… and another thing I hate + where did all the keepers go?

November 15, 2009

Continued …

6. Injuries. I hate international week because of injuries also. It’s like reluctantly inviting a long lost relative to stay in your house, leaving them alone for a day… only to find they’ve taken a huge dump down the back of your piano. Oh, and by the way, the present can’t be power retrieved for 3 months.

What a joke. Robin Van Persie, deadliest striker in the Premiership, is out injured for 3 months. Fabulous. I trust the Dutch FA will be underwriting his salary over that time period?

An injury to a key player is never good news, unless of course you are an understudy to a good player.

Who now steps up to take that central role? First thought point to Eduardo who bagged to goals for the Croats yesterday. That then gives an opportunity to possibly Carlos Vela to make an name for himself, and give Theo a way back into the team. As gutted as I am for Robin, lets be thankful it was a position we’ve an abundance of cover for.

* Geoff and I were invited by the Guardian to apply to write for their fans forum for next summers World Cup. I had to write 200 words about why I love international football. I think I’ve written 600 words in the last two days about why I hate it. How two faced of me.

So yesterday, I went out and got myself a brand spanking new hair cut and I mulled over a few things of a footbalistic nature.

Goalkeepers. Where did all the world class one’s go?

It’s apparent to me that there used to be an abundance of superb keepers around. Tim Flowers, Nigel Martyn, David Seaman, Peter Schmicheal to name but a few (David James used to be a laughing stock and is now regarded as one of the best!).

Now we’ve entered a period of time where apparently the only world class keeper is the pricey Italian manning the sticks in Juve.

Now, has the world entered a poor period of keeper production? Or have Lucozade been putting something dodgy in those blue bottles? Or could something more sinsister be at hand… something more corporate?

The way I see it, the ball has reduced keepers to a laughing stock. Years ago, if someone fired a ball at the top corner, it took a reasnobly straight path towards the top corner. These new balls have made it far tougher for keepers to make a judgement. All keepers can’t be bad can they? They didn’t lose the ability to stop rocket shots over night, did they?

This season has seen record goals being scored in the Premiership. Is that becasue the skill level has been upped, or the is it because the ball maufacturers are purposely making it easier for strikers to score? I’d say it was the latter.

As a fan, how does that make you feel? Are you all about an abundance of goals? Or are you of a more purist nature, preferring team efforts over 30 yard screamers?

How far are we going to go with ball tech? Will they stop improving the pace of the ball when it starts breaking nets, or games start averaging 4-5 goals? Maybe the ball manufacturers see the only way of appealing to the biggest untapped market, America, is to increase the ‘excitement’ levels with more goals?

I love to see great goals being scored. I like to see them scored because of great technique and a high skill level, not because a ball is so light, it moves three or four times enroute to the goal. I think there has to come a point, like there was in golf, when people say enough is enough. We’ve made the ball fast enough.

The World Cup is fast approaching, there will no doubt be a newer, faster, rounder ball released. I just hope it’s not detrimental core value of the game… skill.

I’m off out to play football in the pissing rain. Have fun, and maybe drop a comment if you haven’t done so before… the Grove pit is a welcoming place, I can assure you!


Stanley Kroenke, Arsenal’s saviour or another American looking to leech the profits?

November 15, 2009

As Enos Stanley Kroenke is on the verge of the 30% I have to ask myself the question, why?

The current board have suggested for several years now that they do not need any outside investment for the club to grow yet with the approaching oligarch of Red and White the board all seem quite happy to stave off his approach by selling shares of to Stan.

Neither Stan nor the Russian love the club and the same can be said for PHW, PHW’s family loved the club and while PHW likes his seat at the head of the table his distaste of the clubs supporters (without whom the club would not exist) has been well documented.

Now Fiszman and Dein really loved the club they bought in the bad days and grew the club into what it is today so why have they both recently been selling shares in the club? In the same time sp*rs owner has pumped unsuccessful millions after unsuccessful millions trying to be like Arsenal without ever coming close. Our owners have not pumped in a penny while seeing the share price grow 25 times in the last 10 years (correct me if I am wrong Geoff), shares were at £400 then and now hover at above £10,000. It doesn’t make sense at all for them to have sold especially now that the apartments at Highbury Square have been taken off the market and the next phase (the big one) of development is about to start on which is the Queensland Road development check it out, it is about 10 times the size of the previous developments.

