Thursday, April 21, 2011

Here we go again

North London derby showed us how our current players fare against our fierce city rivals. We didn't perform the way Arsenal should have done. 3 points wasted away and now we are fallen from grace to 3rd place. The battle for 1st place is now turned into surviving as runner ups. Shame shame shame.

These players don't cut it as champions. We can't rely on them playing 30something premier league games with their best efforts. I don't usually lash on Wenger and his decisions, but this time it will be a different one. He must forget his philosophy of making young Arsenal team win all titles in a season and should start making real winners out of passion, desire to win trophies.

We need balance in the team and Wenger hasn't provided it this season. Players who don't perform up to the desired level must not be given another chance and forced to look somewhere else. I may sound harsh to you but if you look at the way we handle ourselves in the past 6 years, then you will completely understand my points. I'm sorry to say but Rosicky, Denilson, Eboue, Almunia and Diaby are not showing signs of recovering their best form and now stay in the team based on Wenger's mercy. Another salt in the wound but I'm sure a lot of fans will agree with me that in order for Arsenal to be champions, we need to start building up tough, effective team that will break down opponent's defence and not some weak players toying around penalty box clueless what to do.

I rarely write something as harsh as it is but I have had enough of being the club with the most draw among top 3 of the season. Wenger may label us as 'unbeatable' but anyone who has been watching our games since early March, will most probably laugh at his point of view. We want titles and I think it's fair for us, fans, to crave more than just champions league qualification.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Thank You Captain

Since I'm writing this, and possibly for the next several posts, using my phone I can't direct you to web pages or blog entries from other bloggers. Mind you, they are very important to help me to form my thoughts. And it includes this one.

This morning I stumbled upon articles that @Arsenalblog quotes from a Spanish magazine, Don Balon. I can't give you full excerpt here, and to be honest I would much prefer for you to head to @Arsenalblog twitter page or www.thegunninghawk.com and read it there. It's a bit complicated to write with your two thumbs instead of 10 fingers.

Anyway, the no. 1 person in the team had spoken about our lackluster performance and suggested his idea of why Arsenal had been failing to win trophies for six consecutive years. I agree with the notion that we, as a whole, are lacking of winning mentality and it could have been caused by six years trophies drought. His assumption, that without real taste of true glory, it was hard for players to actually produce the kind of performance winners or champions do.

He wanted to simply state of what was truly happening with his own words. I still think it is best to keep it behind closed doors. To criticize your own team, without being sensitive on your performance, would never sit well to both the fans and his boss. We know he has been struggling to keep his form after recovering from recurring hamstring injury, and may still feel a bit of set back, but saying that the whole team is lacking and he is not, it's simply ignorant.

Arsenal FC have always been keen to develop young players through their youth academy. And few of them have even been included in the senior team before. The names of Henry Lansbury, Craig Eastmond, JET are not unfamiliar to fans. They are regarded as potential XI in next few years. Back to Cesc. On the interview, he said the club should make a choice whether they want to win trophies or win titles.

As a player who had spent his time in the academy, he should have known better. He may have meant as "if we want to win titles, we need to start injecting some characters to the squad that it's not yet available in our young players". In other words, he wanted Wenger to buy experienced players.

You think I disagree with him?. People who have been following me quite some time, would surely dismiss the idea. I have always said over and over, we must add some muscles in the defence and most importantly in midfield. He gave the interview at the wrong time though. I would have liked it better, if he had given it during summer break. It would be fantastic to see our captain urging Wenger to buy quality players to accommodate Arsenal needs.

That's it for now. We are going to face spuds in about five hours. I don't have anything to say, yet. But might start have crazy ideas or thoughts a couple of hours before the game. As a quick note, both Sagna and Song are fit to play. And if they are, I'm sure Diaby and Eboue will get bench role this time. It's pity to see Diaby snubbed as he's starting to play like his old self before that horrible tackle from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. So, it will be Song and Wilshere in the middle of the park again with Cesc claims his role ahead of those two. I would prefer to see Arshavin to start to be honest. He can give us different flavor while pressing. But I think Wenger will go for Walcott and Nasri as wingers. No question should be asked who will firing bullets up ahead.

