Arsenal 3 Newcastle Utd 0

Didn't know why the tele (or SCV for that matter) not show the match(es), I had to be contented catching it on livefooty on me PC @ 4am in the morning!

Well, deja vu isn't it? Didn't expect a similar scoreline to Saturday and I wanted Newcastle to give us more of a fight than last time round. But no matter, Arsenal were at their best again and it sure was a joy to watch!

Eduardo was paired again with Ade (seems like they are now the confirmed front two). Bendtner came on for Eduardo and linked up with Ade for the first time since the infamous bust-up at WHL. The team showed a great sense of focus this time and as I've missed the 1st half trying to make sense of the in availability of a live telecast on Ch27, the 2nd half was all Arsenal. The visitors tried real hard to break us down and came closest from a Butt freekick which skimmed off the bar. But there was no denying the goals from Ade, Flamini (great 25m shot!) and Cesc.

+Points: The team was more focused and deserved to leapfrog Man U. Well, we did for 24hrs.

-Points: Not much really.

Transfer Rumors

Bosnian starlet Edin Dzeko is reported by Boro Primorac to be a definite target, well at least come June. Click here 4 more!

The ever present rumor of French youngster Yoann Gouffran coming to Arsenal doesn't seem to be fading. Maybe it's true after all? Click here 4 more!

Joleon Lescott coming from Everton? Click here 4 more!

FA Cup 4th Rd: Arsenal 3 Newcastle Utd 0

Eagerly anticipating an Arsenal onslaught from the kickoff, I was pretty disappointed yet again with the 1st-half. A distinctive lack of aggression was, to me, the highlight of the half. Was it going to be another one of those games that we have seen too often this season? Was this tie going to go for a replay, which I feel would be a waste of players' energy?

After that humiliating trashing mid-week, I really did want to see Arsenal bouncing back with more vigor and purposeness. Newcastle, under the rejuvenation of Kevin Keegan again, showed more aggression and hunger to want to win the game. In contrast, Diaby was losing the ball more often than once and even though Walcott showed improvements, was still going nowhere really. I was sad to see Rosicky leave early in the 8th min but Eduardo came on and made up his absence well. I was glad Hoyte was moved back to RB where he should be and Senderos coming back into the side. Senderos did have a pretty good game and hopefully he will do well alongside Gallas 'till Toure returns. Newcastle were winning most of the half-chances and getting their tackles in effectively. The Gunners were made to look second-best, with their problems predominantly in the final-third..

The half-time ended at 0-0 and I kept my fingers crossed it would be better in the 2nd-half. It did! Ade stepped up his game, and along with the effective Eduardo, conjured two fantastic goals to make the scoreline presentable. Nicky Butt headed in past his own 'keeper to make it 3-0 for us later on in the game.

+ Points: Eduardo is coming along very nicely. From the TV angles, he looked sharper in his dribbles and could have gotten the 1st goal had it not hit the post and come off for Ade to score. Walcott is getting some confidence back and AW mentioned that it was important to give him games. Ade is scoring again and I hope to see him play with Bendtner and put the past behind them.

- Points: Gilberto came on as a sub, and as usual gave away a couple of aimless passes. 1st-half was forgetful and I can only hope the team gives more focus to their already excellent talent.

Is everything fine at Ashburton Grove?

Alas, after being inspired by fellow Goon bloggers and starting this inaugural personal blog - ironically at a time when its mid-season - I would have had enough time to ponder on the 3rd-generation of Arsene & the Boys..

It was a fine pre-season in Austria and the Amsterdam Tournament where we saw glimpses of the new-look Arsenal 07/08. Eduardo had done pretty well, of course playing against continental oppositions its hard to know then how he'll cope in the BPL. All aside, Arsenal were proving the critics wrong with fine displays to win both tournaments. The UCL is considered successful so far but not beating Slavia away costs us and now we have to get past the Milan giants.

