Well with a much better second half including a good performance from Adebayor saw us score 3 goals and win our first match in the Amsterdam tournament. Ajax really ran out of steam and despite being far from sharp, we managed to play decently and get the result. Denilson was solid and made a great run despite his knock to set up the game winner for Adebayor.

The first goal was the end product of a great cross from Eboue that was very well met by a leaping Adebayor. Ten minutes later Adebayor intercepted a back pass and took it to the by line where he picked out the substitute Bendter who did very well to finish from just inside the 18.

Well it's my favourite match of the preseason every year. My two favourite clubs pitted against each other. It's been a dissapointing first half from what is likely to be our opening day lineup. Ajax are up 2-0 after two stunning half volleys in two minutes from Suarez and Huntelaar. Both of them were fantastic. I reccomend to those who weren't able to view the game to check the strikes out later, because they were absolutely wonderful. Great technial ability from both players. Suarez's came inside the box after Kolo Toure's failed clearance and Huntelaar's from the 18 after it was chested back by Gabri I believe. Suarez has been dangerous all game and really made Clichy look poor so far.  Eboue's been absolute dire shite on the wing as has Adebayor who has missed two guilt edge chances. One was a one on one with the keeper and the second should have been a tap in on a revound at the six yard mark. It was very, very poor. V. Persie and Walcott have looked dangerous and Fabregas has been decent in his first preseason appearance including a fantastic strike from distance. Denilson hasn't been bad, either. Really was an even game until the goals came around ten minutes from half.

Right so, I'll be back to report on the second half.

Alright, who knows what the Herbert Chapman cup is? Well, apparently this was the inaugral cup game between Huddersfield and Arsenal in the pre-season. Chapman coached Huddersfield in the '20s and Arsenal in the '30s and managed to bring Huddersfield to their last 3 first fivision championships all in sequence. He accomplished the same feat with Arsenal a few years later.

Well today was a match of Huddersfield's best XI (who weren't all that bad) against the reserves + Walcott and Vela. The first half was pretty crappy on our part and Huddersfield had the better chances. In the second half Jay Simpson came on and impressed and eventually Arsenal won 2-1 with goals from Sanchez Wyat and Nacer Barazite after being a goal down.

I was most impressed with those three. Simpson was very, very lively and was our most dangerous player. Wyatt did a lot of running and made some good passes, while for me Barazite showed he is one who will soon make the step up to the first team. He's big strong, very good on the ball, a smart passes, and looks to be a natural goal scorer. His performance today suggested he is very confident and only lacks a bit of experience. He should start in the Carling Cup this year.

 Anyways, it wasn't a terrible game and it was good to watch a whole football game for a change.

Been busy lately, but I'm gonna get back into this.

Couple noteworthy things happening since my last post:

The biggest being the Robbie Keane to Liverpool transfer. Well, this certainly pleased me thinking about how many yids were probably pissing their pants when they heard this. Anyways, he's not worth the twenty million quid that Liverpool shelled out on him, more like 12-15. However, should be a decent fit with Torres. So they have two good strikers finally, but they're still complete crap on the wings. I really am not to worried about them. 

That Andrei Arshavin sure changes his 'dreams' quite a bit. He's a good footballer, but it's pretty sad how his agent is putting words in his mouth. From Barcelona and Arsenal to Tottenham. The man has really given up on himself!

The Ronaldo transfer saga is still hanging around, but has really died down for the most part. Maybe it's just because no ones gives a shit about the cunt? I sure don't...well at least until he finally leaves for Spain and I can laugh at some crying mancs.  

Been a couple decent friendlies with all the big teams doing pretty well. Fulham beating Celtic was quite shocking to me, but in retrospect isn't nearly as big of a deal I thought originally.

Now onto some Arsenal talk...

 I was quite impressed with a lot of the reserves through the earlier friendlies and even during the Emirates Cup. Obviously, it was a poor result against Juventus, but to be honest they played their best XI and we played our kids. I'm guessing they though they'd be able to contest Hamburg with their reserves (wrong!) and we though Madrid was going to be the tougher match. Well, we did decent on Saturday but Juve had a strong team out and were able to barely get by. On Sunday against Madrid we were very good. Solid performances all around and a good victory put quite a smile on my face.  Solid pre-season so far. And where the hell did Jack Wilshere come from? He wasn't just outstanding against the small teams, but he also impressed in his two cameos over the weekend. Today he was given the #19 kit and a first team spot. Well done to the lad!

