Thoughts on the Season So Far

Hello all. It's been a bloody month since I last posted, and I'm quite ashamed of it actually. Sometimes, when you write every day, you just get burnt out and feel like what you write isn't that interesting anymore and just don't really get in the mood to write very much. That's what happened to me, and I feel like I'm not doing my job as an Arsenal blogger when I go that long without writing. So I apologize and I'll try to get back to it. So for today I'm just going to write a bit about what I've noticed from the season so far.

I really like the 4-3-3 formation, I'm just not sure we have the right players to run it at the moment. I think ideally we'd have Theo as the forward on the right and Arshy on the left with RvP or Bendtner as the center forward. I don't think Bendtner is good as a wide player and I don't think he ever will be. He's a center forward, and he's the second or third best center forward at that, so I don't like seeing him start on the right. Theo can't get back soon enough for me. It's a bit weird how long he's been out. Same with Vela. I worry that they were supposed to have little injuries and now they've been out for quite a while. Hopefully they get back soon because we could use the depth. When you look at the bench we've had for some of these matches, it's just pathetic. I think when we get Nasri back, he should probably start next to Cesc to add some more creativity in the midfield.

Thomas Vermaelen is a fucking beast. The guy is a strong defender who spends most of his time smoking fools and lighting up chumps, while also making time to get up the field and score goals to the point that right now he's our leading scorer. Now it's not really good that a central defender is our leading scorer mind you, but it just accentuates the fact of how brilliant a signing he was. I can't get enough of the guy. Keep it up Verminator.

Alex Song needs some help. He was good the first few games but against both Manchester teams he looked like he was in a little bit over his head. It'd be nice if we could rest him every once in a while without having a drop off. And also, what has happened to Manuel Almunia? He's been pretty terrible this season so far in my opinion, and Clichy, even though he's one of my favorites, has also been sub-par.

I worry a little bit about Cesc. I think sometimes his head is in Barcelona. We really, really need to win something this year. Other than the Manchester games though, you'd say the season is looking pretty decent. We're beating the teams that are weaker than us, which has been a problem in the past, so maybe we're on the right track. Remember that we still get City and United at home to make up for those losses, and we still have a lot of players coming back from injury. I think the season still is looking bright. Keep the faith Gooners.

Cheers.

PS: Adebayor is a cunt.

Injuries, Wigan Preview, and 300th Post

Wow, this is my 300th post today. For those of you who have been reading since the very beginning almost two full years ago, thanks for sticking around. For those of you who are newer to the site, I hope you'll be here for years to come.

I haven't updated since after the Villareal game, but I'm sure you've read a match report for it somewhere else and if you haven't then you are out of luck because I don't think I'm going to do one. Adebayor's goal was something else though wasn't it? I've watched it over and over again. A real thing of beauty.

We head into the home leg of the tie next week 1-1 with an away goal, which is key. You'd fancy us to be able to win against them at home if we are on our game. In the first half in Spain we looked pretty woeful and Villareal looked like Barcelona, but in the second half we dominated. If we can play like we did in that second half then I think we should be able to win. Even if it ends 0-0 though we are through so let's hope we can shut up shop and keep them from scoring.

The match did cause us some problems though, in the form of injuries. William Gallas will miss the rest of the season, which is a big blow. He's been playing quite well since he had the captaincy taken off of him and his experience and skill will be sorely missed. I think Djourou is a very capable replacement but with Kolo and Gallas having been working so well together lately, it is a blow to lose half of that partnership. Gael Clichy was also injured in the match, and he will miss two weeks, while Manuel Almunia will miss three weeks with an ankle problem. So Lukasz Fabianski will be stepping in between the posts, and every time I watch him he looks better and better, so I'm pretty comfortable with him back there. Who plays at left back is the real question...Gibbs or Silvestre? Personally I'd rather see Gibbs out there. Silvestre hasn't done anything impressive since his arrival and I can't see him coming off a long injury lay-off and magically playing well. Gibbs is faster and probably a more capable player, just lacking experience. If I'm picking the team though, which of course I'm not, I'd pick Gibbs.


