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My Thoughts on Marouane Chamakh and his Shisha Incident
Shisha Boyz
There was a certain Moroccan sensation that played his entire career in Girondins de Bordeaux before switching to the Red half of North London. He started with a few goals during the preseason before forcing Pepe Reina to score an own goal on the opening day of last season in Anfield.
He scored his first goal on his home debut against recently relegated Blackpool before joining the party when Arsenal thrashed Bolton by 4-1 in September. He also scored on his Champions League debut in the 6-0 spanking of eventual Europa League finalists SC Braga and continued his personal scoring record in the competition that extended from his Bordeaux days.
He scored in his Arsenal’s second Champions League tie against Partizan before scoring the match winner against Birmingham City in mid-October. He scored again in Arsenal’s third Champions League game against Shakhtar and it seemed as if he was destined to score in every game of the Champions League as long as he played.
The goals dried up a bit but he found some form again in November scoring a brace against Wolves before scoring Tottenham and Aston Villa. Marouane Chamakh’s toe poke in Villa Park was his 10th goal in just 21 appearances averaging a goal every two games then Robin van Persie came along and Chamakh found himself relegated to the bench and featured in lowly Cup ties.
In recent times, Chamakh has been a ghostly figure on the pitch and the player that amassed a goal in two has currently scored just two goals with his last being against Blackburn in September 2011. It’s so unfortunate to see how his form waned like a player that returned from a long-term injury.
In the wake of Arsenal’s recent dent in form with a loss against Queens Park Rangers, Chamakh was pictured with his compatriot Adel Taarabt smoking a shisha pipe. Shisha is a waterpipe in which fruit-scented tobacco is burned using coal, passed through a water vessel and inhaled through a hose.
This has caused an uprising among journos, fans and even Arsene Wenger, who was reportedly “fuming” after hearing the news. It’s also funny to know that Arsenal has had dealings with smoking players in recent times.
Last year Laurent Koscielny was caught after the club’s end of season awards clutching a pack of cigarettes, while William Gallas was told his behaviour was ‘unacceptable’ in 2008 after the then captain was pictured outside a London nightclub with a cigarette in his mouth.
Many people believe that Chamakh smoking shisha isn’t a “big deal” but you’ll have to question the Moroccan’s professionalism. The fact that Adel Taarabt put a nail in Arsenal’s coffin on Saturday wasn’t enough, Chamakh accompanied him after the game to get him involved in a pot fest.
There’s no proof to justify if shisha is better/worse than smoking cigarettes but in my opinion, the timing was very wrong for Chamakh.
If he did it in the comfort of his home without any witnesses anywhere, the article probably wouldn’t have been in existence. Players have done worse, Chamakh hasn’t gone to interrupt any press conference or throw darts at an Arsenal intern.
He certainly hasn’t lighted his house up with fireworks. Way to go, Super Mario.
However, tales are emerging that Arsene Wenger and Mark Hughes should decide their fates but Chamakh has declared that he’s staying at Arsenal:
“Am I going back to Bordeaux? For now, no. I have spoken to Wenger and I will stay at Arsenal. I think he trusts my work and I will have opportunities in the first team.
“I left Bordeaux to improve as a player and I think I can continue for this club. My agents have been ordered to reject bids that come from other clubs because I want to prove I can be useful for the Gunners.”
With the potential arrival of Lukas Podolski, his chances of featuring will be further diminished.
In other Arsenal related news, Walcott believes that Ryodinho is ready to play for Arsenal, Robin van Persie shares how he evolved as a striker and the Ox remains calm despite claims for a Euro 2012 place.
I just shared my thoughts on Maroaune Chamakh and his shisha incident,
What’s yours.
Sayonara.
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Five reasons why Marouane Chamakh needs to leave Arsenal
Marouane Chamakh started his career in Girondins de Bordeaux before making a move to Arsenal last season on a free transfer. He started with a few goals during the preseason fixtures before forcing Pepe Reina to suffer the ignominy of an own goal on the opening day fixture when Arsenal played against Liverpool in Anfield.
He scored his first goal in his home debut against Blackpool before joining the party when Arsenal thrashed Bolton by 4-1 in September 2010. He also scored on his Champions League debut in the 6-0 spanking of eventual Europa League finalists SC Braga and continued his personal scoring record in the competition that extended from his Bordeaux days.
