The Red Devil or the Deep Red Sea?

March 26, 2009 | 17 Comments

Some more stuff to keep us busy during the “interlull”.

Do you prefer ManU or Liverpool to win the league title?

Reasons to not want Liverpool
- they play boring football
- they always get lucky, especially in the CL
- Rafa uses those stupid tactics to beat superior teams
- cannot forget our defeat to them last year

Reasons to not want ManU
- they are arrogant, snobbish, dirty b*****ds
- their coach is all of the above and worse
- their fans will gloat forever
- no way, they should win the quintuple or whatever shit they call it
- the loss might actually cause them irreversible damage from which they may not recover (one can hope)

Personally, I dislike both, but if given a do or die situation may actually end up choosing Liverpool.

Posted by nipuna | Filed Under Mailbag

Ljungberg, will he make you pay more attention to MLS?

March 16, 2009 | 36 Comments

I was curious to know as Gunner fans, if the presence of Freddie Ljungberg playing in Seattle will make anyone more interested in MLS, or about the same. Personally, I will be checking the Seattle games out to see how he does, outside of that, I don’t think it will make me pay anymore attention than I already do. I hope Freddie can stay healthy and make a positive impact, and continue to grow the league.

Posted by netminder | Filed Under Mailbag

any book recs?

March 11, 2009 | 21 Comments

My first post, so excuse me if I’ve missed relevant posts on this…but do any of you have any recommendations for good books on Arsenal history? or football history in general?

Posted by Hiprule | Filed Under Mailbag

Gooner Chants

March 1, 2009 | 24 Comments

Hello Gooners,

One of my buddies is a Reds fan, and is incessantly yammering on with Liverpool chants. I know the classic “One Nil to the Arsenal”, but don’t know if there is any more to it. This and any others would help me out as I hate to sit there silent while he spells his clubs name out in rhythmic fashion.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by JustinStroope16 | Filed Under Mailbag

Eduardo is back

February 16, 2009 | 114 Comments

Question:

Despite being injured for almost a year, how did Eduardo manage to score two goals in his return game?

A) He is just that good.
B) He got lucky.
C) The opponents were not that strong.
D) It is Written.

Flashback

On Feb 23, 2008 Arsenal’s Eduardo was hacked down by Birmingham City’s Martin Taylor. Taylor broke Eduardo’s leg and even smirked after the incident. The British Media rushed to Taylor’s defense turning the villain into a victim saying such tackles are part of the game and that Taylor was “a nice guy.” Uh-huh. I am willing to bet that if the tackle was made by a non-Englishman on an English player the media would not have been so understanding and would have asked for blood. But since Eduardo was a Croatian and Arsenal were not Manchester United, things were left as is. Arsenal never recovered from that incident and threw away the title that was theirs, allowing the average Man Utd and Chelsea teams to overtake them. To make matters worse lucky Liverpool edged past Arsenal in the Champions League. Arsenal lost key players in the summer of 2008 and have been frustrating for most of the 2008/09 season so far.

Present Day: Feb 16, 2009

Almost a year later, Eduardo makes his first team return for Arsenal, scoring two goals in a 4-0 win over Cardiff City in the F.A Cup. Ofcourse this was still a 4th round F.A Cup tie with crucial league and Champions League fixtures to come, so only time will tell how much this result means in the long run. But for now I am just delighted at Dudu’s return. I can’t explain it but even though he didn’t spend that much time at Arsenal, I took to him a lot more quickly than I did with Adebayor, Bendtner and even Van Persie. So I was especially gutted at his injury and felt even worse when the rest of the Arsenal squad failed to win those crucial games post Feb 23 and kissed the title away.

I had always hoped that his return would undo events and uplift Arsenal. But so much has changed since he got injured and there has been so much negative news around the team that it will take more than his return to fix things. On the other hand, his return atleast brings a smile to my face, something that has been missing while watching most Arsenal games this season.

The logical answer is A but I am going with….
D)

Posted by Sachin | Filed Under Mailbag

Changes

November 16, 2008 | 50 Comments

[This was submitted before the Wigan game.]