So we have Wigan tomorrow in the league, at the shite pitch that is the JJB. I remember playing last year and the ball was bouncing all over the place because of all the weird bumps in the pitch and it really messes up our passing game. Wigan have been pretty good this year under Steve Bruce and I've actually been kind of rooting for them to do well this year, just not against us of course. They got thrashed 4-0 by Everton last week so they should be motivated for this one, and it won't be an easy one to win. We'll have Eduardo and van Persie facing fitness tests before the match, so if they aren't fit I guess we'll see Bendtner come into the side.

If I had to guess the lineup will look something like this:

Fabianski
Sagna-Djourou-Toure-Gibbs
Walcott-Denilson-Cesc-Arshavin
Bendtner-Adebayor

We could also see Song come in instead of Bendtner (or Rvp/Eduardo if fit), and play a 4-5-1, but this is just what I think. Villa are now six points behind us but we don't want to take our foot off the pedal and give them a chance to get back in it, so we need three points here. Even with the injuries, I think we'll get it done. 1-0 to the Arsenal.

Also, on a side note, I'm really hoping Newcastle get relegated. It's just after my hopes that Sp*rs, Chelsea, ManUre, and Liverpool would get relegated that Newcastle get relegated so if you get some free time turn on the Newcastle match this weekend and watch the cunts languish about the pitch for 90 minutes on their way to the Championship.

That's about it for the day. I'll try to get something up before the match tomorrow but we'll see because I may want to sleep in as long as possible. It's been a long week. Hope you all have a good one and Come on you Gunners!

Who sits, Nasri, Theo, or Arshy? Should Arsenal Play 4-2-3-1?

Morning all. Not a whole lot going on this week. I really wish I had a lot to write about but there just isn't anything to write about. Everyone is away on international duty for the next week plus, so stories are few and far between, but I'll try to come up with something mildly entertaining as I drink my morning coffee.

First off we may as well start with some transfer rumors, and the first one is Raul Albiol of Valencia saying he would be interested in a move to one of the "big clubs in the Premiership." While I don't watch him week in and week out I do think he's at least the type of defender that would be a good addition to our squad, and with Gallas not getting any younger and Valencia being cash strapped, it could maybe happen.

Gael Clichy has been linked with a move to AC Milan, and was asked about it by a reporter.

"I don't know anything.

"I am very happy at Arsenal. It is true AC Milan are a great club. It is flattering to know you are followed by such a team."

I think Clichy is the type (hopefully) that would like to stay at Arsenal for a long time so I don't really see a lot to this story. Hopefully we'll secure our Champions League spot for next year pretty soon and that should kill off some of these transfer rumors of our big players leaving. Clichy hasn't been at his best this year but there is a reason that AC Milan are following him and a reason he was in the team of the year last year, and that's because he's absolute quality. Not only that but he's a perfect team player, never runs his mouth, and always has a great attitude. He's the type of player great teams are made of.

Alright so on to my main topic today, and that is one I have been discussing with Joaquin over the last few days. With the return of Cesc soon after the international break, where do all of our attacking midfielders play? Obviously Cesc, being the captain and being brilliant and amazing, gets in the side no question. But what about Theo, Nasri, and Arshavin? While Theo was out and Cesc was out there was lots of space to move Nasri and Arshy around, but with all of them healthy, as well as having Adebayor back up front, it does give you lots of options.

Of course this is a good problem to have, much better than having everyone injured like we did, but I really want to know what you all think. What is your ideal first eleven for Arsenal with everyone healthy? I suppose mine would look like this:

Almunia
Sagna-Toure-Gallas-Clichy
Nasri-Denilson-Cesc-Arshavin
RvP-Adebayor

But Joaquin had an interesting idea that I'd like to throw out there now. What if Arsenal switched it up and ran a 4-2-3-1? I know 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 are Arsene's ideal formations but with the players we have a 4-2-3-1 could work effectively. Have a look at this:

Almunia
Sagna-Toure-Gallas-Clichy
Denilson-Cesc
Walcott-Nasri-Arshavin
Ade/Nik/RvP/Eddy

Obviously RvP and Eddy at least have the ability to play in that line of 3 instead of Theo, Nasri, or Arshy too if needed and Ade and Nik can both play a lone striker role fairly well. I think it's something that should be considered maybe because the possibilities are endless. Imagine what all of those guys on the pitch at the same time could create. I'm actually about to try it out on football manager now and see if they can pull it off. Not that that is a good sign or anything but its still fun for me.

So I want to know your opinions on this one. If we stick with 4-4-2, where does everyone get into the team, and what do you think of at least the IDEA of the 4-2-3-1? It gives you something to think about over the international break at very least.

Hope you all have a good day. Cheers.

Fabregas Named Captain, And Rightfully So

Morning all. I told you I was redesigning the site and everything, and that is still the case, but it is taking longer than expected so I'm going to continue posting on this one for a while. Today it was confirmed that Cesc Fabregas, one of the greatest people to ever live, is the new captain of Arsenal Football Club. And I don't really think anyone can argue with that appointment. If you look at the potential benefits compared to the potential problems the benefits far outweigh them. He's young and could potentially be the captain of the club for a long time, granted he stays at Arsenal. I think this will encourage him to stay at Arsenal and give him the spotlight that he was going to eventually want anyway. He's fiery and can not only lead by example but is also not afraid to yell at someone when they need it and praise someone when they deserve it. He won't ever do what Gallas did and bitch to the press about a dressing room squabble, and, perhaps most importantly, he loves Arsenal Football Club in the same way that Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira do.

Arsene Wenger confirmed the decision, stating that William Gallas would still play for the club (unfortunately) but that he has been permanently removed as captain:

''William will play against Kiev, but the captain of the team will be Fabregas.'' I do not think I have to especially explain why I make the decisions, but it is a permanent thing.''

Wenger also spoke about how we still need to have a team full of leaders even though Cesc will be the voice of the club:

''I believe the captain is the voice of the club towards the outside, and is one of the leaders of the team. However, I do not believe in just one man in the dressing room who sorts out all of the problems. A successful team is a shared leadership inside the dressing room. He (Fabregas) will be one of the leaders, but not the only one.''

I feel like there has been a huge weight lifted off mine and a lot of other people's shoulders this morning upon reading this news. The Gallas captaincy was marred by the Birmingham game last year, the ensuing results which cost us the title, and a terrible start to this season. With a new captain, and the new captain being Cesc at that, it really feels like a whole new era for Arsenal, one that will lead us to glory.

Gael Clichy supported the decision to give Cesc the armband:

"It is a new start and I am sure Cesc will do well."

"He has been fantastic for us over the last couple of seasons. I think it is a good choice from the boss and I am sure all the players will give all their support.

"When we were losing 1-0 to Sunderland this season and he scored to get us the draw, that showed his character.

Now the rest of the playing staff is still a problem, don't get me wrong, there will have to be changes. Players need to be brought in to improve our depth and talent as well as to show Cesc our ambition because his quality far outweighs the majority of the rest of the squad's. We most certainly need another center back, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Gallas sold in January if a decent offer comes in. He's a team cancer and isn't good enough to play in the team anyway.

Another midfielder and another wide player certainly wouldn't hurt either. With Eboue and Walcott injured, it really exposed our lack of depth on the right with us having to play Diaby out wide and Song and Denilson in the middle. That midfield couldn't start for Wigan at the moment, so it certainly shouldn't be starting for Arsenal. It would be nice if we still had good old Gilberto, because he could certainly be useful during this trying time for the club.

But the fact is that it is now a new era of Arsenal Football Club and it's up to Arsene Wenger which way we go with it. He's changed the captain, but his next move is the most important one. Does he strengthen the squad in January and make the additions neccessary to be competitive, or does he "keep faith in his youngsters" and "try not to hurt their development" by refusing to buy yet again. The wise choice would be the former, because the latter could put his position at Arsenal in serious jeopardy.

Come on Cesc and come on you Gunners!

Absolutely Gutted...Mental Mistakes Sink Us

Morning all. It's still early in the day and it's already been terrible. This is of course compounded by what happened yesterday at the Emirates...which we shall discuss.

If you didn't get to see the match, in which feelings went from distress to glee to absolute disaster, then you missed one hell of a match, if you were a neutral supporter. I, however, am not a neutral so the match was absolute shite for me. We were up 4-2 with 2 minutes to go in the match and managed to let them score 2 goals in those two minutes to tie it up, which was as good as a win for them. Let's face it, Tottenham are not a good team, they were way behind us in possession, never really looked that threatening, and yet came into our home and came away with an undeserved draw.

Some people will say that I should maybe give Sp*rs some credit for their comeback, but let's face it, it wasn't their efforts that created this result, it was mental mistakes by Arsenal players that let them come back and snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat.