He scored in his Arsenal’s second Champions League tie against Partizan before scoring the match winner against Birmingham City in mid-October. He scored again in Arsenal’s third Champions League game against Shakhtar and it seemed as if he was destined to score in every game of the Champions League as long as he played.
The goals dried up a bit but he found some form again in November scoring a brace against Wolves before scoring Tottenham and Aston Villa. Marouane Chamakh’s toe poke in Villa Park was his 10th goal in just 21 appearances averaging a goal every two games but Robin van Persie’s return to full fitness saw Chamakh relegated to the bench and he featured in lowly Cup ties.
This season, Marouane Chamakh has been a ghostly figure on the pitch and he has scored just two goals in 2011 unlike Robin van Persie that has smashed 40 in the calendar year.
It’s so unfortunate to see how his form waned like a player that returned from a long-term injury but it’s fair to say that Chamakh’s days are probably numbered in the club.
Marouane Chamakh has been linked with moves back to France but he intends to spend the rest of the season with Arsenal before taking a decision this summer.
However, I feel it’s high time the Moroccan waves his goodbyes to the Gooners and here are five reasons why:
1. Lack of Playing Time
Since the return to full fitness of Robin van Persie in the tail end of 2010, Marouane Chamakh has featured sparingly for Arsene Wenger’s side. The manager plays with a sole striker and van Persie has always gotten the nod ahead of Chamakh.
Chamakh played a lot of games in the start of his Arsenal career due to the fact that van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner were out of action nursing injuries. After van Persie’s return, Chamakh played only in Carling Cup and FA Cup ties and scored his first goal in four months in the 5-0 drubbing of Leyton Orient in March.
Chamakh’s last goal for Arsenal came in September 2011 (six months since his last goal) in the puzzling 4-3 defeat against Blackburn.
2. Arsenal’s Style of Play
Arsene Wenger’s football philosophy involves his side playing the ball on the ground with a lot of movement off the ball and intricate passing and it’s fair to say that Arsenal hasn’t really played to Marouane Chamakh’s strengths.
Chamakh is a forward that’s renowned for his work rate and superb aerial ability but Arsenal’s full backs haven’t really fed the Moroccan with his bread and butter. His first ever Arsenal goal was scored with his head against Blackpool but he hasn’t really gotten a constant supply of aerial balls into the box.
The funny thing is that Chamakh tends to spend more time outside the box but this is because he’s trying to fit into Arsenal’s style of play that involves a lot of linkup play.
Chamakh needs to move club that floats balls into the box at every opportunity. If he played for a Rugby outfit like Stoke City, Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant would have floated in a lot of balls into the opposition’s area.
Let’s not forget that they also have a not-so-secret weapon called Rory Delap.
3. Low Confidence Level
Chamakh was a striker that was never afraid to have a go at goal at the start of his Arsenal career but he has shown lack of ability and quality in the recent games he has played for Arsenal. I have a big hunch that his lack of playing time contributed to his lethargic performances so he needs to move to a new club whose manager will give him that “lift” he clearly seeks.
Should Arsene Wenger delve into the transfer market to purchase a new striker, it would be clear for everyone to see that he doesn’t believe that Chamakh is good enough to be Robin van Persie’s number two.
4. Fresh Start
Even if Marouane Chamakh has spent just two seasons in England, I’m in the opinion that the Moroccan forward is in dire need of a fresh challenge from another club in Europe.
He has been linked with a move back to France and it would be nice for the Moroccan to go back to “familiar surroundings” in Paris or the south of France. Wherever his potential destination might be, a fresh start may be needed to reignite his waning career.
5. Going down the pecking order
Many Gooners might feel that Marouane Chamakh still remains Arsenal’s number two striker after Robin van Persie but Arsene Wenger has hinted that he’ll soon start giving chances to the Korean forward Park Chu-Young.
Park took his chance well his Arsenal debut in the Carling Cup 3rd round against Bolton with a superb curling effort that sent the Emirates into raptures. Park wasn’t really impressive against Marseille in the Champions League but he’s eased slowly into the side.
If Wenger decides to buy a new striker in the winter transfer window, Chamakh will certainly go down the pecking order.
Summary
Marouane Chamakh is a decent player that deserves to play week in week out but he’s clearly not getting that at the moment in Arsenal.
Unlike Nicklas Bendtner that spent countless weeks whining about lack of playing time, Chamakh has been silent on the issue and he recently expressed his frustration by saying that he won’t be in the fringes forever.
