10 Of The Best Arsenal Defenders Over The Last 40 Years.

With the international break well and truly underway I thought it was time to take a look back at some of the players I have seen play for Arsenal over the past 40 years.

Arsenal have had a history of being very strong in defence at times, and were at one time famous for their 1-0 victories. When Arsenal scored the first goal in a game the chances were it was also the last goal of the game. That statistic was built on some very fine defenders who have played for the club during that time.

Tony Adams:

There isn't an awful lot I can say about Tony Adams that hasn't been said already. He was known as "Mr. Arsenal" and he is still held up as the ideal player for all new defensive signings to aspire to by Arsenal fans. He may have had his failings as a player, but he always played with pride and passion for his club and country.

He made his debut for Arsenal at the tender age of 17 in 1983, and almost 700 games later he retired in 2002 after Arsenal had secured their second double under his captaincy. He was the most successful captain in the club's history, and his praises are sung by the fans to this day.

George Graham built his defence around Adams, and when Arsene Wenger became Arsenal manager he continued with that policy. Adams and the rest of the Arsenal defence were seen as non ball-playing defenders for the most part until Wenger encouraged them to get more involved. The lasting memory of Adams for many Arsenal fans is the goal he scored in the final game of the 1998 season against Everton to clinch the league title.

He may have had problems in his personal life, and he even spent some time in jail in 1990 for crashing his car whilst drunk. It never affected how the Arsenal fans felt about him though, and his dream is to one day return as manager of his club.

Steve Bould:

Steve Bould may not have got as much recognition as Tony Adams, but he was still a vital part of the Arsenal team for 11 years from 1988 until 1999. He was signed from Stoke City for a very reasonable fee, and he went on to become a member of the famous Arsenal back four of that era.

Alongside Adams, Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn he formed an almost impregnable barrier in front of goalkeeper David Seaman. He was a tough uncompromising defender who followed the rule of "if in doubt, put it out". Like Adams he gained a new lease of life when Wenger arrived, but he was sold to Sunderland in the summer of 1999 as his appearances at Arsenal had become limited.

He is currently working at Arsenal as coach for the under-18 team, and he has helped them to success over the last few seasons.

Martin Keown:

Martin Keown was once sold by George Graham in 1986 when he was Arsenal manager, but thankfully he saw the error of his ways and Keown rejoined the club in 1993. Arsenal had been his first club and it was where he eventually went on to play the best football of his career.

He was regarded as an excellent man-marker throughout his career, and many centre forwards will testify to how close he kept to them at times. When he rejoined the club he became part of the famous back four, as he fought for a central defensive berth with Adams, Bould and Andy Linighan.

Keown went on to win three league titles in his second spell at Arsenal, as he also shone under Wenger's direction. He left the club at the end of the 2003/4 season after what was probably their greatest achievement when they went a whole Premier League season unbeaten.

Lee Dixon:

Arsenal signed Lee Dixon from Stoke City in 1988 after he had spent a few years trawling the lower leagues of English football. He had made the right back role his own by the start of the next season, and he went on to keep it until he retired in 2002. He went out on a high when he retired right after he had won his second double and fourth league title with Arsenal.

Dixon was a tough tackling defender who knew how to get the better of any player he was marking. He had some very famous run-ins with David Ginola dating back to when they first played in a Cup Winners Cup game in the early 90s. When Ginola came to play in England the bad blood between both players continued, and Dixon got away with some tackles that would not be allowed in the game now.

When he retired it was almost the end of Arsenal's great defence, as only Keown and Seaman remained.

Nigel Winterburn:

Nigel Winterburn was signed from Wimbledon in 1987, and he went on to serve as the first choice left back for almost all of the next 13 years. Like the rest of the defenders signed by Graham he had never played for one of the big clubs before, but he had learned his trade in the lower leagues.

He scored a few spectacular goals during his time at Arsenal, but like the rest of the defence his first priority was defending. He also benefited from the arrival of Wenger in 1996 and was a member of the double winning side of 1998 before being sold to West Ham in 2000.

In 1990 he was at the centre of a controversial incident during a match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Old Trafford. As he lay on the ground after having made a bad tackle two United players proceeded to kick him which led to a 21 man brawl. Arsenal were deducted points for their part in the brawl, but they went on to win the league while only losing one game.

