Le Grove – Arsenal blog featuring Arsenal news

Well I was channel hopping for 30 seconds yesterday, as soon as the mancs fluked their usual goal I was channel hopping, that made my mind up, Lyon vs Bordeaux it was.

Well forget the fact that Lyon won, I thought Bordeaux looked the better team, Chamakh in particular impressed me, in fact him versus Hugo Lloris was worth the admission money alone, it got me thinking, wow, if we had bought those two at the start of the season, we’d already have the Premiership in the bag and we’d be favourites tonight.

I also drooled over Gourcuff, pronounced Gor-coooof.

Oh well, old ground, new players and all that, I was envious that someone other than the whole of the EPL had a keeper that could make saves and not howlers, you could see their defence wasn’t too bothered if they lost the ball as they had a last line behind them, the goal keeper, all we have is an Isotonic drink leaning against the post.

Let’s hope the prospect of facing his compatriots, and the whole of Spain tonight will bring the best out of him, maybe this will be the spur he needs to have a decent game for once. I won’t hold my breath, but I will keep my fingers crossed.

Anyway, I’m no expert, like we apparently have in our vast scouting network, but Chamakh and Lloris didn’t arrive from the planet Zog this season, so why weren’t we all over them in the summer? Why could we not see we had a keeping crisis and guess we’d had a front line one by April, as always.

The good news is that Chamakh says Arsenal is still very much on his mind, we’ll see!

Onto tonight and the biggest game ever to hit the Grove, Barcelona! I can’t wait, I want the day to end but at the same time it will be like cup final day, so I will enjoy every second of it until I meet Pedro for our pre match beers and all the fans and supporters to discuss how many we will win by, I still think 3-1, but by the time kick off starts, it will rise to 5-1!

Will Cesc make it? I think so, but an unfit Cesc is an anonymous Cesc, so if he’s not 100%, I would sooner see Nasri, Song and Diaby play (Diaby is fit) having Gallas back is good news, but is he match fit? If not I would prefer Campbell in there, they have plenty of pace so Gallas would be better, but like an unfit Cesc, and unfit Gallas is a liability.

Players like Bendtner and Theo are for me in the last chance saloon, by that, I mean they need to go out and be as immense and you or I would be if we had that chance, plenty of running and be all over the pitch, wanting the ball and fighting back if they lose it, this is a cup final, and one should we win, would show the rest of Europe who the real daddy is.

I am proud to be a gooner tonight and I am thrilled to be watching us play arguably the best team in the world, Arsene, you need to send those boys out with belief, they need to go at them from the off, let Messi and his mates know what passing and moving quickly really is.

It’s pointless being in the Champions league year in, year out if we don’t think and play like we can win it, shoot on sight because that’s what they will do, they want the away goal, and don’t sit back, because they will punish us, do a Porto, show them what you’ve got early doors.

We are not the Great british winter Olympic team that just turn up for a nice day out, we are the Arsenal and this trophy should be in our cabinet, it’s not theirs by right, it’s ours.

Winning tonight won’t be the end, it’s not even the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning! And that my friends will show the world that this team has finally arrived.

Make as much noise as you can tonight Gooners, all those of you at home do the same, let us in the home of football hear your cry and tonight will be ours.

Go Arsenal, go! Have just the best day Grovers and win or lose, have a booze!

So there I was last night, at the Adelphi Theatre have a night of culture and romance, the evening began at a restaurant called Rules, and very nice it was too, but as I was walking past a pub, I saw a board advertising the City vs Wigan game, my mind then drifted toward Wednesday and the Barca game.

The show was top draw if you liked the Phantom, I won’t tell you the ending, as I won’t spoil it should you be going, but when all the songs started, my mind went back to the Arsenal and the Barca game, thinking about Thierry and how he said he will always love Arsenal, well love never dies was a sequel to the Phantom, so I’m thinking the Phantom was the 2006 final, where the Master’s heart was broken (that’s what they call the Phantom, the Master) and Love never dies will be the quarter final against Barca tomorrow, where we shall have our revenge.

Tomorrow is such a massive game on so many levels, the first is to play against the favourites and current holders, the team that easily beat the same mob that trashed us in the semis, this is one year on, they have added Ibrahimovich and we have brought back Sol and bought in Tomas Vermaelen, we don’t have Robin but we do have Arshavin and we didn’t have him last year as he was cup tied.

It looks finely balanced to me. So who will will play? Well let me suggest a team that I think will play, and we’ll go from there.

Almunia (sorry)

Eboue Campbell Vermaelen Clichy

Nasri Cesc Song

Walcott Bendtner Arshavin

What I have Song in there? Ok let me start with that one, he will combat YaYa and hopefully break up their swift movement across the middle, Diaby is still not 100% but I would use him as an impact sub, he’s good at that, if he was fit though, he would be my choice in this game.

Nasri in there because he’s good, he the form player and when you are playing a team with the skill they have, then stick on our own and send a message, if Denilson appears, I will bury my head in my hands. Cesc, say no more, he will play and have a blinder.

Up front I have gone with Theo, mainly because I think this could be the team that he can terrorise with his pace, I think with Thierry’s number on, Capello in the crowd and the world watching, he will be the star, if he’s not, then we need to re-think him next season, we can’t wait forever, not when they get paid £60k a week, I love you Theo, I really do, but now you have to show us how much you love us back, it’s time to deliver.

Nikki B to get the nod over Eduardo because he’s a handful and I think their defence is their weakness, plus we’ll need some height defending corners as they have some big boys in their team.

Arshavin, well, he’s simply the best, and better than all the rest, ( a song in there) he is our Messi and I think he’ll want to prove that, and he’ll want to show Barca how they screwed up not signing him. He is the third player I’m tipping to have a blinder.

The back four for me picks itself, but I would have Eboue over Sagna because he will link up well with Theo and Nasri, and although Sagna may edge it defensively, he can’t cross a ball to save his life, having said that I won’t be devastated if he’s selected, he’s still a great player.

If things aren’t going to plan then he has to make changes early, by that I mean at half time, not the customary 74 minutes. So we run the risk of injuries, so what? We also run the risk of losing the tie, and if we are playing badly after 45 minutes, another 30 with the same team is pointless.

That though, I don’t think will happen, I believe the atmosphere will be like the semis last year, except this time we won’t go one down after 7 minutes, I hope!

Expect to see Thierry get a great reception, he deserves it, and it may screw him up!

I truly believe this will be one of the great nights of European football, I believe we’ll win as well, handsomely, so on a night when our whole season rests on 90 minutes, expect a great performance.

I’ve been listening to the transfer stories, Carlton Cole, Eden Hazard and Boateng. Well Carlton Cole is a crock, so forget him, Eden Hazard is just like watching the Nasri clip of 3 years ago and frankly we have enough young, small and tricky players that get knocked off the ball, do we really need another? And Wenger won’t spend that sort of money.

Boateng though looks promising, he has one full cap and is probably on the bus to South Africa, so buying him now may make financial sense. However, is he better than Bartley or Nordtveit? Now that’s the real question, if he’s not, then buy a grown up. We will lose Gallas, Campbell and Silvestre in the summer so we need to replace at least one of them.

Finally Almunia says he never listens to criticism, yeah we know mate, nor does your manager, and unbelievably that’s why you’re still in the team, try watching a video on goal keeping howlers, I’m sure you’d be on most of them. Better still look at the video from Saturday, maybe you can learn from it.

We’ll talk more tomorrow about the Barca game, I just wanted to set the scene. Have a great day Grovers.

Oh yeah, the ending I wasn’t going to ruin? He dies in a car wash accident and she runs off with the bloke that sells the Big Issue outside the Adelphi, enjoy the show!

So a week ago many people, myself included were thinking we could do it, we have a better team this season and we have learned from the bad decisions of last, …or have we?

There is no doubt we are better than last season, the team is playing better, the sad thing is certain players are not, I won’t name them, but they clearly aren’t playing better and for me should not be in this team. We could have replaced them but didn’t. We got serious injuries and should have addressed that in the window, but again, we didn’t, We are financially stable but we don’t go to the Grove to marvel at a balance sheet, we go to see our team win something.

Don’t we?

This time last season we fielded a weakened side and went out of the FA Cup, shortly after we got stuffed in the Champions league, so did we learn? Time will tell, and we’ll find out on Wednesday.

We didn’t lose on Saturday, we drew, so perspective people! But we drew because our finishing was shocking and we have a very poor keeper, those are the facts, they can’t be denied, but we still needed the mancs and the chavs to drop points in two games, we still do, so from that point of view, nothing has changed, someone or both will drop points this weekend, the best we can hope for is a draw. Then we need to whop Wolves. Really whop them.

