Flamini's off: should we be upset?

I'm coming to the end of a cycle.

I've spent three years at Arsenal and my solicitor has advised me that I can leave from the month of June.

But for that to happen, I have to give the club the last year of my salary.

The Arsenal team is young and it has its qualities but I'm playing less these days.

It's not easy to take and I'm in a situation where every player is asking themselves questions.

The words of Matthieu Flamini who, less than a year ago, was nigh on integral in our run to the Champions League final.

But should we be upset if he does depart?

Matthieu has many qualities - an outstanding work-rate that many of our other players might take note of being among his best attributes. He is a tidy, if not spectacular midfielder, and is one of the few players we have who doesn't seem reluctant to take the occasional shot on goal.

Twice this season I've been very impressed with him: Chelsea away and Liverpool away in the FA Cup. Both performances were quietly solid, and he capped his performance at the Bridge with a fine goal.

And his versatility, or should I say previous versatility, has also been an asset, with Matthieu often playing in defence last year.

But Matthieu clearly made his mind-up at the beginning of this season that he would not become our Phil Neville; he would not be the 'do-a-job' squad member, endlessly shunted around the team depending on who was injured that week. Matthieu must have told Arsene, 'play me in central-midfield or don't play me at all', and in some ways you have to admire his attitude. It's not ingratitude, it's a recognition of the damage that can be done to a player who is unable to establish himself in one position.

Unfortunately for the Flamster, Arsene clearly thinks there are at least 4-5 players before him in the queue for central berths: Fabregas, Gilberto, Diaby, Denilson, and, perhaps, even Alex Song when and if he returns. While the first four players, at least, are more skilful than Flamini, do we really want to release one of the few players in our squad with the drive and determination Flamini often shows? Might he have been a better option than Denilson on Saturday, even if Denilson does, ultimately, develop into a superior player?

On balance, his departure would not be a huge loss as he is a replaceable sort of player. But if he does leave, I would like to see Arsene buy to replace him. What the squad seems to be missing is players of the Parlour and Grimandi mould: not technically the most gifted, but often vital to the strength and spirit of the side. And if Flamini is to go, we need a mature, experienced player of this type to come in, because you have to wonder about the club's future if Arsene merely promotes another youngster instead.

Where do Arsenal go from Anfield?

It's hard to know what to write after a match like the one on Saturday. To be so convincingly outplayed and humiliated is always hard to take, especially after the wonderful performances we'd pulled out earlier in the season at Anfield; those, as I wrote earlier, of the 'false idols'.

The only comparable defeats in recent years that I can think of were the 6-1 in Manchester, and the 3-1 in Munich. Both performances showed that a crop of players were no longer good enough to win trophies for the club. In the wake of the defeat in Manchester we went on to win two titles and a handful of FA cups; the jury is still out whether Wenger has really improved the team post-Munich.

Because it seems clear that a lot of players have, or should have, question marks over their place in the team.

Normally it's the midfield which is the source of our ire, but on Saturday it was clearly the defence that must take the bulk of the blame. Is Eboue really good enough defensively, despite his crosses? Can Kolo and Gallas play together, or do we have a Gerrard/Lampard/overly-similar player situation occurring? I would suggest that given Kolo's current form, a partnership of Senderos and Gallas or Djouorou and Gallas might be preferable. Certainly, Kolo at centre-back is no longer an automatic selection. Gallas played poorly, but he's missing Terry's aerial dominance and he's the best defender in our squad otherwise; indeed the whole team is missing a defender who can dominate in the air. Despite his injury record, if Woodgate is available we should be in for him.

And now on to the midfield. What struck me watching the United-Blackburn game was how many United players stood up to be counted when they fell behind. Could any Arsenal midfielder have scored Scholes's goal, one which was as much about sheer guts and determination as ability? When a player like Carrick is outscoring our midfield, something is clearly wrong.

Indeed the nullifying of our midfield appeared stupefyingly simple for Liverpool. Get tight on Cesc, don't let him pull the strings, and let apathy, indifference and inexperience do the rest. Cesc has become too central to our success, and we need a plan B for if he's off form, or not allowed into the game. Denilson has shown that he has considerable ability, but he should not be playing this many games so young. Neither should Cesc, nor Diaby, who, again, was completely wasted on the left. We need goalscoring wingers, not just central midfielders converted to inside lefts/rights. Hleb was poor again, and he is increasingly looking like a luxury. The last decent performance from him was Bolton away in the FA Cup and his struggles have become worrying, especially as he never looks like scoring.

Up front, Baptista is not taking his chances. Simple as that. He's getting into half-decent positions, but there's only so many times a player can miss before you wonder if he will ever be a consistent goalscorer. Adebayor was the bright spark of the team and deserved a goal. If Dudek had been playing, he would have had one.

So where now? Fourth place again? Maybe not even that is secure but I can't even contemplate not getting it. And even if we were to get it, and despite some excellent performances this season, its hard to say whether we've improved. About this time last year, we seemed on an upward wave and I was genuinely excited about the club's future. Now, I have to admit, I'm not so sure. Sure, we have bags of youth and potential, but when will it gel? Can we face another trophy-less season next year? How long can players like Fabregas accept fourth place?

It's good to see some harsh words from Arsene this week on the unacceptability of Saturday's recent capitulation. I think a re-think is necessary. Because otherwise it's hard to see how we'll get off this plateau.

If he really cares about England, Steve McClaren should resign.

Little to talk about today, really, on the old Arsenal front. International weeks are always slow, so there's only been a few mildly silly stories floating about.

We've been linked to Andy Johnson, again, who's ours for the paltry price of £14 million. That much money for an English player seems slightly un-Arsene, it must be said. Adebayor and Eboue are near to signing new contracts: good news on Ade, not so sure about Eboue. Is he really a player we want at the club in the long-term? His crossing ability must be weighed against his theatrics, which have damaged the team's performances at times. Finally, Inter are after Tomas Rosicky for £10 million. Despite a middling season, I can't see that happening.


And so to England.

The game yesterday was a farce, an embarassment, a disgrace. Israel defended in depth behind the ball and managed to break up our play reasonably well, but was I the only Englishman hoping for Israel to win? Hoping that it would be the blow that forced our sub-standard manager out the door at last? A manager who refuses to confront the Lampard-Gerrard problem; a manager who throws on Stuart Downing for our best player in the last ten minutes of a game; who still chooses Phil Neville, despite Gareth Barry having his best season for some time in the premiership; a person who swaps right-backs when we're meant to be chasing the game.

In McClaren's defence, his players were awful yesterday. Even if he is not organising them properly, which he clearly isn't, far too many of our Galacticos, and I will use that term, don't seem to be able, or perhaps willing, to reproduce their club form at international level. Maybe if they took ten minutes out from collecting MBEs or writing best-sellers or spouting rubbish about 'English heart' being key to our performances or organising their 'bling', we might actually get somewhere. On their performance yesterday, I'd be willing to call up some of the under-21s to give the senior squad a kick in the backside. At least they'd show some desire. Players like Lampard, Gerrard, Ferdinand, and Rooney must be wrenched from the comfort zones they are currently basking in.

Maybe failing to qualify for next years championships would be the best thing for our current squad. Hopefully the FA would look past nationality when they recruited, and get someone who can finally organise the spoiled brats that make up our first team; someone who might actually pick our best performers, not just our best-known.

And I thought Croatia was a nadir.

The false idols of Anfield further exposed.

Well, it's all getting a little depressing isn't it. A month ago we had cup ties galore to look forward to, including a cup final no less, and Thierry seemed to have regained form and fitness after a difficult few months.

Now look where we are: dumped out the cups, twenty points adrift in the league, and with a struggle for third, if not fourth place, on our hands. Where did it all go wrong?

Perhaps some answers can be found earlier in the season, in a moment of wonderful hope for the team's future. Namely the 6-3 victory at Anfield, where our young guns rightly earned themselves a page in our, and Liverpool's, history books.

Several myths have emanated from this moment, not least that Liverpool were supposedly playing their first team. (Whilst they had more first-teamers out than us, this was not a full strength Liverpool eleven by any means.)

Yet, and perhaps fatally for the second half of our season, two players had an absolute stormer that night: Messrs Aliadiere and Baptista.

Aliadiere not only scored but created goals with the nonchalance, ease and almost serene aura of a younger Thierry; the Beast justified his sobriquet with a double-brace, a game in which he perhaps should, incredibly, have had a double hat-trick.

At that moment, both players undoubtedly convinced Arsene that they could cut it in our first team. So rather than, say, give Aliadiere the chop in January and, perhaps, bring in a new striker, Jeremie stayed. We all seemed rather confident that we had five top-quality strikers.

What we actually had was a crocked Henry, a soon to be crocked RvP, an Adebayor who needs one of the first two next to him, and the two Anfield idols, neither of whom have really cut it since that night. Sure, we've had a few goals from Baps, and some verve from Aliadiere, but neither has really looked like a threat in front of goal.

And thus yesterday. Another game in which we've carved out chances, but had no-one to take them. Jeremie had more inexcusable misses; Baptista ran about a bit, without really looking like scoring.

Did they fool us on that night in Liverpool? Were we duped? They still have a few more games to convince us, but I would suggest that Aliadiere does not have what it takes, and its 30-70 whether Baps has it. A greater depth of quality is needed in our strikeforce and hopefully its in this area, as in a few others, that Arsene is thinking of bringing in a 'super-super' player this summer.

Finally, a slice of luck in a hard-earned win.