Well, enough of past matches and on to how the team is right now. Deflated is one word I would use after that heavy Spud defeat and rumors of infighting will boil over as long as they know who is in charge. Ade made an apology on the official site and I believe the team will be more focus going into the game against Newcastle (more on that in awhile).

Players come and go at the Grove and we have seen the Invincibles reduced to just vice-captain Toure (and a few past reserves) after Ljungberg left. Gilberto Silva is a name I hope I will not see in Arsenal's squad next season, brilliant servant as he is for us for so long, his sell-by-date has become so obvious! A fine example would be his non-existent role infront of the back 4 (he's fav position btw and grumbled when he had to play at CB). Diarra would have been a better replacement for Flamini but, alas, I was sad the talent left us for less greener pastures.

I haven't been a fan of Flamini, even hoping he would be transfered, cause I just didn't see how he featured in the Arsenal way on the pitch. His first few matches were frustrating when he gave away needless FKs and even tackled his own player once! But so far he has proven me wrong and I can understand why the Professor wants to extend his contract. His workrate has been fantastic and he has been showing he is a better DM than Gilberto.

Defensively, the team has been solid at the back with Toure and Gallas becoming the 1st choice pairing. Clichy is irreplaceable and newboy Sagna did himself proud early in the season (somehow faded after the winless streak ended at Boro). Senderos and the back from loan Djourou, hasn't quite convinced me they are top class yet. Hoyte fits nicely at right-back but he has been suspect at CB (ala Spurs game). Traore has been lauded by Cpt. Gallas of his talent but I have yet been impressed with him. His unsureness in the Burnley game almost costs the team on a couple of occasions. As long as Clichy stays away from injuries and suspensions, I don't see how the LB slot would be given to Traore in big matches. One thing is for sure, the defence lacks height!

Hmm, that brings us to Almunia.. He definitely has taken his chance with Lehmann benched (after two horrific blunders in the first couple of matches). Almunia is not a world-class 'keeper and I don't see him ever becoming one but there's really no one else. Lehmann is low in confidence and unsettled at the moment (with a couple of Bundesliga clubs wanting him) as is shown in the win over Burnley in the FA Cup recently. He was just flying all over the place and I felt he looked jittery. Fabianski is definitely a great stopper and one for the future but the team really needs one now and next season!

Midfield is where there are problems. Wingers Rosicky (my favourite player) and Hleb (fantastic so far) are a must in the team, along with wonderkid Cesc and Flamini, we have a very stable midfield. Problem is, when either one of them are out there isn't much of a direct replacement for them. Denilson is talented but still lacks the killer pass and physique. Diaby has just too much flair in his game and loses the ball at crucial times (ala Spurs game). But I like him as he is a fantastic, skilful player when he is focused and in his rythm can score some goals for us. Gilberto? Well we all know that one..

In the striking department lies the least of our problems...

Well, almost...

If RVP is completely fit, this team will be getting a hell lot more goals. Ade blows hot and cold, and his first touch has let him down for quite a number of matches. Other than that, he has been scoring pretty regularly AND stunningly. But as long as RVP stays injured, he is our No. 1 striker. Eduardo would be 3rd on my list and I think he will reach his peak towards the end of the season. His goal-to-matches ratio has been improving nicely so far. Bendtner is also a fine talent, and at 19, already making his mark in the league (just like his winner against Spurs). Walcott is having a bad run of form at the moment and critics are already saying he is a boy in a man's land crap. It might be true that ever since his mentor, The Great Henry, took on a new apprentice at Barca, Walcott has had no one to look up to in his development. I hope our great Professor deals with this issue fast as I would hate to see his talent fade and ultimately leave us..