In as much as I’d like Chamakh to stay, I feel it’s high time to cash in on the Moroccan forward to make a quid or two from a player that cost Arsenal…nothing.
Sayonara.
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Arsenal to visit Nigeria, Chamakh considers his future and more injury worries
Andre Santos is out till Spring
When Arsene Wenger and his Gunners booked a flight to Athens to play Olympiakos Pireaus in Spyros Louis, the gooners expected a simple run-out that had little or no consequence on the final standings as Arsenal’s resounding win over Borussia Dortmund was good enough to seal top spot in Group F.
Arsenal played against Olympiakos in a similar situation on the 9th of December 2009 but Arsene Wenger did well to rest his big guns and hand a chance to the younger ones coming up. Lukasz Fabianski was between the sticks and he had a defense composed of Kerrea Gilbert, debutant Kyle Bartley, the calamitous captain of the night Mikael Silvestre and the Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise.
The midfield had upcoming stars like Aaron Ramsey and Fran Merida with Alex Song doing the dirty work in front of the back four. Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Carlos Vela completed the front three as Arsenal went down valiantly courtesy of a goal from a bloke named Leonardo.
Questions were raised when Thomas Vermaelen led the Gunners out last week Tuesday as the fans felt that he was amongst the players that deserved a night out but the Belgian was involved in the first Arsenal casualty of the game following a clash with his own goalkeeper. In another situation, it might have been the other way round with Fabianski still in action while the Verm could have been out with a head injury or worse.
Olympiakos wanted the game more than Arsenal so it was expected that they’ll be involved in some crunching tackles but the moment of despair came when Andre Santos got injured and was stretched off. He played a bit but he clearly struggled so he was replaced by a player that was meant to start in his stead, Ignasi Miquel.
After the game, Santos told everyone that he was going to be out for just three weeks:
“I twisted my ankle in a silly move, The doctor thinks I’ll be out for three weeks.”
I hate to be a bearer of bad news but the Brazilian was gravely wrong because it has been confirmed that he’ll be out for the best part of three months as he’s to undergo surgery to repair the ligaments in his right ankle.
This news comes at a very bad time for Arsene Wenger as the Frenchman is already without Bacary Sagna, Carl Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs. Arsenal fielded four recognized center backs against Everton and despite being solid at the back, they offered little or no threat upfront.
Thomas Vermaelen did superbly well to keep Seamus Coleman locked in a cage and he supported Gervinho on a few occasions but Johan Djourou didn’t offer any help to Theo Walcott but it wasn’t really needed as the pacey winger tore Leighton Baines to shreds.
The January transfer window is around the corner and the likelihood of Arsenal buying a new full back is slim to none. Vermaelen is adept playing as a full back but his presence will be sorely missed in the heart of the Arsenal defense.
Arsenal’s Marouane Chamakh was heralded as a great bargain by Arsene Wenger last season following his free transfer from Girondins Bordeaux that saw him net 10 times in his first 21 appearances.With Robin van Persie nursing an ankle injury and Nicklas Bendtner recuperating from his groin surgery, Chamakh played a lot of games in the first half of the season but with the return to fitness of the captain, the striker has been in the fringes of Arsenal.
Unlike Bendtner, Chamakh has been the silent type that would say a good thing or two while hoping for Wenger to give him another shot but it seems as if frustration is creeping in as the Moroccan has told everyone that he cannot stay in the fringes forever.
However, his agent Pierre Ferlot has hinted that he won’t be rejoining Bordeaux. He says that his client’s short-term priority is to do well with his country in the upcoming African Cup of Nations then he’ll finish the season at Arsenal. He also said that there’ll be an “important decision to make” in the summer and I’m pretty sure we all know what that means.
Sticking with transfer tidbits, Wenger has ruled out a January move for Lyon’s French playmaker and his long-term admirer Yoann Gourcuff. There are also speculations that the Gunners are planning a 15m bid for Valencia’s in-form striker Roberto Soldado as the perfect backup for RVP while Marseille has ruled out a sale for their hobbit Mathieu Valbuena.
As a proud Nigerian, I’ve supported Arsenal Football Club since the days Merlin was the Chief Wizard of Camelot and I’ve been faithful to the club by getting my fair share of merchandise as well as watching every single game, from playing the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona et al to friendlies against clubs with scary names by Szombathelyi Haladas.