I didn't see the game last night so I can't comment in length. The only footage I've see thusfar was on the big screen in Waterloo station this morning and a 3 minute clip on YouTube.

The main points seem to be:

* Finally, a bit of luck. Whilst Diaby has been credited with the goal, it almost seems like a Lampard special: hit from outside the area, catching a nasty deflection and screwing in past the helpless keeper. It's nice to see us score a goal like that once in a while, rather than our normal 'walk the ball over the goal-line' style antics.

* However, Baptista's performance was otherwise poor. Was he really injured? It's the first time I've seen a manager tell a player he's injured; things are usually the other way around. Is this the beginning of his end?

* Aliadiere has returned to being the nearly man. Missing a point-blank header and a chance after being put through is, unfortunately, not good enough.

* Would a more clinical team have punished us? Villa certainly seemed to have the chances to win the game, and we can count ourselves lucky, perhaps, that they did not capitalise on them.

* Did the Denilson-Fabregas partnership work? Should Gilberto be playing centre-back? Do we still need a big tackling presence in midfield?

After all's been said, I'm happy with the three points. We only mustererd a dire 0-0 at Villa last year, and I think this season's Villa team is a stronger outfit than the ones we faced then. Arsene certainly seemed relieved - looking rather dapper in a tracksuit - and its important that we build on this victory with our tough trips to Merseyside forthcoming.

Finally, a word regarding ANR: I have to join the chorus of condemnation regarding Myles's last effort. To claim that Johann Djourou 'shamed his African ancestors' by taking two foul throw-ins, demonstrates a level of idiocy and callousness that I do not wish to be associated with Arsenal related websites. Moreover, if Aliadiere or Fabregas had taken a foul throw, would they have shamed their ancestors? Or can only black players do this? I also thought that his flippant comment that the Emirates was full of 'council-estate kids' last night was in poor taste.

I used to read Myles as his columns were, once upon a time, rather good, and if nothing else thought-provoking. Nowadays he comes across as an egotistical old fool. Unlike the real ANR of course. I urge you to read Mr Mendacious.

Anyway, enough cat-fighting. Here's hoping we can pick up another three points on Sunday, when we should have a few players back.

Henry's worst season at Arsenal is over, but let's not over-react.

So, surely we've reached a nadir in Thierry Henry's Arsenal career. An injury plagued season, in which he has only, in many games, hinted at his abilities, has been brought to a premature end.

I've been shocked, at times, by the reaction of some of the Ashburton crowd this season. I've heard shouts of '**** off to Barcelona' when Thierry has lost the ball or missed a chance. I haven't really heard the Thierry Henry song sung which much enthusiasm, aside from the beginning of the season, and, of course, in the last minutes of that wonderful win over the Mancs.

We've seemed a bit unsure as to what's happened to the rampaging Thierry of old and, to be frank, so does Thierry.

Because when Thierry isn't on his game, he looks like he's not trying. Thierry strolls through games, casting himself almost above the action, only involving himself when he feels he can really make a difference. When he's scoring, everyone forgets about his odd, almost serene manner of playing; but when he's not, accusations of a lack of effort, and second thoughts regarding Barcelona, are easy to throw.

Thierry has scored some vital goals for us this year, and is still our second highest goal scorer. My only hope is that Thierry can come back refreshed and re-energised next season, and that niggling injuries and fatigue have been the cause of his current malaise. If darker forces are at work - the decline of his pace - we may never see the Thierry we used to know again. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. If the metamorphosis of Thierry into a deeper-lying player, relying less on speed has begun, so be it. He is still a massive asset to the team, even without 25 goals a season. Whether Arsenal fans, and Thierry can accept this, is another matter.

What the whole team is crying out for, is goal-scoring, penetrative midfielders. We need rampaging wingers to share the goal-scoring burden and help get Thierry back on track. We may already have one in Theo, but perhaps more mature players also need to be brought in, especially as Freddie must go in the summer.

Whilst the Thierry injury may, ultimately, be good news for him and the club, it still leaves us in a difficult situation for the rest of the season. The word seems to be that we many not see RvP again this season either - an equally damaging loss to the team - in which case Adebayor, Baptista, Aliadiere and Walcott will be the ones, hopefully, firing us to fourth, if not third spot.

Whether these players have the goals in them or not is of course the question. And, if nothing else, it may make the last few weeks of the season a little more interesting, if only in a painful way.

Dilettante Arsenal suffer their first defeat at the Emirates.

Normally my predictive powers are second to everyone. But I feel if you take the concerns I raised in this post, and times it by those in this one, the result is last night's performance.

The wheels have come off our season; the inadequacies of our squad have been exposed for all to see.

Technically, of course, it wasn't a defeat. But trying telling that to the loyal Gooners - myself included - who stayed until the bitter end last night, sitting in muted silence as another European season came to an abortive end far too early. Almost as soon as Alex's header hit the back of the net, the sound of thousands of seats snapping up-right was heard around the ground. Never have I seen a stadium empty with such ferocity and alacrity as in the last moments of our doomed campaign last night.

Normally, I abhor this type of behaviour; but as the empty red seats multiplied before me, perhaps Arsene might have reflected on a few things.

Firstly, shooting is not optional in football: it is encouraged. Some teams even consider it superior to endless passing and re-working of the ball in final third. Some teams even put players into the box to attack balls worked into dangerous areas.

Some teams have midfielders who can score goals. Imagine that! Imagine Hleb deciding to shoot instead of pass. Imagine Fabregas being able to hit the target with a free shot from the edge of the box. Imagine Freddie, frankly, doing anything that really troubled the opposition. Imagine not having to rely on raw teenagers in the most important game of our season thusfar.

We have a collection of midfielders who possess wonderful passing and technical ability, but who have no inclination whatsoever to pepper the target with shots. Playmakers are needed, but we have too many makers and not enough finishers. Either our midfield steps up and starts scoring, or we buy in the summer. Simple as that.

And what to make of our strike force? A perma-injured Henry who looks like he's losing his pace and ability to dictate matches. A bustling centre-forward in Adebayor who misses chances he must score in big games. A 'Beast' who is struggling and out of confidence, even if he is at least getting into dangerous positions. And a Dutch-man who, whilst supremely talented, struggles to stay fit.

I wrote two weeks ago that this leg would say a lot about whether last year's campaign was a one-off or not. On the basis of last night, it appears that we still don't have the squad to really challenge for honours, especially in Europe. And for all the talk of potential surrounding the club, if potential isn't turned into concrete success sooner rather than later, who's to say that our young talents will want to stay? They want to win now as much as we do. How long will Fabregas tolerate a trophy-less state of affairs?

Arsene needs a re-think. I hope he realises that some members of our squad our not at the required level and may not reach it. I hope he realises that goals are the fundamental aspect of footballing performance, not style, regardless of how much I enjoy the artistry of our current players.

For the whole of this season I've felt the club has been 90% from perfection or disaster. Whilst finishing third or fourth in the league is no disaster, losing three cup games in a week is not far from that description. And a hard look at the squad needs to be taken between now and August, to ensure this fiasco does not re-occur next year.

Player ratings vs. Reading

Jens, 8: A towering performance. Desperately tried to wake-up and enthuse the team when sloppiness began to creep in, and pulled off a match-winning save in the last few moments of the game. If I had a two year contract, I would make him an offer he couldn't refuse.

Djourou, 6: A Reasonable performance, and certainly looks more confident on the ball than some of our other defenders. Gave away the ball in a few dangerous positions, which was a worry.

Gallas, 7: Has an imperious swagger to his defending, which can't be said about too many others of our lot. Must be played at centre back, and must also make up with Jens for the good of the team.

Gilberto, 7: Looks so comfortable with the arm-band on, and shouldered the burden magnificently with a well-struck penalty. Wenger must be thinking, long-term, about employing Gilbs as a centre-back, even if he did not always look entirely comfortable.

Clichy, 7: His run and desire earned the team the vital breakthrough. I'm increasingly impressed by his performances and he needs to stay fit.

Hleb, 6: Enigmatic to say the least. So often the initial impetus for our attacks, he drifted out the game in the second half after an excellent first period. We need a big performance from him on Wednesday.

Denilson, 6: Huge potential, tackled well, distributed well, if looking a little bit rawer than a few of his last performances.

Fabregas, 7: No goals in the Premiership this season and his awful miss does not disturb that fact. That aside, he was excellent, and should have had an assist with a delightful chip over the defence to Walcott.

Freddie, 6: A good performance by his recent standards, but I really think that as an attacking player he does not bring enough to the team any more. His habit of falling over and complaining is also becoming quite wearisome.

Theo, 6.5: A much livelier performance, and he looked far more at ease as a striker. Could and perhaps should have scored, but if we can continue to expand his education while winning games, quite a player will be waiting for us in the near future.

Baptista, 7.5: Superb goal, and really offers something to the team. He does lose possession through a rather dubious first touch, but I'm growing increasingly convinced that he should be signed at the end of the season.

Subs

Aliadiere, 5: Ran around a lot and made a bit of nuisance of himself, but did not look like a real goal-threat. Living on borrowed time.

Diaby, 6: A brief, exciting cameo, with some wonderful turns and passes. Needs to be played centrally.

Senderos, n/a: I could be harsh and blame him for the goal, but I won't.

Fabregas's miss sums up Arsenal's season.

In many ways, an enigmatic victory on the weekend. A game we dominated, and won, yet one in which we still managed to look distinctly uneasy.

