Le Van-tastic

Arsenal’s quest for silverware was found wanting for the sixth year in a row but the start of the 2011/12 season brought fresh optimism among the manager, the players and most importantly, the fans. Last season, the club was very close to winning the Carling Cup and locked horns with Manchester United for title honors before being swept away in the business end of the league.

The summer saw the loyal stalwart Gael Clichy move to the moneybags of Manchester City and the long saga involving Cesc Fabregas and FC Barcelona finally ended with Arsenal’s El Capitan moving back to a place he once called home. Samir Nasri was touted as the ideal replacement for the departed captain but Manchester City came sniffing around again and the lure for the greens was enough for the French maestro to wave his goodbyes.

The exit of Fabregas and Nasri made Arsenal seem like a confused flock of sheep so Arsene Wenger assigned a new shepherd in the form of Robin van Persie. The Flying Dutchman joined the club in 2004 but his career has been blighted by countless injuries.

Van Persie was certainly not in the commanding mold of  Tony Adams or Patrick Vieira but his exploits on the pitch has been nothing short of sensational. He opened his goal scoring account this season with an easy tap in against Udinese and this was followed by a consolation goal in the 8-2 mauling in the hands of Manchester United.

September saw the Dutchman smash in Arsenal’s only goal against Borussia Dortmund in Germany and a brace against Bolton followed. He scored a landmark goal in that game that made him join the League of Extraordinary Centurions that has the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Cliff Bastin, Ian Wright and King Thierry Henry.

Van Persie spared Arsenal’s blushes with a brace against Sunderland and he came off the bench to score another brace against Stoke City. This was followed up with a scintillating hat-trick against Chelsea in Stamford Bridge and it was fair to say that van Persie was on supernova at that point in time.

He picked up where he left off in November with a stellar performance against West Brom that saw him score a goal and hand two assists to his team mates and he crowned the month with back to back braces against Norwich and Dortmund. He joined the party against Wigan, scored a goal of the season contender against Everton, smashed in a penalty against Aston Villa and ended the year on a high with a calm effort against Queens Park Rangers.

In a somewhat dark year for Arsenal, Van Persie shone through with his goal scoring outlay of 2011 that saw him smash Thierry Henry’s Arsenal Premier League goal scoring record to bits and was a goal shy of the great Alan Shearer’s record. He kicked off his 2012 with a  goal against Swansea City before offering Arsenal a glimmer of hope against Manchester United.  He scored a brace from 12 yards against Aston Villa and smashed in his second hat-trick of the season in the 7-1 demolition of Blackburn.

Despite these outstanding goal scoring contributions that has seen Robin van Persie smash in 28 goals, Arsenal is effectively out of every competition football has to offer this season…expect the club wants to put up a 5-star performance against AC Milan at the Emirates that would see them score five goals to qualify to the quarter finals of the Champions League.

Van Persie stalled his contract talks till the end of the season and skeptics feel that he may face the same fate with Samir Nasri but the club’s hierarchy has announced that he’s going nowhere. This is the same club whose manager reiterated that ‘big clubs don’t sell their big players‘ but he went on t0 sell Fabregas and Nasri to some predators.

Robin van Persie’s importance to Arsenal is unquestionable and here are five reasons why Arsenal has to stick with the Flying Dutchman:

He is Arsenal’s Talisman

Down the years, many football clubs have done transfer business with their peers but questions are always raised when the club’s go as far as selling its best player. Patrick Vieira left Arsenal for Juventus in 2006 but there were many ‘leaders’ in the team despite the fact that he was the captain.

When Fabregas followed suit this season, Van Persie assumed the role of the captaincy and he presently epitomizes everything Arsenal stands for this season. Selling off van Persie would signal a downward spiral that can be reminiscent of the club’s performances after the Carling Cup final loss to Birmingham City.

His Vital Experience

Robin van Persie joined Arsenal in the summer of 2004 and he has fused himself into the nucleus of the team. In his eight seasons at Arsenal, he has played 181 League games, 31 Cup games and 54 games in Europe summing up to 266 appearances and he already has 123 goals to show for it.

Van Persie is a vastly experienced forward that has locked horns with defenders all over the globe and his age (28) paints the picture vividly for everyone. It would hurt Arsenal really hard if the club loses a player of his experience because it will certainly create a big vacuum another striker has to come in to fill.

His Style of Play

In his Feyernoord days under the tutelage of Bert van Marwijk, van Persie played as a left winger and possessed exceptional dribbling skills but was also a talented striker of the ball. Touted as the long-term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp, van Persie began his Arsenal career as a supporting striker behind Thierry Henry.