First of all, IMHO, I feel the players that should go is Lehmann and Gilberto. Diarra left us with a hole in the subs department, which would have been he's once Gilberto leaves. Instead, AW should now look for adequate cover for Flamini or even look into getting a top-class DM if Flamini decides its farewell Emirates. I don't mind losing either Senderos or Djourou if we are able to get a solid CB in the summer. Someone in the mold of Nesta or Cannavaro would be nice! =P Getting a top-class 'keeper would also add steel at the back and push Almunia back to his old place. Rumors abound earlier that AW considered bringing Juuskalainen or Boruc to the Emirates but we all know it couldn't be true..

Midfield can be further strengthened if the younger youngsters don't make the grade. I'll say bring cover to the wingers at least. The forward line is just right so far but as AW said, having RVP back and fully fit is like having signed a new star player. Eduardo is doing really fine so far and hopefully will hit the 20-odd mark by season's end. And then we might just see him repeating his remarkable scoring feat just as he did in the Croatian league.

By far, the star and legendary player Arsenal can't lose in ANY circumstances is Arsene Wenger himself. The professor is Simply Irreplaceable!!

If Arsene goes, Arsenal goes!! GO ARSENE-NAL!!!

The Post Match

"Of course it is disappointing because we lost. I feel that everything went against us. We were always in the situation where we were chasing the score. We were open to counterattacking and we were not mature enough to stop the counterattacking."

"The score is very high and very brutal but I think it does not reflect what happened on the pitch. The first shot on goal was a goal, the second goal was an own goal, the third was straight after half time. After that, the game was over. It had no real meaning after that. They could concentrate on defending and catching us on the break. I don't give a big meaning to the importance of the score. It can be explained by the way the game went."

"My only regret is playing [some of] the players who played. We go into the season with many targets and every season we go in with that priority in this competition. It is good to see that some players have potential and some are not completely ready yet."

"It is part of the learning process. When you are a footballer you have to deal with disappointments. That is part of it all. You have to take that on board. When you a footballer you lose games, it is how you respond and deal with that."

"We live in a world where the last game is always a definitive conclusion. But it is not as simple as that. To educate young players great patience is needed aswell as a comprehensive attitude and tolerance. That is my problem not yours."

The Professor

"I don't know exactly what happened. I think everyone was disappointed about the game. It was very difficult to accept. They were nervous. They know they made a mistake and maybe they will have to speak to the boss and explain why they did that. They are young and have to understand, but we lost our calm."

Captain Gallas


"Yes, it's been a big change. But without the collaboration of the footballers themselves, this would have been impossible. The huge effort the players have made to come out of a bad situation means we have been improving.

"We're involved in everything at the moment. I want to publicly recognise that they are the architects of this change."

"Even I am surprised by the progress we have made since I came and that was undoubtedly our most complete game,"

"In order to beat a team like Arsenal you have to play well and we played well, made no mistakes and were perfect in all areas. But the effort the players have put in means they are the architects of the win."

Juande Ramos

"We deserved it with all the double sessions and the running we have done in training. A lot of people talked about winning to set the record straight and we have done that."

Jermaine Jenas

At half-time..
"You know what? I am confident we can turn this around, I will say this though. You can get away with one sloppy midfielder, but not two. Gilberto has been atrocious and if he’d been playing for the Spuds he’d be getting his 100% passing accuracy bonus because he found a Spud every time. Diaby was at his shocking best. I like him, he shows glimpses of huge talent, but tonight he is woeful. We can’t cope with their combined poorness. Traore is letting the defence down with his poor positioning and passing. Fair enough, he’ll be great, but he has struggled this year in the Carling Cup. Gallas is terrible. Every time I’ve shouted at Hoyte, I realised it was Gallas fucking up. He has been turned inside out about 4 times by the Spuds."

Le Grove

Nice one, grove!

Photo courtesy of arsenal.com

CC Semis 2nd-Leg : Spurs 5 Arsenal 1 (6-2)

Dubbed the Mickey Mouse Cup by many pundits and bloggers, Arsenal's young guns went a bridge too far. Last year's thrilling loss to Chelsea in the Final was enough motivation for AW to believe in using the CC as a training compy to blood the second stringers of really fine talents.