Okay Gooners, see ya later..

Monday, April 18, 2011

Title Crumble

The history repeats for itself. Last night we saw Arsenal handed the league title to manutd, just like the way many had predicted.

I knew since I opened a new compose message, I would be rambling instead of writing sane, constructive blog I supposed to be doing. Some may call me a bitter loser for seeing what had unfold yesterday. But not one football fan will smile happily a day after their team fall from grace.

We had been in the cloud 9, only to have been crashed and trashed merely minutes after. Was it familiar scene to you? I'm sure you are feeling the way I'm feeling now and would rather skip any morning sport news and walk through the morning rush with your earphones firmly glued to your ears. If any commuter leaf through their back pages, you would turn away and watch morning crappy traffic instead.

What happened?. This is the exact question that has been ringing for months now. Some Arsenal bloggers have offered ranging of answers, starting from immature attitude to inexperienced squad. Both reasons I have tried to accept since the beginning of the season and will try to take it as 'the Arsenal way'. However, efforts at times fail and I find myself venting frustrations on this very blog on my own.

What happens next?. Will the team fight till the very end or let it go and accept this season as runner up?. I'm sure manager will not tolerate this kind of attitude and ask nothing less than 3 points from now on. However, seeing manutd sitting comfortably 6 points on top, will not settle well with the players.

The next big question is, are we going to see well-known players quit Arsenal and move on to other big clubs?. It's interesting to see how these players don't seem to answer calls whenever we are in need to step our game up. Last night we clearly saw players tried to walk their way to opponents' box and nick a beautiful goal with the most beautiful style possibly ever recorded in football history. Unfortunately, best goals aren't done with fashion; they come when the team needs them to be scored. And they come naturally. Yesterday, we tried hard to be Barcelona which had failed before and had not proved anything since. Who are we?.

I sincerely hope all those players who received so much criticism will eventually pay all Wenger's faith, believe in them and start to work their asses off from now on. And if they leave in summer, I only have one word for you: coward. Do you think you are the only one who are concerned with trophy drought seasons Arsenal are having? No. Every fan in the corner of the earth is not happy with it and will not tolerate this kind of attitude no longer. If you want to leave, go ahead but don't talk trash on us when you sign with other club.

My mind is shrewd and I think it's best if I leave it as it is. I need time to cool off and construct more positive words instead of destruction ones.

Later...
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Sunday, April 10, 2011

This is it

I don't know how many times I have said this before, but I don't think it will be enough for Arsenal. If we lost today's game, league title will definitely go to manure. Sure, we do have 7 remaining matches after Blackpool and mathematically we are still in it. But how many times do we talk about this over and over and in the end of the day we screw it all up. We are 7 points off the top and still have 8 games left with one more games compared to manure. If we win all of them, we are champions. There's a big if at the beginning of the sentence.

This team has a lot to do to prove doubters wrong and winning this game should be a good start. I will not go down to where they had been gone to yesterday. Other bloggers had a dig on Hill-Wood, media and lots of other stuff so I won't be yapping on them here. I read them all and honestly speaking, AST (Arsenal Supporter Trust) has every right to voice their opinions on current team condition and post it to relevant parties inside the club. Fans are everything for the club and everyone including Hill-Wood should not be making statement as such.

I will leave the subject and move on to most intriguing part; Wenger's press conference. As John Cross had noted yesterday on his twitter, he had never witnessed the manager as passionate as he had yesterday. Could it have been the pressure to win trophies is as mounting as ever?. And knowing his young squad would struggle to cope with pressure they are facing, he felt the necessary to defend them, hence the fiery interview. He said he would go miles to defend them because he thought his squad deserved some credit for going this far.