Anywho, we're still being linked to a shit ton of central midfielders including De La Red, Alonso, Barry, Veloso, Inler, and probably some African boy who plays in Ligue 1. Personally, I like Alonso the most. He's experienced, gets along well with Cesc, and along with his abilites to hold in a deep lying position, he can add an extra bit of creativity. He would fit well with our system. For those doubting his defensive abilities, well, he was the leader in succesful tackles in the Premiership before they bought Mascherano and he was pushed into a different role in the midfield. He plays there for Spain behind Senna and is very capable. 

De La Red is another one who interests me and would be cheaper. Still hoping for Alonso, though.

Anyways, off topic, has anyone seen that Colin Farrell flick with Brendan Gleeson called In Bruges? I highly recommend it! It was damn funny and all around a real good show.

'Til tommorrow... 

Arsenal have finally unveiled the signing of Samir Nasri. Thank the good lord, as I was even starting to worry. I'm really excited about him in the red and white (eh, well the new home kit anyways) as he's got fantastic skills. He runs down the wing very well and is great with the ball at his feet. He's very much a direct dribbler who will run at defenders, which is something we greatly needed. He can score goals and make the cutting edge pass. Is he the next Zidane as he's been touted? Eh, probably not, but he certainly will make a positive impact at the Emirates next season.

In other news, that Portugese cunt at Manchester Utd. continues to be disgraceful to the game by again saying that he should be allowed to go to Real Madrid and agreeing with Sepp Blatter that players nowadays are 'slaves' to their clubs. What a fucking cunt!

Couple more stories to comment on. Apparently we're about to sign Klass Jan Huntelaar from Ajax. He's got a fantastic scoring record, which greatly pleases me, but he's not that technically skilled for me and there's quite a few other strikers I'd much rather have.

Another story says we're on the verge of signing Falcao the wonderkid from River Plate. I do watch a bit of the football in Argentina and usually try and see River Plate matches. I've seen a fair bit of this kid and I must say he does have quite a bit of promise. A very good technical dribbler with decent pace and solid finishing. Plays more as a second striker from what I've seen. I wouldn't mind him being signed for around five million quid.

Good gossip on BBC today: 'Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon says players look forward to five-a-sides as boss Roy Keane joins in and the squad see it as a "chance to kick the manager".'

I hope they kick the shit out of that dirty bastard!

And finally, it appears we're stuck with a second long dramatic transfer saga to go along with Ronaldo to Madrid. It appears the Fat Frank Lampard to Inter transfer is going to be very drawn out.

Anyways, get some drinks in tonight!

Well there wasn't much about Adebayor today, but Hleb is making plenty of headines. Earlier today he was quoted talking about Wenger and Cesc. Some interpreted the quotes as bashing his manager and supposed friend. His attacks on Wenger were nothing more than saying that he and the manager did not share the same opinons about his role in the team. Doesn't really sound like slammng to me. Then he said of Fabregas, "With scoring opportunities he's more selfish than I am. Given the chance to shoot he always goes for it - unlike me." Again, I don't really see this as nasty. More just stating the truth. To anyone who remotely follows Arsenal it's obvious Cesc and Hleb are friends. I think this was more stating their differing styles of play. Finally, he spoke of his future, "I don't know where I will play next season. It's being negotiated with two clubs and will be decided soon. I would prefer to move to Barcelona." Well, I'm sorry Mr. Hleb, but I don't think they're really in for you. I really wish you would give us a chance and realize the big clubs really aren't after you. We could use you as you are a great player.