This made van Persie a hotshot as he contributed immensely to Arsenal with countless goals and a boatload of assists for his team mates. The exits of Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo da Silva coupled with Wenger’s tactical switch to 4-2-3-1 has seen van Persie deployed as the sole striker and this has made him to harness his goal scoring skills. Like Midas…everything van Persie touches turns into goals.

His Replacements Are Not Capable Enough To Lead the Line

Arsenal has scored only 48 League goals this season and for those that don’t know, van Persie has 22 of them. Luckily for Arsenal, the demons of injuries have decided to settle with the club’s defenders instead of their regular victim from Rotterdam.

Van Persie’s present deputies in the centre forward department include a Moroccan clearly bereft of confidence and a Korean that hasn’t been deemed good enough to start a League game yet. Should anything happen to the Flying Dutchman, the club would activate its ‘panic mode’ because these players can’t even ‘score’ in a brothel even with a nympho doing a lap dance on their laps.

His Goals

I just had to save the best for last.

In the next dictionary coming out in stores, a Robin van Persie would be defined as a “perpetual goal scoring machine of the first kind“. This Van-tastic striker can score a goal in any possible manner and this was shared by the great Alan Shearer when he tipped him to break his record:

“He will beat my total of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year — a record, by the way, I was unaware of until it was mentioned to me on Match of the Day at the weekend. “Records are there to be broken and I can think of no better striker than the Dutchman to write his name in the history books.”

“Van Persie can score goals any way you like. He puts away headers, tap-ins and rockets.”

Feel free to check out my collection of van Persie’s top 20 goals for Arsenal.

Should Robin van Persie decide to leave Arsenal this summer, the Gunners shouldn’t begrudge him. Here are five reasons why.

Sayonara.

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Reblogged from Gooner Daily:

Robin van Persie is a technically proficient striker that has made a name for himself in the Red half of North London. He’s a player blessed with an amazing technique, an eye for a pass and clinical finishing ability. He started his career as a winger but Arsene Wenger decided to give him a more central role after signing him from Feyernoord in 2004. He thrived well as a supporting striker to Thierry Henry and they combined well for a number of seasons before King Henry’s departure to Barcelona in the …

Robin van Persie’s Top 20 Goals for Arsenal

Who needs Fabianski

Arsenal’s shambolic loss to AC Milan has made me to lose some interest in the Champions League this season and the fixtures played yesterday weren’t worth breaking sweat over. To those that actually care, Olympique Marseille left it late to see out Inter Milan while the giant killers FC Basel stunned Bayern Munich with a 1-0 victory.

Unlike Manchester United that’s scared of any team with the acronym “F.C.B.” and a Red and Blue jersey with vertical stripes, the Bavarians put up a good shift and are odds to run riot against the Swiss outfit in the second leg. If it’s any motivation, the finals will take place in Bayern’s home ground Allianz Arena and they would like to “feel at home” come May.

The Gentle Frog Avram Grant successfully guided West Ham to the deep bowels of relegation after ushering Portsmouth in the same direction but Big Sam Allardyce has changed the club’s fortunes and his team is currently topping the npower Championship with 15 games left.

While Arsenal Reserves mauled Norwich Reserves with “cheats” like Andrey Arshavin, Park Chu-Young, Marouane Chamakh and Yossi Benayoun present in the starting line up, West Ham locked horns with seventh-placed Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. The Hammers were leading the Tangarines with a 2-1 scoreline when first choice goalie Robert Green received his marching orders in the 53rd minute for dashing off his line to bring down Roman Bednar.

For reasons best known to Aliens scared to attack the Earth because Chuck Norris still leaves, Big Sam didn’t include a spare goalie on the bench so he called up Arsenal’s loanee Henri Lansbury to wear a pair of gloves and stay between the sticks for the remaining 37 minutes plus added time.

Lansbury went into the pitch and kept a clean sheet while West Ham went on to inflict further damage on Blackpool with two more goals to run out as 4-1 winners.

Funnily enough, Lansbury has had a stint between the sticks in an Under-21s match between England U-21s and Germany U-21s. Youngster Jason Steele earned himself an early bath after conceding a penalty in the box. Lansbury came in his stead, let the penalty in but kept Germany U-21s at bay till the game finished.

Lansbury in action against Germany U-21s

It’s been a long while since I heard of an outfield player that manned the sticks for the remainder of a game. The last players I can recall share the same first name, John. Former Manchester United’s utility man John O’ Shea kept in the Red Devils 4-0 victory over Tottenham in February 2007 while John Terry kept for Chelsea against Reading in a game that was marred by that horrific injury suffered by Petr Cech.

All that was left for O' Shea was to wear a suit and manage Man Utd

A game where Cech and Cudicini got injured. Epic

Moving over to important off-the-pitch events, Stan Kroenke arrived in London two days ago to host a meeting that will take place today with the main agenda being the absurd wages fringe players are earning in the club. The Board is currently unhappy with the present wage bill and they are looking to reduce it with massive sales this summer.