The match started at 0355 hours (GMT +8) and feeling not too confident of this match, I had it recorded on the SCV box to view it later when I woke up. Boy, was I right to do it or else it would have kept me awake and cursing! I knew my wife would not have liked me waking her up with those manly words so I had to be smart enough not to agitate her then.

Right the moment before I switched the telly on and pressed the correct buttons, I just had this gut wrenching feeling I'm not going to like the match at all! The first leg ended in a fortunate 1-all draw for us and Spurs had deserved to get more out of it. This time I knew they were more than prepared to take Arsenal's (almost) reserved team apart but never in my mind would the scoreline read 5-1 in Spurs' favor.

I accidentally pressed the NEXT button on the remote and, at the corner of my eye, I could make out Arsenal scored a single goal. Would it be that they won the tie 1-0?? Well, the answer was answered in three minutes when JJ was given time and space by the makeshift defence to @%#&^** score!? Then I knew, "..ok, we had it this time.. don't think it will be 1-1..".

Spurs' intensity and playing like it would be the last game ever for them meant that the young and inexperienced players like Hoyte (taking over the injured Senderos/Djourou's CB position), Traore, Fabianski, Walcott, Denilson and to some extent Diaby and Bendtner, would have to be at their best. AW did have Captain Gallas, Hleb, Sagna and the fast-fading Gilberto Silva in the team but Spurs played the "complete game" to give the Young Guns a good lesson..

I have read many other supporter's blogs (including some comments from Spurs fans) and they have given many first-hand commentaries of the match and the aftermaths - including a punch-up between Ade and Bendtner which left the latter with a cut on the nose.

A few that I liked :

AFC4Life
Goodplaya
ArsenalAnalysis

I had my finger on FF on the remote so I just skipped through the match, didn't see the incident between Ade and Bendtner (hope things get sorted out fast) and the recording ended at 4-1..

Well, it was a real good 9 years and hopefully another 9 years for them!

Photo courtesy of arsenal.com

First Loss In 9 Years

Of all the times that I get the urge to start a Gunner blog, it comes after their massive 1-5 loss to NL arch-rivals Spurs! The unbeaten streak was due to end one day but never have I dreamt such a scoreline would be inflicted on AW's emerging young guns!? (more of this later)

Supporting Arsenal since the days of John Lukic, Tony Adams, Ian Wright etc, I would have to say my most memorable days as a Singaporean Gunner (all 10,869 km or 6,753 miles of it) is the unbeaten streak of Season 03/04. Watching how the class of 03/04 - Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira, Pires, Ljungberg, Campbell - took apart teams with such aplomb that the streak was never taken as a fluke. Alas, a controversial RVN penalty from a Rooney dive and Rooney's goal ended the streak at 49 games - a streak that no team has come close to matching.

The days of old has all, literally, long departed from Arsenal. The latest being Ljungberg's switch across London to The Irons and Lauren joining Campbell, Kanu and the younger lads Muamba and Larsson at Portsmouth. Oh yeah, not forgetting Lassana Diarra joining the Arsenal retiree club recently. What a waste when a youngster of such talent but of such impatience to play, leaves Arsenal..

Portsmouth manager, Harry Redknapp, is sure a fan of Arsenal (or is he really one?). I read that he asked AW for advice on Benjani, who was available from Auxerre. AW just simply said: "Whatcha waiting for? Hop on a plane and go get the lad!".

Such highly regarded is Wenger in the eyes of rival managers, he is and definitely will be the legend of legends at Arsenal Football Club. The Gooners worldwide now waits to see whether the class of 07/08 (the third generation) can emulate and better past glories. Cesc, Hleb, Rosicky, Flamini, Ade, RVP, Captain Gallas, Toure, Clichy etc

WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU!