Late Song of Joy

As expected the London derby between Arsenal and West Ham at The Emirates turned out to be a nervous affair for many watching Gooners around the world. On paper Arsene Wenger's men should not have much difficulties in disposing the bottom side but this being the Premier League, one is never certain of the outcome of any match.

Wenger's Arsenal were on a four match winning streak and were looking forward to making it the fifth. Of course, West Ham being West Ham, they just would not lay down and play ball. After creating a few openings the feeling was we would be celebrating an Arsenal goal soon.

Unfortunately Robert Green in the Wet Ham goal had other ideas. Why it is always against Arsenal that goalkeepers tend to show their best? (with the exception of Tim Krul on Thursday) Green performance should catch the eye of Fabio Capello in the stands saving from Cesc Fabregas and Sebastien Squillaci.

Based on this he should be back for the next England squad for the friendly against France. Another player who should be in that squad too is Theo Walcott. His introduction after 67 minutes caused more concern for the visitors and many Gooners thought he had scored soon after coming on but his attempt despite beating Green hit the post and the loose ball went safely into the goalkeeper's hands.


Earlier Samir Nasri had hit the bar with a long range effort and this had the fans thinking this could be one of those days. Nasri who had a good scoring run coming into this match would likely to be in the French squad facing his team-mate Walcott during the friendly.

If this was a drama, the scriptwriter could not have written it better. With just minutes before normal whistle was blown a cross from Gael Clichy found it's way into the six yard box and looked like it had evaded everybody until Alex Song stooped low to divert the ball past Green.


It was cruel for the goalkeeper but as a Gooner I was glad to be cruel just as long the three points were safely on the board in order to keep up the pace with other contenders.


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Clean Sheet in the North-East

You might feel that Arsene Wenger never really put a serious assault on the League Cup since taking charge of Arsenal. His usual line-ups would consist of squad players and promising youngsters that have excelled in the reserve side.

However he has proven so many times that his belief in the ability of young players at his disposal is not an act of blind faith. The have dispatched quite a number of big name sides in recent years such as Liverpool and Manchester United and a few sides that fielded their strong sides when facing The Gunners in that competition such as WBA and Wigan Athletic.

This morning Carling Cup tie at Newcastle saw Wenger continued playing his young players. Craig Eastmond and Kieran Gibbs continued to feature while Havard Nordveit made it to the bench. But for me the most important player starting the match was goalkeeper Wosciech Szczesny who has been crying out for a chance to prove his worth for Arsenal.

The Polish youngster certainly did not disappoint with a few good saves against a Newcastle side that was not really at their full strength, with Chris Hughton clearly putting his priority to the weekend North-East derby against Sunderland at the same venue.

The emerging Szczesny, whose display during his loan spell at Brentford really showed his potential to become a good goalkeeper; will now make the contest for the spot between the sticks even hotter at The Emirates between him, Lukasz Fabianski and the 'injured' Manuel Almunia. Of course, the three of them will have to content with Vito Mannone once the Italian loan spell at Hull City ends in January.

After a long period of feeling vulnerable with their goalkeepers, Arsenal fans can now breathe a bit easier knowing that Wenger is right after all by sticking with the ones at his disposal. Fabianski certainly growing with confidence during each match he played and he would have to work hard in order not to make any mistake, knowing that his place could be taken by others.

I am very pleased with the developments as I have been a fan of Fabianski since he first came to the club. His erratic displays prior to this season really made me wonder whether he is just a good goalkeeper in a low quality league in Poland or he really is a great goalkeeper in the making. Right now my opinion is of the latter and I really hope that he will keep it up for years to come.


The 4-0 win against Newcastle also marked good return to the side by Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner. The England international brace sandwiching another good strike by Bendtner who has scored twice in as many matches after a similar strike against Manchester City on Sunday.

It was a match with a lot of positives for Wenger and he will be looking forward to Saturday London derby against West Ham United at The Emirates as another potential three points on the board even though matches against The Hammers were never easy.


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Three Points in Manchester

There have not been a fruitful trip to the City of Manchester for quite sometime. Last season we came back with nothing and it really hurt especially with a certain Togolese running the whole length of the pitch in celebration just to show how much we should be missing him when in truth it merely increased the hatred level of us Gooners for him.

For this trip however, there was no sign of him on the pitch when the match started, showing what a bloated ego he has in his head. His Man City team showed that he was not really missed at all judging from activities during the opening minutes when a David Silva back-heel forced a reaction save from Lukasz Fabianski.


For many, the incident in the fourth minute became the crucial factor in determining the outcome of the match. Maruone Chamakh was brought down just outside the box by City Belgian defender Dedryk Boyate after a wonderful pass by Cesc Fabregas. The referee had no choice but to show red to Boyate as he was the last man.


However Arsenal had to wait until the 20th minute before finally breaching the home defence. In form Samir Nasri played a one-two with Andrey Arshavin before smartly lobbing the ball over Joe Hart. It could be 1-1 when returning defender Johan Djourou showed his lack of match sharpness when Micah Richards managed to turn him before unleashing a curler. Fortunately, it went wide of Fabianski's goal.


Then it should be 2-0 before the break when Vincent Kompany (ironically another Belgian defender) clipped Fabregas just inside the penalty area. It was a clear penalty and the skipper himself took the responsibility from the spot. Unfortunately, Hart went the right way and managed to smoother Fabregas shot which lacked power if not precision.

The home side responded well in the second half but Arsenal just held on and clearly playing with a man short against Arsenal took its toll on City. The introduction of the Togolese and Mario Balotelli did not make any difference as Alex Song's commitment saw him first to a loose ball to poke it past Hart, making it 2-0. Substitute Nicklas Bendtner made it 3-0 with a wonderful finish after managing to stay onside from a pass by Nasri.

When Mark Clattenburg blew the final whistle it was the first clean sheet by Arsenal in fifteen matches and for mad redo1 it was further meaningful as it was made by Fabianski whose confidence seemed to grow in each match he played.

It was indeed a fruitful trip to Manchester.


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It's The Drog... Again!

After witnessing a 2010 Malaysia Cup match between T-Team and Selangor at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah, mad redo1 proceeded to the McD 'drive-thru' outlet to catch the visit of Arsenal to Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately, all seats in front of the TV were taken. Thus when another Gooner, Ahmad Arif arrived we decided to adjourn to the nearby T-Cafe.

It was still 0-0 but Arsenal already asked a few questions about the home defence. Both Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny should have put The Gunners ahead but both were unable to find the back of the net with their effort.

Arsenal were matching the home side but as always there was the question of luck that became a crucial factor in these kind of matches. Perhaps I am a bit bias but the feeling was Arsenal were not getting the break when playing against the so called big teams. Whether it was decisions by the officials or the bounce of the ball.

And tonight, it was no exception.


Our nemesis Didier Drogba connected with a low hard delivery from Cashley Cole and it hit the post before going in. It could have hit the post and rebound to safety but no, it went in off the post. During the build up to the goal there was a foul on Abou Diaby but it went un-noticed by the officials (not saying they did it intentionally but just failed to spot it).

In the second half I thought for a long period of time Arsenal could have leveled the score from their dominance but they just could not find the crucial breakthrough. Samir Nasri was very lively and so was Jack Wilshere. Andrey Arshavin whose attempt forced Peter Cech into making a good save in the first half, faded in the second.


Then came the moment when the home side put the match just a bit beyond our grasp. A foul by Koscielny as they broke through meant the referee Mike Dean had to award a free kick, which was centrally located of Lukasz Fabianski goal.

During the build up Florence Malouda joined the wall. Now, when I was at school, the coach taught me when an opponent joins your defensive wall during a free-kick, make sure have a team-mate covering behind him and do not say 'welcome to our defensive wall' to him at all time.


Unfortunately, the entire Arsenal squad did not go to my school. Thus when Malouda stepped aside after the referee had whistled, there was this big gap in the wall and for a Brazilian like Alex it was like a Grand Canyon opening up for him to slot his thunderbolt, which I doubt even the best goalkeeper in the world now would have difficulties in reaching it.

That it. We are now seven points behind the league leaders. But so what? We have been adrift before but on many occasions we managed to find ourselves in the mix right to the death. With many personnel coming back from the treatment room in the next few weeks, our squad will look much stronger.


The most positive aspect from the match at the Bridge was Fabianski. He looked confident throughout the match and if he is given a run of matches during which he does not court any 'incident', then Mark Schwarzer's dream of playing for a top club will remain just that, a dream.

Keep on Goonering you ARSE-s!!!

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Another Aidil-Fitri Delight

A week after Muslims celebrate the Aidil-Fitri, a nice present from Arsenal duly arrives a day before many Muslims call as 'Hari Raya Enam'. This is when a Muslim performs an additional six days of fasting during the month of Shawal, preferably from the second day onwards even though it is not necessarily so. Even the additional six days are not compulsory.

However, for Gooners who manage to do that, then they receive half dozen of delights from the Emirates as the home side put six past Sporting Braga goalkeeper Felipe. In a match that could be dubbed as 'The Cesc Fabregas Show" the skipper found the net twice, starting the scoring in each half.

Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh also manage put their names on the score-sheet in the first half to give The Gunners a healthy 3-0 lead going into the break. Substitute Carlos Vela came on in the 63rd minute and duly found the net twice to put the gloss on the night when the Portuguese Arsenal learn what Champions League football is all about.

The naivety of the Braga side mean the central defensive pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci are not really troubled throughout the match. Despite the big win Arsenal fans must realise that sterner tests await when their team face FK Partizan in Belgrade later this month and the visit of Shakhtar Donetsk in October.

But before that, there is the matter of a trip to Wearside to face Sunderland on the weekend, a tougher assignment than the one tonight.


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Aidil-Fitri Joy for Gooners

It has been a wonderful Aidil-Fitri celebration in kT for this Gooner.

The first two days of the celebratory period have been terrific. Then the joy is further increased when Arsenal put four past Bolton Wanderers at the Emirates. There are four different names on the score-sheet which bode well for the attacking aspiration of Arsene Wenger's men.

