike T	When I read this morning that David Beckham had signed for the Los Angeles Galaxy, my first thought was: why not Urawa Reds? There had been some rumours - mainly concocted by Beckham and his agents in order to procure a super-rich new contract, no doubt, that Beckham would consider plying his trade in the J-League. Yet when I read of the amounts of money being offered by LA Galaxy for his signature, I suddenly realised there was no chance of any club in Japan matching that kind of offer. So what sort of player are the Galaxy getting for their wads of cash? An under-appreciated one at Real Madrid, in my opinion. But Beckham was as much a victim of politics at the Madrid giants, as he was a player dropped for poor form. That's why I was surprised by his decision to play in the MLS. In some way, I think there'll be parallels with Dwight Yorke's signing for Sydney FC in the A-League. Yorke proved good value in getting fans through the turnstiles, but found his value diminishing on the pitch. There's no doubt that Beckham is a supremely gifted player. But he relies a lot on the ability of the players around him. So will he raise the profile of the MLS and get more fans through the gates? Probably. Will he single-handedly lift the standard of football in the US? I doubt it.
Footie Girl	Beckham's decision to move to the MLS is a tacit admission that he can't hack it at the top level any more. I've never been a huge fan of his, but still, you have to feel for the guy. Just a bit, because after all he's getting $250 million to dry his tears. So, instead of sliding into obscurity at Bolton or wherever, he gets a hefty paycheque, a cushy lifestyle in Los Angeles, and an opportunity to reinvent himself as a sort of ambassador of football. In return, Major League Soccer is getting the most marketable footballer in the world. The deal made front-page news when it was announced, but the question is whether it's going to have enough of a long-term impact to repay their rather sizeable investment. Now they've got Becks to bend in a few free kicks and smile pretty for the cameras, but if they really want to sell their product, they're going to have to improve the league from the ground up, rather than just bringing in more aging galacticos.
Oz	"David, what are you doing?" Probably the words of every football fan across the length of the UK upon hearing month-old rumours substantiated yesterday. All and sundry know that he has at least 3-4 years left of playing at the highest level and the quality of his suitors makes the decision even more baffling (Says the Englishman, predictably! -SM). $55 million/year goes some way to explaining it but most will hope that the US league takes off properly following this coup, to ensure that DB's final few years were not wasted away in a backwater league....
Gabriele	The real winner in Beckham’s transfer to LA Galaxy is Victoria. In my opinion, this is her choice, for her career as an actress. Of course, Becks made a very good deal, earning an incredibly high amount of money, especially compared to the insubstantial toughness of MLS, but I think he would have preferred to keep on playing in Europe. MLS executives think this is a big business for them, I'm sure there will be a great interest around Beckham at the beginning, but we don't know what will be in the next future. To make MLS grow, one single top player is not enough, and I am afraid they don't have money left to "invite" other top players to join the league. Beckham is the best footballer they could sign in terms of image: the Becks will certainly feed all gossip media in Hollywood and generally in the US, but technically speaking a talented player, even a juggler (not necessarily Ronaldinho) would have been better. Americans think about sport as a show, what kind of show a player like Beckham can give them? Crosses and free kicks? I'm not so sure…
Mauricio	US 250 million dollars? I bet Pele is wondering at home: Why don’t I play nowadays???? I think Beckham is absolutely right. In the first place, Real Madrid have already been half way to Hollywood in the last four seasons. Media players like Ronaldo and Becks, after all they won, have to hit the road and try other things in their careers. Although everybody will be saying Beckham is finished, I think playing in the MLS is definitely a better move than playing in Saudi Arabia or other of these great money making countries. And if I were in charge of CONMEBOL, I would straight away invite MLS teams to play in the Copa Libertadores, and get a share of the Becks money too.

Well, today it was announced that David Beckham will join the Los Angeles Galaxy to play in the Massive Lump of Shite (MLS) that is Major League Soccer (MLS). The deal is completely ridiculous, because the right-footed one will be earning £128 million over 5 years, which amounts to just under £26 million per season, which translates to about half a million pounds per week, which amounts finally to just under £3000 per hour (!!). This is atrociously ridiculous, because David Beckham, at 32, playing in an absolute joke of a league, has become the highest paid player in football to date (a record which will probably not be broken for a very long time). We all thought the inflated wages that Chelsea paid were bad, but Beckham will now probably earn more than John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba combined. Like I said... ridiculous.

