It always makes me smile to get one over Blackburn but with the fat toad Allardyce in charge it is more satisfying than ever. It has been quite a while since we beat the guy in the league, but for some reason I was pretty sure that we would put that right this weekend. I don’t know why exactly, I just had that feeling and luckily the boys didn’t let me down.
Okay guys a couple of things before a look at today’s game, Firstly the Champions League draw was made on Thursday. The general reaction is a good one, many seem to think we’ve got a relatively easy draw, and while I wouldn’t call it easy it certainly isn’t the hardest we could have been given.
Here’s a brief lowdown at the teams in our Group H and the dates we play them:
Sporting Braga: Interestingly Braga’s fans have been referred to as the ‘Arsenalistas’. The story goes the club changed their kits from green-and-white hoops to their Arsenal-style red in 1920 when then coach Jozef Szabo ordered the club to adopt new colours following a trip to Highbury.
Bet you didn’t know that eh! (I didn’t either!) Braga dumped out Celtic 4-2 on aggregate before overcoming Seville 5-3 in the play-off round over 2 legs to qualify. Not to be taken lightly then.
Sept 15th – Home. Nov 23rd – Away
Really sorry for the cliché guys but I just can’t resist, Blackpool is known for its rollercoaster’s and boy did weren’t they treated to a roller coaster ride yesterday.
Being down to ten men couldn’t of helped either but after the match even ‘pools manager said “we probably would of been beaten anyway” and was full of admiration for Arsenal fluent passing game.
Diaby and Song were back from injury which was good to see yet I’ am totally gutted that Nasri is going to be out for a month, he was showing such good form as well so hopefully it is just the month. Gutted also for Frimpong who also had a great pre-season linking up with Wilshire.
First hat-trick for Arsenal - hero Walcott
To be fair to Blackpool they really did come and have a go as their manager Ian Holloway said they would and they started brightly with some of the possession
Ok so there’s good and bad news ahead of our first home game of the season. We actually have a few players coming back this weekend. The official website says that Djourou, Song and Cesc should all be back in the squad for Saturday’s game against Blackpool, with Denilson as a maybe.
Wenger told a press conference, “All are available at different levels of fitness. Denilson has not played since April 14th and has not played one minute of a game (in pre-season). He still needs to work. All the others are quite available – at least to be on the bench. But at the same time, we do not want to rush it. To have a good season, you need a good preparation so we want to especially bring up Cesc and Van Persie as well.”
That Karma, she can really be a bit of a bitch can’t she?! That’s surely the thought on Pepe Reina’s mind after his last minute comic own goal during Saturday’s game, which I can only describe as justice for his actions during the Cesc saga. Whether you are religious or not, there are moments when you can’t help thinking there must be someone up there with a great sense of humour, and they may just be a gooner!
The game started quite brightly and we were undoubtedly the better side during the 1st half. Both of the new boys, Koscielny and Chamakh started, and Jack Wilshere made his league debut in midfield. Almunia was our number one as predicted and he also took the captain’s armband with Cesc being unfit to play.
It’s been a long wait, but finally the footy season 2010/11 is upon us; and along with my excitement of finally getting to see the new boys against decent opposition and how the team is gelling etc etc comes the worry, the what ifs, you get the picture.
Of course we can’t read too much into pre season and hell I certainly don’t want to read too much into the game Vs Legia Warsaw which we won 5-6.
Too many reminders of last season; yes we can score goals but we can also let in silly goals when we should have a game tied up, and then there’s the obvious. Flapian- Sorry I promised myself I wouldn’t do that, Fabianski buckles under pressure.
What is it with him and Alumnia? Especially Alumnia who shows flashes of brilliance but seems to let the nerves get the better of him in some games.
Back to Fabianski, he clearly needs to work on set pieces cause he is just simply too intimidated when a group of players are crowding the penalty box. This game was a prime example, Fab tripping up in the box and could only watch the ball going in for one of the goals.
Cesc Fabregas has confirmed that he was tempted by a move to his boyhood club Barcelona but is remaining loyal to the Gunners.
“Firstly I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future but I have not known what I was going to do until this moment,” told Sky Sports News.
So the goonerettes attended Member’s Day for the first time yesterday where all eyes were on Cesc. There were plenty of whisperings in the queue waiting to get into the stadium about whether he would be there or not which was quite surprising.
Why wouldn’t he be there? He is under contract and is duty bound to go to training. He is hardly the type of person to throw a strop to force a move and not show up. The club has stated all season that he is not for sale, and refused to even negotiate with Barcelona. So why were the fans were still so worried despite all of this? Is it simply that the Barca pricks got to everyone, or is it down to a lack of faith in our club’s ability to hold onto players?
If there’s a few names I could do without hearing again this summer it’s those of Puyol, Iniesta, Pique, Villa, Rosell, I could go on but I’m sure you get the gist.
With only around two weeks left til the start of the new season I would like one morning to get up and check any sports related site and for once not see a story out of Bankruptalona about how much they love Cesc, need Cesc, can’t live without Cesc, how Iniesta is going to name his son after Cesc. That last one isn’t true I’m not sure if he’s married let alone has a son but if he has then I’m sure I wouldn’t be far off.
The final straw for me was when the two P’s (two pr*cks, or Puyol and Pique) forced a Barca shirt on to OUR captain. What the hell Pepe Reina was doing getting involved (calling Fab the future of Barcelona) is beyond me.
Side show bob lookalike Puyol had another rant the other day in one of the newspapers, claiming, “I wonder how intelligent it is keeping a player who doesn’t want to be there”. Well I wonder how ‘intelligent’ it is to keep voicing an opinion on a player your club clearly do not have the money to buy!
It’s been a fairly routine pre-season for the boys so far; what with 11 goals put past more lowly opposition.
Nasri has stood out so far looking in good form, seems like not going to the World cup did him some good. He scored Vs Sturm Graz with a strong low drive and then doubled the lead before half time with a lovely free kick in to the top left hand corner. Substitute Lansbury added a third around 12 minutes after the restart.
There were no changes to the squad from Barnet apart from Alumnia and Colin Henderson left out. As well as Nasri, Wilshire’s also impressed during the pre-season and him and Frimpong have looked a neat little pairing in the central midfield especially in that first half against Barnet. Arshavin was much quieter than against Barnet and Chamakh to be honest hasn’t made too much of an impact so far although the guy does have presence.
Saying that he almost scored his first Arsenal goal from a Nasri corner having beaten the Graz keeper Cavlina in the air however Thomas Burgstaller hooked the ball off the line.
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