When its not going right...

At what point is under-achieving acceptable? Is poor form an excuse?

Point a) Arshavin, for what he is paid should be burying chances like he got against Huddersfield. Flipside Point b) Arshavin, who has admitted is suffering poor form and a lack of confidence showed excellent work-rate and desire and is still giving 100% to try and drag himself back to form.

For me, I'm firmly in point b. The very least I expect is for Arsenal players to compete and fight to win. Arshavin didn't give up for a second and worked hard from the second he stepped on the field. His defensive block surely denied a goal-scoring opportunity and showed his determination to get his diminutive frame in the way.

My colleague suggested that its still not enough. We should still expect more for what we pay him.

I'd love to hear what you guys think, everyone I speak to seems to fall between these two points so it would be great to try and work out what the general blogosphere think.

WG.

Technorati : Arsenal, Arshavin
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Arshavin
Zooomr : Arsenal, Arshavin
Flickr : Arsenal, Arshavin

Fortunate to escape a replay - Squillaci is a goon.

All teams need luck to be successful. Yesterday we were very lucky. Huddersfield pressed well and deserved their goal.

To Sebastien Squillaci, what an absolute Goon. I can't tell you how frustrating that decision by Squillaci was. He was always going to get carded for that and 8 times out of 10 it will be a red. It was arguably the most cynical, blatant professional foul I've seen in ages.

The positive, he's suspended for 3 games. Lets hope Djourou and Koscielny can keep up their good form.

Wenger's gamble on Nasri got found out and now we are without the mercurial French wizard for at least 3 weeks, with the possibility of him missing the first leg of Barca a strong one. Arsene has said that he wanted to play Rosicky in his place but he was still too week following illness. A reasonable gamble and not one to be blamed (unless there was prior indications that his hamstring was fatigued and at risk). I feel for Nasri and hope that his recovery is speedy and he can make it back for Barca.

The important thing to remember is that we avoided a replay that we couldn't afford. Now we need to focus on our next game and work on getting our key players fit. I wonder how far off Vermaelen is?

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Djourou, Huddersfield., Koscielny, Nasri, Squillaci, Wenger
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Djourou, Huddersfield., Koscielny, Nasri, Squillaci, Wenger
Zooomr : Arsenal, Djourou, Huddersfield., Koscielny, Nasri, Squillaci, Wenger
Flickr : Arsenal, Djourou, Huddersfield., Koscielny, Nasri, Squillaci, Wenger

Nasri Hamstring injury!

Super Samir looks to have injured his hamstring during a sprint against Huddersfield.

Further news on the injury to follow

WG

Arsenal v huddersfield

Almunia, Squillaci, Chamakh, Diaby and Eboue in another rejigged Arsenal line-up in this must not lose or draw FA Cup game against Huddersfield.

Its a game that I expect us to win with the quality we have out on the pitch.

I expect a simple win from us, win it early and demoralise. Its an important game for Diaby and Squillaci to settle back in and produce a performance to dispel any negative criticism.

I hope victory can be achieve through harmony and I expect it.

WG

So its the Brum!

So we've been drawn against the Brum! To be honest, its what I wanted! West Ham would have been playing for their last hurrah before relegation and we don't need that!

We've proven this season that we can cope with Birmingham, so its just another game and just another performance required.

For now though, focus needs to switch to Huddersfield this weekend for our FA cup tie.

Benik Afobe has been cleared to play against us and I'm intrigued to see how he's developed. He's a talented, rugged, technical striker and he's got a bright future if he works hard.

For me, I just want to get the win and get back to Prem business.

WG

Koscielny - Good enough for Arsenal? Poll

I've been speaking with a few Gooners recently about Koscielny. I really rate him and I think he's getting better and better. Others agree but don't think he's ever going to be a first 11 player week in, week out.

What do you guys think? Use the poll on the right.