Deadwood like Manuel Almunia, Sebastien Squillaci and sadly, Marouane Chamakh earn £60,000 per week, Nicklas Bendtner earns £52,000 per week while Johan Djourou and Lukasz Fabianski earn £50,000. Park Chu-Young earns £40,000 and he’s more or less a fringe player because Arsene Wenger made him so.

The sales of these players this summer would create the much needed space for fresh blood and new contracts can also be handed to quality players that deserve fat salaries such as Arsenal’s talisman Robin van Persie. I would like Lukasz Fabianski to stay but if he decides to leave this summer, I won’t begrudge him.

Besides, there’s Henri Lansbury.

Sayonara.

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Get well soon BFG...

It all started when Arsenal visited the Stadium of Light to take on a resurgent Sunderland side in a game that signaled the end of Thierry Henry’s fairytale adventure in the Premier League. For an established Premier League outfit like Sunderland, the pitch was an aberration but the home side was unfazed by such conditions.

Alex Song lost the ball far up in midfield and the home side launched an attack that was brilliantly intercepted by Bacary Sagna. The ball fell to the path of the Gentle Giant Per Mertesacker then a simple step-over turned into a nightmarish scene as the German hit the turf clutching his ankle in agony.

James McClean didn’t have the time to express his gratitude for such a gift and scored Sunderland’s goal but when the orderly came into the pitch with a stretcher, reality donned on everyone that Arsenal’s defensive woes were about to be compounded. Shortly after the game, the scans came out and Arsene Wenger confirmed that he’ll be out for a long while.

With this disappointing season a few months away from conclusion, all eyes would be firmly fixed on the soccer fiesta scheduled to take place in Ukraine and Poland this summer. Per Mertesacker has used his Facebook Page to give his fans an injury update:

“My participation in Euro 2012 is not in danger. Dr Stöckle in Tübingen did the operation on Tuesday evening, attached a piece of bone back to the ankle and patched up the deltoid ligament on the inside of the ankle.

“All went well and I’m in Donaustauf, Bavaria, for the physical rehabilitation.”  

It’s certain that the Gentle Giant won’t be seen wearing the Red and White this season but his absence will be immensely felt. They say that you’ll never know what you have until you lose it and it’s fair to say that Mertesacker has proved this adage right. If he received a back pass from Thomas Vermaelen last Saturday in the FA Cup fixture on the same putrid pitch, he wouldn’t have panicked on the ball before conceding a free kick that ultimately led to the first goal conceded.

Mertesacker’s Germany was drawn in the most mouthwatering group of the tournament alongside Holland, Portugal and Denmark. I’m not a huge fan of international football but I’ll would ensure that I won’t miss any game in this group at least.

Sticking with injuries, long-term absentee Carl Jenkinson was scheduled to make a comeback against Norwich Reserves in a strong Arsenal Reserves line up that was to be bolstered with names like Andrey Arshavin, Park Chu-Young, Marouane Chamakh and Yossi Benayoun.

As expected, Arsenal Reserves ran riot against Norwich Reserves with five unreplied goals. Park opened the scoring, Arshavin had a brace while Benik Afobe and Benayoun completed the rout. It’s worth noting that Chamakh lasted for only 29 minutes on the pitch as he was on the end of a rash tackle.

Happy Faces

While forwards like Arshavin, Chamakh and Park graced Reserve League football, there’s a striker in the squad whose importance to the team is unrivaled. Robin van Persie has carried Arsenal on his able shoulders this season and he has already notched up 28 goals in his first season as Arsenal’s captain.

In the wake of Arsenal’s debacle this season, he has been hugely tipped to join the exodus of superstars that left for greener pastures but it seems as if the Arsenal hierarchy is prepared to take a last stand on him. Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis has told any potential suitor that RVP is going nowhere:

“The communication has come directly from Ivan Gazidis. He flatly refuses to sell him at any price. He has told Van Persie, ‘you are going nowhere and can see out your contract’.

“Arsenal are not stupid. If he sees out his contract he will be 30. Real Madrid and Barcelona are not going to recruit him at 30. Van Persie feels powerless and anxious.  There is no way any club will pay £40m for him this summer, because of his age. This makes him a £20m player and Arsenal don’t need to sell him for that.”

A few weeks ago, Footy Bible reported that Real Madrid is planning an audacious £70m bid for the talisman but it seems as if AC Milan has placed him under their radar. However, it seems as if contract talks are imminent.

Still on transfer news, reports have also emerged that youngster Craig Eastmond has been sent to Wycombe Wanderers on loan and Russian free-spenders Anzhi are close to signing Andrey Arshavin.