The first half summed up much of this season's frustrations, as we once again dominated without scoring. Hleb, who had a good first half, was often the player who provided the initial impetus for our best play, whether it was a delightful through ball for Baptista to set up the Fabregas miss, or a surging counter-attacking run which led to Freddie's poor miss when clean-through on goal.

Fabregas's miss encapsulated our season. We were dominant in possession, actually found not one, but two killer passes, yet lacked a clinical, cutting edge, even when presented with the most straightforward of chances. It could be called a 'freak' miss, and in many ways it is, but with Rosicky missing a similar chance earlier in the season, one has to wonder whether a basis lack of killer instinct when it comes to shooting has cost us points and games this season.

Freddie's ability to shoot has certainly gone, and his miss in an otherwise thrilling break was all too typical of his indifferent form. He certainly had a good game on Saturday, even beating a man for pace at one point, but his deficiencies still clearly outweigh his worth to the squad.

Just when it seemed it could be one of those days, we finally scored. Clichy, who has improved at an almost game-by-game rate, flew into the box before being clumsily brought down. Gilberto then managed to send the ball just past Hahnemann's finger-tips, and a sense of relief broke out in the crowd.

A lot of the tension that had been built from three losses in three competitions seemed to dissipate from the team, and moments later Walcott should have scored from a sensational through ball from Cesc.

And then up-stepped the Beast. After the game Hahnemann stated that the Reading players were bowled over by Baptista's physical presence and strength. Whilst his first touch often leaves a lot to be desired, his goal was a true power-house effort that no-one else in our squad would have scored. His tenacity, strength, and composure earned him and the team a goal from which we should have gone forward.

Instead, we let Reading back in the game with some pretty sloppy defending. Jens was even more incandescent than usual, barracking Hleb to the extent he was substituted - especially after a poor second period - and almost causing Gallas to square up to him.

Say what you will about Jens, but the team needed the rollicking to prevent lethargy denying us three points. Can you imagine Almunia doing that? Can you imagine Almunia pulling off a, frankly, stunning save from Sidwell to guarantee us the points? I can't and I hope Arsene
doesn't think so either.

So, in the end, it was a game which we desperately needed to win, but one in which we ended up playing rather desperately. And we'll have to play far better than that to turn over PSV on Wednesday, with or without a certain Frenchman.

Arsenal do not have enough goalscorers.

Same old story with a different cast.

Arsenal, by far the better team in terms of passing, movement, verve and imagination, fail to do the one really, really, important, indeed quite fundamental thing, in football. Score. Maybe one day, football matches will have a panel of judges who give marks out of ten for artistic impression; until then Arsene needs to sort out the worrying lack of goals in this Arsenal squad.

Because beneath Henry, van Persie and Adebayor, who's going to score them? Rosicky and Gilberto have chipped in with a few but its not enough. Fabregas has not scored in the Premiership this season; Hleb's one shot last night went so far wide that it curled out for a throw in; Freddie is so far gone that you would think his leg was made out of wood if you watched the replay of the glorious opportunity he had.

Which is why I'm actually warming to Baptista. Granted, he had a howler in front of goal last night, heading over a golden opportunity, and squandering another ball which was floated into the box. But at least he's getting into those positions; at least he seems to realise that if a cross is put into the box, it might be an idea to stand there to receive it. He looks like he has goals in him, and if he could find some confidence and form I think he can become an asset for the team.

Others who played last night are ready to leave. Aliadiere, despite flashes of potential, won't make it. It's a shame because I like his attitude and he does perhaps the ability in him to make it for us, but he won't get enough goals, which is supposedly his main objective in the position he plays.

Freddie, despite the Bolton goal, was abysmal, squandering a golden opportunity he would have tucked home in his sleep during his pomp. A winger who hasn't the creativity or pace to beat players is a waste of space. An out and out left winger is desperately needed.

Of course, it could be argued that we lost yesterday due to some abysmal refereeing from Graham '3 cards' Poll. One definite penalty, and one probable penalty, was not given by this paragon of refereeing, who also allowed Blackburn to engage in their usual thuggery for most of the game. I counted around 6 or 7 vicious tackles by Tugay before he, reluctantly, was given a card. I advise you to check out today's Goodplaya to see the ludicrous double standards we're being subjected to at the moment.

But even if we'd been awarded a penalty, who would have taken it? If Arsenal had got to a penalty shoot-out last night, could five takers have been found? I'm not so sure anyone in the team last night would have filled me with confidence from the penalty spot.

The fact of the matter is that we don't have enough goalscorers in the team; we look too often like a team of midfielders. We're badly missing, as East Lower pointed out, the predatory instincts of RvP, because at least it feels with him as if goalscoring is his priority, which can't be said for too many other of our players.

Ultimately, we squandered our dominance and allowed Blackburn a chance, which, admittedly, was taken with considerable aplomb by McCarthy. A dire 1-0 it was, as I suggested yesterday.

This leaves us with only the Champions League and 3rd/4th to play for. And if we don't start scoring a few more goals, both will be a challenge.

Arsenal need to bounce back quickly in a season defining week.

With the loss of the Carling Cup final on Sunday, tonight's match takes on an even greater significance. Prior to Sunday, I may have tolerated a defeat, on the basis of us progressing in the CL next Wednesday and us having some silverware in the bag from Sunday. Now we have three games in a week which are all tricky fixtures, but must-wins nonetheless.

Beating Blackburn is a huge ask tonight, even with a full-strength time, let alone the motley bunch of youths and squad members we'll send out tonight. But if we were to lose tonight, draw on Saturday, and not progress in the Champions League, we'll be looking at a situation in which with two and a half months of the season to go, securing Champions League qualification is the club's only target. After all the promise we've shown this season, that would be hard to take.

The team news for tonight is not great. Henry and Rosicky have both sustained injuries which may seem that out of the side for 2 to 3 weeks. Diaby, one of our better perfomers on Sunday, is injured and will be probably missing for about the same length of time. Kolo and Adey are suspended, there's a rumour that Hoyte has picked up a knock and Jens will be, yet again, 'rested'. Personally, I for one would love Jens to be in the mix tonight, but if he's not we're looking at a team along the lines of:

Almunia
Eboue Senderos/Gallas Djourou Gallas/Clichy
Hleb Gilberto Denilson Ljunberg
Aliadiere La Bestia


Walcott could start on the right, but at the beginning of the season he was usually brought on as as left-wing sub. I'm not sure why this stopped as he was quite effective cutting in from the left. Ljunberg should start but quite a few of us, despite his classic finish against Bolton, will be wondering how much more he can offer the team.

Gallas will play either centre half or left back, and Djourou will probably start.

Up front, our options are limited, with RvP, Thierry, and Adey all out. This is a massive chance
for Jeremie and The Beast, both of whom will probably be regretting their lack of impact in the final on Sunday. Both are essentially playing for their Arsenal futures so lets hope they can recreate some of their Carling Cup magic.

If everything works out we'll win, because even our reserves are a class above Blackburn's first XI. Bentley, McCarthy, Nonda and Pederson(sometimes), have class, but the rest of Blackburn's side are really just thuggish journeymen. However, it has been these types of players we've struggled against in recent years and the eternal pessimist in me can see Blackburn scraping a win in a dire encounter. I hope not, because winning the FA cup would mean a lot this year on its return to Wembley, and would also get this important week of to an excellent start.

Player ratings and more Cardiff considerations

Almunia, 7: Did well. Claimed the ball when it came in from corners or crosses, and made a couple of smart saves. Question marks can perhaps be asked about the first goal - would Cech have let it in? - but largely blameless aside from that. Main problem seems to be his lack of gravitas: he doesn't have the same presence as Jens, which might have unnerved the defence slightly.

Traore, 6. A weak link, I would have to say. Did well getting forward, but, especially when exposed by Diaby's defensive naivety, Chelsea had much joy in attacking down their right hand flank. Bale and Clichy may prove to be a superior partnership of left-backs.

Toure, 6: Defended stridently and marshalled the team well, before losing his temper and marring his performance. His form has been patchier this year than many have suggested.

Senderos, 6.5: Beaten by Drogba for the second goal, but was not at fault for the first and actually did reasonably well against his nemesis for the majority of the game. I still think there's a top defender in him.

Hoyte, 6.5: Solid without being spectacular. Whilst eminently preferable to Eboue at the moment in all areas apart from attacking flair, Justin really needs to learn how to get forward more if he's going to entrench himself in this position.

Diaby, 7.5: Excellent, Vieira-esque passing, movement and skill. Needs to tackle more and Wenger should stop playing him out of position on the left. It's clearly not his natural position, as seen by his frequent forays into the centre which left Traore exposed. A real prospect and let's hope his ankle is not too bad. Could have won the game early in the second half.

Denilson, 7: A massive test for the youngster, and one he came through in a largely positive fashion. Notably tired by the latter stages of the second half. Was slightly out-muscled by the, er, weight of Lampard, Essien and Ballack, but he won't be next time.

Fabregas, 8: Superb - largely dictated the game, and showed he can run almost any midfield. Also, extra-marks for taking on a man twice his weight and possibly coming off best. He needs more silverware though or he could become frustrated at the club. He also needs to start scoring and improve his shooting.

Walcott, 7.5: The real Theo Walcott stands up. A blinding goal which he thoroughly deserved, and which will hopefully shut some of his critics up. Not always able to beat Bridge, but showed enough talent to emphasise his colossal potential.