Sol Campbell:

In the summer of 2001 Sol Campbell was the captain of Arsenal's local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, but he had reached the end of his contract. He decided to join their fierce rivals on a free contract, and he has never been forgiven by the Spurs fans. He said at the time that he joined Arsenal to win trophies, and he got his wish in his very first season when Arsenal captured a domestic double.

He went on to become an important part of the Arsenal team that won the Premier League without losing a game in 2003/4. When Arsenal reached the Champions League final in 2006 Campbell scored their only goal in a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona. He hadn't had a good season though as a mixture of injuries and personal problems had affected his play at times.

He left the club that summer for a "fresh challenge", but almost four years later he found himself back at the club as Arsenal were suffering an injury crisis. He was a tough tackling defender who was very good in the air, and his choice of Arsenal over Spurs made him a big favourite with some Arsenal fans.

Frank McLintock:

Frank McLintock was the captain of Arsenal when they first won the double in 1971. He had been signed from Leicester City in 1964 for a club record at the time, and he was made Arsenal's captain in 1967. When Arsenal lost successive League Cup finals in 1968 and 1969 he handed in a transfer request, but Bertie Mee managed to persuade him to stay at the club.

The next season Arsenal won the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, and they followed that with their first domestic double in 1970/1. McLintock was a very important part of that Arsenal team, as they fought hard to win games regularly on a 1-0 scoreline. His defensive and leadership abilities were second to none, and he is still fondly remembered by Arsenal fans to this day.

It was a sad day for both the club and the player when he was sold to Queens Park Rangers in 1973.

Kenny Sansom:

Arsenal's signature of Kenny Sansom was a very strange affair, as Clive Allen was part of the deal which saw him leave Crystal Palace. Allen had only joined Arsenal a few weeks earlier, and he had never even played a game for them. During Sansom's eight year spell at Arsenal he only won one trophy which was the 1987 league cup defeat of Liverpool.

Sansom was the best left back in England for most of that time, but he never got the trophies he wanted with Arsenal. He did become the most capped left back for England at the time, but that record has since been broken by another former Arsenal player, Ashley Cole. After he was sold in 1988 Arsenal went on to win five trophies in the next six seasons, and it must have hurt him.

I had the pleasure of meeting him at Highbury at a Champions League game against Juventus in 2001 when Arsenal won 3-1.

Peter Storey:

Peter Storey didn't play as a defender for all of his career at Arsenal, but no matter what position he played in he was a hard man. He originally started as a right back in 1965, and later moved into midfield during an Arsenal career which spanned almost his entire career. He only left the club in 1977 when he lost his place in the team, but he retired just a year after leaving Arsenal.

He was an uncompromising old-fashioned hard man who took no prisoners, and made sure he got the better of the man he was marking by any means possible. He could play football as well, and the two goals he got in the 1971 FA Cup semi-final against Stoke City were very important to the club. They got Arsenal a 2-2 draw after being 2-0 down, and they helped the club to go on and win the first of their three domestic doubles.

There was a saying in football for any full back that your opponent would only beat you once in the game, and Storey was an advocate of that motto. He made sure that his opponent would not get past him a second time in any game, and he wasn't too worried about how he stopped him. The modern game doesn't tolerate such play on a consistent basis any more, but every team had a player like Storey in it during the 1970s.

David O'Leary:

Dave O'Leary holds the record for the most appearances by any player for Arsenal. He made his debut in 1975, and when he left 18 years later he had taken his place in the history of Arsenal.

He wasn't a tough tackling central defender, but he depended more on his excellent positional sense and his ability on the ball. He was never seen as a hard man which was in contrast to most of the other Arsenal defenders throughout his career, and he rarely found himself in trouble with referees. If O'Leary got involved with another player on the pitch it was for a very good reason, as he was always seen as a gentleman when he played.

All but one of the 10 players were voted into the top 50 Arsenal players of all time by Arsenal fans. The only exception is Sol Campbell, and that's probably because he once captained their local rivals Spurs which just cannot be forgiven by some fans.

As well as that seven of those 10 players are included in the list of the 20 players with the most appearances ever for Arsenal. Sol Campbell, Steve Bould and Kenny Sansom didn't make the list, but four of the defenders I've profiled were in the top five.

At the moment the Arsenal defence is struggling more than I can ever remember seeing it struggle, and a few players to those listed would be a welcome bonus at the club. 

 

That's it for today.