To round it all up, Arsenal’s Scourge of the North London Derby Rafael van der Vaart is hoping to be fit in time for Sunday’s clash. Hopefully, he may be penalised this time if he attempts to play ‘handball’ instead of the beautiful game.

He has smashed in four goals in just three meetings with Arsenal and judging from the way the defence has been atrocious, I can only hope for the best.

Sayonara.

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Don't worry Le Prof, You've got the "job for life"

Silent Stan Kroenke has decided to visit the troubled shores of North London to reaffirm his support for Arsene Wenger and to also host a meeting with the rest of his chums in the Board. The meeting has been scheduled for Thursday and the recent shenanigans in the club are bound to be discussed as well as the club’s long-term plans and the imminent release of their half-yearly accounts.

Word on the street is that Arsene Wenger will be given a massive transfer kitty of £50m but the fans know that this is a familiar cliché they’ve been accustomed to. Enough about the off-the-pitch news, every headline has been published on the performances of the Gunners on it.

It’s unfortunate to know that the Gunners couldn’t mark the club’s 125th anniversary with any silverware of any sort but as the note on the insignia reads, the club has to move forward. In the wake of the club’s debacle, the media Vultures, bloggers and the fans alike have had their say and shared their own opinions. Some Ex-Gunners didn’t want to get left out of the party so I’ve decided to share some quotes from these Arsenal figureheads in response to the team’s shortcomings.

George Graham was a great player in his days and delved into management after he decided to hang his boots. He donned the Red and White for six years (1966-1972), amassing a total of 227 league appearances scoring 60 goals in the process. He was part of the Class of 70′ that won the League and Cup double as well as the Fairs Cup in the same year.

He managed Arsenal for nine years (1986-1995) and had an amazing haul of trophies which included two League titles (89′, 91′), one FA Cup (93′), two League Cups (87′, 93′), one FA Charity Shield (91′) and one UEFA Cup Winners Cup (94′).

Graham and Mr. Arsenal in 91'

Despite the fact that he has been watching this team play from the stands or on his TV set, Graham still holds Arsenal dear to his heart but he has reiterated that Arsenal failed to replace the players that left. He labelled Arsenal as a “crisis” outfit, a team that lacks leaders and the quality of the team hasn’t reached the standard of a team capable of winning the Premier League.

He spoke about the club’s trophy drought and was bewildered why Arsene Wenger hasn’t delved his hands into the transfer market to sign quality players. More interestingly, he was in the opinion that Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott should leave the club:

“For Van Persie, this will be his last big contract. He’ll be 29 when his contract finishes and he’s going to be looking for a four-year contract, maybe even five. You can’t expect Arsenal to pay that knowing that in his last two years he probably won’t be a regular in the team.”

“I would let Walcott go. He was a promising boy but his potential has never really been fulfilled. He has still got fabulous pace but he’s been there five years and I can’t see a great improvement.”

Emmanuel Petit recently chastised some deadwood in the club in the wake of the shambolic performance against AC Milan. In an audio interview with BBC Sport, Petit questioned the team’s weak mentality and he said that the Gunners play like a confused bunch. However, Petit gave the manager his backing.

Nigel Winterburn was part of the all-English fantastic back four that rocked the 90′s with scintillating performances alongside Lee Dixon, Steve Bould/Martin Keown and Mr. Arsenal, Tony Adams.

Winterburn has sadly stated that the season has gone completely wrong. He still believes that Arsene Wenger is the right man for the football club because he loves the way he plays his football and the way he sets out his teams. Like every other Arsenal fan, he’d like to see fresh blood injected into the squad and he believes that there are still some quality players in the team.

These ex-Gunners have spoken for many fans and only want the best for the club. There’s a long summer to look forward too but all attention has to be firmly fixed on the remaining Premier League fixtures of this disappointing season.

Funnily enough, even Samir Nasri had something to say in the wake of Arsenal’s recent demise in the FA Cup:

Dissapointed result for Arsenal in FA cup but now time to focus on the Premier League—
Samir Nasri Official (@SamNasri19) February 18, 2012

It’s time to focus on the Premier League and I hope the Gunners heed to Bacary Sagna’s call for ‘soul searching‘.

Sayonara.

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At least we know where it is

Every Gooner looks forward to the summer because Arsenal has renewed its contract with Club Trophy-less for another season. Arsene Wenger was at the helm of affairs when he created an unstoppable force in the 2003/04 season called the Invincibles but its fair to say that his present lot can be tagged as The Invisibles.

The Invincibles had a Mad German between the sticks and the defence line was composed of a resilient, hard-working but cuntly left back, a strong and efficient right back and two centre backs that had the joint qualities of coordination, power, pace, aggression and composure.