Let me ask you, myself…really all of us, a question. In order to become truly competitive, at what point do we have to start BEING Chelsea and United, spending ungodly amounts of cash, going even more in-debt? At what point do we admit to ourselves that our 17 year olds can’t compete with experienced 30 year olds, except on rare occasions? At what point do we finally become the very thing we hate, in order to win another legitimate trophy? Are salary caps the issue? Are lower salaries the issue? Are limits on “foreign” players the issue? Is it simple bad luck? Bad refs? I don’t see this team even finishing in the top 4. Have we started to take it for granted?

Posted by Fabregaslicious | Filed Under Arsenal News, Mailbag

A letter to Arsene

November 2, 2008 | 63 Comments

Dear Arsene,
I do not know if you follow fan websites or whether anyone from your team does this. Still I hope you get to read this. AA has a set of fans of whom very few are fair weather fans. Almost everyone here is in for the long haul even though the things we say might sound harsh at times. Keeping this in mind if at all you happen to read this to try and see if this makes sense.

I personally have been one of your biggest backers and I dare say there are many more on this board who truly respect and enjoy what you have done with Arsenal. As time rolls on though everyone around us seem to “keep strengthening” their squad while you do most of your promotion from within. I am a great believer in this model because if implemented correctly it gives you players who know the Arsenal way already. However as you yourself have said it is a strategy with a large component of risk involved, if the youngsters don’t click the way you want them to. I do not need to tell you how youngsters need to be brought up through the club – you are unparalleled at it but seriously at times, like most recently at Stoke City it feels we do not have the mental resources to come back from a painful and draining defeat like at Spurs.

I’m sure you know how much it means for us to beat Spurs. Even someone like me who is not in the UK understands how critical it is. And having Spurs come back in the 90th minute was too much to take, Arsene. And then losing to Stoke City immediately after with Man United and Chelsea round the corner, losses here could seal our season before Christmas. This certainly is not acceptable as you yourself have said so many times. Liverpool losing yesterday means that its still just a 6 point game and that can be quickly overcome.

But we need a reaction Arsene. Not a reaction for a game or two or three. We need a reaction which stretches for 2 months over 8 games without us dropping a point to give some stability to the side and some belief that we can come back even now. This side is incredibly talented, and as you said potential world beaters but how long will this continue? How long will we lose games after a defeat and be demoralized? Will we see a repeat of the sequence that hit the Invincibles after the 49 game? Or a repeat of the 4 draws after Eduardo’s break or us crasing out of 3 competitions after that Carling Cup loss? I hope not Arsene.

As far as I’m concerned I’m not worried about the trophies but I am worried about what will happen if we dont win any? How many players will stay? Will we permanently be in transition? Its tough to expect great things from the guys all the time. The only thing I as a fan expect – and I’m sure I speak for a majority here is 100% effort from every player to the limit of his skill set. It is painful to see players trotting back after being dis-posessed or not jumping to win balls in the air or not closing players down for crosses at all. Please please do address this.

I’m not going to talk tactics with you or discuss formations with you or suggest who should play where. You alone know the reason why you play Denilson in CM inspite of Song being a more defensive alternative or why you chose not to buy someone at CB even though you said you would address the spine of our team. You know the reasons – I do not question those choices. But if its not working Arsene, based on the parameters you choose and rate players with do change things.

A lot of people as you know these days are very impatient and want instant success. People keep referring to the 4 years without a trophy. I dont mind that but how if we dont win will we retain our players? We will become an Ajax – a conveyor belt for the bigger clubs. Do look into this and find a solution to how to stop this. Do find out how we can stop leaking goals from set pieces and start winning things in the air. Do install that killer mentality in every one of our players – however you choose to do it. Do whatever it takes to help us remain competitive – for I fear it increasingly looks like the season post when we lost Paddy. Do try and ensure that doesn’t happen – do everything in your power to ensure it doesn’t happen. Thats all I can ask of you.