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Laurent Koscielny, Poll
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Laurent Koscielny, Poll
Zooomr : Arsenal, Laurent Koscielny, Poll
Flickr : Arsenal, Laurent Koscielny, Poll

He's off form...but he still got two assists/Team performance

Last night was a good night. It was a good team performance against a resilient Ipswich side that knew if they kept it tight they might sneak it. It took patience, verve and sparks of individual class.

Arshavin is having a dip in form of late and much has been made of it in the media and in the blogosphere. Personallly I've been there when nothing seems to be happening for you and everything you touch on the pitch falls to dust. You just have to play through it, just like any sport and Arshavin is trying so hard, perhaps a bit too hard.

However, last night despite constant anti-Arsenal commentary on the BBC, Andrei managed to pull out two assists last night. Firstly providing a great corner for Koscielny and then excellent work to put through Cesc for the third. In terms of corners, Andrei put in about 4 of that exact same corner into the same area for Koscielny to attack and Fulop was able to get to most of them just before Koscielny but on that occasion he was slow to get off his line and Kos finished well. It was a good corner into a good area that consistently took the goalkeeper off of his line and into a dangerous area.

It was a good team performance though, Wilshire was excellent, Fabregas was commanding and battling, Bendtner looked a bit dangerous out on the wing and we were solid at the back. Though Ipswich offered very little going forward as they tried to defend their lead.

Now its all preperations for Huddersfield, another team performance required and we need to get this result first time. We cannot afford a reply this time. Our upcoming fixture list is congested enough thank you!

For now though, for a brief few minutes - Congratulations Gooners, We're in the Final.

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Arshavin, Bendtner, Fabregas, Ipswich, Wilshire
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Arshavin, Bendtner, Fabregas, Ipswich, Wilshire
Zooomr : Arsenal, Arshavin, Bendtner, Fabregas, Ipswich, Wilshire
Flickr : Arsenal, Arshavin, Bendtner, Fabregas, Ipswich, Wilshire

Hazard warning, joyride on a tractor!

As socially unacceptable as that title might be, its got a double meaning. Firstly, our boys need to be careful tonight. Ipswich are a bit more resilient of late and will put up a fight to defend their slender lead. Secondly, Arsene has come out and publicly declared his interest in Eden Hazard - a rather unprecedented move for him.

Lets tackle Ipswich first, Paul Jewell has come in and the players seem to want to play for him. They came back well at the weekend after a half-time team talk and are performing. They know that they came through the first game on merit and deserve a shot. They will park the bus, but we need to be aware of the counter-attacking methods they deployed at Portman Road.

Our boys need to be focused and believe that its not going to be a joyride, they will have to fight for a result.

On to interesting business with this Eden Hazard chap. For years I've been hearing good things about him from when he was playing youth international football and I've watched his career with interest.

It seems Arsene has been doing the same and in an unprecedented move (as far as I can recall) has come out and stated he does not wish to destabilise Lille but would make a move the second they tell him a transfer is possible. Personally I think this stinks a bit of Barcelona-esque kidology and I'm a bit disappointed by it. It could mean exactly what Arsene says, but reading between the lines is Arsene asking Hazard to push for a transfer?

Food for thought at least! What do you guys think?

WG.

Technorati : Arsenal, Eden Hazard, Ipswich
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Eden Hazard, Ipswich
Zooomr : Arsenal, Eden Hazard, Ipswich
Flickr : Arsenal, Eden Hazard, Ipswich

Chelski win - still in the race - how poor is our preperation?!?

Whats the state of the Premier League nation? Chelski are having a stuttering stop-start season this year...and I love to see it. They were back with a bang last night against Bolton.

My thought for the day is this, how lucky are we to still be in the race and still be challenging?

Noone is setting the league on fire, this has really helped us recover from daft losses to Newcastle, West Brom etc. The Arsenal engine room is really starting to turn it on now with key players hitting form now when we need them. All we need is luck to keep them fit. Can we be lucky enough this season?

If we do finish this season well and win a couple of trophies, maybe the league will everyone paper over the cracks in our squad? Will they suddenly be winners instead of also-rans?