It gives me utmost joy to write that the club is planning a pre-season tour to my own backyard in July 2012. The club has also canceled the annual Emirates Cup because of the 2012 London Olympics and it will be a massive event in the country because Nigeria boasts of the largest Arsenal fan base in Africa.
I can remember when Cesc Fabregas tweeted at Goodluck Jonathan after he won the Presidential elections in April:
Good luck to Goodluck Jonathan. Nigerian new president.—
Cesc Fàbregas Soler (@cesc4official) April 18, 2011
If I got 10 pounds from the amount of retweets and replies he got from the Nigerians on Twitter, I would have been able to match the bid Barcelona made for him.
The quote of the day goes to @ArsenalEffect. The quote was culled from his post tagged “Arsenal to tour Naija” in the online community for Nigerian Gooners called WaZoBia Gooners:
Wherever Arsenal’s matches will be played, let’s show everyone that the gooners own Naija. God willing, I would be there even if it is in Boko Haram headquarters.
Sayonara.
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Tony Adams quits job, Chamakh to stay put and more on Van Persie
While every Arsenal fan looks forward to another Premier League weekend with three points more or less in the bag, so much speculation has been made about the team that is going to make the feat happen. With all due respect to Norwich City, I feel that Arsenal will be too strong for them but the unpredictability of football is a factor that can never be underestimated.
Marouane Chamakh has been on the headlines recently with the Moroccan being linked with a move outside Arsenal and there was going to be a point in time when he was going to let everyone know his intentions for the club at the moment.
The forward spoke to the media Vultures about Arsene Wenger’s 4-2-3-1 formation that permits the use of one lone striker. He explained that he’d love to be playing every week but the club is currently excelling with the tactic so he used “team before self” quotes:
“It would be better for me if we played with two strikers but that’s the system and the way of playing here, I respect that and it’s working very well.”
I have to commend Chamakh on the way he has handled this situation. Nicklas Bendtner was faced with something similar so he decided to climb the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, unveil a megaphone with a sound intensity louder than a Rock star’s electric guitar before screaming out loud that he wanted to leave the club.
While the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla, Besktas and Sporting CP hovered around him like vultures, Steve Bruce offered him a chance to get many games under his belt and his cause was further helped with the exits of Danny Welbeck to his parent club and Asamoah Gyan to that Arab Money outfit.
Chamakh ended it all by saying that he’s happy at Arsenal and would like to stay at the club for a long time. The battle for the right to be called van Persie’s deputy is solely between Chamakh and Park Chu-Young but Arsene Wenger has the final say on the player that will take unto the pitch.
Whether the player wears jersey number 10, 9 or 29, the gooners don’t really care as long as the balls are planted at the back of the opposition’s net.
Robin van Persie has also been in the news lately for more reasons than one but the latest news emanating from his camp is that the Dutch forward has acknowledged Arsene Wenger for his rich vein of form. Even if most of the credit will go to van Persie, Arsene Wenger has to be given a pat on the back for buying him in the first place and sticking to him throughout his prolonged injury periods.
Many managers are not that patient with some players and we’ve seen how many players careers have gone downhill due to constant injury woes. Van Persie also paid a little tribute to Theo Walcott in his role as Mr. Provider for quite an amount of goals he has scored in 2011. There was a point last season when Walcott had 10 assists or so and ALL of the them were converted by van Persie.
Walcott on the other hand has expressed his delight over the impact made by Gervinho and Jenkinson. Gervinho’s talent is unquestionable while Jenkinson has matured with each passing game.
Tony Adams is a legend that has been renowned for being Mr. Arsenal. He served the club with all his heart from 1982 to 2002 (20 years) and notched up an impressive 504 league appearances for the Gunners and went on to win a boatload of trophies in his time at the club.
As expected from any footballer that had been in the game that long, he opted for club management and he got his first start just a year after retiring as the manager of Wycombe Wanderers. Adams couldn’t prevent the club from being relegated so he parted ways with the club.
Following a few coaching roles in Holland, Tony Adams returned back to management but had to settle for the position of Number 2 in the Portsmouth football hierarchy beside Twitchy Ol’ Harry Redknapp. When Redknapp left for greener Tottenham pastures, Adam was advanced to the role of manager but he managed Portsmouth for only 10 league games before getting sacked in February 2009.
After finding out that the grass of a Football Manager is certainly not easy on the other side, Adams got another good break when an Uzbek outfit called FC Gabala approached him for his services. After just 16 months in charge, Adams has packed his bags again and has given the cause for the action, family:
“I came to Gabala with big ambitions, wanting to build a strong club and share experiences. It has been an interesting time and hoped that I could achieve something here.”