Aliadiere, 6.5: Huffed and puffed, and made a nuisance of himself without ever really looking like a real goal-mouth threat. If not now, when?

Baptista, 7: In retrospect, a good performance. If not for Cech's superb save he would have scored, and did cause the Chelsea defence problems. I'm still relatively undecided as to whether he's really Arsenal quality, but I don't think that performance would have done him too much harm.

Subs:

Eboue, 5: Skinned for the goal, unable to get forward, and an idiot in the melee. A new right-back must be found, regardless of his attacking potential.

Hleb, 5: Disappointing. Nowhere near as effective as his cameo at the Lane. Rosicky may have been a better option, if he'd been available.

Adebayor, 5: Not given enough time and was unable to get into the game. His, perhaps understandable, reaction to the sending off was ill-advised, probably precluding any removal of his ban.

A few final points

- Whilst he has been subsequently praised for it, Mourinho's intervention - and Arsene's - onto the pitch was not the right thing to do. To me, it smacked of a manager desperate for the lime-light and prolonged the incident.

- Will the Chelsea fans be punished at all? The celery throwing was, obviously, unlikely to cause injury, yet still riled the Arsenal fans up, and it's also worth remembering that the reason Gary Lewin was able to treat Terry so quickly, was due to his presence at that end to treat Almunia, who had been struck by a missile thrown from the Chelsea end.

- Is winning everything? Would Arsenal fans prefer our current crop of inconsistent artistry, or a ruthless trophy winning machine? A lot rides on the future of our young lot, but they need to start winning things either this year or next.

- Drogba and Cech won Chelsea the final. Cech was magnificent; Drogba took his chances. They were the difference, and were it not for them we would have prevailed. For the difference between us and Chelsea to be so slim is obviously a cause for hope, but we need to start tangibly showing it soon.

Pyrrhic victories and moral victories: a weekend in Cardiff

I've literally just got back from Cardiff so sit back and relax: this may be a long one.

My first cup final and could have I asked for more? Yes, would be the answer: an Arsenal victory. But that rather obvious matter aside, it was a great day out in Cardiff; one in which I felt proud of the club, most of its players, and almost all its supporters.

Coming to the Arsenal end of the stadium was like a mini-festival. All the pubs were bulging; one had the Buzzcocks belting out as Gooners chanted our songs down the streets. Most pubs were so busy that we had to head halfway down Queen's street to find one in which we could get served in a reasonable amount of time. At this juncture I would add that perhaps its time that us Gooners stopped pandering to Spuds idiocy, and no longer chanted songs which use the 'Y' word, or songs of that nature. These chants wouldn't exist if not for the Spuds self-labelling, but I'm not afraid to say I dislike them.

It was my first time at the Millenium stadium and quite an atmosphere had brewed at the Arsenal end by the time I arrived. The stadium, despite being bigger than the Emirates, had managed to maintain a sense of intimacy much more successfully than our abode. Moreover, standing was almost mandatory throughout which further helped build the electric atmosphere throughout. No stewards telling you to sit down here.

Indeed, if the final had been decided on the fans' performance, Arsenal would have won hands down. The Chelski fans were pathetic: I didn't hear them chant til after they'd taken the lead, and their 'hilarious' celery throwing antics (we couldn't tell it was celery at the time I might add) further emphasised their lack of class. Aside from a brief lull after their second goal, the Arsenal fans were superb throughout, and we even belted out a few songs after the final whistle to our young lads collapsed on the pitch. I must admit to leaving before the presentation, but I didn't want to be anywhere near the stadium when Lampard et al. lifted the trophy.

The game itself was a frantic affair; a wonderful spectacle due to the ambition and attacking flair of our kids. Put simply, we should have been two or three up within twenty minutes. Had it not been for Cech - utterly superb throughout - we would have been, Baptista unlucky not to score with an excellent curling effort from outside the box. Theo's goal was superbly taken, and I can only hope this earns him some respite from the ridiculous criticism he's received of late. I'm happy I was there to see his first Arsenal goal.

But, despite having little possession, it was clear we were weak on our left side. Traore, our rawest player, was at left-back, and Diaby, whilst excellent, consistently drifted into the centre leaving the young defender even further exposed. It seemed apparent to me quite early on that Chel$ea would get joy if they attacked through their right-flank, but it still took a poor piece of linesmanship to gift Chel$ea their first goal.

My immediate concern was that the Chel$ea goal could knock the stuffing out of the young players. Far from it. Chel$ea didn't really threaten for the rest of the half, while we continued to stream forward; it's a credit to our youngsters that the game was still so finely poised until so late on.

The incident which changed the game, in retrospect, was the Terry injury. Us plebs in the opposite corner had no inkling as to what was going on, not even who was injured until the substitution was announced. The injury ultimately favoured Chelsea in a number of ways: it galvanised their players, slightly traumatised ours, and also removed one of their weakest performers (in the game itself) from the field.

It gradually became clear that our early energies were also being to take their toll on our players energy levels. Traore in particular seemed to be suffering, not least for the introduction of Robben, who offered Chelsea a far greater degree of creativity upfront than in the first half.

Still, we had yet more chances to seal the game. Diaby should have scored when one on one with Cech, and would have scored if almost any other goalkeeper had been playing. The major deficiency in Cesc's otherwise stunning abilities was demonstrated by his miss a few minutes later. It's an area in which he must improve.

With so many missed chances and young legs tiring, the winner had a certain inevitability to it. Denilson, who's distribution had begun to suffer as the second half progressed, gave the ball away, Robben skinned Eboue, and Drogba beat Senderos to score. The Chel$ea fans finally started singing; it never really felt as if we would get an equalizer.

All that was left was the unsightly melee. Many commentators have postulated that this rumpus almost came out of nowhere, but it had been brewing for some time. Chel$ea had put in a number of very cynical challenges throughout, hacking down players who were almost through on goal and constantly making snipey, niggling kicks. Coupled with a late goal and officials giving almost every 50-50 decision Chel$ea's way, Kolo had had enough of Chel$ea's excessively aggressive, unsporting attitude when Mikel grabbed his shirt. Adebayor was wrongly sent off, and I was astounded to see Fabregas and Lampard escape with yellows, as their little tete-a-tete seemed far more violent.

The melee also had the unfortunate effect of cancelling out any injury time that had been accrued in the game, ending our already slim hopes of a revival. The whistle was blown shortly after, and a number of our lot, including Theo, Cesc and Denilson all collapsed on the floor near our end, Almunia running from his goal to try and act as the paternal figure he'd become to the team.

Final thoughts? Another heroic defeat for the Arsenal in a final, the second in less than twelve months. A third cannot be countenanced; potential must be realised sooner rather than later.

Our team deserve all the plaudits they get from the game: they were the only one's really trying to play football. Its incredible that Chel$ea still play in their dull, long-ball, unadventurous manner, despite the money they have. Winning ugly is occasionally acceptable, but for it to become the norm for a team must sadden Chel$ea fans. At this rate they will be remembered like the Italian world cup winners of last year: winners, but nothing more; no myth of their greatness will ever be constructed in the manner of our Invincibles.

Chelsea's victory may have been pyrrhic, and ours moral, but ultimately they took the silverware home with them. I enjoyed my weekend in Cardiff immensely - but next time I want something more tangible than a moral victory to take home with me.

Player ratings to follow.

Carling countdown, Jens speaks!, Thierry's foot.

Only three days now until the big day in Cardiff and my first cup final. Obviously, it would be nicer if it were, say, the Champions League, but I'll settle for this for now.

The most positive news today regarding Sunday is the injury to Terry, which will see Chel$ea's 'talisman' miss the game. Personally, I had half been looking forward to him playing, repeating what he said to Ledley King to Baptista, and watching as the Beast crushed him under his gargantuan thumb. Heh.

A few others who won't be involved are Jens and Thierry, who were both in the news today. Jens has been complaining about the amount of games played in England and I think he's got a point. Much as the Carling Cup has proved a fertile breeding ground for our youngsters in recent years, it is, still, a pretty pathetic competition nowadays. We already have one domestic knockout cup - possibly the only one with any real meaning in Europe - and we don't need another. Perhaps it should only be open to non-Premiership teams.

Jens also made the point that despite all our recent games, he actually hasn't been playing too much, with Manuel coming in for all the recent cup matches. To my mind, goalkeeper is a position you don't rotate. If one man is up for the job, you continually use him to keep him at the top of his game. Jens was a fraction away from saving PSV's goal on Tuesday: would he have saved it if he'd had the sharpness which would have come from the two FA cup games? The rationale behind rotating our keepers at the moment seems to be an attempt by Arsene to placate Almunia, and even, possibly, to ease him into the first team next year. I've said it before: Manuel is solid back-up but he's not a first choice keeper for a club of our level. If we are to commit the folly of letting Jens go this year, a replacement must be purchased.

Thierry Henry has also been in the paper complaining of an inflammation to the ligaments in his foot. It amazes me sometimes how fickle football fans are: I've read several comments along the lines that Thierry is 'looking for excuses' due to his 'poor form', and even that we should have sold him when we had the chance. Indeed, the idiot behind me hasnow taken to shouting 'go away' (in less polite terms) to Barca every time Henry makes a mistake nowadays. I presume he didn't celebrate when Thierry scored our last minute winner against United earlier in the season.

Thierry's form of late is worthy of a (lengthy) article of its own. What I will say is that he is our top scorer of all time. He can do things with the ball that no one else can do in our current team. His form this season has been patchy, but he's still scored several vital and superb goals (Liverpool, United, Boro, Blackburn) since Christmas.