The other two aren’t just winning, they are destroying, and that’s what we should be doing, if we want to win the league, we can’t say Birmingham did well against the other two, they are Birmingham and we are Arsenal, again please, perspective.

If we beat Barca convincingly and stuff Wolves, then it’s back on, if we don’t, then we have to once again do the unthinkable and look over our shoulders, it’s still possible to finish outside the top four, in fact it’s just as easy to do that as win the league.

Whatever happens, whatever the results, we still have had to rely on the two above us dropping a bunch of points, had we bought a few players in either window, we may have run away with it, we didn’t and that can’t be changed, we have to get behind the team, lift their spirits and go and thump Barcelona. We have a chance, Iniesta is missing and Thierry won’t have his heart in it…I hope!

As pedro said yesterday, it was fun while it lasted but we have merely papered over the cracks this season, as Arshavin said, we need some top players in there and we can afford them, yes I know he was guilty of some misses, but I would sooner have a team of Arshavin’s than a team of head spinning Denilson’s and butter fingered second division La Liga keepers, because my friends, that’s all he is.

As for Theo, what a huge disappointment he is, I thought he was the next great English hope, I wish someone would pay me £60k a week to be ordinary, come on Theo, you are better than your performances show, you are, it’s now time to deliver.

Cesc has yet again said that he is going nowhere, bless him, but Chamakh looks doubtful and if rumours are to be believed Carlton Cole is on the radar.

Now I think Cole is a good player, but he is as much of a crock as Djourou, Rosicky and Robin and we really should be setting our sights higher, we didn’t make the move from Highbury to have the worlds best set of accounts, we made the move to compete with the big boys, those are the words of Wenger, not me, so let’s start competing next year boss, let’s do what we need to win things again, let’s forget about carrying players because one day they will be good, if that’s the case, loan them out until they are. We are a football club, not an Academy!

I’m looking forward to the Barca game, because even if we don’t progress, I can say I saw their team, but I still have a sneaky feeling we’ll beat them, maybe I’m as delusional as someone else we all know and love, or maybe it’s because I am an Arsenal fan and will never give in until that fat ugly bitch sings, yes, she is clearing her throat, but it’s not over until it’s over.

Come on Arsenal!

Have a great day Grovers, two wins and one of them emphatic, and it’s all back on, but lets not blame the pitch, the referee or the tackles, if we don’t win, it’s down to us.

Today we go back to our ground zero, the scene of our devastation two years ago, the game that had we won, would have sent us 8 points clear in the EPL, then we got the bad breaks, Eduardo was one and the penalty that wasn’t, the other.

Gallas showed us why he wasn’t a good captain and Arsene showed us why he lacked judgement by leaving him as captain for the rest of the season.

I think we just collapsed from that point on and the season ended, and with it any chance of silverware.

Two years on and the same thing happens at Stoke, another poor boy who picks wild flowers for his mother, goes to church every Sunday and wears a hair shirt if he thinks about naked girls is the victim, this time his name was Ryan Shawcross, the Brittania beast.

Only this time they faced a different Arsenal, this time no sulky brat for a captain, this time we had a monster of our own at the back, this time we had Sol Campbell, his reaction was not just one of horror, but one of anger, this was the reaction this team needed, this time the captain was a lion (Cesc Fabregas) not a pussy, this time we fought back and have been fighting ever since.

Now we return to where it all started, to where the world said Arsenal can be bullied, this time though it will be different, this time it’s personal.

I now want to spend sometime talking about Arsenal legends, this last 40 years has thrown out a few, Charlie George, Frank McLintock, George Graham, Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, Steve Bould, Martin Keown, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Paddy Vieira and more recently Cesc Fabregas, I would now like to nominate Sol Campbell.

He joined us from the Spuds at Shite Hart Lane where he was their captain, he joined a team where he was neither captain nor vice captain, he won the league, the FA cup and did something that only one team in football has ever done, went a season unbeaten, he went on to score against Barcelona in the Champions league final when we only had 10 men, and shortly after that he left, he was seemingly finished.

Then, when we were 11 points behind the leaders and he was 35 years old, he came back, one of only 4 players ever to return, Keown was another, he came back and now we are within two points of the summit, much of that is down to him, not only for his ability, but for the grit, determination and experience he is bringing to this young team, he’s not first choice but up he steps, I would like to elevate him to legendary status. Sol in my eyes you will always be a gooner!

I left out Ian Wright for all the crap he spouts about us on Talk Shite, for me he lost that privilege.