The Invisibles on the other hand has a young commanding Pole that’s gradually making a name for himself with his stellar performances, a fit and consistent right back, an injury-ravaged left back and a centre back pairing that has the joint qualities of bravery, height, composure, technique and anticipation.

Opposition offences always got scared when they came up against the defence of the Invincibles but many teams relish the prospect of playing the defence of the Invisibles because they leak more goals than a faulty faucet. Most times, strikers don’t have to do much work because the defence of the Invisibles possesses a Self Destruct sequence they activate from time to time.

The quartet in the midfield of the Invincibles were players you could only see in your fantasies. The dreamy Robert Pires that had a level of technique that was second to none, the pacey and canny Freddie Ljungberg whose off the ball movement was a constant thorn in the flesh, the efficient Gilberto Silva that ran the show in the middle of the park and the inspirational leader Monsieur Patrick Vieira. Now the Gooners watch the upcoming Alex Song, the “vastly experienced” Mikel Arteta and the player that kills prominent figure heads anytime he scores, Aaron Ramsey.

The forward line of the Invincibles had a technical demigod in the form of Sir Reverend His Royal Highness Dennis Bergkamp and the goal scoring machine and a legend in every sense of the word, Thierry Henry. Robin van Persie can match the King in terms of his goal scoring exploits but he’s supported by Gervinho and Theo Walcott.

Those where the days......

Following the 4-0 drubbing at Milan, the Gunners lost in the FA Cup 5th round to Sunderland and things have gone haywire as the fans have expressed their dissatisfaction following another campaign that promised so much but had nothing to offer in the end. Caught Offside reports that FC Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola has been touted as a summer replacement for Arsene Wenger and they may be forced to spend money this time.

Apparently, Wenger might not be sacked but he may be offered a role in the Board to make the managerial role vacant. The boss has labelled the recent criticism he and his team are facing as harsh:

“We will get criticism but I feel that it is a bit hard on the team. At the moment I get many lessons from many people who have managed zero clubs and zero games and zero European games.”

“We have played 15 years in the top four, which is a mark of our consistency.”

He has vowed that his team would fight on and he hopes that his team would respond well against Tottenham Hotspurs. The FA Cup quarter final draws have made and Martin O’ Neill’s Sunderland will visit Goodison Park to take on Everton.

Still sticking with the FA Cup, Arsenal’s loanee to Bolton Ryo Miyaichi scored his first goal in English football inside the first five minutes in Bolton’s 5th Round victory over Millwall. Miyaichi used his great pace to reach a through ball before making a superb first touch to move the ball away from the defender. He opened his body up and scored a goal reminiscent of Park Chu-Young’s curler against Bolton.

Owen Coyle ran out of superlatives for the Japanese youngster:

“He showed what a talent he is. There’s other stuff he can learn, but he’s brave and tough – he stood up to some of the treatment he got – and he always plays with a smile on his face, which I absolutely love.”

Coyle added that he had been keen on the player for some time, even though he has only made two substitute appearances for the Gunners’ first-team, and was thrilled when Wenger gave him permission to take him on loan. Miyaichi’s loan spell at Bolton would do wonders to his confidence and I hope he comes back strongly like Jack Wilshere.

The left wing is currently occupied by Gervinho while the likes of Andrey Arshavin, Yossi Benayoun and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have had stints there. It’s also heart warming to know that Ryo Miyaichi would probably give them a run for their money next season.

A great team isn’t measured by how many times they get knocked down. They are measured by how strong they are when they get back up.

I hope you like the blog’s new look

Sayonara.

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To be an Arsenal fan at this point in time requires a lot from the individual. You’ll have to gear yourself up for pleasure that goes hand in hand with a lot of pain.

Arsene Wenger assembled a squad that he felt was good enough to challenge for honors on all fronts. He lost three great players in the form of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy and replaced them with players he felt were good enough in his eyes.

Arsenal has been out of contention for Premier League a long while ago, unfortunately ousted by Manchester City in the Carling Cup, a foot away from the Champions League and had only the FA Cup to fight for.

Arsene Wenger made three changes to the team that was spanked by AC Milan with “Cup keeper” Lukasz Fabianski replacing Wojciech Szczesny in goal while Francis Coquelin and Gervinho got the nod ahead of Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott.

Robin van Persie won a free kick early on but Mikel Arteta’s effort curled away from goal. With just seven minutes gone, Coquelin waltzed forward from the left hand side and twanged his hammy. Every Arsenal fan’s worst nightmare came through as Freddy Krueger in the form of Seb Squillaci came into the pitch to replace the injured Coquelin.

Van Persie showed off his intelligence by slotting an amazing through ball for Gervinho in behind the defense but the Ivorian’s effort was fisted to safety by Mignolet in goal.