Before you abuse him, remember all he's done for the club, and remember all players go through dips in form. Also remember that Thierry's left hand side production line (pires/cole/reyes) has gone, and that Thierry may be adjusting to the start of the decline in his pace.

He stuck with us; we should stick with him.

Til later. Gb.

Goonerboy is one; Arsenal are one down.

Uncork the champagne! Get the party rings! Pull out the cocktail sausages!

Goonerboy is one!

Picture the scene (apologies in advance for the use of the third person, but I feel grandiose):

It was exactly a year ago today. Goonerboy returns from the pub 'tired and emotional' after celebrating Arsenal's historic victory. He has so many opinions wrapped inside himself that an outlet must be found. And thus the blog is born.

Three hours later, and even after realising that he had no programming knowledge whatsoever, Goonerboy has finally set up his blog, and a few RSS feeds for his two readers.

Since then things have changed. My initial plan to post daily was slowly chipped away by a combination of studying, working and, it must be said, lethargy. I've received lots of lovely favourable comments, some interesting criticism, and also some out and out abuse from some of the rather imbalanced souls who stalk the 'net.

Most importantly, and largely thanks to NewsNow, I've also obtained readers - nearly 200,000 unique page visits in a year. I hope I've entertained you and I will endeavour to continue. Who knows, my plans for the 'Goonerboy Cultural Review' blog may also come to pass at some point. Or, perhaps not.

Anyway, perhaps we should re-cork the champers on the basis of last night's result.

Another frustrating display, almost the antithesis of that famous night in Madrid. Despite our creativity we didn't have the cutting edge required to break through the massed ranks of PSV defenders. My dislike for Ronald Koeman - borne in 1993 when he fouled David Platt in that qualifier - continues to grow. I'm worried that he knows how to nullify, and even how to defeat, Arsene's tactics.

A tense return leg has been set up. If we are to progress we need at least two goals (or, a shoot-out, but who'd want that?). We were unlucky last night - on another day, Rosicky's goal would have creeped in, and Thierry's shot would have flown into the net. But the return leg will surely tell us as much about last year as this year. Was last year a one off? Was that our big chance to secure the Champions League under Wenger? Or can we do it again?

One thing's for sure: it's going to be emotional.

Oh dear, what a terrible game.

Arsenal is an obligation for me; a desired obligation but one nonetheless. So when I awake, how can I put this, in a rather poor state from being 'tired and emotional' the night before, I still put the effort in. I drag myself out of bed and across London to support the team that means so much to me. I would add that whoever decides games should be played at 12 on a Saturday obviously has no social life.

And then this. Two words, as suggested in my headline, spring to mind: oh and dear.

All credit to Blackburn, I've never seen a team so ruthlessly play for and achieve a replay. Keeping 47 men behind the ball all game worked very successfully. Whilst, on a rational level, I can understand their tactics, on a, perhaps higher plain of thinking, they did not play football against us. Ruthless pragmatism is not something I wish to associate with football.

Yet, despite their legions of defenders, we should have cruised the game. The reason we didn't was as much due to our deficiencies as their limitations. Henry is not a centre-forward and is badly missing Pires/Reyes/Cole. Watching Theo is becoming unbearable: I want him to succeed so much but today he couldn't beat his defender. Neither for that matter could Freddie, who was painfully awful, alternating between sitting on his backside complaining and failing to beat him man. Aliadiere's effort can't be faulted but, ultimately, produced nothing; Flamini needs too many touches and is not a good enough passer.

The only bright spot was William Gallas's return, but today we needed a match-winner and he was not one.

I've seen some poor football matches before but the game today is up with the best/worst of them. Turgid, frustrating, painful and pointless. And, to cap it off, another trip up North. Here's hoping eh?

Bolton succumb to our Valentine's Day charms

Crikey, what a game. I wasn't expecting 120 minutes of, frankly, unmissable action: my prediction for the game had been for Bolton to edge us out in a dour affair.

But we did what we do best: fast, one-touch, incisive football. Gone were the hoards of long-balls pumped up from the back, which were a painful feature of the original tie. Back was Arsene's patented pinball football.

A bold team selection, especially in midfield, paid off. Hleb was utterly superb on his return, tackling, creating, running and passing with the ball almost glued to his feet. He's so instrumental to keeping the team ticking over at the moment that his performance last night highlighted just how much we've missed him of late. There is talk of a re-occurrence of his injury, but we should all hope for the best, because he will be instrumental to any success we have in Europe this season.

On the left, Rosicky was excellent and should have had an assist from a superb cross to Baptista during the first half. Diaby looks a little jaded after having been out for so long, but showed enough touches on the ball to remind us of his promise.

In between these three was the man of the match: Denilson. What a performance from such a young lad, over 120 minutes. He seems to play like Cesc but with a greater physical presence, and he's almost instantly established himself as someone pushing for a starting position in the team.

Other honourable mentions should go to Aliadiere, whose excellent run set up Freddie, Clichy, who is defying my early expectations of him this year, and Adebayor who should have had a hat-trick were it not for his inability to fire the ball into an open net. Adey's running, work-rate, but also incisiveness on and off the ball, have caused many teams problems this season. His finishing is not at the level of van Persie but he's putting himself in a position where it's hard to justify dropping him.

Put simply, the game should never have gone into extra-time. Despite Gilberto's excellent penalties against spuds, questions should be asked as to whether he should be our second choice penalty taker. Rosicky might seem a better option to my mind. Yet Gilbs miss only became an issue due to Baptista's howler of a game. He battled, kept running, and kept putting himself in positions to attempt shots on goal, but his touch and finishing were utterly atrocious last night. Despite his league-cup heroics, the jury is still firmly out.

But, this season, the longer games go on, the better we play it would seem. It was vital for us to score in extra-time because we would have lost the shoot-out. Say what you will of Bolton, but even the most optimistic Gooner would have to say that they would be able to find five penalty takers rather more quickly than us last night.

And thus up stepped Freddie to score a goal which asks as many questions as it solves. Is he back? Was that a last hurrah? Can he somehow return to the Freddie we all knew and love? Time will tell but that goal will have at least guaranteed him a few starts in the coming weeks.

The game ended in farce, Anelka somehow escaping a red-card, Baptista blazing the ball over, and then Adey scoring the simplest goal he'll ever get.

We deserved it. We deserved to finally break this ridiculous hoo-doo that a rather average team of hackers of had over us. And we did it our way, as it were.

Problems with English football? Blame the foreigners!

So after a week in which another insipid, embarrassing display is turgidly eked out by our excuse for a national side, the great English national obsession has returned: when all else fails, blame Johnny foreigner.

Not only do they steal our jobs, women, parking spaces etc., it is, of course, the hoards of foreign players in the Premiership which is the cause of our current squad being even shallower than an English undergraduate student.

Says who? Says Terry Venables, England assistant coach/wet nurse. Says Howard Wilkinson, chairman of the League Managers Association. Says Steve Gibson of Middlesbrough. People, in short, whose opinions still carry much weight in the opinion-forming red-tops of England.

It's interesting to read the blame shifted onto foreigners ruining our national game in the same week that the FA decides it can't be bothered to build a national school of footballing excellence in Burton; in a week in which Crewe, a club which has survived on the production of youth talent for so long, announces its fears on the future of English academy football; in a week in which another English club goes under the hammer, sold to foreign investors who care nothing for our game aside from maximising the lucre they can make from it.

And when even Sam Allardyce is refuting these suggestions, you know how deep the systemic problems in English football run. He puts his case simply and cogently: Gareth Bale, a prestigiously talented young footballer, was, but a few weeks ago, being touted around the Premiership for a price of £10 million. At the same time, Sam signed four European youngsters for less than a million Euros in total.

The Bale example serves its purpose. It illustrates the dearth of British talent being produced, painfully exacerbating the ridiculous inflation of their prices when they come to market. Remember Curtis Davies, who we were linked with? £8 million please, minimum. Mr Kolo Toure, half a million. I doubt Arsene has to use his economic training too much when thinking of these decisions.

The only way British football will improve is by coaching youngsters properly. I read an interesting piece this week in The Telegraph, which contended that Theo's current difficulties are probably caused by the lack of technical coaching he'd received until arriving at Arsenal. He's a fast lad and was probably told to just try and knock it past players and run past them. Only now is he probably receiving a decent footballing education.

Youngsters in the UK are made to play on full-size pitches, while attributes such as aggression and power are valued over technique. And when Steve McClaren issues useless platitudes such as hoping that English courage and heart will win games, you realise how bad things have become. Footballing ability, not 'spirit of Agincourt' speeches, are what win football matches Steve. Maybe you should try coaching that, if you can.

There's no point in running some 'affirmative action' campaign to give English players a leg-up into the Premiership. If they are, they'll be found wanting even more compellingly at International level. Moreover, teams such as Brazil and Argentina have, for a long time, not been the place where their international players ply their trade. We need a situation in England in which footballers are being produced who are good enough, or have the levels of technical ability, that they can play in a variety of leagues, such as the more technical La Liga, not just the up-and-at-em Premiership.

So before blaming Arsene for the problems of England, realise why he chooses who he does. He doesn't look at the passports of young players: he looks at their ability. And the production line has been derailed in England for some time, something for which he cannot be blamed and something which has even tried to reconcile - see the handing of a professional contract to the 17 year old Mark Randall this week. If anything a reduction in the number of foreign players in the Premiership would make the situation even more dangerous. It would lower the overall standard of English football and lead to greater defeats.