I'm still not convinced ManYoo will remain unbeaten because they still aren't performing well, albeit they are grinding out results. So we have to be on the money for the rest of the season. Starting tonight. We need a result and we need to take our fight to Ipswich and show them its not going to be a repeat of the first leg. They need to see the Premier League Arsenal.

A quick point....Every player that has come out talking about the Leeds games and the Ipswich game has said that they were suprised by both teams...thats a massive lack of preperation. Even in sunday league we had an idea of who we were playing and now to tackle them.

Were the West Brom and Newcastle games the result of similar poor prep?

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Chelsea, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester United
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Chelsea, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester United
Zooomr : Arsenal, Chelsea, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester United
Flickr : Arsenal, Chelsea, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester United

Oxlade-Chamberlain to be loaned back in a deal like Walcott

I got a text about this, apparently Southampton want to hold onto him until the summer and Arsenal are happy to do this providing he spends two days every week training with us. (similar to Benik Afobe who is on loan at Huddersfield)

Personally I think its a cracking idea, he still gets first-team football but gets to continue his development with us too.

What do you guys think? Would you prefer to keep him under wraps at London Colney? Or send him out in the Championship for matches?

WG

Technorati : Afobe, Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Southampton, Walcott
Del.icio.us : Afobe, Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Southampton, Walcott
Zooomr : Afobe, Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Southampton, Walcott
Flickr : Afobe, Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Southampton, Walcott

At what price do we want Silverware?

On the cusp of the game against Ipswich its worth thinking about this a little. What cost would you be prepared to take for the Carling Cup?

Two, three, four years ago we were calling it the Worthless cup and were referring to it as a Tin Cup competition and we couldn't be more disinterested, nor bothered when our kids inevitably crashed out.

We've been close to winning this before, only to be undone by poor decisions from Arsene, the refereeing fraternity and our own players.

Here we are again, I want us to play our first choice Premier league 11 tomorrow night, but I think that won't happen, Arsene will want to rest his players following their win on Saturday and will risk the Carling Cup to rest players for Saturdays game against Huddersfield.

The question is, would you sacrifice the Carling Cup for a better shot at Huddersfield, or, like me would you rather take one game at a time and just keep winning?

WG.

Technorati : Arsenal, Huddersfield., Ipswich
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Huddersfield., Ipswich
Zooomr : Arsenal, Huddersfield., Ipswich
Flickr : Arsenal, Huddersfield., Ipswich

Good result, lets keep up this momentum

Football games are all about momentum. If you win a game well you take that confidence into the next game. In-form players feel everything is going to come off for them so they try to be a little bit more spontaneous and creative. Look at Nasri as an example of this.

Our first eleven in the Premier league is playing well, they've confident and extravagant. They're a joy to watch and a nightmare to play against.

This is the first eleven that should start against Ipswich. We need a result and this is the way to guarantee it. After the game tomorrow night they have 4 days to recover and it should easily be enough.

It was a great game against the Latics and we deserved the result. Everyone put in a good shift. Another clean sheet is good for the confidence at the back and I was confident pre-match and I'm glad to see it rewarded. Too often this season we've looked lightweight in games we should dominate. I hope that chapter is well and truly closed!

For now, its full steam to Ipswich - More demons to banish following the ironing out of Leeds at Elland road. I think its time for Wenger to gamble, if he wants the silverware he has to play a team that he knows is on form. It should be the same players who played against Wigan....but I think he'll throw in Bendtner, Denilson and perhaps even Diaby who has returned to fitness.

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Ipswich, Leeds, Wenger, Wigan
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Ipswich, Leeds, Wenger, Wigan
Zooomr : Arsenal, Ipswich, Leeds, Wenger, Wigan
Flickr : Arsenal, Ipswich, Leeds, Wenger, Wigan

Performance required!

Much has been made of our slack performances in the cups. During this our league form hasn't faltered and credit for that where its due, its always been clear where Wenger's focus lies.

Be honest, we all know he wants the league.

Today we welcome the Latics to the Emirates, where another performance is required.

In some ways I'm glad Wenger has highlighted the possibility of ManYoo being invincible. It adds pressure to them and I hope it will gee up our boys to try and keep performing to win the league.