This is when it comes clear to me what the plan has been all along and I mentioned it a couple of times on Le-Grove and Gunnerblog (when Kroenke first took over).

As Geoff has mentioned many times he and all the other Arsenal Suporter/Shareholders hold the shares for the love of the club, they have never received dividends they just want their piece of Arse.

What has been going on the last few years in the battle to take over the club has nothing to do with what is going on the pitch, if it had we would have strengthened the Invincibles not torn them apart to finance what is the ultimate payday for the shareholders.

There are 3 major problems however, the problem

1. The shareholders don’t receive dividends so when it all pays out where does the money go?

Most would assume that it would go into the club, but that has not been the case the past five years and the greed of the board in true upper class fashion means that they don’t want to share the piddling percentages of wealth with the ordinary supporters which has led to the…

2. Boardroom Chaos, it all seemed to start with Dein didn’t it?

We might never get the true story (come on David release the autobiography), but David wanted to bring someone in who could help with the commercial side of the project, he was thrown out and his son took TH14 with them.

Once rebuffed Kroenke dumped him and on the rebound he brought in the fat oligarch from whogivesafuckistan, the guy’s office is full of United memorabilia, what were you doing Dein?

The club decide to let Kroenke on the board as the lesser of two evil’s and the battle for gobbling up shares commenced. I do not blame the small fans for selling up £10k for something that cost you a few hundred years back is a tidy return rarely seen and for most people it represents 25% of their annual income… …for a footballer it was yesterday’s cheque!

3. The main problem is what will Stan bring to us? Sustained success or sustained mediocrity?

Well first we have to look at how stan the man made his fortune, which is marrying one of the Heirs to the Walmart shopping fortune and securing the rights to build strip malls next to all the new Wallmarts.

Now he is trying to marry Arsenal to secure the rights to more tasty property development. Everyone likes to cite his great fondness for sports and the fact that his teams are always playoff teams and the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup (not named after him btw). His teams always seem to do enough to get to the lucrative playoffs in US sport (Champions League for us), but they rarely seem to be winners. That is what worries me, I think Stan wants to make us into a team that just makes money to service his debt.

Look at it this way he apparently still owes Fiszman cash for his shares and I am sure he hasn’t PIF for PHW’s either.

So what is going on?

I have felt for some time that the board is now using the Usmanov upheaval to force Kroenke to buy the club (with their assistance), which would mean buying out the rest of the small shareholders and Arsenal supporters groups who still have a say (albeit one which get’s rubbished at present). Once they own the club PHW, Fiszman and co. after developing the rest of the property are all in line for a big payday.

At least that explains what’s been happening at the club for the last few years.

The problem is during all this we have been impotent, short of one of us winning “el gordo” we really do not have much of a say at all.

It does make me quite sad to see so much greed taking away from the gloss of watching the most entertaining football this side of the Pyrenees.

The Americanization of Arsenal has already started, we come out to Elvis and tickets have been on general sale for the first time in years… the club no longer seem to want or care for the Arsenal fans of old and want to create a sterile atmosphere matching all US arenas above University level.

I almost got thrown out of a Tuesday night Champions League match because I made a “wanker” gesture towards the away fans. They were doing much of the same but as usual they can do whatever they like! The guy next to me was told off for taking pictures on his camera with a zoom lens… …it has all become a little ridiculous if you ask me.

I just want to go be allowed to stand and sing and enjoy some entertaining footie, the only place I can doo that is on the road …it is such a pity because with a little love from above we could have a great atmosphere.

Stan as far as Arsenal are concerned, you are not the answer for me, your Billion $ you are just not enough in this day and age, especially to buy a club with a first class team and stadia.

Peter Hill Wood your father would be turning in his grave right now for what you have allowed to have happened to the illustrious Arsenal.