“However, due to family problems, I have to leave the club. It is hard to leave the management and players, but family is more important to me.”
I certainly hope that there’s nothing wrong with Adams’ family and I wish him all the best.
To wrap it all up, Kieran Gibbs will be out for a while after going under the knife to solve his hernia issues, Fiorentina is ready to sell Juan Manuel Vargas to Arsenal and many clubs have been put on alert in the wake of Owen Coyle’s comments that he’s resigned to selling Gary Cahill in the winter transfer window.
Sayonara.
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Manchester City to hijack M’ Vila and Bordeaux hit a brick wall over Chamakh
Premier League football is just days away and it seems as if everything is coming back to normal from an Arsenal point of view. Robin van Persie was given a match off as he returned back to London without any bones broken and every other Gunner on international duty came back unscathed.
New signing Park Chu-Young has had his fair share of international goals for Korea Republic this season and his first Arsenal goal was one to remember. The Korean superstar has told the media Vultures that he’s settling well and he’s targeting a regular starting spot:
“Since I joined the team it has been two months and I feel like I am in my normal condition now. The coaches adjust the training depending on the games we play and it’s good.
“I am settling off the pitch as well. All the Arsenal staff and everyone else have helped me. Also my wife is here so I don’t have many problems settling down.
“It’s pretty good, I don’t have any problems living here and I am not a fussy eater so I don’t have problems with the food either!”
Park has been eased into action by Arsene Wenger and he was very impressive in his second Carling Cup tie against Bolton. When Didier Deschamps and Marseille threatened to ‘go hard’ on Robin van Persie, Arsene Wenger gave the Korean a Champions League debut but there was no fairytale moment for Park as he played for an hour before replaced by van Persie.
The signs are good for Park and his addition to the squad will certainly put Marouane Chamakh on his toes. Recently, Bordeaux became the latest club linked to the Moroccan striker but it seems as if they’re not going to get their target because Arsenal has decided not to respond to them over Chamakh’s services.
The club’s president, Jean Louis Triaud told the media Vultures about his frustration in pursuit of Chamakh:
“I’ve left four or five messages with him [Chamakh] in two months, I’ve also tried Wenger.”
“No response. His silence shows probably that he still hopes he will make it at Arsenal.”
That’s one attribute I really appreciate about Chamakh; his ability to keep his mouth shut especially in a moments where he’s meant to sound louder than some megaphones with tales of leaving the club surrounding the air.
Chamakh is a player that can still make it in Arsenal but he’ll have to show what he’s made of when given a chance on the pitch. When he joined Arsenal last summer, he scored a lot of good goals and his overall play was brilliant. The way his confidence waned has been a real cause for concern though.
Moving over to transfer news, Arsenal has been linked again with another player from Ligue 1; a holding midfielder from Toulouse called Etienne Capoue. We all know how phenomenal Arsenal’s scouting network is in France and this bloke could be worth a bargain because Wenger sure knows how to get him some Frenchies.
Down the years, Wenger has brought a large influx of players from Ligue 1 and it’s amazing to know that he hardly goes to the Frence powerhouses like Lyon, Marseille or PSG. Wenger signed Robert Pires from FC Metz, Pascal Cygan and Gervinho from LOSC Lille Metropole, Emmanuel Adebayor and Park Chu-Young from AS Monaco and Laurent Koscielny from Lorient.
He has signed much more than the aforementioned names above but my point is that he doesn’t even acquire these signings from the big boys of France.
However, there’s a player linked heavily with that might taken away pretty soon. It has always been a familiar story that Arsenal is a club that backs out quickly when faced with strong financial opposition over a potential transfer target. Manchester City has been linked with Yann M’ Vila and everyone knows that Arsenal cannot match the Arab Money boys if both teams decide to contest for M’ Vila.
The player has been pleading for Arsenal to come and get him but I’m pretty sure that he’ll proclaim that Man City is his ‘dream club’ when they give him an offer that he can’t refuse. Let’s keep our fingers crossed as the days go by.
The quote of the day goes to the talented singer, Rihanna. These were the words she uttered when she saw Tottenham’s Jermaine Defoe backstage after he showed up in her London O2 concert:
‘Oh, Jermaine, you play for Arsenal, yeah? I’ve heard all about you.’
Be the judge of that.
Sayonara.