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Here's that famous goal from Tony Adams in 1998.

See You Tomorrow.

Tottenham v Arsenal: History of the North London Rivalry

Arsenal make the short journey to White Harte Lane on Sunday to play their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. The two teams are very close geographically, but in terms of history and trophies there is a wide gap between them.

Arsenal have won 13 league titles compared to Tottenham's two, and overall Arsenal have won 27 major honours against Tottenham's 17. The big difference of course is in the number of league titles, and that's the true measure of the greatness of any team in England.

The rivalry didn't really begin until 1913 when Arsenal moved from Plumstead to a new stadium in Highbury which was only five miles away from Spurs' ground. It meant the two teams became local rivals, and there is always animosity between local rivals in football.

Arsenal were a second division club at the time and Spurs were in the top flight, but that didn't last very long. World War One interrupted the world of football from 1914 until 1918, and when the war was over things took a turn in Arsenal's favour. There were plans to expand the first division from 20 teams to 22 teams, and Spurs hoped to stay up despite finishing 20th in the last season prior to the war.

Somehow or other Arsenal managed to take the last spot in the top flight despite the fact that they had only finished sixth in the second division in that last season before the war. There were rumours and allegations that Arsenal chairman Sir Henry Norris had used underhand dealings to obtain their promotion, but nothing was ever proven. Needless to say Spurs were far from happy with the outcome, but they soon won promotion back to the first division to set up the rivalry.

The first league encounter between the sides was in early 1921, and Spurs won 2-1 at home. After that the games between the sides became rather heated, and after a particularly vicious game in 1922 the FA threatened to make both teams play behind closed doors.

The rivalry might have become even more intense after that, but Spurs spent most of the time between 1928 and 1950 in the second division. During that time Arsenal rose to prominence in English football with six league titles to their name, while their local rivals still had none to their name. Spurs only spent two seasons in the top league in that time, and Arsenal won the title on both occasions.

Directly after the second World War things improved between both clubs, as Spurs allowed Arsenal to use their ground. Highbury had suffered bombing damage during the war, and Spurs proved that rivalries can be forgotten in times of need by offering their ground for use.

Spurs were promoted back to the Premier League in 1950, and they have remained there ever since with the exception of the 1977/8 season. Arsenal have of course never been relegated since that season when they mysteriously managed to gain a place in the top flight in 1919.

Arsenal have had the pleasure of winning the league title on Tottenham's ground on two occasions in 1971 and 2004. The 1971 victory also brought Arsenal their first domestic league and cup double which emulated the Spurs achievement of 1961. Up until then Spurs were the only team to manage that feat in the 20th century, but others have gone on to do it since and Arsenal have three doubles to their name now.


Arsenal fans are very fond of reminding their Spurs rivals that it has been 50 years since they last won a league title, and Arsenal have won six of them since then. The Spurs fans look for solace where they can find it, but occasional cup victories hardly compensate for league titles.

When Spurs beat Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi final their fans decided to celebrate by naming April 14th as St. Hotspur Day. Arsenal fans have since celebrated what they call St. Totteringham's Day on the day when Spurs can no longer mathematically catch them in the league. Since Arsene Wenger took over at Arsenal they have celebrated St. Totteringham's Day every single one of the 15 seasons he has been their manager.

Since the advent of the Champions League Arsenal have also managed to qualify for the competition every season under Wenger, but Spurs have only once managed to do so. Arsenal made it to the final in 2006, and the failure to beat Barcelona was probably the highlight of that season for Spurs fans.

At the very end of that season Spurs had the chance to finally finish above Arsenal in the league, but they lost their game against West Ham on the final day of the season to allow Arsenal to overtake them. It was a dramatic day as Spurs looked to have their game called off due to a bout of food poisoning among their players, but the game went ahead. Apparently a dodgy lasagna was blamed for the sickness, but there have also been suggestions that the team simply bottled it.

Due to the intense rivalry between both clubs there have been very few players who have played for both of them during their careers. Jimmy Robertson is the only player to have scored for both clubs in the north London derby, but there is a chance for Emmanuel Adebayor to become the second player to do so this Sunday. He is only the 15th player ever to have played for both clubs.

Perhaps the most famous and controversial player to cross the divide was Sol Campbell who left Spurs in the summer of 2001 on a free transfer to join Arsenal. He was Tottenham's captain at the time, and the move did not go down well with their fans. He claimed to have left Tottenham to win trophies, and the two league titles and two FA Cups he won probably justify his decision.