Guest Blog – Gunner8

Pedro’s morning round up will follow a little later.


Crap hair, Crap papers, Crap football, Crap Spanish Clubs, Crap, Crap, Crap

November 14, 2009

There are many things I find crap about international week.

1) The fact the comments section seems to turn into a warzone almost immediately. Bloggers take time out to really hammer home their dislikes, their  beliefs and it all becomes a bit personal a bit too quickly.

2) The fact that I reckon only about 10% of football fans actually support international football these days. Lets be honest, watching England is for Championship supporters… it gives your every day civilian in the UK the chance to go down the pub, get a little rowdy and maybe have a fight with a few of the local strawberry pickers.

3) You notice that David Beckham has changed his hair cut to look like yours, I don’t think I need to elaborate on how horrific that is for someone older than 14.

4) You find yourself actually clicking the links to the Daily Mirror website and reading articles that state David N’gog’s dive should have been against Arsenal for moral equilibrium to be restored in the world, or other fascinating snippets, like the woman driving the car Cudicini crashed into was an Arsenal fan, like  a man smashing his pelvis to pieces is supposed to have somesort of humourous edge to it. Real piss poor journalism manages to get hits. The Daily Mirror, bar Steve Stammers, really is the toilet of the news arena.

5) Barcelona tell Arsenal they’d like to marry their wife, but it would be too disrespectful to talk about it in public. Apparently he is pretty ‘cule’. I’m not really sure what that means, but it seems to me it could be the word ‘cool’ phonetically spelt in scouse. I can’t be bothered to google it, so it’ll have to sit on the pile of other unsolved mysteries I’ve got stacking up (why don’t McDonald’s serve mayonnaise? Has a mobile phone ever exploded someone’s pacemaker in a hospital? When was the last time a Nintendo game boy fell a plane?).

I hope today’s post has spread a little joy into your life… I’m off to baracade my back door. The river that is flowing through my garden is looking slightly menacing!

See you in the comments!

P.S. If you have any spares, send them my way. I’ve got loads of takers!

 


Under 17’s, how can you tell? Seagulls everyone or Monopoly!

November 13, 2009

So yesterday I found myself watching Switzerland vs Colombia in the under 17’s world cup, Switzerland won 4 nil, the Colombians were favourites but lost a man early on when they conceded a penalty and just lost the plot.

Then I watched Spain, who were favourites, get tonked by Nigeria the hosts. Then I thought, will any of these step up and become world stars? There was a Swiss player with a very Arabic sounding name that looked classy, a few DM’s and a Nigerian forward, but no one really grabbed me.

When I watched the under 21’s in the summer, Ozil (or whatever his name is) stood out but they were all raving about a Swedish forward who I’ve never heard of since.

My point is how many of these kids will make it, how many will become good then want to go back to their homeland because of pressure, and how many will stay in our team and make us unbeatable for a decade like the scousers were and the Mancs are?

Arsene Wenger has been with us long enough to see if his project will work, we have a crop of young ‘uns coming through that look good, time will tell if they step up, but it’s like owning all the houses in Monopoly, unless someone lands on them, there’s no point in collecting them all.

Now that may sound like an Eric Cantona moment but it has concerned me for sometime, let’s see if Fran Merida stays, he is a great example, Cesc is another, if they all hang around, it could pay big dividends, if they don’t, it could prove a waste of time.

Another example was Lupoli and Bendtner, they were banging them in for fun, and Lupoli was the star, what happened to him?

If you all get a chance to watch Nigeria vs Switzerland try, then take a look and try and guess who’ll be the next superstar and whether or not they’ll make it.

The last time we signed under 17’s sensations one was called Senderos and the other Vela.

Oh and spare a thought for fat Frank who strained a muscle having a tom-tit on a private jet, I bet the chavs have him fit though, I bet he won’t be out for 3 months like he would had he been at Arsenal.

Have a great day Grovers, the next 2 posts are on Pedro!


Jackie boy says we can go all the way, Wenger strikes back?

November 12, 2009

Jack Wilshere is targeting the quarter final game against shitty as his come back game, he hopes they will field their strongest side as he believes we can go on and win the Carling Cup.

