I partially remember why i did daily posts now: if you don't too much bloody news piles up!
So lets go on a whirlwind tour.
Vieira has a fight with moody old Ibrahimovic - no gloating please as I said before paddy wanted to stay, this is all just frustration at Arsenal's decision to let him go. I truly feel sorry for our old gladiator.
Tel, deservedly wins the writers' award thingy again. For the last two years we should all feel privileged that we have a league with Stevie G, Rooney and Tel: genius players who will be remembered for generations.
Bobby whores himself to all and sundry. In International relations theory, Bobby is pursuing a policy of 'brinkmanship': he's hoping that by making it clear he could leave, even though he doesn't want to, it will push Arsenal towards giving him a more favourable deal out of fear. Won't work. Arsene is too clever for this: edu tried the same thing. Bobby has been offered the right deal, and while I'd love to see him stay at the club, if he doesn't take it the club can't do any more.
And as for us...just when you thought injuries couldn't get any worse...
Hleb now reckons he's done his knee in. Apparently he needs surgery on it, but this can wait until the end of the season?!? Hmm. I remember early on in the Villareal game he took a hefty challenge and got up very gingerly, trying to stretch his leg out repeatedly and I thought he might have to go off. He's said subsequently that the painkillers he was taking for another injury saw him through the game. Ah. The wonders of modern medicine. I hope he's ok, because we need him in the final.
So our injury list for the 'stadium of light' [and the award for the most hubristically named stadium goes to...] goes something like this: Flamster, Gilbs, Hleb [maybe], Reyes, Phil, and Theo 'am i going to play this season' Walcott. On the positive side, Ash and Clichy are probably both back, and I would stake a fair amount of cash on Ash starting on Monday. This is only good, and, lest we forget, this is only the second time since october that Ash has been in the first team squad.
Indeed, for all the talk of us losing Vieira, we've basically been without Sol, Ash, and Lauren for most of this season, while the dip in form of Freddie, Bobby and Dennis has been such, that almost our entire invincible team has been out or been a shadow of their former selves for most of the year. Only Thierry - injured for a few months of the winter- Gilbs, Kolo, and Jens have been really there, and Kolo was in Africa for most of Jan and Feb. This season has been a really hard one for the club; all the talk of Vieira has detracted from the team's wider transition. If we were to finish fourth this year, I really feel it would be an achievement, and to win the CL would be truly incredible.
So for the game on Monday Arsene really doesn't have too much leeway in terms of players. He may, and I expect him to, go with the dreaded freddie-bobby tandem away from home [shudder] which may have to do faute de mieux. It's a shame theo's injured because he would have almost definitely got a run around otherwise. Let us all hope that Msr. Song does not return.
The team i predict Arsene to play:
jens
Eboue, sol, kolo, ash [yay]
Freddie, Diaby, Gilberto/Song, Pires
RvP/Henry, Adey.
If both RvP and Song both start we won't win. Even if it is Sunderland.
Elsewhere 'big' Phil Scolari has been offered the England job, as David Dein continues to be the true master of puppets behind the whole process. I say - begone with the little englanders: Scolari can speak English, and he's won the world cup. Get him in. No one will cares who manages England when we're winning. McClaren? Curbishley? Allardyce? Never even been in the CL. And the England players have clearly, if subtly, mummered their discontent against McClaren, despite his heroics this week.
Ah it seems I spoke too soon. The English media has already hounded him from the job. Well played. That's quite an effort. And they'll be the ones complaining when McClaren fails to even qualify for the Euro Championships.
Two last things. One: congratulations to 'boro: here's hoping we meet you in the super european megolomania world domination trophy.
Secondly: I hope this is a joke. Really. It's a monstrosity.
Til next time - thanks for keeping with me.
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7 comments:
Having found out that the kit is part of a hilarious wind up - i feel we should all boycott arsenal talk from henceforth.