He has actually won as many league titles with Arsenal as Spurs have ever won. He also played in and scored in the 2006 Champions League final, and at Spurs he never got the chance to play in that competition at all.


At the moment Tottenham are a couple of points above Arsenal in the Premier League, and they feel they finally have a chance to outshine their bitter rivals. They managed to hold on to their best players during the transfer window, but Arsenal lost the services of both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. The Arsenal team is in a transitional stage, and if Spurs are to emulate them it has to be this season.

The demise of Arsenal as a top four club has been predicted for a few years, but they always manage to bring in the players to make them competitive and finish above Spurs. History would seem to indicate that Arsenal will again manage to overcome their difficulties, and leave Spurs in their wake yet again.

A rivalry is usually based on two teams that are in some way close, but it's only a geographical closeness with Arsenal and Spurs. Arsenal hold the upper hand in meeting between both clubs in all competitions, as well as far more league titles.

Up until April 2010 Spurs had not beaten Arsenal in a league game in almost 11 years, but at the moment they hold a slight upper hand. Arsenal have failed to win the last three league encounters between the two clubs, despite twice having two goal leads. Spurs have won two of those three games, and their hope is to extend it to four games on Sunday.

That's about the limit of their hopes though, as their chances of getting any closer to Arsenal's haul of league titles are very slim. Arsenal may not be in the greatest position themselves, and that's probably the reason why Spurs feel they can at last overtake their rivals. In the long term their hopes are doomed to failure though, as the cream of Arsenal will again rise to the top in my opinion.

That's it for today.

Here's Robert Pires doing what he did best by scoring against Spurs.

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See You Tomorrow.

Arsenal's 10 Worst Moments Under Arsene Wenger.

Arsene Wenger took over the reins at Arsenal in 1996, and now 15 years later he faces what is probably his toughest challenge at the club. Arsenal are already three games into the new season, but the squad is simply not strong enough to cope with all the challenges ahead of them. He has eight days left to bring some new faces into the club, or possibly write off a whole season as early as September.

There are rumours of a rift between Wenger and the board over the the club's future transfer and wages policies, and if they are true the whole club is paying the price. It has to be remembered that Wenger brought a style of football to Arsenal which was alien to them under George Graham, and he has delivered a fair share of trophies too. He was also the driving force behind their move to their new stadium, and the benefits of that will be felt in years to come.

If he can do the business required to strengthen Arsenal's team in the next eight days all will be rosy again, but as the days go by the fans are growing more restless. Champions League qualification is far from certain, and Arsenal are already five points off the early pace in the Premier League. Arsenal fans have suffered disappointments under Wenger before, and they will again I'm sure.

In this article I'll attempt to recall Arsenal's 10 worst moments under Wenger, and give my own perspective on them.

1999 FA Cup Semi Final vs Manchester United:

Arsene Wenger led Arsenal to the double in 1998, and the following season they looked destined to repeat that feat. It was all going to plan until a last minute penalty miss by Arsenal legend Denis Bergkamp in the FA Cup semi final against Manchester United. The game went to extra time, and it was eventually won by a wonder goal by Ryan Giggs for United.

He seemed to beat almost half of the Arsenal team in a mazy run before finishing into the roof of the net past a hapless David Seaman. The goal was enough to give 10 man United the victory, and they went on to win not only the FA Cup but the Premier League and the Champions League too. It was a season of absolute glory for United, but if that penalty had gone in things probably would have been so different.

The goal by Giggs is still replayed to this day, and it still hurts as an Arsenal fan to see it 12 years later.

Leeds United 1-0 Arsenal May 1999:

Arsenal had lost their hold on the FA Cup only a few weeks earlier when a stunning Ryan Giggs goal helped United to beat them in the FA Cup semi final. They were still favourites to lift the Premier League title though, and with two games left they were on top of the table. They travelled to Leeds United on a midweek night knowing that a win would put them in the driving seat, but their hopes were in tatters by the end of the match.


Nigel Winterburn had to go off injured with only 10 minutes left, and he was replaced by Nelson Vivas in the Arsenal defence. With only a few minutes remaining Vivas failed to pick up Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink at the far post, and the Leeds centre forward scored the goal to break Arsenal hearts. Only a few weeks earlier Arsenal had seemed destined for yet another double, but they ended the season without a trophy.