I’m expecting a win today and a good one, for 3 reasons, one to up our goal difference, two to send a message and finally three to avenge our fallen, and he will put the cherry on the cake, yes I’m backing Eduardo to show us what he still is, a goalscorer, and at the scene of his worst day in football.

Today from now will be known as ‘Eduardo’s revenge at St Andrews day’ today will be our day.

On a personal note much has been written about the different styles of writing you see here on Le Grove, occasionally you’ll see the vibrant penmanship of the modern man Pedro, (who buys his love with T shirts) mostly you will see the guile and wit of the stylish ME. I think I should be awarded the Pulitzer prize for journalism at the coal face, for bringing you the facts day in, day out, but I can’t nominate myself, that would be a little conceited, a little up myself and enough blogs think I am that already, though I can’t see why.

So if you all agree that my writing style and bravery deserves a Pulitzer prize, please write into Mr Pulitzer, and tell him, but don’t say I asked you too or it won’t happen, seriously, do it discretely.

Mr Pulitzer, The Daily Planet, Metropolis, America.

Finally my team for today, if fit.

Almunia

Eboue Campbell Song Clichy

Nasri Cesc Diaby

Walcott Bendtner Eduardo

Subs Rosicky Arshavin Denilson Silvestre Fabianski

Enjoy it Grovers, I have a feeling we’ll see a sign of the week to come, next up Barca.

So Andre Arshavin says we need 4 or 5 stars to allow Arsenal to win silverware but Denilson thinks we’ll win something this year, so if you thought blogland didn’t agree on much, spare a thought for our team!

I have said from the start of the season we were a striker short, we must have been as we sold Ade, if we weren’t then we must have had one too many the season before, and don’t say we had injuries, because we always have injuries, I also said we needed another centre back a DM and a keeper, well that’s 4 of Arshavin’s 5 so we certainly agree on that.

He also said since the season started and we sold Ade and Kolo we have lost Gibbs, Robin and Ramsey, he didn’t mention Johan but he has a point, we are starting to get players back but when we start next season, if they are all fit, then we have a conundrum. And a great excuse to buy no one. However, we still need a centre back a DM a keeper and a forward, he appears to have Chamakh in the bag and Johan will be fit so that leaves a DM and a keeper, we’ll see and we have a long time to speculate, August is 5 months away and no doubt we’ll have to endure Cesc to Barca or now Milan until then.

It was really nice to read Matty Upson bigging up Nikki Bendtner, I think Bendtner will improve as the season goes on and that along with Eduardo will come at the right time. We all seem to forget that Nikki spent a season at Birmingham, so he will want to prove to them they missed out, he also knows the pitch and that will be a big help.

I was kidding about the pitch, but there is something about players returning to previous clubs, add Eduardo to that and who knows, maybe revenge at St Andrews is on the cards, this really would be the time to do that wouldn’t it? Then Barca, followed by a home game against a team we should crush to follow, and all that on the weekend that the Mancs entertain the chavs.

So it’s all coming thick and fast, Birmingham, Barca, Wolves, Barca, wow, what a week!

I thought the chavs were playing last night, but it’s tonight, so we have something to look forward to, I feel for West ham and hope they don’t sack Zola, if they go down, they’ll be straight back, of that I have no doubts, but I hope they don’t go down.

All that chat yesterday about blog stalkers and I only had one on, that proves they read le Grove! I welcomed 12 new bloggers so that was nice, keep ‘em coming, the business end is upon us and it going to be close, the next 10 days will show us where we can go and I’m confident it will be a great end to the season, why? Because I’m mentally strong and I have great belief!

Enjoy tonight and let’s hope Avram get his own back!

So on the same day Thierry Henry has said he doesn’t want to play against his beloved Arsenal, Robin says he is ready to put Arsenal ahead of Holland, excellent! About time.

I hope Thierry doesn’t play because he can hurt us, it has to be the first time in football history someone playing for another club has said he doesn’t want to play in the quarter finals against his old club and first love, what a top man, why did we let you go Thierry! Not sure how Barca fans will feel about that, but I love you, always have, always will.

Robin says he is medically fit and now he needs to get physically fit and that would be a huge boost, not just for the fans, but for the team as well, way to go boy wonder.

According to some out there in blog land I don’t want us to do well, and Arsene is proving me wrong, well it’s good to see all those ex Grovers are still reading Le Grove, obviously they miss the irony of hating Le Grove, but still have to read it, unfortunately they are not allowed to comment though, because of my strict Chinese censorship rules.