Alex Song sent in another through ball that put the Sunderland defense on the back foot but John O’ Shea did enough to nick the ball past van Persie. Claims for a penalty fell on deaf Howard Webb ears.

With halftime looming, it became a familiar story as Arsenal became the plotters of their own downfall. Thomas Vermaelen gave a back pass to Johan Djourou but the Swiss defender panicked when he was closed down then he committed a clumsy foul.

Seb Larsson sent the free kick into Arsenal’s danger area but it wasn’t cleared to safety as Kieran Richardson blasted the ball sweetly into Arsenal’s net with Fabianski rooted to the spot. For those that didn’t know, the ball deflated off yours truly…Seb Squillaci.

James McClean had the chance to put Sunderland two up but his effort hit the side netting.

Everyone expected Arsenal to come out stronger in the second half but the Gunners were on the back foot again when Bacary Sagna committed a blatant foul but Larsson sent his effort over.

Wenger brought on Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott to replace the ineffectual Aaron Ramsey and the Squisha who picked up another injury to add to Arsenal’s defensive woes. Vermaelen got on the end of an Arteta cross but it was aimed straight at the goalie.

With the way the game was going, the next goal was certainly going to be of utmost importance to the team that scores it. Unfortunately, it came after another schoolboy error but it wasn’t from the regular suspects like Andrey Arshavin, Djourou or Squillaci. It came from Arsenal’s recent “sweetheart” Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The Ox dallied on the ball and it was taken off him. A counter attack was launched and Stephane Sessegnon showed good stamina to shove off Mikel Arteta before teeing up Larsson. The Swede’s first timed effort hit the post but the Ox suffered the ignominy of an own goal as he bundled the ball past the goal line.

And that was pretty much Arsenal’s season. Another capitulation in grand style.

Fabianski (6.5) dominated his area well as he dealt with crosses well.

Sagna (6.5) was one of Arsenal’s better players but he could have done better in closing Richardson down.

Vermaelen (6.0) was half bad as a left back.

Djourou (5.5) committed the clumsy challenge that led to the first goal.

Squillaci (5.5) was shite again and showed how low Arsenal’s standard has been in recent times

Song (6.5) tried his best in a midfield that was crowded with number.

Arteta (6.5) made himself available for passes and did okay.

Ramsey (5.5) was an aberration.

The Ox (6.0) was quite disappointing and compounded his misery by conceding an own goal.

Gervinho (5.5) could get past his man and offered no threat down the left.

Van Persie (6.0) lacked service and was toothless in attack.

Rosicky (6.5) added some verve to the attack to no great effect though.

Walcott’s (5.0) only telling contribution was getting offside and he became peripheral all game long.

The only puzzling thing about this present crop of players is that they were assembled by the same manager that produced one of the greatest Premier League teams of all time, the Invincibles.

The only players in this team that could challenge for a first team place in the 2003/04 Arsenal squad are Sagna, Vermaelen, Wilshere and van Persie.

I’m pretty sure that the captain’s days are numbered except he wants to prove everybody wrong by showing his loyalty to the club. If not, I’m pretty sure that Wenger would sell him for £70m to Real Madrid then take a space shuttle trip to buy an unknown striker from Jupiter.

The quote of the day goes to @etyro:

“@etyro: Arsenal’s season ends today like it has for the past 3 seasons.. We can’t build castles with straws.”

Success isn’t permanent but failure isn’t fatal.

I am and will always be…

A Gooner for Life

Lest I forget,

The Arsenal Trophy-less Chronicles Season 7 is out in stores now. I also heard that it’s available on HD.

Sayonara

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In the club’s inaugural season at the Emirates, Arsenal was languishing in 4th place in the league, was ousted from the Champions League knockout phase thanks to an Alex double in both nets (PSV) and were kicked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn.

Last season, it was a similar debacle when Barcelona did the damage in the Champions League while Manchester United broke Gunner hearts in the FA Cup.

Like both outcomes, Arsenal had nothing to play for as early as March and it could be a similar story if the Gunners allow the Milan disappointment to get the better of them in today’s fixture.

Speaking of disappointment, there’s an ex-Gunner legend that has expressed his frustration over the capitulation of a club he holds dear to his heart. This Gunner spent three magical years at Arsenal from 1997 to 2000 and he forged a telepathic understanding with Monsieur Vieira.

The former French pony-tailed sensation Emmanuel Petit has warned Arsenal to get rid of a host of their big names and sign six established players if they are to return to their former glories.

He has claimed that the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Andrey Arshavin, Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott are simply not good enough. Petit made a lot of quotes but I’ll have to summarize it to paint the picture vividly.

He started by saying that Arsenal hasn’t fully recovered from the departures of the creative Francesca and Samantha. He also said that the club’s shrewdness in the transfer window in recent times has made the level of the team go down.