Manuel Almunia has been a fine keeper for the last year or so, but yesterday he went back to the Almunia that was from a few years back. He pretty much gifted them their first two goals. The first one he should have been able to get back and make the save on. The ball was so high in the air it seemed like it took an hour to come down yet he couldn't get back for it, and Lord knows what he was doing that far off of his line anyway.

Then we got back in it through Silvestre of all people and it seemed like order would be restored. This proved to be the case when we came out and scored early in the second half through William Gallas who seems to be able to attack set pieces much much better than he can defend them. We got another on a great play from Nasri and finished by Adebayor and you figured that 3-1 up at home was going to be a win.

We didn't want to make it easy on ourselves though so we let them get a goal on yet another gift from Almunia. Huddlestone shot from outside the box and Almunia just let it drop in front of him after making the save and Darren Bent knocked it in after just coming on. It was a save he really should have been able to hold on to and it made you a little nervous at 3-2. Robin van Persie made it 4-2 just a minute later though and it was comfortable again.

What happened next was absolutely shocking. Arsenal went into a period where we held almost all of the possession, just trying to run the clock down, and it was working. Heading into extra time with a 2 goal lead and they couldn't even get the ball. Then the unthinkable happened. Gael Clichy had the ball stopped and was looking around for where to pass next and came under some pressure from Jenas, the cunt. Next thing you know Clichy trips over the ball, Jenas steals it, dribbles 25 yards or so and knocks another past Almunia. So 4-3 at this point but still almost know time left...we'll be fine right? Not so. A header dropped to Luca Modric who had a shot come back off the post which we failed to clear or save and Lennon came in to snatch a draw. They celebrated like they had won the league and I wanted to kill myself.

It's not just the result that really makes this bad though. Of course I want to beat Sp*rs, who doesn't? But the point is the WAY that we drew the match. Mental errors and not being able to have the strong mentality to close out a game. Where is the leadership in the 89th minute when up 2 goals that says, "Let's close this game out and make sure we don't let them even have one chance of getting back in this." How do we let them score on 2 rebounded goals, and trip over the ball while trying to play keep away, and let David Bentley, the talentless cunt, score from 40 yards away when no other team has had trouble with them all year? I don't care if they got a new manager or not, it's the same players that have them bottom of the table and we made them look like title contenders with that comeback.

How much would a player like Gilberto Silva have helped in this situation? Imagine if he came on instead of Diaby or Eboue, would he allow them to make a comeback like that? He's the kind of intelligent, experienced player we need in these situations, and we let him go. I just can't see him coming into the match up 2 goals with 2 to go and not making sure everyone knew to keep their heads on straight and to hold onto the ball, and if they did get the ball from us I know he'd be fighting tooth and nail to get it back.

Everyone has a few bad games but Almunia was absolutely shocking this match. I thought Theo Walcott was fantastic but of course he came off to be replaced by Eboue who did nothing. I actually thought Gallas (who you know I am a critic of) had a very good game. He looked solid at the back and scored a great header. He is the captain though and some of the blame for a meltdown has to go to anyone in a leadership role. The team as a whole was at fault though. Silvestre could have closed down Jenas on the 3rd goal, Almunia and Clichy could certainly have had better games, but the fact is we completely blew it.

Arsene Wenger was as pissed as he's been in some time:

Well I am angry. I believe we produced an outstanding game and got the minimum result. We didn't keep the ball. We were there for the taking. We should have had a negative passing game but instead we exposed ourselves by trying to go five or six up. The team has outstanding potential. They learn from moments like that tonight.

It comes down to leadership and experience. You have to keep the ball away from them up by 2 with 2 minutes to go, and certainly after they pull 1 back. It should be common sense. My 8 year old team knows that.

I'm absolutely sick about it is the moral of the story. I don't want to think about the match anymore so I let all my feelings out on here. Feel free to do the same in an email or the comments and I'll read em on the podcast tomorrow. We've gotta recover from this loss and get ready for the next one, it's still a long season. Up the Gunners.

Top of the League, the Foul On Clichy, and Sheffield United

Well another win up the shanties of Bolton. I will have to mention that I did predict the score at 3-1 as well. So that win, combined with the rest of the results from Saturday and Sunday, put us top of the league. Liverpool found a way to draw with Stoke, and ManUre and Chelski played out a 1-1 draw, so it was great for us to get all 3 points away from home. It's obviously a good place to be, and we should be happy about it, but we also need to look at it in perspective. Man United have had to play Liverpool and Chelsea in back to back games away from home. In fact, we're the only top 4 team to have not played any of the other three. So there will still be lots of measuring sticks, but I think it is good for the squad to have these "easier" fixtures first. It's giving Denilson and Song time to develop. It's letting RvP and Theo get into their strides. I think when we do play the other big teams, we'll be ready.

