Arsenal 4 - 4 Them Trust me, I really do not want to talk about this. I really don't. So writing this entry is not a smart move, even though technically I would be writing about it rather than talking about it. It's taken me around two days to finally do it so far. Long story short, we handed Them a draw instead of sealing a win for ourselves and taking all 3 points. A lot of reaction following that shower of shite, was about how we should have kept the ball and shut the end of the game down at the end. 4-2 up in 89th minute and then to coin a well thumbed phrase… the arse fell right out of it. Now. For me - a thing I have seen happen over the years, probably starting around 7 years back is that we would ALWAYS try and defend a one nil lead and nearly always to detrimental effect. It became a painfull thing to watch. There is a very good philosophy of always defend a two nil or 3 nil lead. Never a one nil. Why ? Because, while defending / holding on to the ball, you will more often than not spend a great deal of time in the centre of the pitch or in your own half. Should something happen (let's say, towards the end of a match for example…) and the opposition manage to score - then not only have the equalised from a losing position, their tails are now up and are then bouyed up to go and snatch a winner whilst you are arguing amongst yourselves at who was to blame for the goal, mpoments of disarray, disorganisation, confusion… yeah its possible they could just nip a winner in the final moments. So, that’s why I was glad to see that the Arse had finally developed the attitude of not turning off towards the end of a match. Always forward. With the intention of putting the opposition to the sword (not that we have ever executed that skill that well). So, on Wednesday night it was good to see that we smelt blood and constantly pushed forward. Let's be clear about this, the last two goals were not about us committing to much up front. They came from our defensive errors. At that point both Walcott and RVP had been substituted so eased off applying the pressure on Them. A single striker up front, with no feeds. Diaby on for RVP to shure up the midfield where we had been fairly ineffective for large periods of the match. We invited Them to come at us. And they did. For the mathematicians among us, it can be explained thus : Errors + slips x bad marking + (un soupçon of fuckwittedness x a lack of understanding of what the North London Derby is all about) = 2 goals in 5 mins = 4-4 draw = very fucking unhappy campers. Ahead of the Stoke match tomorrow, we hear that (strangely enough) Gallas is injured. Errrrmmmmm. I think Bollocks, is the word I was searching for there. UK newspaper air traffic control reported that there was a spot of turbulance in the Emirates home dressing room after that match and Gallas didn't fasten his seat belt when he was asked very nicely, several times to sit down and shut the fuck up by the otherwise meek and humble stewardess Miss Adebayor. Personally I would suggest that Gallas has stated injury to avoid being publically left out (i.e. dropped). He certainly didn't look like he had a hamstring injury to me as left the pitch mumbling something quite unsavoury in French about someones mother to his other schitzophrenic cranial neighbour "Good Gallas". Some would say that the injury would be a cover story for him being dropped, but considering that Arsene makes a Friday press conference before Saturdays games and does not unveil the team sheet until the morning of the match; this cannot be the case. Even in his most unpleasent of plastic cup bouncing induced moments, I don't see him being cajouled into finger pointing and announcing "Oi, yoo ya fucka's - yoor dropped, yoor dropped an yoor dropped n'all ya faahkin cunts". But then again, 4-4 against Them on our manor does rather smart a bit.

More like going, going, going... But some ropey news reported a few minutes ago - not confirmed or seen by any sources that I would trust... that Hleb deal has been agreed and he will fly to Barcelona tomorrow for a medical.

Take with heavy pinch of salt at this moment. I think it will happen - but not just yet.

I think the back tracking that made the news this week was honest actually, rather than the suedo “please like me comments” the papers would like to have it be.


Also Ray Parlour is set to retire due to injury. He has been training at Barnet but won't be offered a deal after struggling with a knee injury. This word gets banded about far too often for my liking, used out of context and because people don't have a wide enough vocablulary - but today I will jump on the band-wagon and use it too. LEGEND. I won't rehash and cut & paste other news reports about him that will circulate today you can read those yourselves. I will however, extend a massive thank you to a man who loved the club. 20 years he was at Arsenal. 20 YEARS. Joined at 12 and left at 32. Even after he left I'm sure he kept an eye on our scores (maybe even a couple of perms on the littlewoods pools too).


A number of our reserves have recently signed pro contracts - Midfielders Henri Lansbury and Jay Thomas, defenders Kyle Bartley and Thomas Cruise, and forwards Rhys Murphy and Sanchez Watt. Enter the first team squad.

