Ok, so December was tough, we all knew it would be, but January looks like a welcome break from the nail biters of late.
With West Ham, Birmingham, Newcastle at home and Fulham away in the premier league, it’s not too bad, in theory that’s 12 points or it should be if we are to win the league.
We’ll soon lose Kolo and Eboue, but it’s not for long, something like the 7th of Jan to the 10th of February and that’s only if Ivory Coast go all the way. We don’t get what I would call a hard one until March 22nd - away to the chavs, so I think we’ll manage with Djourou and big Phil.
West Ham are probably the toughest test so I would expect the side that finished against Everton to start tomorrow, plus Eduardo or Theo as the 11th man.
Wenger is beginning to smell blood, so I expect him to go for it from the off, so my guess is 4-4-2, he probably guesses that West Ham will start with Cole or Ashton alone up front, so will want to try and get an early lead.
I thought about a non contentious headline to appease other blogs, I hope you like it.
I get really fed up when some articles I read says things like ‘we’re now top but after the Pompey game you would think we were bottom listening to some supporters’.
I have to say some blogs think it’s unthinkable to criticise the team when they play badly, we don’t, if a surgeon has a bad day, the patient dies, if a fighter pilot has a bad day, he dies, so when you see salaries of between £50 and £110k a week paid to our team week, and they play like a pub team, we the supporters are allowed to get pissed off when we don’t win.
If I was a Derby County fan fair enough, they are not good enough and they don’t get paid as much, but we are and we do, so if we want to moan, we can.
Work out the ratio to what you the fans earn and how much it costs per game, and that should include food, drink and the cost to get to each game, then you’ll see you have the right to comment, you paid for it.
Players even get their food paid for, when was the last time your company paid for your lunch or dinner, Christmas I bet.
So my point is, I don’t begrudge what my team earns or eats or even how many days a week they work, but if they have a bad day at the office, we all have the right to be a little fed up, and that my friends doesn’t make us heretics.
Having an opinion stops you being a sheep, that’s all.
Onto football matters, it’s now common knowledge that we beat Everton by employing the long ball, which in my book is plan ‘C’ with 4-5-1 plan ‘A’ and 4-4-2 plan ‘B’ so I was delighted that we scored 4 away and at the ‘Home of the Bullies’
If we can mix some of all the previous plans at certain games, we can beat any team on the day.
By that I mean if we start say 4-5-1 and it’s not working, why can’t we just adapt another formation when needed and drift back if we need to?
We decided to show you a clip of Samir Nasri to give you as taste of what could be coming our way next year, enjoy!
West Ham tomorrow and revenge for our only defeat at the Grove.
Thanks Dave, (Moyes) yeah, that’s right David Moyes says we were route one, that they were the better team and even though we scored four goals away from home on a cold windswept night up north ,with ten men, they deserved the three points.
Ha fucking ha, you deluded ginger twat. You know, I think Arsene should get the game replayed as it wasn’t fair they lost.
He also sarcastically said the Cesc must have a broken jaw the way he went down, well the Everton midfield went down quicker than a gaggle of Russian hookers last night and Arteta was the worst tom of the lot, so pot and kettle spring to mind.
Sometimes route one is needed especially against a team with their height and a five man midfield, so good to see the long awaited plan ‘B’ again.
Eduardo showed why we bought him, he waited until he was ready until he shot, like a young Lord Nelson with the Polar bear some years ago, what coolness under pressure! and Ade and Rosicky took their chances straight off, last week Ade would have stopped and looked back for someone to pass to, so being dropped gave him a toe up the arse, good going boys.
Arsene finally gave us a 4-4-2 and we won, some may say it was a 4-4-1-1 but the team played 4-4-2 and despite a shaky start we soon got comfortable and when we went to 4-4-1, thanks to super Nick, we started to play!
So that’s the answer, start with 10 men.
Bit of transfer gossip today linking us with Samir Nasri and Benzema saying they would fit in with Wenger’s Academy signings.
The Times says ‘Arsenal as ever are being linked with virtually nobody, so expect some infant to arrive from Equatorial Guinea who will be a £20 million player in a couple of years’
They’re probably right, but I would have Nasri and Benzema in a heartbeat, and even the Bulgarian winger we trialled.
As for a keeper, you know, I’m really happy with Almunia, I think he’s done enough and no-one else floats my boat, I think bringing in another keeper would undermine team spirit, at the same time Lehmann has to go for the same reason, so bring in cover like a ‘Mart Poom’ and let Almunia and Fabianski develop.
So a great, great day for the men in red and white, that was a huge, huge win, we can go all the way now, it’s in our hands and we’re on the back 9.
Another super comments day yesterday Grovers, keep it up!
Okay yesterdays question on who do we sign, threw up some interesting scenarios.
I think the consensus was to let Lehmann go and reluctantly Gilberto, I say reluctantly because he’s been a great servant to the club, but is getting older and Diarra is in the wings behind Flamini so we have enough cover in that position.
Also it was a mixed bag on Eboue, you either love him or hate him.
Quaresma was either too big a name or just what we need, but I did hear Benzema and Micah Richards a lot, so boss if you’re reading, take note!
All in all, a good and constructive days blogging Grovers and very interesting to hear so many differing opinions, that’s what this blog is all about.
The biggest thing that came out however was universally we all hate 4-5-1 and believe it to be negative, so Arsene, go back to 4-4-2 and keep us here at Le Grove happy.
Big ask today, Everton are the form team, scoring goals at will and apart from losing to the Mancs (90 minute penalty) have swept all aside, including 2 wins in a week at Upton Park, coincidentally our next up opponents.
So who will play? And how will we play?
The back five pick themselves so.