Petit added that the club revolved its football around Francesca and the defense is still ‘under construction’. He also thanked the Heavens for Robin van Persie and reiterated that the young players haven’t done enough to justify the confidence that Arsene has in them.

He singled out some individuals for some criticism. On Theo Walcott, he said that the winger has been on the same level for years while he believed that it was Ramsey’s ‘twin brother’ that was on the pitch. He also wants the club to waves its goodbyes to Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky as their contracts would soon expire.

To top it all off, he ended his interview with this quote:

“What’s needed is five or six players of real stature, great experience. Players who are 27 – 30 years old at most. Players with technical qualities, obviously, but also strong character. A group of guys who refuse to accept defeat, who inspire confidence in the rest of the team.”

Moving over to the preview for today’s game, Arsenal visit the ground they played last week and would hope that the cattle has been moved away because the grazing took its toll on the pitch.

Historically, both sides are a bit shaky as Arsenal has won just two of their last seven FA Cup away games while Sunderland has two wins, two draws and two defeats in their last six FA Cup home games.

To team news, Arsenal will be without the center back pairing from recent weeks Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. The Gentle Giant would be out for a while but efforts are in place to make the Kos fit for the North London Derby next Sunday.

The regular absentees like Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby, Andre Santos and Carl Jenkinson are still nursing injuries while the King Thierry Henry will be watching this game from his TV set in the United States. However, Ivorian heartbreaker Gervinho is back in London following the end of the African Cup of Nations.

Sunderland’s defensive duo Titus Bramble and Wes Brown are still out but they’ll be glad to know that their captain Lee Cattermole is back from a hammy injury. Unfortunately, the self-proclaimed world’s best striker Nicky B won’t play because Arsenal still remains his parent club.

I expect Lukasz Fabianski to be given another run for his money while the defense will be composed of Kieran Gibbs, Bacary Sagna, Johan Djourou and Thomas Vermaelen. A game of this magnitude can’t be given to the likes of Ignasi Miquel or the walking time bomb Seb Squillaci.

I would also expect to see the boss tweak the midfield a bit by introducing Francis Coquelin in Aaron Ramsey’s stead. Alex Song and Tomas Rosicky would complete the midfield triumvirate.

With Marouane Chamakh, Gervinho and Park Chu-Young available for selection, they all have to be content with a place on the bench. I expect the forward three to be Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The schematic illustration of my expected lineup should be:

Fabianski

Sagna-Djourou-Vermaelen-Gibbs

Coquelin-Rosicky-Song

The Ox-RVP-Walcott

Enjoy the game wherever you are.

A great team isn’t measured by how many times they get knocked down. They are measured by how strong they are when they get back up.

Sayonara.

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As expected, many fans and neutrals alike voiced their frustrations on the various social networking applications available to man. After reviewing a boatload of pings, tweets, Facebook statuses and what have you, nothing struck me more than the words written by DKD, a writer of an Arsenal blog called Armoury Square:

“I have become tired of Arsenal. I don’t want to watch their games anymore, and I don’t think I will continue blogging on them. If nothing changes at Arsenal, I will stop watching them. Infact yesterday I didn’t even watch the entire second half. And this is probably the first time I have stopped mid-way of a report…”

“Not interested, don’t care, do what you want Wenger, do whatever the f*ck you want. Its your club, its yours to ruin.”

These words were culled from his post tagged “4 goals shuffed up the arse”

At Arsenal, the boat is rocking in a storm and a defeat in tomorrow’s FA Cup tie against Sunderland would make the six-year old Black Widow Spider present in Arsenal’s trophy cabinet extend her stay for one more year.

For reasons best known to me and probably Chuck Norris, I chose not to give my usual match ratings after the game’s review. Arsenal was very atrocious in every corner of the pitch from the goalie to the forward line.

This is probably not the time to open up healing wounds but I’ll like to single out every playing position that wore the “Yellow” jersey on Wednesday night.

Wojciech Szczesny has been reliable all season long and he has been a commanding presence in the box but his distribution sucks and Arsenal was duly punished for it. This season we were all bewildered and perplexed when Tim Howard’s long range effort breezed past Bogdan in Bolton’s goal but Szczesny’s effort barely made it to the halfway line.

Szczesny can give himself a schedule to improve on his distribution. That’s my opinion though.

The defense was pretty much Arsene Wenger’s first choice with the exception of Andre Santos so their schoolboy errors were simply unforgivable.

Arsenal’s Mr. Consistency put up a poor showing at right back and he was carved open countless times. Gibbsy showed his rustiness while the Verm’s performance was in his “favored position” was surprisingly appalling.

Laurent Koscielny was Arsenal’s best defender on the night but he succumbed to what seemed like a knee injury. His replacement was very clumsy to concede such a penalty that drove the final nail in Arsenal’s coffin.