I feel bad for Becks, because he's only 32, and still had a fair amount to offer top-level football teams. Perhaps he didn't want to play for a smaller team than Real Madrid or Manchester United, but was the LA Galaxy the solution? I keep feeling like it was Steve McLaren dropping him that made up his mind, but to be honest I think McLaren would have eventually bungled around with the England team and then called up David Beckham in an attempt to solve everything. He was 6 caps short of the 100 mark, and i'm quite sure he would have ended up getting there.

Becks has basically decided to retire. That's all this is. He is being paid a massive, massive amount of money to go and play in a rubbish league. Dennis Bergkamp played at the top level for Arsenal till he was lamost 38. Zidane almost conquered a second World Cup final at the age of 34. Teddy Sheringham has been playing comfortably at the top level for smaller clubs for the last 2-3 years, and he's 40 now. Big Alan Shearer was banging in the goals until the age of 35. And crucially, Becks has never had any major injury problems.

I say this equates to retirement, because nobody goes to the MLS and comes out bigger, especially not at 32. He has gone to enjoy the sunshine, the money, and the American celebrity lifestyle that he has professed his love for, for so long. He's said goodbye to European football, said goodbye to the Champions League, said goodbye to England, and said goodbye to ever winning a major trophy again (he's won nothing since his last league title at Man United in 2002/2003)... so let's all just say goodbye to Becks now.

As for the whole aspect of improving the MLS... this is a joke as well. Granted, Beckham is probably the youngest of all the old heads they had brought in (Stoichkov, Limpar, Valderrama, Djorkaeff, etc)... but is probably amongst the least talented of this "superstar bunch". Do Americans not watch football? (No, they are probably too busy watching soccer). Yes, Beckham is a great player, but if you knew anything, you'd know that the reason why he is so famous is because of his looks and celebrity, not his football. Beckham was never a particularly naturally-talented footballer, but he was an incredible professional, and dedicated team lad, and a good guy. Alex Ferguson said he would spend hours and hours on the training ground developing his incredible ability to strike the ball, and working on his free-kicks and set pieces, and that is how he got to where he is. He was never particularly quick (less so now), and was never particularly tricky or exceptionally skilful, but he was frightfully hard-working, consistent and able to maximise his abilities (especially at United). So what are Californians and fans around the USA going to expect?

Are they expecting to go see the world famous David Beckham, and see a guy lighting up stadiums with exceptional skill and dribbling and loads of goals? I hope not. They're going to get a footballing icon for sure, but one who's already slow legs are on the wane, one who can provide exceptional service but relies on having good players around him who can provide the requisite end product. He will score a fair amount of goals from free kicks, and i'm sure the team will score more from his set pieces, but what they basically have is a player who mentally is in retirement mode. This is not to say that Becks will not try hard, but what is his motivation really? He will have his new lifestyle, and his football academy to distract him as well. I don't doubt for one minute that he will hugely raise the profile of football in the states, but I hope that people will not be disappointed by him. ESPN ran a survey on their site, and apparently 72.7% of the visitors said they were going to be more interested in the MLS because of his arrival. So let's see...

And lastly, another mention about the amount of money spent. Would it not have been better to sign 10 players instead for that money? They have in no way improved the quality of the football with an ageing superstar, but for the money paid they could have signed 10 good players and paid them more than what they would have earned in Europe or South America. And what about the other, existing players in the MLS, the most lowly paid of all American sports? How do they feel about David Beckham coming in and earning more in one week than they earn in 5 years? As it is the boisterously capitalist USA somehow manages to run the most controlled and communist-like sports federations, where the MLS controls the transfers and wages and signings and owns the players... this anomaly makes things even more bizarre.

But enough ranting and raving. Good luck to Becks, and I hope he can win something with Real before he leaves for his nice sunny retirement experience.

The atmosphere has been utterly brilliant. The stadium is majestic, and sold out. The press boxes are excellent with internet and power connections, hence this post. What more could we have asked for.

Compared to the other games so far the atmosphere here is seriously good. All the Japanese fans are going for Barca, but it's the few hundred Club America fans in the corner that havae been making the noise. They've been singing non-stop and putting their European counterparts to shame.

Matchwise, Barca took control early on, and are 2-0 up. But Claudio Lopez had a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper early on, and if he'd taken his chances, things might be quite, quite different now.

Both Barca and America have been playing some good stuff, but the difference is that Barca look infinitely more intimidating when they go forward. Blano is on the bench, and might pop up for this half.

