Date: November 2004

Liverpool vs. Manure

Nov 28, 2004 by

2 losses in 54 games is an amazing record and it is one that makes me immensely proud to be a gooner.
But the two losses could hardly have been more contrasting.

On the one hand, we have an egoistic, overpriced team managed by old purple nose whose IQ wasn?t high enough to devise a fair tactic to beat us (not that there?s a shame in that), who had to resort to not only hacking us out of contention, but relying on a referee (who, since that day, has invoked feelings I am yet to put in words) to gift them victory. To cut a long story short, they cheated us 2-0.

On the other hand, we have a Liverpool team going through a tricky patch due to the transition of their manager, whose new man, our nemesis from his time at Valencia, Rafael Benitez, played us out of the park. I for one thought that Liverpool dominated and were worth their victory and as hard as it is to stomach a last kick winner, I would not have chosen to lose any other way.
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If it’s not working, change it

Nov 28, 2004 by

Liverpool 2-Arsenal 1
It just ended, meaning we haven’t won a game since October. This lineup needs a shakeup, not a massive one, but something. If it’s not working, you HAVE to make some changes. The up front pairing is not working, Henry is hurt and Reyes has disappeared. We should rest Henry until he’s 100% percent healthy. We have Pennant, Van Persie and young guys who can hold their own. They’ve shown it against Premier League teams in the Carling.

Am I insane in thinking that maybe we should play some of the reserves, judging only by the results in the CC?? Maybe I am, but this is starting to get out of hand, we need to start turning it around before the Chelsea and Rosenborg games in December. This lineup right now has been the same for a while, and right now it’s not cutting it. Do we hope that it’ll work itself out and Arsenal will be free-flowing again, or do we rest some players and bring in some faces that have not dealt with the nine-man effort in midweek against PSV and are rested from not getting as much playing time?

Roadtrip Team prepares for takeoff

Nov 26, 2004 by

Greetings from Roadtrip command here in Hong Kong.

Just an update on the ArsenalAmerica Roadtrip to Highbury (v. 3.0). Once again, we have a case of “good news / bad news.” The good news is that the UEFA Champions League game we will see actually “matters” in that it is a must win for Arsenal (more or less). The bad news is that the UEFA Champions League game we will see actually “matters” in that it is a must win….

This is the second year in a row that we have picked what should have been a meaningless UEFA game only to find out that our continued competition depends on a victory.

For those in London wanting to meet some of the Americans on the trip, here is our schedule.

Friday afternoon (Time TBA) — Tour of Highbury with Arsenal Malta.
Saturday noon-ish — Arrive at T-Bird pub, 135 Blackstock Road, to christen the newly refurbished basement bar (openned in our honor I guess).
Saturday 3:00 — Birmingham City
Monday 4:00 ish — Meet for trip to Barnet for Reserve game vs. Spurs.
Tuesday 4:00 ish — Back to the T-bird.
Tuesday 7:45 — Rossenborg game
Wednesday — Stragglers band together for a tour of Highbury, trip to Cambridge. Most go home to USA.
Sunday — Five leftovers fight for tickets to see Chelsea.

Anyway, we’d love to meet up with any London fans who follow these boards. The best spot is probably in the T-bird before the game, ask for Andrew or Kelvin or some of the regulars here like Bob Hobbes or Naggi or Dan Winkler or heck, just find a bunch of Arsenal guys talking with American accents. We’ll also be sitting in the North Bank Upper for the Birmingham City game and North Bank Lower for the Rossenborg match.

And yes, we will do another roadtrip–this isn’t the last of them so keep tuned to our site for more details.