I'm glad we have so many foreigners in our league: it makes our league better, more enjoyable to watch. Rather than get rid of them, we should focus on creating players who can compete with them. Only then will we have a national team worth watching.

Arsenal slightly hungover after too much Carling.

Yesterday's result perhaps emphasises that we shouldn't really hope for anything about fourth place this season. Yet I don't think we should fall into despondency about not winning the game; if anything I was fairly pleased that we've come through another difficult away day oop North without a defeat, a marked improvement on last year.

We no longer seem to be a team that gets 'out-muscled' in away matches. When we don't get results its now more likely that we were simply out-played on the day, or that certain players under-performed. And when that player is Cesc, we're bound to struggle, given that our entire team is moulded around his ability to dictate game with his passing. Despite not playing the full 120 minutes on Wednesday, Cecsc was notably off-colour and never really got into the game.

The team is missing Hleb as well. For all his running and effort, Flamini is not a right winger and his limitations in that position were exposed yesterday. He lacks the creative vision and flair to be the type of threat that Hleb provides and which Walcott was learning. There might have been a case for throwing Theo on for the last ten minutes yesterday, but Arsene's decision to bring on Denilson was probably correct, helping us remain solid and earn a draw.

Mike Riley must have some form of vendetta against us because the penalty was slightly absurd. On first viewing it does look like a penalty, but Riley, a 'top-level' referee should have known better. Yakubu has subsequently admitted, so I've heard, that Philippe made minimal to no-contact in the incident.

One-nil down, again, and one-player down, things did not look good, so I'm pleased we battled back to win the point. Of course, it would have been nicer if we'd have used our dominance to have won the game, but I'm confident that next season the team will fully click. It took Ferguson about three seasons to turn round United, and it may be the same for us.

At the moment, Adebayor's touch is still betraying a little too often and Tomas is not providing enough clinical through-balls from midfield. But both have decent work-rates and will improve.

A pressing issue that must be resolved is Jens contract. He is such an important figure to the club that he must stay on next year. I really don't think Almunia as what it takes to get anywhere near the level that Jens is currently at. We need to keep Jens so he can keep making crucial, world-class saves, such as his one from Viduka's low effort when the score was one-nil. We also need him for his reaction to the penalty: he imposes himself in games and shows all the passion I want to see from Arsenal players. To let him go due to the 'one-more-year' policy would be criminal.

The match showed that things are getting better, but slowly. A positive first step would be to tell Adey and Thierry to stop doing that dance every time they scored, or at least to create an alternative version involving the whole team. An Arsenal conga perhaps?

Carling Cup semi-final second leg, player ratings.

Almunia, 6.5. Played well, but I’m not convinced he’s Jens’s long-term successor. He panics, rushes out of his goal, and doesn’t communicate with his defenders well enough. Whilst he’s improved since his arrival, if Jens is to leave we need to enter the market this summer.

Traore, 6. Clearly very raw, even allowing for some encouraging forward play. I don’t think he’ll be bursting into the first team anytime soon.

Kolo, 6. Should have scored in the first half, but otherwise decent enough performance.

Senderos, 7. Re-gaining the composure that makes him such a great defensive talent. Powerful in the air, but needs to improve his distribution.

Hoyte, 6.5. Massively improved from the start of the season and is finally looking like an Arsenal player. Whether he’ll ever really be a top-class defender is yet to be seen.

Denilson, 8. Excellent. Won tackles, took shots, passed the ball well: looked very much like the combination of Rosicky and Gilberto Arsene promised. A younger Fabregas?

Gilberto, 8. Oh, how we’ve missed Gilbs. Did an incredible amount of tidying up and ball-winning in the midfield which helped the team settle and dominate.

Diaby, 6.5. Some lovely touches and good distribution. It’s great to see him back and he needs a run in the team before we’ll really see the best of him.

Theo, 6. Caused problems with his pace down the right, but his final ball was lacking. His corners were pretty dire also. However, if you were the person sitting near me who shouted ‘go back to Southampton’, or were one of the countless others hurling abuse at him 1) you are a moron 2) please desist. He’s 17, he’s going to get better, and you’ll look mighty stupid when he does if you continue to abuse him. He needs confidence so support him.

Aliadiere, 7. Good performance, one that’s suggests he can contribute to the club in the second half of the season. He should start in the final. Whether he has a long-term future at the club remains to be seen.

Adey, 7. Excellent finish; huge-work rate. Those who boo Theo are undoubtedly those who also jeered Adey at the beginning of the season.

Rosicky, 7.5, Great performance: lots of energy, verve and imagination. I’d give him that goal.

Clichy, 7, did very well after coming on. Excellent coming forward and defensively. Hopefully now establishing himself as Cashley's successor.

Fabregas, 6.5, A little subdued, but helped keep the midfield glued together in extra-time.

Cardiff awaits for our young guns.

In the end, it all seemed a bit too easy: even after having given Spuds a 2 goal head-start, they still couldn’t progress.

Walking down the Holloway Road, it was quite apparent that this was big game for both clubs. A massive police presence to cope with the notably enlarged away end, showed that the Carling Cup has re-emerged as a trophy that clubs are interested in winning. This might partially be due to our use of exciting young talent, and also due to, until this year, Chel$ea’s monopoly on the Premiership.

On taking my seat, I noticed that only a handful of the season-ticket holders who normally surround me were present. So the crowd was, perhaps, a little like the team: inexperienced at the grove, and definitely very excited. My area, which, it has to be said, is usually quite sedate, was transformed into a veritable cauldron of noise - although the presence of a shrill ten year old behind me was not greatly appreciated.

Even the most myopic of Lily whites would admit that we dominated the game. They had a few chances, but a combination of poor finishing and alert goalkeeping put pay to any idea that they might take the lead. Indeed, had it not been for some clumsy finishing by Adey and Kolo, we would have gone in at half-time ahead.

The goal when it came justified our dominance. Some excellent work by the impressive Rosicky carved out an opening for Adebayor, who finished with wonderful composure. I do actually like the little dance he did with Henry, but I would echo Arsebloggers’ concerns about excluding the rest of the team. But, being Arsenal, nothing is easy. The twelve-year-old behind me had started screaming – literally – about how Almunia should be ‘worried, very worried’ about the free kick that led to the goal. Hopefully next time he’ll have learnt his lesson about the importance of not ‘jinxing it’ in football.

After holding out the Spuds for the last ten minutes, there was only ever going to be one winner in extra-time, with Aliadiere and Rosicky both bagged goals which their performances richly merited.

Onwards to Cardiff then, and the inevitable questions about who will start in the final. Wenger, cleverly, asserted that he would only play those who had been involved in the competition so far, which actually only excludes Henry, Lehmann and Gallas. I’d expect roughly the same line-up as last night to start the final, with an extremely strong bench.

A song for Charlton, and second leg preview.

Yes, possibly the most momentous moment since the departure of Pascal Cygan has occurred: Alex Song has left Ashburton on loan for the rest of the season. The cynical amongst us may see this as Arsene following the dictum that 'revenge is a dish best served cold' - especially as Alex has received possibly the most stick of any player during the Wenger era. While this criticism has perhaps been overstated, it's also not unjustifiable on the performances I've seen. Whether we ever see him in an Arsenal shirt again remains to be seen; I'm certainly not holding my breath.

The team news for tomorrow is not great. Baptista has now been ruled out, a great shame considering his red-hot form in the CCup this season. He definitely seems like a player who's best when he starts and plays up-front, rather than Arsene's current tactic of throwing him on in centre-midfield for ten minutes at the moment. On the plus side, his injury does seem to be less serious than first feared.

While a partnership of Adebayor and Aliadiere is probably the more likely, I would like Theo to get a chance up-front. He needs a goal and playing as a striker would surely facilitate this; on the wing he seems to be struggling to beat players, causing him to lose confidence and impairing his subsequent shooting ability. I heard a bit of abuse directed towards Theo at the game on Sunday, and while he didn't have a good game the crowd needs to get behind him. He's a young lad and heckling him for missing a few chances is not the way forward. I seem to remember Adebayor receiving similar criticism when he missed chances last season and now he's a folk-hero. And, unlike Song, Walcott clearly has the potential.

Who's going to play in midfield tomorrow also remains a question. Walcott may have to play in midfield as, with Hleb and Eboue(?) out, who else will play on the right? And with Rosicky rested and Freddie injured, who's going to play on the left? Diaby didn't seem too comfortable on the left last time, but I think Diaby-Denilson-Gilberto-Walcott may be the line up.

Whoever plays, I still think we'll have too much for them.

Feed the Beast and he will score (at both ends)

Firstly, any absences in posting during the coming weeks are due to an absence of domestic broadband. Somehow, improving my service has resulted in me having none. Oh the irony.

Anyway, to business. A fantastic draw for the kids at the Lane on Wednesday - one full of hope and promise for the future, if not the present, of the club. But, it was almost so disastrous. Our first half performance was not very good. A soft goal – perhaps ironically caused by the ineptitude of two of the more experienced players on the pitch – and a pitiful own goal by a man who had a howler of an opening 45 minute conspired to leave us in a rather unpromising position at half-time. My fears that the youngsters could be scarred, rather than blooded, by such an intense game seemed to be materialising.