Almunia
Sagna Kolo Gallas Clichy
Midfield is a tougher one but I’m thinking one change there.
Hleb Cesc Flamini Rosicky
With Arteta playing Cesc will shine, with both being Spanish, as he did against Liverpool with Torres on show.
Up front I would really like him to be ballsy and try.
Bendtner Eduardo
He won’t though! so it will be Ade alone up front and Diaby, Gilberto or Diarra drafted into midfield.
I think he is waiting until he gets Boy Wonder back before he dares try 4-4-2 again.
So a tough game on the cards today, but then I thought Blackburn would be harder so who know? he may surprise us.
Go, go Arsenal, it’s games like this that win titles.
Great comments from you all yesterday, very worldwide and very intelligent.
If only Arsene acts on those comments, I think the bulk of you are saying Rosicky and Eboue could do with a rest and we should bring in two new faces, I’m throwing in the above two, both I understand, we could get.
I’m not saying these two are the answer, but I am trying to get the ball rolling.
Adebayor surprisingly was not the number one or even number two striker of choice according to your comments, it’s also interesting to read that the man himself thinks he’s better than the Icon ‘TH14′ already!
I don’t know what he reads, it can’t be this blog, but I want what he’s smoking!!!
He is certainly a scorer of great goals, he has scored a few this season, but he also seems to miss a few, please note you sensitive ones (both of you) this is not a ‘we hate Eboue, Rosicky and Ade’ blog, it would be interesting to hear your opinions though, are they right or should we buy, and if we buy, who should we buy?
It’s important Grovers, January is almost upon us and Arsene reads this site daily (according to insiders).
No Robin or Gallas tomorrow, if you believe what you read, and I do! so I fully expect a defensive team out tomorrow, I hope I’m wrong but I’ll have money on it.
Have a good day, and have your say on transfers, it could be our last chance!
I love Arsene and his brand of swash buckling football that’s so pleasing on the eye, but what is he looking at these days?
4-5-1 is boring, it doesn’t work (unless we’re playing Milan away), we have no shots and we rarely win doing it, so why does he persist?
Adebayor is like a little boy lost up front and the only time we look like a force is when we revert to 4-4-2 with Bendtner.
In fact, I think we are better with Bendtner than we are with Ade, Ade is fast taking the latter day Henry role, losing the ball, not making the killer pass at the right time and blaming everyone else.
Last night it was obvious what to do from the start, Portsmouth didn’t have to worry as we were never likely to score, Rosicky and Eboue are average at best at opening up defences and Pompey sat back because they knew what Arsenal would do, as did Newcastle, Middlesbrough and almost Tottenham.
We’re used to great football, so it seems trite to complain, but come on Arsene, don’t throw away all the good work when the title is in sight because you’re being stubborn.
We know it doesn’t work, other teams know it doesn’t work and so my leader, do you.
Eboue can cross all day, but if there’s no one on the end of them, why bother?
If RVP is going to be a crock, fine, keep him for a rainy day but go and buy a goal scorer, like Anelka.
We have a chance to put it right against Everton, but 4-5-1 won’t do it, they’ll sit back and pick us off.
Well I hope you all had a good Christmas and did the family thing as today it’s back to normal!
Good news is we’re are on Sky, bad news is, it’s 7.45pm, so it’s a long wait.
We need to pick up points over Christmas, the other two (2nd and 3rd placed teams) have a reasonably easy run so we need to nail a few points on the board to stay ahead.
I have a feeling we’ll play something like the side that beat Blackburn away, not as young, but a mixture.
I expect Ade to have Bendtner up front with Diaby and Diarra in midfield with Hleb and Cesc.
Kolo and Billy at the back with Traore and Hoyte at full back.
Pompey are there to be taken but Everton will be tough, so if we can start with 3 points tonight, I’ll be more than happy.
If we play 4-5-1 though, we will struggle.
Not a lot of news out there today Grovers, but I’m sure there will be tomorrow.
Steven Gerrard tried to persuade Thierry to join the Rafaloution this summer, sadly Thierry chose Barca instead! I doubt he even considered Liverpool really, Terry was probably just humouring him!
Adebayor is up for the BBC African player of the year, he needs your vote, so get voting Grovers!
Nikki Big Bollocks has pledged his immediate future to Arsenal, he said,
”I’ll do whatever I can and won’t rest until I get into the team,’ said the Denmark international. ‘That is all I have on my mind and all I think about.”
Good stuff Nik! He has come of age this year with some mature performances, he is certainly good value for a starting berth in the new year.
Adebayor talks about how tough the Spud’s game was here, Wenger backs Almunia for England here, Gilberto could be going up North here, and Diarra’s agent is working overtime here and here.
Portsmouth and Everton both tasted defeat this weekend which bodes well for a next few games. Portsmouth were on the receiving end of a spanking at the hands of Liverpool, something Fat Sol Campbell is keen to avoid when they play the Ars.
Arsene Wenger heaps praise on Berbatov here which has led many news outlets to suggest we could make a bid for the miserable figure in the new year. As much as I would like to see us sign a player of Berbatov’s calibre, I can’t see it happening? Where would he fit in? I don’t just mean his style of play either, I mean his massive ego!
Finally, one to keep you giggling the whole way through Christmas! Baptissssssttttttttaaaaaaa!
If your I.T department are more oppressive than Stalin, click the link above to receive Le Groves daily post in your inbox!
Don't worry about privacy, your details won't be passed on unless a viagra company comes in with a sizeable offer!
Just kidding...
Alternatively, click the below button to subscribe to Le Grove in your Browser... RSS feeds make keeping up to date with everything Grovertastic a breeze:
15 Comments | 
Uncategorized | 
Permalink
Posted by Geoff