After his mercurial performance at Elland road I expect Nasri to start again along with Walcott, RvP and Fabregas.

I want a convincing win today, Arshavin wants a landslide, I want a battering.

WG

Exacting revenge at the Emirates

On a cold winter night we stood at the DW watching Arsenal capitulate to a Wigan side that looked hungrier than us, more organised than us and generally performed better than us. Which is frankly embarrasing.

We were woeful. However, football is all about 2nd chances! So now we welcome them back to our manor and now to exact our revenge.

Without wanting to jinx it, our players are all coming back to fitness and form and that can only be a good thing. The league is definitely winnable with the inconsistent performances across the board by all the teams.

Drogba was quoted as saying Chelski can't win the league because they cant string two performances together. Its a situation that all of the top teams seem to be suffering with at the moment and it seems Drog wanted to try a bit of kidology to gee up his beleagured teammates.

The only team that worries me really is ManYoo. They're keeping up that run and whilst they're not setting fire to the league, they're not losing games and thats not going to break their morale, so we need someone rubbish to break them...come on the Brum!!

So onwards to Wigan, team preview to come tomorrow..

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Chelsea, Drogba, Manchester United, Wigan
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Chelsea, Drogba, Manchester United, Wigan
Zooomr : Arsenal, Chelsea, Drogba, Manchester United, Wigan
Flickr : Arsenal, Chelsea, Drogba, Manchester United, Wigan

Turning the lights on at Elland Road

With the visit of Arsenal, Ken Bates was forced into investing an extra 50p in the meter to keep the floodlights on in what was a thrilling game of football.

Nasri tormented, Song battled and our defence was excellent last night. Koscielny and Djourou's job was made easier by Leeds playing tubby Billy Paynter who's as mobile as a bus, but they handled the threat well and neither of them put a foot wrong in 90mins. Both of them are seeing their stock rise at the moment with their consistent, reliable performances.

Nasri's goal was typical of him at late, everything is working for him at the moment, superlatives escape me as I search for originality, perhaps simply everything he touches turns to goals. This in stark contrast to poor Arshavin. I actually feel so sorry for him right now, we've all been there when everything you try just doesnt come off...you have to play through it and get out of the other side but its a killer. He worked so hard last night, he was even trying to win a defensive header, HIM!! ... he's only 3ft tall! (slight exaggeration).

Sagna's goal was exactly what he needed and he should do it more, a few minutes earlier he chose to put the ball across the box and Bendtner failed to get on the end of it when I think he really should have put something on it. It was an excellent, swerving powerful shot that Schmeichel should have saved, but the power beat him.

A point of frustration to me is Nik Bendtner. He's not a right winger, he never will be. He's not got the pace or the tricks in the locker to beat the left back. I know last night with the rotation Wenger didn't feel he had anyone else to put there but I would put Vela out there (he's not gone out on loan yet has he?) because he has pace and tricks to burn. In fairness to Bendtner, it was a frustrating night but he redeemed his performance somewhat with the cross for Van Persie, it was a peach and made Robins job very easy indeed.

Lets hope this is the first of many cups we continue to progress in, we need to thrash Ipswich. I didn't want to preview last nights game because I didn't want to jinx it. I'm glad I didn't. Bring on the Latics at the grove on Saturday, I can't wait!

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Arshavin, Bendtner, Billy Paynter, Ken Bates, Leeds, Nasri, Van Persie, Vela, Wenger
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Arshavin, Bendtner, Billy Paynter, Ken Bates, Leeds, Nasri, Van Persie, Vela, Wenger
Zooomr : Arsenal, Arshavin, Bendtner, Billy Paynter, Ken Bates, Leeds, Nasri, Van Persie, Vela, Wenger
Flickr : Arsenal, Arshavin, Bendtner, Billy Paynter, Ken Bates, Leeds, Nasri, Van Persie, Vela, Wenger

Lets not get carried away shall we?