Yet, I was always confident we could pull ourselves back into the game. Indeed, if this season were to be named, it would be ‘the season of the comeback’. We’ve gone behind countless times this season, and, more often than not, we’ve fought back to get a draw or a win. It seems that this is a trend that all our squad members are following.

The second half performance was as good as I’ve seen by any Arsenal team this season. Spuds couldn’t live with our high-tempo, precise passing, and it seemed only a matter of time before we opened our account.

And thus scored Baptista.

His first goal came from a mixture of battling and admirable composure; his second from putting himself in a fine position to exploit Robinson’s bizarre goalkeeping error. In the end we could, and perhaps should have won, with Theo unable to convert a golden opportunity near the end.

The lily whites aren’t going to get a better chance than that to put one over us, and, to be frank, they blew it, big time. One could almost feel sorry for them. Almost, and especially not after the horrendous treatment meted out to several Arsenal fans after the game.

Quite simply, we oozed class in the second half. Whether it be Fab, who had a colossal game in the midfield, Hleb, who surely won over some of his misguided critics with a wonderful cameo disappointingly ended by injury (4 weeks out apparently – I’m distraught), or Eboue, who looked a real handful on the right wing, our boys had far too much for the relatively average opposition they were facing. As for the rest, Denilson was excellent and looks a real prospect, Traore still looks promising, despite being skinned quite a few times by Lennon, Hoyte is definitely improving, and the Beast is finally beginning to really earn his sobriquet.

My main concerns were Theo and Diaby. Diaby, justifiably, struggled in his first full start after injury as he was played out of position on the left. I have very high hopes for him, but Denilson might be breathing down his neck sooner rather than later. And Theo needs a goal. It’s ridiculous that so much pressure is being heaped on him so soon, but he needs a goal in order to really settle into the team. Whilst he improved vastly when put into a central striker position, rather than out on the wing, I just hope that his head doesn’t drop due to middling performances such as yesterday. He’s the real deal and he’s not fully showing at the moment. I think we all have faith in him though.

So, hopefully the kids can dispatch the spuds next week and a rather appetising cup final with Chel$ki will be on. Although, if the Arsenal system of developing youth were to come face to face with a policy designed around spending ludicrous wads of cash, I fear some form of nuclear explosion will occur.

Arsenal player ratings from Sunday.

As promised, ratings are as follows:

Jens, 7: Not the dominant, colossal presence that he was at Old Trafford earlier in the season, and he flapped at a few crosses. Fine subsequent saves made up for this, and he was sound otherwise.

Eboue, 7: The pros and cons were there for all to see. A fabulous, world-class cross for Henry came after a number of embarrassing theatrics. However, he is improving as a defender and I can’t see Wenger buying a new right-back in the summer.

Phil, 7.5: The only defender we have who has a real presence in the air. Watching him win so many headers was a joy. But, not as comfortable on the ball as Djourou, and he was partially responsible for the annoying long-ball stratagem.

Kolo, 7: Quietly solid and booked with unjustifiable alacrity early in the game.

Clichy, 7: Nullified Ronaldo and Giggs. Good going forward, and not over-awed by the occasion. Hopefully he can continue with his current rate of progression. Slightly at fault for the goal.

Hleb,5.5: a poor game by his standards, and seemed to miss Gilberto as an outlet. The occasional pass did come off, but the lack of his usual creation and penetration was a major cause of the regression to long-balls.

Fabregas, 7.5: Kept going for 95 minutes and dominated Scholes in the middle of the park. Not quite at his magisterial best but still the best midfielder on the pitch.

Flamini, 7: Good, solid performance; did enough to suggest he can be a squad player who can come in for the big games and not be the weak link. Best when keeps things simple.

Rosicky, 7: Another player who battled to the end, and was instrumental in both goals after switching to the right. Still acclimatising to the team and the premiership but his class is obvious.

Henry, 7.5: Not a big game player, apparently. Floated about for most of the game, in an occasionally insipid manner, but came good when it mattered. Individually saluting the fans at the end was a lovely touch.

Adey, 8: Didn’t actually threaten in the manner he has in previous matches, but lead the line in a vibrant, physical manner that Arsenal fans haven’t seen for a long time. His hunger is palpable and we will win things with him leading us forward.

Subs

RvP, 7.5: Superb finish for the goal from a difficult angle. His injury is a major blow though, and the absolute best we can hope for is that he’ll be back sometime around the PSV game.

Baptista, 6: not enough time to get into the game. These ten minute cameos are not the way forward for him. Robin’s injury is his opportunity.

Ashburton Grove comes of age to open up the title race.

Well, they don’t come much sweeter than that do they?

I’ve never attended an Arsenal United game before but they’ve defined much of my footballing life. Whether it be my vague memories of the OT brawl in 90/91, my crystalline recollection of the scuffles of ’03, the fabulous winning goals of Wiltord and Overmars, or a number of Thierry’s wonder strikes, Arsenal vs United has provided some of the real highs of my time as an Arsenal supporter. And also, unfortunately, a number of the lows.

It was with a degree of trepidation, therefore, that I approached the Emirates on Sunday. And when the two teams opened lethargically I wondered what type of game would transpire. United had opted for a rather curious 433, with Rooney on the left and Giggs down the middle. To my mind Ferguson incorrectly started Larrsson in front on Saha as he hoped to remind us of that night in Paris. But he didn’t seem to overly trouble our defence. Saha’s pace might have given Senderos a few more difficulties.

A few rather curious refereeing decisions were made. Kolo was booked immediately for a challenge rather than giving him a verbal warning; Henry and Adebayor were denied two 50-50 penalty decisions. A lid was kept on the rather farcical handbags between Eboue and Rooney, which again highlighted the deficiencies of Eboue as a character. He really needs to cut it out.

An anti-climatic first half was ended by two good saves from Jens; saves that he might not have had to make if he had been a bit more decisive in coming for the ball from corners. As the players trooped off at half-time, 0-0 seemed about right.

But United almost instantly pegged us back from the re-start. Evra – who until the 83^rd minute was probably MOTM – crossing for Rooney who headed in his customary goal against us. Questions could be asked - again - about Clichy’s positioning for crosses, but it would be harsh to criticise what otherwise was a fine performance - one in which he effectively shackled Ronaldo and Giggs at various points. Where Eboue was for the cross could also be asked.

A stirring comeback did not immediately seem to be on the cards. We carved out a few opportunities but seemed to be reduced to speculative long-range efforts. Even worse, we began to repeatedly hack long balls up to Adebayor, who was consistently beaten in the air by the excellent Vidic. We gave up trying to play our brand of football and an air of desperation began to grow. Hleb – who had a disappointing game – was withdrawn yet Robin struggled to create a threat.

But football [and its cliché time] is a ninety minute game. The game was quite even until the eightieth minute, and based on the performances of Evra and Vidic, United might have deserved to edge it. Yet the breed of ’07 – even if they do go on to win the league - don’t have the legs or resolve of the United teams of the late 90s. Rather than grab the game by the throat after taking the lead, they resorted to time-wasting tactics, while sitting back and soaking up the pressure.

We seemed to have a fitness and tenacity that they didn’t and eventually, after Farbregas and Rosicky doggedly won the ball from Scholes, Tomas crossed, Henry stepped-over, and Robin scored. It was a fantastic finish from an acute angle and the way Robin has grown into a genuinely world-class player this season has been wonderful to see. What was less wonderful was the foot fracture sustained during understandably zealous celebrations.

As soon as we scored United visibly aged. The euphoria which greeted the first goal was transformed into a steely determination to push on and win; United must have been regretting their time wasting antics as time justifiably ticked on. At the death, neat play on the right between Rosicky and Eboue saw a fantastic cross by Manu placed on Thierry’s head.

Cometh the hour, cometh the Henry.

Unrestrained jubilation. Mass hugging in the stands. Men fell from their seats and crashed down through the rows as insanity temporarily reigned. The bulk of the crowd had stayed til the end – for the first time – and at the final whistle we all sang together as the players huddled near the centre-circle. Magic.

A colossal victory therefore, one that truly christens Ashburton as a grove where historic games have and will take place. The atmosphere at the game’s end was special and seeing Henry score a last minute against United will stay with me for some time.

It leaves our season in the balance. Could we push on to the title? Probably not, but second now seems a distinct possibility. Suddenly, the game against Chel$ea in May becomes very interesting. And hopefully, the first real chapter in Ashburton’s history has begun.

Player ratings are posted separately, in a special bumper Goonerboy…

Lauren's off: where does this leave our full-backs?

Yes, he of the 10,000 mile death-stare has gone to play 'abroad' [as Sol thinks at least] at Portsmouth. It does seem a bit odd that Arsene so hastily shipped him off after Ralph was within days of a return to the first team after a year on the sidelines. One can only conclude that Arsene thinks that he'll never be the player he was before the injury, or that in keeping Ralph he could impede the development of Justin Hoyte and Eboue.

The latter would seem to be the case given some of Arsene's recent comments. Indeed it seems incredible that Justin has gone from a player who many thought had no real future at the club, to perhaps becoming our first choice right back. Whilst Eboue undoubtedly has the edge on Justin in terms of attacking flair, he remains painfully suspect at the back. Like Gael, he too often lets the ball float over his head to players on the wing behind him, or lets players behind him cut in to score. Moreover, his theatrics are becoming an embarrasment to the club. Arsene has publicly voiced his displeasure at Eboue's diving and play-acting, and even his team-mates seemed to give him short-shrift during his confrontations in the Spud derby.