Arsenal won their final game against Aston Villa, but United beat Tottenham Hotspur on the same day to set up their most glorious season ever. It was a season of what might have been for Arsenal, and they had to wait another three years before they won another trophy.

2000 UEFA Cup Final vs Galatasaray:

Arsenal had fallen behind Manchester United on the domestic front by the end of the 1999/2000 season, but they had a chance for glory in the UEFA Cup Final against Turkish side Galatasary. Arsenal were favourites going into the game, but it was a fairly even contest up until extra time. With no goals in 90 minutes the game went into an extra half hour with penalties to follow if the teams couldn't be separated.

Early in the first period of extra time the pendulum swung in Arsenal's favour when Galatasaray's Gheorghe Hagi was sent off. He was their star player, and Arsenal took the chance to pour forward in search of a winner. Their attempts were in vain as they missed chance after chance, and the game went to penalties.

In the penalty shoot out Galatasaray went first and scored each of their first three penalties. Davor Suker missed Arsenal's first effort before Ray Parlour scored, but when Patrick Vieira missed the third one their chances were all but gone. Galatasaray dispatched their fourth effort and Arsenal finished as the runners-up yet again.

2001 FA Cup Final vs Liverpool:

Arsenal played Liverpool in the 2001 FA Cup final, as they tried to end a run of three years without a trophy. As the match progressed Arsenal eventually took the lead through Freddie Ljungberg, and they looked destined to win their third trophy under Wenger. It had been a controversial game at that stage, as twice Liverpool players had handled the ball to prevent Arsenal scoring.

As the game wore on and Arsenal missed chances their fans hoped they wouldn't pay the price. However, two goals in the final ten minutes from Michael Owen turned the tide in Liverpool's favour and Arsenal somehow lost a game they should have easily won. It was a bitter blow for them, but the team recovered from it very well and came storming back the next season to win the double yet again.

2006 Champions League Final vs Barcelona:

Arsenal had a pretty poor season domestically in 2006, but they reached the final of the Champions League for the first and only time so far in the club's history. Their defensive record in reaching that final was quite fantastic, as a makeshift defence kept ten clean sheets in a row. They had to play Barcelona in the final and it was always going to be a very tough game for them.

Early in the game Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off for taking down a Barcelona player outside the box and Robert Pires was withdrawn to enable Manuel Almunia to play in goal. Arsenal took the lead against the odds when Sol Campbell headed home a free kick before half time, and the dream was still alive. In the second half Thierry Henry had a great chance to kill the game off, but he missed from close range and the tide turned in Barcelona's favour.

Barcelona equalised with fifteen minutes left, and then took the lead with ten minutes to go. Arsenal had worked very hard to stay in the game, but the ten men struggled to find a way back against a very good team. The game ended 2-1 to Barcelona and Arsenal fans could only imagine what might have been if Lehmann had stayed on, or if Henry had taken his golden opportunity.

 2007 Carling Cup Final vs Chelsea:

Arsenal had used a mixture of fringe players, young players and more experienced players throughout their Carling Cup campaign in 2006/07. It was a policy which was continued in the final as Armand Traore, Justin Hoyte, Denilson, Jeremie Aliadiere and Julio Baptista all started the game. Arsenal took an early lead through a very young Theo Walcott, but the lead was soon cancelled out by Chelsea's Didier Drogba.

Drogba struck again for Chelsea with only six minutes remaining, and Arsenal were unable to find a way back in the 13 added minutes played. The game continued for such a long time firstly because Abou Diaby had knocked John Terry out with a kick to the face while clearing the ball, and then because of a mass brawl in added time. Three players were sent off after the brawl, and Arsenal finished the game with nine players on the field.

It was a game where Drogba yet again proved to be the scourge of Arsenal, and Philippe Senderos in particular. Despite a very good performance from an inexperienced side they just didn't have enough on the day to meet the power of Chelsea.

Birmingham City 2-2 Arsenal February 2008:

Arsenal had sold Thierry Henry to Barcelona in the summer of 2007, and they appeared destined to fall behind in the battle for trophies in England. However, they more than held their own in that season, and headed the table when they paid a visit to Birmingham City on Saturday February 23rd. Arsenal started brightly, but after less than 10 minute the incident which ruined their season occurred.