Stay tuned, the second half has kicked off, and i'm getting back to the action. Ta.

Well, we've had a great response to the launch of our website. Thanks to all our visitors for taking the time to come and check the site out, and we encourage more of you to enter the contest - it's a great opportunity.

I've also been disappointed by the lack of comments! Loads of hits, but no one with anything to say? What happened to football fans being the lippiest bunch around??

So anyways, today was the "much anticipated" Barcelona v Chelsea rematch - the 3,327th time they've played in the last two seasons, and it ended in a 2-2 draw. Deco put them up 1-0, and then Frank Lampard equalised to make it 1-1 with a goal that for once was both good AND did not involve 6 massive deflections off the knees or arses of the other team. Eidur Gudjohnsen then fired home to put Barca en route to victory, but some poor concentration and defending from Barca (coupled with great stamina and doggedness from Chelsea) saw Drogba score in injury time to salvage a draw. It was an exciting game, with some very good goals.

For the first one Deco carried the ball for about 20 or 30 yards down the left flank before cutting sharply inside and shooting from just outside the box into the far corner. It really was a cracking strike - a low, rising show, hit with great power straight through the legs of the lunging Carvalho. Hilario couldn't get near it.

Lampard's equaliser was an equally sensational goal. Essien chested the ball down about 40 yards out, and clipped a speculative lobbed pass over the defense which Lampard ran onto. He missed his first touch, and so had to shepherd the ball away towards the byline, giving the defender time to recover. However as he moved away from the goal along the byline, back turned to the keeper, he looked up to seek out options, and then swivelled to stroke a dipping lob over Valdes from an impossibly acute angle.

It was a great goal, but Valdes should have been positioned better. He first came off his line when anticipating a shot from Lampard from Essien's pass, but then instead of going back into position, he continued to hover around the near post even when Lampard was moving away from goal and had a defender covering.

There was also more than a hint of flukiness about the goal, because Lampard never once looked to see where the keeper was. Right before he struck it, he took a look up to see who was arriving in the box - Ballack was starting a run towards the far post, and Drogba was lurking close by at the near post, so it might well have been intended as a cross. But since we'll never know, we'll give him the benefit of the doubt, because it was a nice goal as it turned out.

Gudjohnsen's goal was all about Ronaldinho. The perma-smile Brazilian was hugging the left touchline, and brought down a long pass from defence with one touch, and then flicked it past the right-back Boulahrouz in almost the same motion. He then slid a perfect pass across the face of goal with the outside of his right foot, and Gudjohnsen nipped ahead of the Chelsea defenders to convincingly fire home. A good moment for him up against his former club, and it will give him confidence at a time when the critics have been in full flow.

As for Chelsea's equaliser... well I think most people could see it coming. They lost the ball far upfield, with too many players committed too far forward. Either they lacked concentration, or stamina, but their attempts to win back the ball were exasperated. When they lost the ball, and Chelsea charged forward down the right with Essien, they put in a few half hearted challenges, and a few desperate sliding tackles and lunges when they would have been better served trying to get back into position and slow down the play. Essien powered forward and lumped it into the box, it was nodded down by Terry at the far post, and then Drogba chested it forward and stroked it home. Marquez was very culpable, first ball watching when Essien delivered the cross - meaning that Zambrotta had to try and mark Drogba, leaving Lampard free behind him, and then when Zambrotta moved back towards Terry, Marquez vaguely waved a back heel at the ball when Drogba chested it past him.

I think it was a fair result, but Chelsea's celebrations at the end were once again far too over the top. They are not winning any friends with the way they continually behave, and this was just the latest installment. Mourinho sets the tone for this team, and there is a visible lack of class in the way they conduct themselves. It is tiring to see them always behave like angry underdogs, when in fact they are bankrolled by one of the most powerful men in the world - flagrantly breaking the laws and conventions of football, throwing money at anything and everything, and generally destroying the whole idea of "competition". Apart from the various tapping up scandals, and the fact that they blatantly sabotage the transfers of other big Premiership teams, their disgustingly opulent spending has not resulted in anything close to the standard of football that you'd expect from a team with such overwhelmingly large resources. All Abramovich is doing is buying results, albeit indirectly. I hope for the sake of the Premiership that someone else can win the title this year, because if Chelsea win, and Abramovich spunks another 100 million pounds in the summer, hope will well and truly be hanging by a thread.