I wonder how Kolo and Ade the whore will feel trotting out knowing we only field our babies in this one, how will they feel when they get stuffed by them? The last time Ade played in this cup was the time he head butted a team mate for daring to challenge him, let’s hope he does that this time, he’ll get a smack in the mouth if he did it to the Welsh runt Bellamy, now that would be funny!

I would love Arsene to go through our players and tell us which position he sees them in, so Vela and Nasri on the left, Rosicky, Wilshere and Theo on the right, and so on, just so we could wonder amongst ourselves who might play where.

Suffice to say, I can’t wait for this one, it smacks of that time our kids tonked the scousers 6-3, with Aliadiere and the Beast getting on the scoresheet.

Other news is Wenger is tracking Barcelona winger 18 year old Israeli Gai Assuilin. He is one of their finest young talents, and that would be sweet, sweet, justice for them talking to one of our young kids, Karma if you like.

Get in there Arsenal, that’s what you should be doing.

I don’t know who he’ll pick for the Carling Cup game, and I don’t know if Eastmond will have a better game again, but I would like to see him, Wilshere, Vela, Ramsey, Watt and Coquelin feature along with Eduardo, Eboue and Rosicky for experience, maybe even playing Theo up front with Watt.

We sure do have options, but I want to win this one, what do you think Grovers?

Have a great day debating, I’ll be on later.

 


Will we move for Numbchuks now Bendtners is out, or will Watt step up?

November 11, 2009

Interesting thought, Bendtner is out for at least 2 months, by the time you add the Theo factor, then maybe even 3. The Theo factor is you get injured and are out for a month, then you take another month getting fit before your come back, at which you get injured again, stopping along the way to buy your girlfriend a brand new Ferrari.

Don’t have a cow, I’m not suggesting Nikki B will buy his girlfriend a brand new Ferrari, what I’m saying is they always seem to take twice as long to come back from an injury, so maybe it’s time we made a premptive strike and worried about having too many players, when we have too many players.

I also love Theo, I really do, but he does seem to spend a large part of the season in the treatment room, perhaps it’s the treatment room that’s the problem, perhaps it’s the training, either way it happens more to us than anyone, and we can’t keep putting it down to co-incidence.

The YaYa rumour has started up again but it’s all bollocks, we will never sign someone that turned us down, he wants to play with his brother and the 300 midfielders at shitty and we need another African like we need a hole in the head.

Now before you African’s spit your cornflakes out, hear me out, we have nothing but admiration for Africans, many of you on this site are indeed from the big continent, however the ACN is on every 2 years and that is ridiculous, we need cover for Song because he is going there to play in it, so why on earth would we sign his replacement if he too were going, we wouldn’t, so that’s it, it’s all bollocks.

The squad replacement for Eboue is sorted but the squad replacement’s for Song are a little too young, that’s if it were Eastmond or Coquelin, Diaby is no good in that position so that only leaves Djourou or Senderos, …get the chequebook out Arsene!

So I think we should get two in, in the window, both as cover, I would look at Matuidi and Chamakh, the run in will be tough, and yes I know there will be a bit of cup-tied-ness in there, but they wouldn’t cost much and we could always have a clear out in the summer.

Let’s hope Liverpool get pilloried like we did for a dive that was shameful, let’s see Platini say something, yes I know it’s the FA’s job, but they never act, unless of course it’s us in the dock.

The other option up top is Watt, but like Coquelin and Eastmond, I think he’s too young, but I do like him,  another thought is to bring back Homer J Simpson, but I just get the feeling Wenger doesn’t have him in his plans.

Have fun today Grovers, only ten more to go until we overcome that fat manc loving ingrate from the stadium of shite. I mean when did rednose ever supply him with half his squad?

 


I hope Cashley makes it, so I can boo him for 90 minutes.

November 10, 2009

Cesc Fabregas says that the William Gallas spat last season is now behind the boys, though Arshavin says no-one is allowed to sit near him on the team bus, he really is a complex character is our Billy, but I think he’s having his best ever season in football, which I think proves my point that centre backs don’t come of age until they reach their late 20’s, so in theory we have got many years left of watching Vermaelen.