Eduardo was crudely cut down by Birmingham's Martin Taylor, and the injury he suffered seemed to greatly affect the Arsenal players. It was an horrific injury from which he has not really fully recovered to this day, and he's a player who had such a bright future ahead of him at Arsenal. Birmingham took the lead, and Arsenal looked like it was all too much for them at that stage.

In the second half Theo Walcott struck twice to put Arsenal ahead and it looked like the points would be theirs. They had a legitimate penalty claim turned down, and then in the final minute the referee gave Birmingham a penalty. Gael Clichy dithered when clearing the ball and he was almost robbed, but he managed to react just in time.

However, the referee saw things differently and Birmingham took their chance to grab a draw. Arsenal captain William Gallas lost the plot and threw a major sulk instead of trying to support his teammates. Arsenal's league season then fell apart, as they took only seven points from their next seven games.

That run included defeats to both Manchester United and Chelsea who were the only teams to finish above them that season. In the end Arsenal put together a run of four wins in a row to finish the season, but they finished four points behind the eventual winners Manchester United. It was a season which could have ended so differently except for that fateful afternoon.

2009 Champions League Semi Final vs Manchester United:

Arsenal had qualified for the Champions League semi final in 2009, and when they drew Manchester United there was some real hope of another appearance in the final. Arsenal went to Old Trafford for the first leg and emerged with only a 1-0 defeat despite being completely outplayed. They needed to turn things around in the home leg, and to do so they had to be at their very best.

After only 11 minutes of the game at the Emirates Arsenal's chances were in tatters, as United led 2-0 through goals from Ji-Sung Park and Cristiano Ronaldo. Arsenal again failed to turn up when it mattered most, but they eventually managed a late consolation from Robin Van Persie after United had gone three up. Questions were asked of the Arsenal players' big game temperament, and those questions are still being asked now two years later.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Arsenal April 2010:

Arsenal had not been beaten by their local rivals Spurs in over 10 years in the Premier League when the two teams met in April 2010. Arsenal were still just about challenging for the Premier League title, but they had to win to keep their chances alive. Arsenal had quite a few injury problems, but they still had a fairly strong team on the night.

Spurs scored an early goal when Manuel Almunia failed to deal with a long range effort from Danny Rose, and Gareth Bale doubled their lead early in the second half. Arsenal suffered more injuries during the game, but when Robin Van Persie was introduced midway through the second half the tide turned in their favour. Nicklas Bendtner pulled a goal back for them late on, but it was too little too late, and another season ended in disappointment.

The bragging rights for north London also disappeared that night, and Arsenal have not beaten Spurs in two league encounters since that game despite having a two goal lead in each game.

2011 Carling Cup Final vs Birmingham City:

Arsenal hadn't won a trophy in six years when they met Birmingham City in the 2011 Carling Cup final at the end of last February. They were clear favourites going into the game, as they were challenging for the Premier League title and Birmingham were fighting a battle against relegation. Arsenal had to do without the services of the injured Cesc Fabregas, but they still had enough quality players to win the game.

Birmingham took the lead after half an hour, but Robin Van Persie equalised shortly before half time. During the second half Arsenal looked the most likely to grab a winner, but Ben Foster had his best game of the season in goal for Birmingham. Arsenal were a little shaky at the back, and in the very last minute calamity struck.

Wojciech Szczesny came to collect a simple ball into the box, but Laurent Koscielny swung wildly at it and the ball fell to the feet of Obafemi Martins. He rolled it into an empty net and Birmingham saw out the last few minutes to claim a trophy for the first time in a very long time. It's impossible to tell whether Szczesny called for the ball or not, but if he did the mistake was all Koscielny's.

It didn't really matter whose fault it was though, as Arsenal had fallen at the final hurdle yet again.

Arsenal face into the new season with a team which looks weaker than at any other time under Wenger. If they are to finally end their trophy drought some new players must be added in the next eight days, or it could be a very tough season for them. They have some excellent young players coming through, but they need to add some quality and experience to the team to enable those players to progress.

That's it for today.

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See You Tomorrow.

Something And Nothing.