So at this stage of the close season our first team (trying to find Squad details) looks like this :

1. Manuel Almunia 

2. Abou Diaby 

3. Bacary Sagna

4. Cesc Fabregas 

5. Kolo Toure 

6. Philippe Senderos

7. Tomas Rosicky 

9.  Eduardo 

10. William Gallas

11. Robin Van Persie

12. Carlos Vela 

13. Alexander Hleb 

14. Theo Walcott 

15.  Denilson 

16. Aaron Ramsey

17. Alexandre Song 

19.  Gilberto

20. Johan Djourou 

21. Lukasz Fabianski 

22. Gael Clichy

24. Vito Mannone 

25. Emmanuel Adebayor 

26. Nicklas Bendtner 

27. Emmanuel Eboue 

30. Armand Traore 

31. Justin Hoyte
Kerrea Gilbert - (Awaiting Shirt Number)

Mark Randall - (Awaiting Shirt Number)

Note - we have no number 8 or 18. Sound irrelevant ? Well - I was the man in favour of retiring the 8 shirt after Ian Wright Wright Wright left. Freddie was a grand player - but in the shadow of Ian's shirt... well.

All the other reports today were about Adebayor and just have the same opinions that I had yesterday, so I might just re title yesterdays blog and resubmit it !

Bis Später Gooners ! [ 9th July 2008 - more at www.dubaibury.com ]

As mentioned last week and reported on by us Arsenal Ladies are looking to start off the season with a depleted squad after losing three key players, two of them Lianne Sanderson and Anita Asante catching the tube over to Chelski reported on UEFA.com. Ackers is understandably cocked off by the situation.


I saw a very nice report on the Arsenal Ladies on Arsenal TV which followed them over to a game in Bristol. I don't know if many of you follow ladies football, but the whole pre-match trip and preparation was amazing for me. Dare I say it, but was pretty similar to League 2. But what I wasn't aware of is that those girls aren't on permanent contracts. All of them have day jobs.


The BBC reports today that Milan have coughed at our valuation of Adebayor. I would say it’s a shame the Italian economy is in free-fall (but the British one looks like it is heading for a burton too). We say tomato they say tomato (you were supposed to say those two words differently just then, ah, nevermind...). We say £36m and they spat coffee across the desk. I don't know how much they were expecting us to say, but I reckon they weren't expecting us to give him away.


Now if this story is true and accurate, it indicates a move in the Arsenal offices. We have had all sorts of "he said she said" from Adebayor and his shadow puppet agent over the last month or so. But this appears to show that someone has opened dialogue with the club and we have conversed back. Our valuation of the striker would be a combination of things [1. We don't want him to go, 2. If he does want to go - we won't force an unhappy player to stay so we will listen to offers but set a high opening gambit, 3. The current value of a 30 goal per season goal scorer in the Premiership]. Of course, Adebayor has only completed this goal tally once and the ability of a player to put ball across the line a 30 times a season depends to a large degree on service. A quick aside, Andy Cole at Newcastle. That boy couldn't miss. But the reason he was such a prolific goal scorer then was the fact that Keegan designed a team the could put the ball within 8 inches of Andy Coles’ foot at any given point in a game. Whilst not taking anything away from the fella - for a striker being in that situation in most of your games is heaven. What happened after that ? He went to ManUre and his tally and performance dropped. He had to work to get the ball and then to score. A completely different game all together. So, Adebayor at Milan ? It’s a slower game, the strategy is different and his work rate doesn't have to be 100%. He can now become one of those languid strikers that walk around the 3rd quarter of the pitch moaning and gesturlating like a mime-artiste in Covent Garden when the ball isn't played to within 5mm of their monogrammed bootlaces. With the attitude displayed in this close season. He should fit right in.

Bentley sell-on fee - according to Goal.com we are expecting a sell-on fee from Blackburn for Bentley. Apparently we have picked up around £3m for him already since his time there. Not a bad ploy. Bentley always had promise, but was the clubs' sell-on clause decision based purely on our assessment of his ability and knowing that if he ever got a regular 1st team break he wouldn't be far off England selection - or was there an element of knowing his mouth would land him in trouble with most potential employers and we could cash in twice when he falls out of favour ? Interesting aspect I hadn't thought of before until I read about a possible knock-on line placed in his "bill of sale" from Arsenal. *ponders*


On our “interest” Huntelaar ?

I dunno. Goal.com again report on this - but their report starts off saying the News of the World report today… Well… It's Tuesday today and that paper only comes out on a Sunday. Anyway, the basics of the story is Ajax don't want him to go, they haven't had any contact with Arsenal and the player fancies himself in a ManUre shirt. A load of smoke-up-arse cut & pasting to fill column inches.

Bis Später Gooners !

[ 8th July 2008 - More at www.dubaibury.com ]