Were we too harsh on them?. Maybe, but aren't they now running out of excuse after they were the ones who rubbished the idea of hiding behind 'lack of experience' for so many years. If the manager admits, he has a young squad does it mean they are excused for showing a string of poor performances?. During the interview Wenger also said we didn't give them enough credit. I'm sorry Sir, you are completely wrong. There are fans out there who perhaps are out of the line and don't need to be paid attention to, but not all of them are paranoid over the top whiners who can't even spell the name of Andrei Arshavin without ridiculing him on the pitch. If these kind of fans are taken into account, I don't think we deserve trophies at all. I'm talking about real, loyal, positive fans who may be deeply hurt by poor performances but still manage to find lessons to learn after each game. They don't whine and throw nasty jokes on player but simply tell their perspective on each game and come up with clever arguments. Perhaps, it is best if Wenger spends 5 minutes of his time reading one of these bloggers and see whether they are right or wrong. It may help his team to see their weakness spot.

If you are interested reading full transcript of Wenger's interview, you can check at @JohnCrossMirror twitter or go straight to MirrorFootball website and look for John Cross' article at the main page. One thing I strongly hope for, is for player to repay Wenger's faith on them and prove me wrong. Blackpool match is in few hours. Till then..

Thursday, April 07, 2011

The change is imminent

When the day of the match comes this weekend, every fan will once again gather around and watch with so much passion as we are champions. As title bid looks more likely goes to the other side of city, all fans turn up this weekend would like to know how the team responds to mounting pressure as the season nearing its end. It is no secret Wenger is far from happy seeing we, yet again, fall behind league leaders man utd.

Something must be done in the summer and Le Boss knows it perfectly well. Fans are furious and want some explanations; Wenger has none. Some extreme fans decide to call on Wenger's resignation end of season and should be replaced by some bouncer of some kind. First thing, you don't sack your manager when he is supposed to be the one who pays all the debt. He owes Arsenal fans a lot and he must repay them back. Secondly, who will be our next manager if we the club can't commit on £50m spending spree each season?. Hodgson? Steve Bruce? Or Owen Coyle?.

What matters most now is to bounce back and win all remaining matches and then we will see. Winning the league is more than an uphill climb now, but when you play at the most recognized and competitive league in the world, you know this will happen, whether we want it or not.

I have no doubt Wenger will roll up his sleeves and get done to his business as soon as the season ends. He has his scouts everywhere except inside the cave. I'm expecting we will hear something in the summer. But I have my own concerns though. With Arsenal work their transfer policy as speedy as snail, will everything be done exactly on time?. Let's hope 7 years with no trophy will knock them out of their comfortable seats and do things differently.

Let's worry about dead wood players and other ongoing transfer saga for the summer shall we?. It's now time to focus on task at hand which is winning our next game away at Blackpool's backyard.

Come on Gunners

Sunday, April 03, 2011

Messed up

I have been reading people's comments in blogs. I don't like what I read. Fans are fuming from last night's woeful result. As usual, the blame game resurfaced, once again.

Why do we keep falling and crawling while we could be flying with our wings spread broadly?. I do not know the answer. If you came here and looking for the ultimate answer from your questions, this isn't the place. I merely saying what's on my mind. I understand at some point, matches can be difficult with some of our key players occupy the treating room. I can totally tolerate the point. But what happens when you have nearly everyone back and not perform at all?. Well, that's another interesting question.

I can't remember the last time we score in the first half then win the game without conceding. Leyton perhaps? But that's not even a real football match. What's happening? No one really knows. All I know is the fact we stop playing like we used to and become a crappy club from Mars. It's not understatement, not even nearly to sarcasm; it's totally 'the Arsenal' way these days. You may disagree on that but you can't ignore our lousy, sloppy performances Arsenal are showing these days.

So what are the fans saying about yesterday's embarrassing match?. Well, first they can no longer tolerate dead wood players. Players who don't perform well this season or last, should be given the boot whether or not they are under contract. Second, acquire new, experienced and solid players and stop buying second fiddle, free, untested players. And three, this is the worst of it all; the club should have Wenger disposed by the end of season and hire new manager. Mourinho, for example. The last one was actually my bitter joke. Don't put too much on to it.

That was a recap of what I have read from Arsenal blogs. I don't see Wenger going this season and the fact that only few of them voiced it out, I still believe Le Boss will remain at his post next season. The other points though, are not out of the line; they are simply pointing out fans' request for the past 2 seasons.

And where do I stand on this matter?. Though I do not believe money can buy trophies, I do think good quality players can provide depth we have been lacking of and help the team to win matches and eventually, trophies. I simply do not tolerate big spending in one shot. But if you want a top quality frying pan you surely don't pay $1 (Rp. 8700) for it and demand 5 years warranty. There is no logic on that. Some players are overpriced, I admit it. But we can't stop the club and agency from nick few hundreds of dollars from their gold mine. The club has invested money on him so they want some dollars back at them. It's a bit complicated so I will not discuss it here.

Let's go back to it shall we?. We are craving for winners not whiners. Players who command his team mates not only verbally but in reality as well. Players who do not fear to come and make tidy challenges (tackles) and win the ball to get back us on track. Players who know how to handle pressure really well and always ready to pick up the pieces. They are hard to get; almost unlikely if I may imply but not impossible. These attributes will cost us dearly but what if investment we make, will eventually lead us to glory, no scrap it; lead us to successful seasons afterward?. Arsenal do not need 11 players. We only need to pluck in some holes in 3 areas.

Does £40m sound bizarre to you?. That's the amount Real Madrid willing to pay for Cesc; if he was offered to them of course. With that amount Wenger can buy 2 good players. A CB and a striker would do. So is £40m too big for us?. It depends on how you see it. Don't look past experiences because we never had a deal with whooping amount like that. If Wenger has never done a deal involving enormous amount, would he do so next season?. Slim chance but not impossible. Fans are no longer the patient and quiet puppy. They are now the enraged tiger.

Wenger can't afford to slip up like he usually does. Time is running out and he is wedged in between. All I want to say is, do the right thing.
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Short yet again

The match has ended for an hour now. But i only had the idea of writing some of my stupid thoughts before i risk of losing it tomorrow.

As you already know, we could not get pass sturdy rovers defence and gave up league title rather embarassingly to manure. As if by the fate written in the stars, manure came back to win their match after went down by 2 goals in the first half, while Arsenal played at home could only manage a draw. And the history writes its own fate; i mean Arsenal.

I have been criticizing Arsenal lack of winning attitude for quite some time now. And i'm getting a little bit of nudge by some fans thinking i'm not into Arsenal whenever they lose. I'm an Arsenal fan through and through. There is should not be any doubt about it. Some of you might ask, why do i go to this length and keep pressing whenever they lose. But die hard gooners should not be asking those kind of questions. I have an everlasting love for Arsenal, that's why i want to see them to be up there alongside the greats.

Regardless their disappointing results, I will always be with Arsenal. It's like what Rihanna says "..as if you are my favorite drug". I will never hate Arsenal. Unless they allow tot to share a stadium or training ground. I can still bear the pain, thank you. Grief, sadness, anxiety and all negative feelings will all but gone by the end of next Friday. And here i am, cheering once again for the Gunners. It's like listening to Britney's songs. You can't help but to sing along though your are in pain seeing her hurting herself like that. In the end of the day, Arsenal is the only English club i support and love. The rest are just pure entertainment to my crazy crave for football.

I will not do a review just like any other bloggers do. However, i will write some of my thoughts on Arsenal matches on my blog. Others are simply better than me on doing a review. Keep your chin up fellow Gooners and Goonerettes. We may have lost the battle but the war has not been won. I don't keep myself busy watching Arsenal to win premier league. I watch them because i am an Arsenal fan.

Later all...