Thursday, 25 February 10

Last night was a fairly eventful night in the Champions league and the FA Cup and it went very well for Arsenal on a number of counts. The first bit of good news was the red card received by "he who shall remain nameless" for Man City against Stoke in their FA Cup replay. I had also hoped that the game would go to extra time as we have to play Stoke on Saturday evening and that wish came true as well with Stoke eventually winning 3-1. I know that Stoke will probably get a boost from that result but I am also hopeful that their exertions will catch up with them. With any luck their minds will be on their FA Cup quarter final tie with Chelsea next week and we can go there and get the win that we desperately need on Saturday. Speaking of Chelsea they were beaten 2-1 last night by Inter Milan in the 1st leg of their Champions league tie. They will be the favourites to go through to the last 8 though with the home leg in 3 weeks time. However, they did suffer another injury setback as Cech got what looked like a serious knee injury and maybe the gods of injuries have decided to switch their attentions to Chelsea instead of us for a change with Mr Tweedy recently breaking his ankle as well. If that's the case I'm sure LadyArse will be delighted as she enjoys her break in Paris. All we need now is Drogba to get injured and Shrek for Manure too and the league will be as good as ours.

Sol Campbell was speaking on the club site about our chances of winning the title and he believes it is possible if we "fire on all cylinders". Apparently he has a slight calf injury but I sincerely hope he can recover in time for the Stoke match on Saturday as it would seem Gallas will miss out and the thought of Silvestre trying to defend the continious high balls and long throws scares the hell out of me.

According to the Dutch national team manager RVP might be ready to start playing again in early April although with that only 5 weeks away I'd be very surprised if that is the case. I've said all along that I think we will only see him at the end of the season before he goes on to star in the World Cup for The Nrtherlands just to prove there is no justice for Arsenal.

I've been a big fan of Dzeko at Wolfsburg for quite a while now but with the news that they want €40million for him I suspect that Arsenal have been priced out of the market. I'm sure Manure cannot afford him either and the Italian clubs are all broke too which only leaves Chelsea who claim to be trying to no longer make a loss and Man City with their bottomless pockets in the market for him.

There have been a few pictures circulating of the proposed new jersey for next season and it is an homage to our first double winning team of 1971. Whether these pictures are real or not there probably will be a one off kit for next season to celebrate our 125th anniversary as there was for our last season at Highbury.

I'm really looking forward to my trip to the Emirates next week for the match against Burnley and I am really hoping that the weather has changed for the better and I won't be absolutely frozen in the ground. I suppose it can't get any worse than my aborted trip to the Everton game on January 9th when Dublin airport was closed due to less than an inch of snow and my flight was cancelled. Even after booking onto a new flight I still didn't make it as that flight was cancelled too and I hope I'm not tempting fate by booking onto the exact same flight 8 weeks later for the Burnley game. I think I'll be going to the supporters club on Saturday to have a few beers while watching Arsenal as it's on ESPN and I don't have a subscription to that channel. Hopefully we can get the win we need and I'll have an extra few to celebrate with my fellow Wicklow Gooners. That's the lot for today.

I've been posting my blog on the BleacherReport as well recently and I ran a poll asking who is Arsenal's greatest player in the modern era. Here's a little bit of the winner.

And to finish today's title track from The Wedding Present. There wasn't a whole lot to report today but I think I found something even if it was nothing.

See You Tomorrow.

Slowly But Surely.

Saturday, 20 February 10

It's back to the bread and butter of the league today as Sunderland pay us a visit at the Emirates in what is another crucial game for Arsenal. With Manure playing in the early game at Everton we will know how far ahead of us they are before the kick off. I'm hoping that Everton can do us a favour and take a point from them and we can go on to make up some more of the ground that we lost in our defeats to them and Chelsea. Speaking of Chelsea I don't hold out much hope of them dropping points at Wolves but stranger things have happened and their away form in the league has been poor since they won at our ground in November. They have only 6 points from 6 away games in that time and that's hardly the form of potential champions. They have lost at Man City and Everton and drawn at Birmingham, Hull and West Ham in that run and that should offer Wolves and us a little bit of hope.

All that will be of no use to us if we don't beat Sunderland and we couldn't ask for a team in a worse vein of form to be our opponents today. Since they beat us on November 21st they have drawn 6 and lost 6 of their 12 games and it's up to us to make that an unlucky 13 for them. We need to see how much the defeat to Porto meant to the players with a performance from them to silence the critics. Sunderland went to Chelsea only 5 weeks ago and were thumped 7-1 after failing to show up in footballing terms and if they show the slightest weakness today we have to punish them. The defeat to Porto hurt Cesc a lot and that is obvious by the fact that he apologised to Arsenal fans on the flight home. Cesc loves Arsenal and it's good to see how much defeats like that hurt him but my biggest worry is that he will get fed up with the constant mistakes all around him and leave us in the summer. I know everybody makes mistakes and his form has been off in the last few games but I honestly can't recall him actually giving any goals away this season unlike the majority of his team mates.