It was a good win on Saturday, but lets focus a little. West Ham made us look good. They were awful and didn't really offer any threat and didn't show any thing that made me feel worried.

It was a win though and that can only take us forward with positivity to Elland Road on wednesday. Keep the same squad Arsene!! At least for the first half!! Continuity and confidence is what a footballer needs to maintain momentum and performance.

You can't give them that if you keep chopping and changing your lineup. Look at the Tinkermen Ranieri and Benitez. They're always making changes, rotation is necessary I agree, but when its a game you need to dominate from the first minute, start with what you know works and then tinker when you are ahead.

I remember an old Darts saying, "Its scores for show, but doubles for dough" - In translation, it doesn't matter how you play, its the result that gets you the money.

Team lineup's as best as I can guess will be up later today, I suspect even Arsene isn't sure yet. Plus a preview of the second leg at Elland Road to come.

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Benitez, Leeds united, Ranieri, West Ham
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Benitez, Leeds united, Ranieri, West Ham
Zooomr : Arsenal, Benitez, Leeds united, Ranieri, West Ham
Flickr : Arsenal, Benitez, Leeds united, Ranieri, West Ham

Bursting with pride, only its the Tractor Boys doing the bursting!

I was listening to the radio this morning only to hear Ipswich fans crowing on the radio about how they're going to go to the Emirates and hold us to a draw.

Let me say what I think - if our team applied itself and was more efficient and more professional Ipswich would be regretting the second leg, not wanting it.

It galls me to know that any other prem side would have gone there and battered them.

Perhaps we should have played more of the kids, they're eager and they wouldn't have been so tame. We played like we expected to win. We were waiting for us to score.

My disappointment is palpable today. I just can't justify the result with anything except that we just didn't want it. Which for a semi-final is ridiculous.

WG

As jokes go, pretty poor to be honest...

Losing 1:0 isnt the problem for me, Ipswich fought for everything and deserved their goal. Losing AT ALL to Ipswich is a problem for me.

Wenger will say it was unfortunate but we still have to play them at the Emirates and we'll put it right there...but if they park the bus in front of the goal we could have been put out of the cup by an Ipswich side that had no right to do it.

We were far too ineffective up front. Playing one up against Championship opposition doesn't work because they don't commit players forward like Premier League sides.

A very poor result. Very poor.

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Ipswich
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Ipswich
Zooomr : Arsenal, Ipswich
Flickr : Arsenal, Ipswich

Koscielny - a lot better than people think

Watching the opening minutes of the match tonight made me think. Koscielny is now someone I am happy to see named at the back. I don't have the trepidation I had about him 4 weeks ago.

His performances in the last 6 games have been good and I think he is easily beginning to justify the faith put in him.

He's a PL rookie and he's been playing very well. He's made a few mistakes but we are much better with him and Djourou than when he's with Squillaci because Djourou talks to him. Djourou tells him where to be and what to do, like Sol used to do for Toure.

I've said it before, but Koscielny is easily the best 1v1 defender we have. I must look at his stats, I reckon they're pretty good.

I don't think Wenger will buy a centre back unless he can grab a bargain. I think he will try and get through with what we've got.

WG

I've got a brand new combine harvester...

The recently appointed Paul Jewell will have to watch from the stands as he was not appointed in time to direct the Tractor Boys on their visit to us at the Emirates.

The recently departed Roy Keane would have been rubbing his hands together with glee at this fixture and will be gutted not to be able to lead his team tomorrow night. It will be a great atmosphere and I'm not jinxing it again.

I hope Wenger starts with the right squad, put out the likes of Theo, Arshavin, Cesc for the first 60 mins and then take them off if we are well in front and in control. Don't start with weak foundations and try and fix it afterwards, make strong foundations and then you have something to stand on.

Its a semi-final and although its a tin-cup its a cup and we need a win. So lets teach these Tractor boys a lesson. We need to show them we mean business. So no fuss, a strong professional job please boys.

Team line-up to follow once I've spoken to a certain someone.