Could Justin, therefore, be first choice right back? Perhaps. He has definitely shown signs of improvement over recent weeks - including a very Lauren-esque death stare against Tugay in the Blackburn match last week -but he struggles when getting forward.

A combination of Justin and Eboue's plus points would therefore possibly create an ideal right-back; individually, neither of them are anywhere near the finished article. Personally, I would have liked Arsene to have retained Lauren to oversee Justin and Manu's development for the rest of the season at least. I'd definitely have preferred Lauren's experience for a few more months than the paltry sum we'll receive from Portsmouth.

The question remains therefore: will Justin or Manu really make the grade? And how long should we wait until we find out. Similar questions could be asked about the ability of Clichy to really become a permanent replacement for Cashley. I do worry that, at least at present, we have 3 full-backs who would all be excellent cover, but don't warrant starting positions. Could a case be made for recalling Kerry Gilbert, or does his future lie elsewhere? Hopefully, they'll all prove me wrong.

To finish, a picture that says everything about Lauren's commitment to the Arsenal. Goonerboy, obviously, does not condone violence on the football pitch. But United? at OT? That game, along with the 0-0 v madrid recently, were surely two of the greatest 0-0s of all time. It was worth the fines and suspensions. Thanks and so long Ralphy.

Transfer window round up: Lauren, Freddie, loanees, Beckham.

Busy times for Goonerboy this week, as the post Christmas malaise of returning to work fully hit home. Hence the lack of posts, which I shall try to rectify this week.

It's been a good week for the club, with our youth system received a stunning vindication in the 6-3 crushing of Liverpool at Anfield. I wasn't able to watch the game, and turned on the BBC website at half-time to find we were 4-1 up. A pleasant surprise I have to say. From accounts I've heard, almost everyone played well - notably Baptista, who is beginning to re-earn his 'Beast' sobriquet, Aliadiere, and (who would have thought it) Alex Song. Liverpool didn't put out a full strength team, but the likes of Gerrard, Garcia, Bellamy, Fowler and Alonso were present so they can hardly say they were understrength in comparison to us. Indeed, it was interesting to note how ineffective Gerrard was, who I think has become a typical English player: arrogant, and unwilling to do the gritty midfield duties, forcing Benitez to play two defensive midfielders next to him as he plays Roy of the Rovers.

Anway, Aliadiere's fantastic performance was surely only a stay of execution regarding his transfer. He stated after the game that he wants to 'stay and fight for his place' but I don' think he's being realistic. We now have four top quality strikers in front of him: Henry, Adeabayor, van Persie and Baptista, with Bendtner and Walcott waiting in the wings. He's not good enough to displace those 6, so, unless he's content with being a peripheral squad player, he should leave.

One man who almost certainly will leave by February is Lauren. A great shame, I feel, as he was usually a rock at right-back, and also physically stood up for the team, something we've missed over the last year. I think Arsene must believe that Ralphy won't ever fully recover from his injury, and, due to his age, selling him now makes sense, albeit in a fairly ruthless way. I'm still not convinced we have another quality in our full back positions, however.

A player who should leave is Freddie, but I think he won't go til the summer, when a move would be better for both player and club. He can't cut it anymore, but unless we get someone of the likes of Ribery in, we need him as cover. Arsene must, however, not see him as a first XI player anymore.

In the Friday press conference, Arsene also confirmed that Larsson would be leaving - a shame, but I don't think he'd make it for us - and that Muamba and Bendtner would return. It'll be interesting to see whether the latter pair get a run in the first team, because they've been very good for Birmingham.

Finally, a word about Beckham. He was, once, a good player, and, from dead balls, he still is. However, like Michael Owen, you get the feeling with Beckham that he was a young player that people thought would become a true great, but instead was merely rather good. It's a shame that he's decided to go to America, because the move, surely, is not about football. To suggest that you can just get in a few big players and change American attitudes towards football - I was appalled he was calling it 'soccer' - is incorrect. American's like american football, american baseball and american basketball. There is, as I know from my blog stats, a sizeable minority who do like football - and I applaud them for their good taste - but bringing over Beckham won't be the start of a societal change of attitudes towards football. I think there's a lot more dignity in seeing out your career as a sub in the Bernabeu, or even as a starter for a lesser premiership club, than playing in a half-empty pitch in a far away country for shed-loads of cash. But being a sub isn't good for brand Beckham - how will he become an even bigger celebrity? The move sums up everything that is wrong with modern football to me.

Half an hour til Blackburn - let's hope we can continue our good run of form.

Arsenal show themselves to be a big game team at Anfield.

If it's one thing that's become abundantly clear over the last twelve months, it's that our current bunch of players do have the ability to step up and perform on the real big game occasions. We showed this in the Champions League against Madrid and Juventus, but also in the final when, considering we only had ten men, we were within a whisker of winning. More recently, our victory at Old Trafford, our draw at Stamford bridge and our home performance against Liverpool have shown we can beat the top teams. Indeed, it's been our inability to grind out performances against the teams below us in the league which have ruled us out of contention this year - something that is hopefully in the process of being remedied. Whether it's because the 'big' teams play more openly against us I don't know, but we have to find a way to beat the 'park the bus' teams.

It's been a long time since Liverpool have been beaten at Anfield; and they would have been even more up for the game considering they're holders of the cup. Thankfully, 'tinkerman' Benitez left Bellamy on the bench, a player who might have caused us some real problems. Conversely, Wenger got his tactics spot on, playing not so much a 4-4-2 as a 4-2-2-2, with Gilberto and Flamini playing as defensive midfielders, and Hleb and Rosicky roaming around in front, rather than playing as anything approaching conventional wingers.

Whisper it quietly, but today, and only today, the suspension of Fabregas may have helped. His suspension precluded Wenger from playing the Rosicky-Hleb-Fabregas midfield which has over-elaborated play so much of late. Instead, Flamini came in and had an absolute, if understated, blinder. Flamini and Gilberto were so good that they practically nullified Gerrard and Alonso - no mean feat. Perhaps there's a case for saying only two of Fab, Hleb and Tom should play if we're only going to play four in midfield? Either way, with Diaby also soon to re-emerge, I would question the logic in purchasing another central midfielder.

Beside them, Hleb and Rosicky were excellent. It's funny watching pundits, because they never directly say how good a player Hleb is. They always lump into 'Arsenal's style of play', which does him a disservice as he was instrumental in the first goal. Moreover, he tackles very well in midfield, and also very rarely gives the ball away when he's on his game like today. I wish he could gain a little more consistency, because when he's on song, he's one of the best players in Europe. It was wonderful to see Tom score two fantastic goals, both of which were long overdue. He has the ability to get the 10-15 goals a season we need to make more of a challenge for the league next year. Like Hleb, consistency is the key.

There were a few edgy moments, notably after the Liverpool goal, but its a credit to the team that they held on. And to see Thierry score his trademark 'run the length of the pitch' goal after we held out so well just about made my week. Despite having a quiet game, make no mistake, he's back. A word also for Phil Senderos who was excellent, winning the headers which most of our other defenders struggle with.

Sometimes on here - like after our defeat at Sheffield - I post a rant. After this game I hope it's clear why: the potential and the quality that the team demonstrates in games like today needs to be shown more often, because if we can find consistency, even in only one competition, we will win silverware this season.

What is the point of Arsenal's loan system? And other transfer thoughts

It seems that Anthony Stokes is on his way out of the Emirates. Not that he was ever really in of course, but after his blistering form in the SPL, you might have thought he'd have been given half a chance at the Grove. Especially as he can't be any worse than Jeremie 'where's the barn door' Aliadiere. The SPL is no match for the Premiership, but it's no worse than the Championship - where the bulk of our other loanees are. And surely his value can't fall so much in half a season that he isn't worth keeping for at least that period of time. The mooted £2.7 million is a decent price, but it seems an unnecessary sale.

With Stokes gone, Larrson and Lupoli practically out the door, and Bendtner and Muamba by no means guaranteed a future if and when they return, the question must be begged: what is the point of our loan system?

Is it to give promising youngsters a chance at first team football, in order to assist their development into our first team? Or is it just a 'try before you buy' situation - a shop window for their quality so we can get a decent price? I was always of the impression it was the former situation, but, given the events of late, I'm inclined to think its the latter. It's notable that youngsters such as Walcott and Fabregas - who obviously have the quality and who Wenger has clear faith in - are retained by Arsenal in order to oversee their progress. I think from now on, I'm going to view loans as almost invariable precursors to sales, a situation I hadn't fully accepted until now.

If we are to believe Arsene then no-one will be arriving any time soon. But it's fun to speculate. And that wry Alsace smile of his can be taken in a number of ways.

If ANR [back on www.anr.uk.com at the moment] are to be believed, Nigel Reo-Coker could be on his way. I'm not sure I fully do believe them, and do we really need another central-midfielder? Especially a sulky one who's likely to cost upwards of £12 million?

The same prima-donna behaviour puts me off buying Buffon. He's a fine keeper, but can the Emirates, large as it is, contain his ego? I'd much rather us try and buy one of Scott Carson, Ben Foster, or Craig Gordon, who have all been oustanding, if young, and who all know the English game.

The other players I'd like to see the club buy are Ribery and Gareth Bale. We need more options at left back, and a winger who can get goals - if Ribery can play on the left, it would be a done deal for me.

I expect us to buy no-one and that may be, even with a weak squad, the best way forward. Perhaps some consistency until the summer will help to separate the wheat from the chaff in the squad. I do remember Arsene saying he'd buy no-one last year as well though...