Friday, April 01, 2011

they’re back

finally, after weeks of absence key players such as Cesc, Song, Walcott are finally making their comeback on tomorrow’s match. Persie who suffered knee problem after his international duty with Holland, is now being passed fit to feature against Rovers tomorrow. I think the biggest news will be Song availability. though it may have felt a bit late, his presence in the midfield would be crucial for us to win matches. coincide with his return, Denilson is down with an injury. surprise, no?. he may have sacrificed himself for the sake of the whole team. do I sound crazy to you?. nothing is impossible you know. it is better to leave the game as an injured player rather than being left out cold. okay, it is a joke. please stop cursing.

lets move on to our topic. since the absence of these key players, we have been playing rather poorly. only one win against low side Leyton Orient cheers up our fixture result for the month of March. another solid evidence we are struggling to win matches without these men. however, it is a new month, so I have high hopes Arsenal players to be able to focus on remaining matches and win them all. it is the only way to stop man utd winning league title. we can no longer tolerate a draw and even more, a defeat. only a win and no less than that. each club we will go against know this perfectly and will try to frustrate us by going all out in the first half and try to score a goal. knowing Arsenal well, I know this plan could be a jackpot. we are losing Djourou for the rest of the season and can only count on nerve-jittery Squillaci. you understand what  I mean.

I know we don’t have our best CB and GK available for us but I must support them all. they are Arsenal players after all and they will do everything to get those critics behind them and come out as winners. I have no confidence on our current no. 1 nor do I have a vote to our back up CB but I have no options but to keep cheering their names whenever they are mentioned. we can’t do anything, so keep our head up and keep believing.

as names of injured players have been announced, I can do a little bit of guessing game who will get the nod to start on Saturday. back four remains the same with Almunia standing between the post and both Clichy and Sagna will be our full backs. Squillaci and Koscielny completes the missing puzzle at the back. and with Song comes back from knee injury, he will surely retain his place and play alongside Wilshere once more. Cesc resumes his duty as attacking midfielder with both Nasri and Arshavin play as wingers. Persie declared fit to start and there’s no doubt he will be chosen ahead of Bendtner and Chamakh. unfortunately, Ramsey will most likely to miss the match tomorrow due to groin injury. Le Boss did not mention on the length of his injury during his pre-match interview, so I don’t have any idea whether he will play again this season. if it’s minor, then he is free to join the squad in the next game. let’s wait on this, okay?.

anyone dares to predict score line for tomorrow?. I have never been a fan of match prediction but I do this for the sake of this blog. Blackburn is a tough nut so I won’t be considering a clean sheet though I want it so bad. it’s 1-3 for us. and if we play lousily, then 2-3 for Arsenal.

till later Gooners…

finally!

international break is finally over and we are back in the real game show. luckily, we are not in mid December or January in which snowing is part of happy hour menu in London. can you imagine we are forcedly to sit back for another week without Arsenal?. I’m sure you get what I mean.

Arsene Wenger said we have our threesome back for Saturday. you can see the excerpt here. though I’m not impressed at all with Diaby, it’s good to have everyone back for crucial match. Not van Persie though. the manager might have claimed he would be available for selection but bruised knee could actually leave him out for at least few days. he alongside Ramsey and Bendtner will have fitness tests today and will see whether they will be available for Rovers match.

for some reason Denilson is injured and won’t be playing tomorrow. well, I guess Wenger has solid reason not to play him this time. I can’t confirm line up, not until Wenger comes out with a list of injured players. but I honestly don’t think there will be major changes in our back four. and it includes our goalkeeper. I know a lot of you have high hopes for Lehmann to come and save our season and replace Almunia permanently. but I knew it would be impossible to do it since he hasn’t been playing competitive match since he hung up his boot. he will need more games to gain match fitness and by the time he has times in his belt, we would probably cheering our win in May. yey…come on lets do the cheering dances!!.

I will try to post something if anything comes up later today.

till later Gooners…