However, the manner Johan Elmander levels things up just before the interval for the visitors is a cause for concern. Laurent Koscielny whose goalmouth prod put Arsenal ahead after 23 minutes, committed an error which results in the equaliser. It could prove fatal against stronger opponents.

Fortunately for the French defender Bolton are not the solid team they once were. Marouane Chamakh header on the hour restored the lead for the Gunners. Then Alex Song shows he is not all brawn with the third when he lifts the ball over Bolton goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, who is playing due to the suspension of Jussi Jaaskelainen. Then Carlos Vela adds the gloss with the fourth seven minutes from time after a one-on-one situation with Bogdan.

It is certainly good to see Arsenal raking up points with the win seeing them amassing ten out of twelve on the offer. Another plus point is the assured play from Sebastien Squillaci in the heart of the home defence.

Up next is a Champions League assignment against newcomer Sporting Braga of Portugal. The Arsenalistas as they are widely known locally due to their red and white strips are an unknown quantity but Wenger's boys would not be underestimating them.


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The Quartet of Hope

Well, that it.

We will have to make do with Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Manonne and Wojciech Szczesny to man the posts this season, or at least until the January transfer window opens. It will not be a period of supreme confident at the back for many Gooners, but then again it has been the case for us for the last few seasons anyway.

Despite signing two quality central defenders in Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci, it is the goalkeeper position that has many fans pulling their hair out whenever a result does not go our way. Almunia did not have the best of start to the season when he let David Ngog's shot beat him at the near post. Despite a confident performance at Ewood Park against a physical Blackburn Rovers side many were expecting to seeing Mark Schwarzer lining up against Bolton Wanderers on 11-09-2010.

But by the end of the transfer deadline at 6pm in the UK (around 1am in kT) there was no movement at all at the Emirates. The Aussie custodian had earlier confirmed he will be staying at Craven Cottage while Shay Given will be the Cup goalkeeper for Man City, perhaps becoming a victim of Bobby Mancini's fear of strengthening a rival if he let the Irishman go to a Premier League side.

So right now, we have to look forward with what we have at our disposal.

In attack we have a wealth of talents and firepower with Maruone Chamakh providing the aerial advantage we have been lacking despite having the tall Nicklas Bendtner in our ranks. Theo Walcott already has an explosive start to the season, finding the net four times and we hope he will find the sort of consistency that enable him to emulate the previous owner of the number 14 shirt in his possession right now.

The big Dane and Mexican Carlos Vela are entering the stage when they are expected to perform and do what they are expected to do, that is to score and create goals, lots and lots of them. Andrey Arshavin will be expected to provide the creativity that prompted Arsene Wenger to part with the sum of money he paid in bringing the Russian to the Emirates a while ago, provided he can find the consistency in the first place.

Then of course Robin van Persie. The Dutchman has been unlucky with injuries that always keep him out for a large chunk of Arsenal seasons, which keep us asking the 'what if' questions had he been fit all the time. The injury against Blackburn will see him out for at least a couple of weeks and for us it is hoped that will be the last for the season.

In midfield a fit and focused Cesc Fabregas will be crucial for Arsenal. Supporting him will be Samir Nasri and Tomas Rosicky with Abou Diaby, Manu Ebuoe and Denilson providing the depth between aggression and creativity. Joining them will be the prodigious Jack Wilshere who could be the one to step into Fabregas place when the Catalan finally make his move back home.

But crucially to the season is a fit as a fiddle Alex Song. He has performed so well in front of the back four last season that almost all Arsenal fans wish to see him in action week in week out in the current one. If not for his long term injury, Manu Frimpong could have been pushing for a place in the senior squad after an impressive pre-season but nowadays Arsenal and injuries seem to go hand in hand.

We could also be looking forward to November when Aaron Ramsey is scheduled to return from his terrible injury sustained at Stoke City last season.

The defence will be anchored by Thomas Vermaelen and the question many Gooners are asking who will be Arsene's choice to partner him. Koscielny performed well at Anfield but was exposed by El Hadji Diouf at Ewood Park that led to the Blackburn equaliser. Thus I for one think it will be Squillaci who will get the nod due to his reputation as a physical no nonsense defender.

There should not be too much worry on either flanks with Gael Clichy in a good competition with Kieran Gibbs on the left while Bacary Sagna still have the enigmatic Eboue as his cover in any untoward cases. That will leave old Johan Djourou to contemplate on his future but given Arsenal luck with injuries he might be in the thick of action soon.

Back to the goalkeeper position, personally now that I know the quartet is there to stay I would like to see Szczesny be given a chance to prove his capabilities and who knows we might have a Joe Hart clone in our midst. Fabianski should also have left for a loan spell as he badly needs a run in goal to regain his confidence back, with Wigan would be an ideal destination if not the Scottish League.

Of course Arsene was not helped by the fact everybody knew he was looking for a goalkeeper thus the prices quoted were exorbitant. But I am glad he stood his ground and refused to give in.

So right now I am hoping that either one of the quartet will perform well enough to get gain the trust of the defence in from of him and to ensure no more sleepless night for us Gooners.


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