Why did vieira leave if he didnt want to? Did DD or AW hold a gun to his head & tell him to sign a contract with Juventus or was it just because arsenal were neutral about accepting a bid for him. The same way he was neutral every summer about accepting a bid from madrid etc!! Please stop making out he was hard done by, wenger knew he was no longer putting any effort into games so they sold him. Vieira showed no loyalty (the only reason he didnt move the year before is because madrid wouldnt pay him enough) & arsenal done the same back to him. As they say what goes around comes around. I also remember vieira saying Juventus were much more ambitious & a much stronger team than arsenal!! again he who laughs last laughs loudest!! You never know maybe my seat in paris will be next to his!!
I just think we should recognise everything he did for the club, and not gloat at his current misfortune.
How can you stay if your manager say he's 'neutral' over whether he wants you to stay or not? He was virtually told his time was up.
It was a bit karmic given all the whoring he'd done to madrid though.
Actually Scolari barely speaks English, and it might be better if didn't speak any at all, seeing as his views are enough to make even the furthest-right tabloids turn pale (Pinochet is a fine upstanding leader: you can't make an ommlette without breaking eggs, etc., plus a whole lot of appalling stuff about gays). As a manager, though, I agree: after Gus Hidinck (whose record is outstanding) he'd be easily the best choice. Anyway, it looks as though the FA, the Sun and Talksport, etc. have ensured we'll end up with Steve McClaren -which is precisely what the whole lot of them deserve. Me, apart from feeling sorry for the players, who do deserve better, I'd appoint Samantha the Walrus as the Premiership would be a better place if he left. But really I don't give monkeys about it. Insofar as I support anyone, it's probably France. Well, they're more Arsenal, n'est pas.
Appalled at your team selection. For god's sake, if players like Toure (who's exhausted), and Cesc (who still hasn't quite recovered from injury), are to be fresh for the final, they need a chance to gather their strength. Play them now and you risk their pulling their hamstrings a la Flam. Imagine facing Barca without them, or without Eboue, Thierry or Jens. Hopefully, Rooney's metatarsal will serve as a warning, and Wenger won't go on chasing pointless points. The Totts are scarcely likely to lose to the West Ham reserves - not now they've almost got their paws on fourth place, and not now they're apparently on a roll of good luck - that penalty decision!
I don't care; I think the force is also with us. Remember three or four years ago: we were playing almost supernaturally beautiful football and would have been deserving Champions League winners, but we got nowhere at all. Compare that to now: Pires and Freddie aren't the goal-scorers they were, and we've a madman in goal (who was suspended in the group stage for squirting water at the ref) plus an inexperienced and patched-up back four - and yet, against all the odds, here we are in the final, having broken the all-time record for clean sheets on the way. As Wenger admitted to thinking, fate seems strangely to be favouring us - If Jens saves that penalty, then it's our year! My brain tells me we can't possibly beat Barca; my gut tells me we will.
Hate to harp on about it being senseless to risk injuries in now pointless games. Poor Diaby - in hospital still and out for four months at a minimum, assuming his ankle ever completely recovers, which sometimes isn't the case with multiple injuries (a dislocaton as well as a fracture). That wasn't the only really dangerous tackle: Cesc barely managed to escape one without being similarly flattened, as did Henry. Hence the gathering fury of the Arsenal players throughout the second half. And hence Wenger's rage and depression that this kind thugishness on the pitch is condoned by both refs and commentators on radio and tv. If anything is going to tip the balance on Henry going or staying it's probably the thought of playing another season under conditions like that.
With Hleb and Diaby now out, who's left to play in central midfield the final? Song? Larsson, out of position? Van Persie was worse ever, I thought. Why not give Bendtner a chance in the first team for the last couple of games?
As for Sol, really appalling, and against the worst attacking force ever to feature in the premiership. Just rusty? Not in my view. His timing and lack of pace have been off for over a year now, as Wenger acknowledged when leaving him out of the Cup final last season. I don't mind if he plays the remaining two games, in fact, am happy that it's him, not Senderos or Djourou, who's risking getting his ankle broken, but if he's chosen for the final we're toast.
VIERA LEAVES TO WIN THE EUROPEAN CUP AND FAILS. NOW ARSENAL WILL REPEAT THE TRICK ON MAY 17
Hi Goonerboy... sorry you were offended by the joke about the kit. It wasn't you we were out to con.
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