As for the game itself it looks like Song might be available after his injury which will be a welcome respite for my nerves as he should play the defensive midfield role and I would imagine that Denilson will continue in the team but a little further forward as we again without the frequently injured Diaby. Cesc will obviously make up the rest of the midfield trio and I think the front 3 from the Porto game will probably start again although Walcott may get a start but Arshavin is still unavailable through injury. At the back with Gallas still out hopefully Campbell will be up to another 90 minutes after Wednesday night's hard work and he should play alongside Vermaelen in the centre. The problem is left back where Clichy just can't seem to find any form at all and even though he was a bit better against Liverpool he regressed on Wednesday night. Hopefully we can dominate Sunderland enough to give him an easier ride than he has being getting recently and he can gradually get his form back. At right back Eboue is pushing really hard for a start as he seems to do so much more in his brief cameos than Sagna does. He is certainly more of a threat than Sagna going forward and in home games like this we need that. That leaves just 1 position to fill and that's the 1 causing us the biggest problems all season. Almunia is just not good enough at this level and is immediate replacement, Fabianski, seems to be error prone in every game he plays. I had hoped he would step up to the plate on Wednesday night and he played very well except for the 2 horrendous mistakes that cost us the game. If Almunia is fit I think he will regain his place but I have no faith in either of them at this stage.

With Sunderland in such poor form we have to get at them from the start and punish every mistake they make. All too often this season we take almost all of the first half to get going but today I hope we can lay down a marker for the rest of the season by putting them to the sword. Despite our injury problems we will still have Vermaelen, Cesc, Nasri and Rosicky in the team and Sunderland do not have any players with their class. They do have Cattermole and Cana in the centre of their midfield and they will look to stifle our play and kick Cesc in particular as much as possible. I hope the referee is strong and punishes them as it's all too frequent a sight to see teams target Cesc for very bad tackles and harsh treatment. After today we don't have a game for another week and the players should be able to give everything they have knowing that they can take it easy for a few days afterwards. I'd love to see Bendtner bag a goal for himself and maybe Walcott get a chance to stretch his legs and actually do something this time. Wouldn't it be great if we could see the Theo that scored a hat trick for England not so long ago playing for Arsenal. If Almunia isn't fit I hope Fabianski can sort himself out and show us the player that he has the potential to be. If he goes through the game with no howlers and gets all his basics right I will be delighted for him. I'm predicting a return to winning ways for Arsenal with a 2-0 win as we continue to chase the teams above us to the best of our ability.

The boss had a lot to say about the various mistakes the referee made in the incident that directly led to Porto's 2nd goal on Wednesday night but I still think he should address the mistakes Arsenal made in how it was conceded. The lack of professionalism shown was unacceptable and the players involved should be told that in no uncertain terms. The boss also spoke about the plight of Portsmouth and how he hoped that they could manage to make it through to the end of the season. From what I understand of the situation if Portsmouth are wound up in their courts all their results this season will benull and void and the team to benefit most would be Liverpool who lost to them earlier in the season. We would lose 6 points and I really hope that doesn't happen too but it is looking more likely by the day.

Giles Sunu has joined Derby County on loan until the end of the season and I think that makes it 13 players we have out on loan. The TV schedules for April have been announced and 3 of our games have been altered. The trip to local rivals the Spuds has been switched from 3pm to 12.45pm on Saturday April 10th and I would hope that by then we will already be celebrating St. Totteringham's day as there will only be 4 league games left after that game. Our trip to Wigan has been switched from 3pm Saturday April 17th to 1.30pm Sunday April 18th and ou home game with Man City on Saturday April 24th will now be played at 5.30pm instead of the original time of 3pm. Finally for today I'm back to my usual blogging time today as I've temporarily sorted out my problem with my laptop and I hope I can sort it out permanently later today. That's your lot.

Here's a look at how we beat Sunderland 4-1 a few years ago.

And to finish today's title track from Eek A Mouse. I'm hoping that slowly but surely we will catch the teams above us.

See You Tomorrow.