I want you to know that you will always always have my backing and probably many on this board even if we don’t win but a lack of effort and complacency on the pitch is hard to take..hard to defend against. Even for someone who is an absolute backer to the hilt of the club and its policies. It hurts. We trust you Arsene. Fully. Unconditionally a lot of the time. So please – just ensure that the guys give a 100%. I don’t ask for a trophy. but I ask for 100% and zero complacency. The rest will follow with this team. As you probably know but do not say aloud.

Thank You
LDE

Posted by live_dont_exist | Filed Under Arsenal News, Mailbag

Dare to Dream

August 31, 2008 | 112 Comments

I am brand new to posting on this site (even though I met the man MikeK at Slainte in Baltimore last year) so please bear with me. I, like the rest of us diehard fans, are clamoring for a transfer before the deadline. Although I agree that we need a DM, do we as Gooners really appreciate our squad?

Dream with me, for a bit now, a time with no injuries to the whole squad. I know injuries are a part of the game and we need cover for every position, BUT……we have an amazing roster that has never played together at the same time. More so than wondering where the squad needs to improve, I wonder how we can incorporate all the players we have into any single game. The talent is off the charts. Dare to dream of a healthy RVP, Eduardo, Rosicky, and Diaby, into a squad that already has Ade, Cesc, Walcott, Nasri, Vela, Sagna, and Clichy.

I have loved the Arsenal since the first time I chose them on FIFA for Sega back in the mid 90s. It’s been a wild ride since then and we’ve had our ups and downs. BUT not since the Invincibles have I seen a squad so loaded with talent. It’s hard to have perspective as a Gooner, but I think we need some right now. For all the big name signings across Europe, I believe that our squad, without injuries, is capable of everything.

Posted by rdm7256 | Filed Under Mailbag

Hope Springs Eternal

August 4, 2008 | 96 Comments

Where will Arsenal finish next season in the league and how far will they go in the Champions League?

Posted by arsenal904 | Filed Under Mailbag

Transfer saga and football chat

July 8, 2008 | 41 Comments

Quote 1:

Agent of Player 1: “Player 1 is 100% leaving the club.”
A few hours later, Player 1 says: “I am leaving the club.”

Player 2: “I am not happy at the club.”
Agent of Player 2: “Player 2 is definitely not happy at the club.”

A day later, Quote 2:

Player 1: “I am staying at the club…for now.”
Journalist 1: “Can you clarify for now?”
Player 1: “I will decide next week.”
Agent of Player 1: “The future of Player 1 will be decided next week.”

Player 2: “I am very happy at the club. I have no problems.”
Agent of Player 2: “My client has no current problems with the current management of the current club. For now atleast.”
Journalist 2: “Can you clarify for now?”
Agent of Player 2: “We live in a very dynamic world. Every day climate change is causing havoc. Food and gas prices are going up. So how can my client be expected to have the same opinion every day? Every day he has to take the global changes into consideration and make up his mind. This is very tough on him but he is very forward thinking in this manner.”

And in other news:

Tabloid 1: Repeat Quote 1 of Player 1 & 2 on Monday, Wed and Thursday. On Tuesday and Friday, print stories about how the new club wants Player 1 & 2. On Sat and Sun, exclusively interview friends and agents of Player 1 & 2.

Tabloid 2: Repeat Quote 2 of Player 1 & 2 on Tuesday and Friday. On Monday, Wed and Thursday print stories about how new club has made an offer for Player 1 & 2, only to be rejected. On Sat and Sun, interview former coaches and colleagues of Player 1 & 2 on what the players should do with their future.

Newspaper 1: Write one article every week evaluating all the quotes of the players. Also, write an article about the volatile nature of the game with players being free to go anywhere.

Tabloid and Newspapers:
Repeat the quotes and articles every week until player signs new contract with current club or player leaves.
If a new contract is signed with current club, wait a few months into the season to start the quotes up again.
If player leaves for a new club, then wait a few months before following up with the player’s happiness or failure at new club.