Now, that was much earlier today. The interesting bit is that later on today he gave another interview stating, "In some newspapers it was mentioned that I have attacked Arsene Wenger and Cesc Fabregas. But let me tell you: This is not true! The statements in the papers are definitely not my statements. I would never ever say something disrespectful about them. And there is a simple reason for this: Cesc is a very good friend of mine and Arsene is one of the persons I respect most." As I said, the media is rehashing old quotes to make things interesting. I really think Hleb has realized the fact Barcelona aren't after him. There's no room for him in their attack and he'd likely be on the bench. In my opinion, there's a good chance of Hleb staying at the Emirates. And that won't upset me one bit when you think about the depth we'd have on the wings or in the slot:

Rosicky, Hleb, Nasri, Walcott, V. Persie, Vela, and the cunt Eboue can all be effective out there, especially the first four.

Now on to Chelsea news and Scolari's interview. Chelsea turned down Inter's first bid (less then seven million quid) for Fat Frank. It's being reported that their next bid won't be any higher than £11 million. Scolari, however, said of Frank,  "I asked him if he wanted to stay at Chelsea, not only for this season but for more time. He told me after 15 minutes that he wants to stay and he wants to play for Chelsea for many years. " Well, I don't know if that's what Chelsea supporters wanted to hear or not. If I were them, I'd prefer him to leave and let Ballack be the focus in the midfield. Scolari then went on to say, ""Drogba is part of my plans 100%. No, 200%." I really didn't think that was the case. I didn't figure Drogba to be wanted by Big Phil. Anyways, I still think Drogba may want to leave and I'm not sure how Peter Kenyon would go about things then.

On the Arshavin front, the Russian forward's agent Dennis Lachter made the headlines again today.  "It's going to be a very big transfer," Lachter added. "Zenit will definitely not accept an offer of less than 30million euros (£23.8m)." I personally don't see it being that expensive, I'm fairly sure Dick Advocaat and Zenit are resigned to losing their superstar. As it's looking more and more like England for him, it's becoming obvious that the reports of Chelsea and Arsenal are pretty spot on. I do believe his favoured choice would be the Emirates but I don't see us outbidding that cunt Abramovich if Big Phil says he wants him.

In other news it's reported that Villa will accept a bid of £15 million and Steve Finnan for Gareth Barry. If Alonso leaves and Barry comes in, I really think their midfield will be much worse. Alonso is the only one in the center of that midfield (Barry, Gerrard, Mascherano) who has great technical ability.

And Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe for Pompey next season should be pretty dynamic.

 Have a good day all, I'm off to have a couple drinks. I'm thinking some Jim Beam and Coke?

Dave Chappelle is one funny son of a bitch....

Andrei Arshavin's agent Dennis Lachter was quoted talking to a Russian newspaper:

 “Now Zenit is negotiating with several clubs,” Lachter told Sovetsky Sport. “We are waiting for a call from (Zenit president) Alexander Dyukova, after which negotiations have already progressed themselves.

“Most likely, it will be England.”

Very interesting considering just the other day he said that Arshavin wanted Barcelona and nothing else. Obviously, if you've been following rumours, Arsenal and Chelsea are the two big clubs after him as of right now. I don't know if there's any valid proof to that, but it would make sense to me.

Chelsea are obviously in the mood to spend money this summer with Deco already captured and heavy rumours linking them to Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Kaka, Robinho and just about every other big name player across Europe. With the obvious Russian influence at Chelsea, a new manager who wants to revamp the squad, and the willingness to double every other club's wage offers, Stamford Bridge seems a very likely destination for the impressive Russian star. Fuck you Roman Abramovich!

As an Arsenal supporter I really pray reports that we're leading the chase are true. He'd be an awesome fit for us. He'd provide some very direct dribbling and goal scoring that we've lacked for a couple seasons. However, I wouldn't like him as a striker. I'd much rather see him on the wing. He played there quite a bit for Zenit and did a fantastic job. As a striker for us, I don't think an Arshavin RvP forward line would work that well. I still think we should sell Adebayor and find a player who isn't a cunt. Adebayor is very overrated and if a 30m pound offer comes in I'd be a happy, happy man. I'm also looking forward to Eduardo coming back if he can recover, because he can do a fine job up top.

 Peter Hill-Wood says Adebayor is not for sale for any price. Goddamnit!