What they don’t seem to understand is, first of all, we have won nothing yet, secondly had we bought some world class players it may be done and dusted by now, we could have won the Carling Cup and still been in the FA Cup.

Never mind, we still have two trophies to win and me and every Grover on here will be willing them on with all our might, we do that because we are Arsenal fans and not sheep that just accept anything they are dished up. WE HAVE OUR OWN MINDS ON HERE.

Arsene has done a great job in getting this team to play the way it does, but imagine how good we could be if we had a Messi, a Rooney a Buffon and a Lucio in there, we would be untouchable, and that is all we have ever wanted, domination. Maybe next season we will add dominance to financial stability, either way we are the same as we were in August, very good and getting better, but make no mistake, we are still in it because the other two have let us in.

Not that I care, I’ll take anything right now and if we take the same game to Birmingham, I see no reason why we can’t come back with all three points.

Many have said that Eduardo isn’t the same player he was, I disagree, remember the volley against Burnley? (at least I think it was) In the cup, I believe Eduardo’s problem is games, the more he plays, the better he will get.

The main difference between us this season and last, is Cesc has scored 18 goals, Song has given us stability as has Vermaelen, Campbell has given us experience and the rest have stepped up to the plate.

And not to mention our own Lionel Messi, one Emmanuel Eboue, where did he come from? I have to give it to him, if anyone is the most improved player in the Premiership, it’s him! Well done EBOUE!

There’s nothing wrong with questioning what the management do, if we didn’t then no one would read the blogs and converse in pubs, it’s called being a human being and not a Lemming. A Lemming is a small Rodent that follows the leader no matter what the consequences.

So the ‘I hope we win nothing’ headline was me being IRONIC. And another word for that is SARCASM, I hope this helps the blog stalkers understand me better now. And don’t forget, if you find yourselves commenting on my post today, you must have read it, SUCKERS!

So let’s hope that Avram Grant can exact some form of revenge over his previous employers tonight and put us firmly in the driving seat, then we can hope for a Villa win and a Manc draw.

The press are now starting to talk about a 3 horse race and that is sweet, Arsenal back in the hunt, and that my friends for what we pay, it is our right.

I was looking at the fixtures and apart from Wolves, I think they’re are all tough, some are saying playing a tough game like Barca could drain us, beating them though could infllate us and that’s what I’m backing.

So have a great day Grovers, the season is closing in!

So a good weekend for the boys, the mancs won, just, but there you go, we can’t have everything, we now need those two to draw and we are as as we lie. It was a hoot listening to Benitez accusing Valencia of diving, ha, ha, Gerrard is the worst diver since Drogba, and he has the temerity to complain!

Now it’s in our hands and if we get Robin the boy wonder back, then we can do this. Zola even said we could beat Barca, and the way this team fight for each other, I believe we can, gosh this is exciting!

For the first time this season I believe this team actually is showing it has ‘mental strength’ – down to 10 men a year ago against West Ham would have been different, not now though, well done the team and the manager, now let’s finish the job.

I hate the way they are talking about Sol like he’s 65, blimey, a chance to win two trophies at this stage of his career are all he needs to keep going, Sol is for me the difference. I thought him and Song at the back were immense, I would like to see that again.

We have a week to get ready for revenge at St Andrews and I see nothing that they have, that can stop us, 7 more games for glory in England and 5 left to take the Champions league, if you had offered them that in August, they would have bitten your hand off, add to that the chance of getting Robin back for the run in and, well!

I don’t take back what I said about buying a centre back, a forward and a DM in the windows because if we had, we’d already be planning the party in May, but the team we have can do it now, we are getting stronger with each game and the others know it, we are beginning to have the fear factor about us, it’s replaced the old ‘Arsenal are kids’ one, and West Ham found that out when we played them off the park with 10 men, even the pundits are now starting to believe.

We should be working around the clock on Robin now, wrapping up Sol, and if I had my way, I would send them all out to a Panamanian prison to train like Duran did in the 80′s

This team can do it and now for the first time I can see belief in there eyes. The fact that Wenger kept the forwards on until late showed they know they can win with 10 men, and I for one cannot wait until the weekend.

Now we are right in there, I feel the others will falter, you could see the panic in the eyes of the chavs yesterday and when they play the Mancs we can’t lose. Win, lose or draw and we win.

Bring it on! Have a great day Grovers, buckle up and hold on, this ride is going to be hairy!