The centre back situation is a little worrying, as we only have Senderos and fish head to come back, I’m not sure when Djourou will be ready but I think he will make it, so we have him, but the young guns are too young, so should we have a little look see in the window?

I would have said maybe he would put Song in there if needed, but I don’t think he’ll move him from the midfield in my lifetime, the one thing that cost us last year was losing Gallas, I think we missed him more than we missed Cesc.

I also think Cesc this season is a different player, I believe adding scoring to his game has given him a new dimension, remember Hleb? When we had him, how frustrating was the team to watch when no one had a shot, we’re a bit different now, what with Vermaelen having a pop from anywhere and Arshavin and Robin doing their thing, I think we only have three outfield players that haven’t scored. Happy days!

So the chavs beat the mancs, well we spanked the mancs so we have nothing to worry about, if the mancs had a goalscorer in their team they would have been 4 up at half time, next up for us, Sunderland, next up for the chavs, Wolves, and John Terry says it’s a tough game. We’ll see.

On the Ashley Cole injury, I’m hoping he’s out for the game, but then at the same time, I’m looking forward to booing his every touch, tough decision that!

Have a great day Grovers, it’s strange being talked of as a contender again, let’s hope that lasts eh!


Sunderland couldn’t beat the spuds, why are we bothered!

November 9, 2009

We all know that those away games up north used to cause us problems, the reason I’m not worried is, we have such a good team, don’t get me wrong, I still believe had we signed two heavyweights in the summer, we would be 4 points clear of Chelsea and looking at a season going unbeaten.

The team we currently have though is still good enough to take care of the Sunderland’s of this world, when you think we have Rosicky, Nasri, Vela, Wilshere and Theo to come back, I think we have plenty in there to win all our remaining games this year.

Watching City does show you that money doesn’t guarantee success, but then they have a shit manager who bought Kolo (our weak link) and made him his captain! How funny was it to see Kolo stranded in the middle of nowhere as the ball hits the back of the net again, that brought back memory’s.

So although money doesn’t buy success, it sure as hell would do if the right manager was spending it, I still think that we need cover when the ACN comes along, and also we need that cover to act as competition and cover in the event of injury.

I know we have the kids coming through, and I agree we can’t ruin their chances, so that’s why I still see Vieira as the perfect answer.

After watching the chav/manc game yesterday, I really saw nothing there that I feared, I don’t think the chavs will have the legs to go through the season at that pace and the mancs are just not as good without their Portuguese pikey.

It’s good to see that although Arsene isn’t spending any money that at least Ivan Gazidas is, he’s added another expensive member to his team, this time a lawyer, who happens to be an expert in the field of takeovers.

Arsenal football club now has the biggest management team in the EPL, it’s a shame we have done the worst deals though isn’t it? Ivan, don’t worry, I know it wasn’t you, but having such a large team of pencil pushers, makes we wonder what the point is, the naming rights and shirt sponsors are set in stone for a long time to come.

Anyway Grovers, we are second, we also have a game in hand, and we we be playing the chavs soon, win our next two games and we could go top! Imagine that!!!


Arsenal romp to victory!

November 7, 2009

Ok, so I ended up watching the match in some Soho bar, dressed as the mad hatter. My report will be strictly note form today, exactly as I saw the match. Apologies for the lack of craft, this is totally blackberry!

Notes:

Scored more goals than we’ve scored before, but conceded the most in our Premier League history.

Rambo starts the game ahead of Song because Wenger wants to give him a run out. Geoff predicted correctly!

Wolves make the first chance of the game with a looping kevin doyle header. Gibbs cleared off the line.

Ebanks Blake gets a header off from a corner that fizzed past Almunia’s near post.

Wolves were playing a high line which Van the man nearly exploited.

Eduardo had a shout for a penalty turned down. What a joke, it was a nailed on one. Match of the day of course didn’t show that one.