Another Arsenal rumour today involves Ruben De La Red. It's reported that Arsenal, Spurs, and Villa are all after the Real Madrid and Spain midfielder. He's one of many bright young prospects at Madrid right now and spent last season at Getafe. I saw him a few times in La Liga and several times in the UEFA cup last season and he really looked to be quite some player. An industrious midfielder with a very good shot and good technical abilities he would be a great partner for Cesc. He made one appearance in the Euro's and scored a thunderous equalizer for Spain against Greece.

I was hoping for more news about the Ronaldo saga today, but all I can find is some rehashed Calderon crap and news about the surgery. Unfortunately it went well.

Just stumbled upon some bad news for Spurs fans: Diego Capel insists he will not sign for Tottenham. Apparently Spurs were after Van der Vaart as well, but he also turned them down. My god, Ramos has made Levy and Spurs quite an ambitious club.

Van der Vaart told Dutch weekly Sportweek: "The interest has been there for some time already, but they (Tottenham) are not the club I want to go to. Tottenham are not a club I want to swap Hamburg for. The chance that I will stay at HSV is really big. As long as no team comes by which makes me immediately excited, I see no reason to leave. And so far none of those clubs have called us."

I really can't believe Spurs are the biggest club out for VDV at this time. C'mon Arsene make a bid!

Hello all (fingers crossed that I'm not just talking to my dad)! After being inspired by Arseblog and my combined love for football and journalism I decided to give this a shot.  Thanks for any comments or thoughts, look forward to chatting with everyone.

 So the Dutch may have suffered a big upset as the result of quite a stale performance in the 1/4 finals to Russia, but I must say as an avid Oranje fan I was quite pleased and surprised at the quality shown by the players throughout the tournament. In fact, surprised is a damn understatement. I was utterly shocked! In all honesty, I didn't fancy us getting through the group.  I really still am not convinved by the defense, but at least have been given a bit of hope by the way they played in the group stage. Obviously, the Russian attackers and fullbacks tearing through our defense at every opprotunity brought me back down to Earth. However, with two outstanding holding midfielders in Engelaar and De Jong in front of them, the defense has what it takes to pull together and be just good enough for a good run at the World Cup in 2010. One thing that wont be questionable in 2010 will be their attack. Right now their attacking talents are still quite young with Sneijder at 23, Van Persie 24, Afellay 22, Robben  24, Van der Vaart 25 and Huntelaar 25. In two years time Sneijder, RvP, Robben and Van Der Vaart will be in the prime of their careers while Huntelaar and Afellay should be out of the Eridivisdie and into one of the big three leagues which will only further their careers. Hup Holland! Thank you for playing some great football and handing the damn Italians a kick in the ass.

In retrospect, Spain we're always going to win for me. They are so damn gifted technically, have great pace and a well balanced midfield not to mention a stable defense. Congrats to Spain and it's fans on a great tournament which was well deserved. Only problem I had was Xavi winning the player of the tournament. He was good, but for me was far outperformed by Senna, Fabregas, and Iniesta. Senna, for me, was the key in keeping that defense together. I had seen him play for Villareal a few times before the tournament and knew he possessed fantastic ability, but I didn't expect him to have such a big impact for Spain. I was really praying the Gunners snapped him up, but after signing that Bischoff fellow (or about to sign him) and Villareal's ridiculous evaluation it just wont happen.  Now that I've mentioned Amaury Bischoff I'm pissed off again. Apparently 20 minutes of first team football in two years is good enough to fight for a spot with the ten other young center midfielders we have? At least he was on a free.

Anywho, congratulations to Spain, you were fantastic and played some great football. It really gives me hope that Arsenal's technical abilities and passing game will bring home some trophies this season. Special kudos go to Cesc Fabregas, not just for winning the second largest football tournament in the world, but for the complete maturity and love for his club he showed by dedicating the win to us Gooners and his teammates. He's as professional as a footballer gets and he's only 21. While fucking Adebayor is out whoring himself around Europe, Cesc puts in a fantastic performance in Euro 2008 (he should of started over Xavi) and is rewarded with a major trophy. I can't be arsed to dig up his quotes, but they were something along the lines of I hope to win many trophies with Arsenal and I'm glad I could dedicate this to our supporters.

That's fucking brilliant! Cesc for captain! Adebayor to be given a boot in the ass!

 It's so damn tough keeping bias out of this..