The midfield was very sloppy and Tomas Rosicky gave the fans a cause for concern as his errors led to a couple of goals. Aaron Ramsey was missing in action again but Mikel Arteta’s performance was a bit commendable. There’s only one Song but his voice wasn’t heard.

Despite the teams shortcomings, Captain Van-tastic put up a spirited performance but Theo Walcott almost made me to throw a projectile at my Plasma TV. The King came in his stead and showed his immense quality with that flick but his fairytale has ended.

Even if I loathe what I’m about to write, Manchester United have proved their doubters wrong again this season how strong mentally they can be and they are presently at par with their noisy neighbors for Premier League honors.

Sir Gum Chewer has lost a couple of figure heads to injuries, crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage and the FA Cup but his team continues to show their resilience, character and spirit, despite that 1-6 defeat in the hands of Manchester City.

Arsene Wenger has to rally his troops to stand up and be counted and this has to be shown in tomorrow’s FA Cup against Sunderland. Even if it has become a stadium were cattle is reared, Arsenal has enough in the tank to book a Sixth Round berth.

This season, a lot of phrases like “I 8-2 be an Arsenal fan” and Arsenal goes to Milan “4 – nothing” have been created in the wake of embarrassing defeats.

Arsenal, this trend has to stop.

A great team isn’t measured by how many times they get knocked down. They are measured by how strong they are when they get back up.

Sayonara.

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This week, the club would make you have the sweetest dreams after a scintillating performance, the next week, the club would make you feel better off shooting your foot with a rifle.

As a fervent Arsenal fan, it’s fair to say that I’ve seen it all. The club has gone unbeaten, gone trophy-less, lost a game against a team that started with seven recognizable defenders, lost a match despite scoring five goals, managed to draw a game despite going four goals up and has won a couple of trophies.

Thomas Vermaelen whined about not playing in his favored center back position and Per Mertesacker’s unfortunate injury paved the way for the Belgian to strut his stuff. Kieran Gibbs returned to the first team after an eternity out.

Arsene Wenger wanted to use a conservative approach to the game so he decided to give Tomas Rosicky a chance ahead of the Ox.

Rosicky drew first blood with an effort that drifted wide. It’s also noteworthy that Rosicky has scored only one Champions League for Arsenal and that came on his debut against Hamburger SV six years ago.

The old hag Sir Clearance Seedorf pulled up short after releasing a rocket so he was replaced later on by Urby Emanuelson. AC Milan were gifted the match-opening goal when Wojciech Szczesny’s poor clearance found Antonio Nocerino whose chipped pass found KP Boateng and his volley was sumptuous to say the least.

Milan went two up when a simple pass from Emanuelson caught the defense on the back foot. Zlatan Ibracadabra waltzed into the box and crossed the ball to Robinho whose header placed it past Szczesny.

The wrinkles on Arsene Wenger’s face probably increased when Laurent Koscielny was replaced by Johan Djourou for what seemed like an injury. With Mertesacker out, Arsenal’s next center back in line for a starting place is…Seb Squillaci.

Wenger rightly brought on Thierry Henry for the ineffectual Theo Walcott and he certainly doesn’t play like a man that deserves a pay rise of £85,000 per week.

Rosicky lost the ball far up in the middle of the park and a Milan attack saw Zlatan tee up Robinho that drilled his effort past Szczesny. It’s also worth noting that Thomas Vermaelen slipped at the vital moment.

Feel free to blame the pitch all you want but 11 AC Milan footballers played on the same ground with Wenger’s men. It was no where near the harsh conditions at Petrovsky Stadium when Zenit hosted SL Benfica.

Despite being pretty putrid all match long, Arsenal produced a moment of intense quality when a cheeky Henry flick was volleyed goalwards by Robin van Persie. Up stepped Christian Abbiati to make a save from the top drawer. The screams he let out could be heard on the Moon.

Wenger tweaked his tactics a bit when he introduced the Ox for Kieran Gibbs but AC Milan put the game beyond doubt when another Rosicky error from midfield saw an attack that made Djourou want to swap jerseys with Ibra in the box.

Ibrahimovic got the goal his play deserved from 12 yards even though Szczesny guessed right. Van Persie still gave his all with a good header that was saved by Abbiati while Pato’s effort was palmed away by Szczesny.

At the end of the ref’s whistle, the final result showed that Arsene Wenger’s men where outplayed, outclassed and out of the Champions League.

To those that would want to give themselves some unrealistic hope, AC Milan crashed out of the Champions League in the 2003/04 season despite scoring four goals at home in the first leg.

The last time I checked, Deportivo scored one away goal.

Arsenal didn’t.

Sayonara.

You can follow Gooner Daily on Twitter  @goonerdaily. I’ll follow back

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