06/07 Season Review

Woo, first post of my Arsenal FC blog. I've decided to start after the season, and to start with a review and transfer outlook. Arseblog and The Cannon also deserve a good look if you haven't read them before.

The 06/07 season was frankly a disappointment from a silverware standpoint. Any time you finish above Sp*rs makes it a little better, but when do we not finish ahead of them? I've decided to start if off with the bright spots, then with the not so bright, then the outlook for the transfer window.

So to begin we'll start with the good:

Gael Clichy is going to be an unbelievable player for us. After Cuntley Cole left for the Chavs, people wondered how we'd make up for his loss. People thought Gallas would maybe play on the left with Big Phil and Kolo in the middle, with Eboue on the right. Once Clichy got healthy however, we never had any questions at who would play left back. He made some great forward runs and was very competent in his defense. He was also a very calculated player, with only 2 yellow cards in the league this year. I think if he works on his crossing he could be a great for us for years to come.

Abou Diaby may in fact be the replacement for Vieira we've been looking for. There were a few times this season when his tackles just made me cringe with the way he took out an opposing player. If he can stay healthy, which is a big if, and if Wenger plays him in the center of midfield instead of on the wing or as an extra striker, then he can be immense for us. His passing has improved and he definitely can make the crunching tackle we need to complement Cesc in the middle.

Johan Djourou is the right player to complement Kolo. While Gallas is similar in stature and style to our favorite Ivorian centre- back, Djourou is tall and quick as well. He had a couple shifty situations that made you nervous, but he is young and will continue to improve, and I think he is already a better choice than Senderos in the middle.

Cesc Fabregas is essential to our team. The team hardly functions without his presence in the team. His passing and composure has been magnificent and he is always improving his game. If he scores some more goals next year he'll be even better.

Robin Van Persie was brilliant before his injury. He looks to be a huge player for us. I had been skeptical before this year because he was a very streaky performer, but it looks like he has come around and will certainly score goals for the club. Let's hope he can stay healthy and have another big year next season.

Last but not least, Denilson showed his potential to be a big player for us in the future. He was dynamic in the Carling Cup run and made the most of his first team chances. I think his passing needs a little work but he definitely is one to watch for the future.


Now the not so good points of the season:

Hleb may have been a waste of money. His dribbling is superb but when he passes to the other team it really doesn't matter that much how good his skill is. He is the most frustrating player in the squad to watch because every time a move has potential he finds a way to blow it better than Paris Hilton. He also is not a good finisher. Besides just not wanting to shoot, when he does shoot it's bloody awful. Someone needs to sit Hleb and Adebayor down and just make them shoot millions of times per day. Perhaps we would see a bit of improvement.

Thierry Henry is an Arsenal legend, of course. However, with his injury streak this season and now his constant bickering about David Dein's departure, I'm getting quite fed up with our captain honestly. Even when healthy and on the pitch he didn't look like his normal brilliant self. If he is still here next year, which I am starting to doubt, then let's hope he comes out healthy and with the passion he used to have for Arsenal Football Club.

Our wingers in general were not very good. Freddie and Rosicky were hurt it seemed like every match. I think Rosicky is a quality player but he has to stay healthy. He certainly has a rocket of a foot when he gets the chance to shoot. As for Freddie, he's been great but I think he'll be moving on, and good luck to him.

Bill Gallas was a bit of a disappointment as well. I expected big things from a 'top class defender' coming in, and I was honestly not impressed. He had the injury problems and was out for a couple months, but he never seemed to work very well with Kolo. Maybe he should stop cunting off to the press about how we should run things and try gelling with his mates.



As for the Cups...

The Carling Cup run by our youngsters was incredible. Armand Traore looks to have a bright future, as well as the aforementioned Denilson and Diaby. Beating Liverpool at Anfield was a great result for them, in one of Craptista's better games. Hopefully the chance to have a run out in the first team will prepare all the young lads for the future.

The FA Cup was a bloody failure, losing to the Blackburn cunts. Beating the scousers away is always nice and there were 2 fine goals from Rosicky in the match, but it was still not a good Arsenal run.

The Champions League was another early exit for us, going out to PSV. Alex gave us the way back in with his own goal at Emirates after we lost 1-0 at PSV, but he made up for it by scoring the equalizing goal late on which gave the Dutch twats a win on away goals.

The Premiership saw it's share of ups and downs for the Gunners, the high point being the two wins against ManUre home and away. Losing to Sheffield United and losing to West Ham twice were the two low points of the league schedule for me. At least we didn't lose to the shite from the lane.



Well that's going to be it for now. I'll get to the transfer window preview later on, as it's time for me to eat a corn dog. With mustard. Or perhaps not. We shall see

Comments appreciated