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Ipswich, Paul Jewell, Tractor boys, roy keane
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Ipswich, Paul Jewell, Tractor boys, roy keane
Zooomr : Arsenal, Ipswich, Paul Jewell, Tractor boys, roy keane
Flickr : Arsenal, Ipswich, Paul Jewell, Tractor boys, roy keane

Possibility of signing a centre-back ?

Media reports are flowing with the news that Wenger "might" be delving into the transfer market in search of defensive cover should Squillaci not recover from his hamstring injury swiftly.

There are plenty of names being banded about and I cannot be bothered talking about them all. Needless to say I wouldn't want Samba if someone gave him to me for free, Mertesacker has been trying to get himself transferred for ages and noone has taken a punt on him which begs the question why? There must be something behind it and I really can't see us taking the SolMan back again.

My gut feeling is Squillaci will make a miracle recovery.

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Mertesacker, Samba, Squillaci, Transfer News, Wenger
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Mertesacker, Samba, Squillaci, Transfer News, Wenger
Zooomr : Arsenal, Mertesacker, Samba, Squillaci, Transfer News, Wenger
Flickr : Arsenal, Mertesacker, Samba, Squillaci, Transfer News, Wenger

Thierry Henry - Finishing coach - training with Arsenal

Thierry Henry is training with Arsenal to maintain his fitness ahead of the MLS season. This is great news as its always great to have one of our heroes back with us and it will be good to have a winner around the training pitches.

Perhaps he can pass some wisdom onto our players to help in their fight this season.

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, MLS, New York Red Bulls, Thierry Henry
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, MLS, New York Red Bulls, Thierry Henry
Zooomr : Arsenal, MLS, New York Red Bulls, Thierry Henry
Flickr : Arsenal, MLS, New York Red Bulls, Thierry Henry

Whatever happened to Andrei Arshavin?

Its January and the January blues are kicking in. The transfer window is open and so far the rumours have been blissfully quiet, no outright courting of our players so far and that can only be a good thing...or a sign that we are dealing with the enquiries in a positive manner and therefore the press isn't being used as a crowbar.

Its a worry to me that I see some of our better players under-performing over 90mins. Arshavin hasn't produced a good 90minutes for a long time. Which makes me think about the reasons for it. Is it a) Defenders and teams are wise to his game and are nullifying him (Leeds shut him down very effectively). b) He's frustrated at the league position and the results and no longer wants to play for us. c) He's had his spontanaety trained out of him and as his own words have indicated, he's more of a team player now. Or of course is it d) None of the above or even e) all of the above.

He became our most expensive transfer signing on the back of his style and performances for Russia and Zenit. For me, he's not producing that form for us at the moment.

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Arshavin
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Arshavin
Zooomr : Arsenal, Arshavin
Flickr : Arsenal, Arshavin

Well, that was unexpected!

Honestly, I didn't see a draw coming yesterday. Leeds did well to press us and we were abject going forward.

Denilson was so ineffective. It was almost a carbon copy of his awful performance against Wigan. I'm not a player basher but he's not coping in a premier league midfield. He looked woeful yesterday.

I wish Rambo got some minutes, I'd love to have an idea how close he really is. We looked 100 percent better when Fabregas and Walcott came on.

I wonder what's up with Chamakh at the moment, he looks slow, I wonder whether he's carrying a knock. He seemed well off the pace yesterday.

I can't be too negative, a replay is more than what Leeds deserved when we didn't create enough and relied on pot shots as a threat. We better put it right at Elland Road. As for now, it will be Ipswich on Wednesday!

Bring on the next game and hopefully a more direct, fluid performance.

WG

Wholesale changes expected

12:45pm - We take on Leeds in the FA Cup. We will not see the magic of Van Persie and Nasri. But we will see a return to the first team squad for Gibbs and Ramsey. I'm hoping that the young welsh wizard gets a game today. I feel he is in a good state to play Championship opposition after playing against it in his last 5 games.

Ramsey is a player I rate very highly, I see a bit of myself in him. He's combative, powerful and creative. Fully fit he's a shoe in for our midfield and I wonder where that would leave young Jack. I think we'd see a midfield of Ramsey, Jack and Fabregas with Jack and Rambo given the responsibility of defending and creating. Though for today I think it will be different.