Wolves continued to exploit us aerially. They had a game plan, and it was doing well. Diaby took a few minutes out to allow us to gain composure… I hoped! Song took his place, then I realised it wasn’t a a cunning Diaby plan. This team amendment would hopefully allow Rambo the chance to get forward.

Arsenal picked up a free kick after Eduardo was cynically shoved over. RVP fizzed in the free kick…it missed everyone and went in off Zubar. I jumped up, saw Eduardo waving his finger…assumed it was disallowed, thankfully it was just an admittance that the goal wasn’t his. Arsenal were undeservedly ahead.

Arsenal started to dominate.

Song broke up play in the middle, laid it off to Rambo whose pace allowed him to beat his man, he then  passed to Eduardo who with one touch, chipped Hennesey in stunning fashion, well maybe a tiny deflection.

Sagna won the ball in his own half and gave it to Cesc, who then passed it back to Sagna, who elegantly chipped the ball to Van persie, who stunned the ball to Cesc, who buried it inside Henneseys near post. Fab-ulous stuff. Sagna loves an assist lately, eh?

The second half started slowly. I did wonder to myself why Rambo didn’t start ahead of Diaby? Song was reassuring in the middle, cleaning up like Ashley Cole in a room full of ugly hair dressers. Aaron Ramsey was a touch unpredictable in the first half, but going forward he looked every bit the player we’d hoped for.

Gibbs was booked for a challenge he tried to pull out of…  …harsh in my opinion.

Arshavin scored our fourth after he buried the punch out back into the net from twenty yards out, super, super strike.

Arsenal dominated the rest of the game until the 89th minute when I said to my friend,

‘This is when we concede’

Sure enough, we gave away a needless corner, Vermaelen lost his marker and Wolves nabbed their consolation goal. I had a disagreement with a few of the grovers about late goals. My view is if you concede enough of them, it becomes a mental issue. I think its apparent we have a problem now, it doesn’t bode well for the big games does it? 4 late goals in 5 games, very upsetting from a perfectionist point of view.

Conclusion.

Superb play at times after a shaky start, who cares though, we are second, and if today is a draw, we can go top by beating the chavs, so after much soul searching, I asked the postmeister Geoff for his opinion on the ideal result, and we both agreed a draw would suit, a nil, nil one, followed by 4 sendings off for violent conduct.

Have a super Sunday and let’s hope for the perfect result to finish off a great weekend.


Manuel back to his best says Arsene, that’s good then! Eastmond travels.

November 7, 2009

So the boss says Manuel is back to his best, that sounds to me like to manager is happy with his keeper and that’s a worry, if we had a Seaman in goal I could understand that comment but we don’t, so if he’s content, get used to it people, he won’t be looking for another.

Ok, word on the street is, that young Craig Eastmond travels today, perhaps Wenger is looking at his replacement options for the ACN, I would like to see if this kid can have another good game, blooding him against Wolves could be an inspired moved, if he does, good luck Craig.

News that we’re after Ozil sounds like complete bollocks to me, as the article says he is a replacement for Cesc, well as Cesc is going nowhere, that makes it a non story, and anyway, we have Ramsey and of course, Fran Merida, which brings me onto todays question.

You could say that losing Wiltord and Edu on free’s was a little careless, and that losing Flamini for zip was a bit daft, but to lose Fran Merida for nothing at the end of the season would be staggering. I’m sure we wouldn’t have allowed his contract to wind down, especially as we spent all summer getting the rest of the team on long term contracts, Gazidas is way too smart, isn’t he?

Carlo Ancellotti sees us as his main threat this season, nice little compliment that, and high time we were talked about as potential champions again, today is a good test, but anything less than a win would be a major disappointment, so let’s hope we go at them as if they were some foreign team.

I watched ‘The Damned United’ last night, boy that took me back to what a real tackle was! If you haven’t seen it, get it, it’s so well acted it ought to get an Oscar, it takes you to the day when football really was a mans game, and when I see teams now roughing us up, it makes me laugh, watch this film and you’ll know what roughing up is!

Have a great day Grovers, it’s in our hands and today the Arsenal will close the gap, and don’t forget, we’ll score more than they do, and that’s all that’s needed!