Today I expect the squad to be flexed and rejigged. It wouldn't surprise me to see a start for Vela, Bendtner and I'd like to see Sczcesny given a game.

For me, I cant wait. I think Theo will start and Rosicky on the other wing and we'll tear them apart. Rambo, Denilson and probably Song to start.

Its so hard to pick but I expect a good win from us today, but Leeds won't make it easy

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Leeds, Rambo, Ramsey, Wilshire
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Leeds, Rambo, Ramsey, Wilshire
Zooomr : Arsenal, Leeds, Rambo, Ramsey, Wilshire
Flickr : Arsenal, Leeds, Rambo, Ramsey, Wilshire

The all-too familiar story & transfer news

We absolutely dominated Citeh. We could have had a hatfull and they had nothing to offer as a real threat.

I feel so gutted that we didnt even nick one in, its so frustrating. We were denied by the post and good saves from Hart and its games like that where you don't get the points deserved that cost you.

My hopes of winning the league are waning, if we cannot score when inflicting near total domination over an opponent then what chance do we have? I'm trying not to be too negative because performances like that are why I love Arsenal. Just stick it in the onion bag lads...for the love of all that is pure and good, stick it in the bloody net!!

Rant over...thank you for listening.

Almumia is destined for Spanish soil it appears. I have it on rather good information that he has said he'd like to return to Spain and has already completed contract negotiations the only stickler is his insistence on being first choice but that is being ironed out.

Good luck to him. He's a good keeper, just not a Great Keeper and thats what you need in the Premier league.

WG

Technorati : Almunia, Arsenal, Manchester City, Transfer
Del.icio.us : Almunia, Arsenal, Manchester City, Transfer
Zooomr : Almunia, Arsenal, Manchester City, Transfer
Flickr : Almunia, Arsenal, Manchester City, Transfer

Rambo returns - maybe

Aaron Rambo Ramsey returns to the fold, making five appearances on a weather-spoilt loan to Nottingham Forest.

He made two starts and three substitute appearances on his month long loan stint. Certainly he needs more games to get match fit and Wenger has said it could take two months to get back to his best, but I'd take him at 80 percent til then.

He's a good player with immense talent and I look forward to watching him grow further.

WG

'e deserved it, Taking on the Citeh

Happy New Year Readers!!

Arsene Wenger has been out in force in the media over the last few days about Bowyer's suspension, he's a angry little monster and deserved the ban.

There is also much speculation about the possible arrivals of Ronaldinho and Beckham to the PL. Personnally, my recent recollections of the form and attitude of Ronaldinho do not cover him with gold, but if he comes it will generate a significant media and public interest and that can't be a bad thing. Might stop the media battering on about potential transfers to us.

On that note Wenger has been reasonably resolute, the only signing will be a central defender and thats only if the Verminator breaks down again. Might be worth hedging your bets Mr Wenger.

Its all good news on the squad front with Wenger saying its the fittest squad in years. Its about time!! Its almost nice to see other teams crippled with injuries for once, touch wood that habit doesn't return to us.

Tonight we take on Citeh at the Emirates, a game that I think we should win. Man City will come to play in our back yard and I expect us to teach them another lesson. The likes of Nasri and Arshavin will get room to play and the Citeh defence will not be able to cope with Van Persie.

I expect a similar line-up to the Birmingham line-up, I see no reason to change a winning side and there are no injuries to speak of from the game. However, I've been proved wrong by Arsene's interesting teamsheets.

I'm looking for a 3-1 tonight, Nasri to score so get your bets on Nasri

WG

Technorati : Arsenal, Citeh, Nasri, Wenger, van Persie
Del.icio.us : Arsenal, Citeh, Nasri, Wenger, van Persie
Zooomr : Arsenal, Citeh, Nasri, Wenger, van Persie
Flickr : Arsenal, Citeh, Nasri, Wenger, van Persie