The thing that still worries me the most is in central defence. Even when we win they look shaky at the back, and we don't have many options going forward to strengthen that. Djourou could be good partnered with one of Kolo or Gallas, but he would need a lot of games in a row to get used to that. Silvestre is not the answer at center back, and I think we shouldn't expect anything more than cover for all the defensive spots from him. Gallas' performances lately have really bothered me. The goal they scored against us this weekend was again because of a lack of marking on his part. He pretty much just watched the corner and it seems he is afraid to get up in the air and challenge for a ball. The rest of the team at least made an attempt to jump in the air but not Gallas. I'm running out of suggestions for Arsene but it seems that he is determined to stick with this partnership anyway.

Speaking of Johan Djourou, he's signed a new long term contract with the club.

As for Kevin Davies' tackle on Clichy...I honestly didn't think it was the worst thing ever. Yes, it was certainly a foul, but I didn't think instant red card or anything like that. Kevin Davies is definitely a cunt, but he did go in to get the ball and succeded in doing that at very least. The best news out of all of it though is that Clichy isn't injured too badly. That's very important, especially while Traore is out on loan, because he's a huge player for us.

So we look forward to Sheffield United in the Carling Cup tomorrow night, and Arsene may field the youngest side in Arsenal's history. The manager talked about how young the squad will be:

“There is a possibility [it will be the youngest side ever],” said Wenger. “In the first team there are many players around 20. In the Carling Cup we will keep a few in there but the side will be more between 16 and 19. At Arsenal you can say 20 and 21-year-olds are the experienced players.

“You are likely to see Gavin Hoyte, Abu Ogogu, Aaron Ramsey, Mark Randall, Jack Wilshere, Fran Merida and Carlos Vela. Maybe Bendtner will play. Song, Djourou and Lukasz Fabianski will be the experienced players. But you will have players like Emmanuel Frimpong and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas so it will be a very young side.”

So it should definitely be a fun one to watch and I'll be rooting hard for the youngsters because I love watching them progress through this cup and seeing them mature right in front of us. I'll be back tomorrow with a full match preview and some more stuff. Until then, Cheers!

Adebayor's Soap Opera

Morning everyone. I'm back. I was down in Orlando the past couple days watching Less Than Jake and Rancid play some shows. It was pretty amazing, not gonna lie. So what did I miss? By the looks of it not all that much. Some big teams are out of the Euros: Holland, France, Portugal. Turkey and Russia are looking really good and Spain versus Italy today. Should be a dandy.

I guess you could say the main Arsenal news over this weekend still revolves around Emmanuel Adebayor. When did I do that last podcast? I think I might do another one just to talk about this subject. It seems now that the situation has escalated even more, with sources reporting that Arsenal are prepared to accept a 25 million pound bid for him, should the bid be made. Adebayor's agent says that Arsenal would rather sell him to Barcelona than Milan, "for their own motives." Like I said, it has to be Yaya Toure. I can't see us wanting anyone else from their team that we could actually get. We couldn't get Xavi, Messi, or Iniesta and I don't really think we'd want anyone else besides them and Yaya.

This article again links us with Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz, who had an impressive first season in the Premiership last year, if Adebayor does leave. He's not really a player I want to see at Arsenal and I think it's probably just speculation but I'd think for 25 million pounds we could get in someone else. Goodplaya, however, reckons we really do want to sign him.

The Sun, (which is of course complete bollocks on a daily basis) says that Barcelona have agreed a fee and terms with Adebayor and hope to complete the signing in the next few days. Yes I know the Sun is a terrible paper but even they have to get one right sometime you'd think.

So the moral of all this is I think I've changed my mind on this one. For weeks I've been saying that Adebayor definitely won't leave and that he's loyal and loves Arsenal and all that, but I digress. I think he may very well be leaving now, and it would surprise me if he doesn't go really. I'll admit though that I would be very upset if we did lose him, but 25 million pounds would probably help to ease the pain.

Who do I want as his replacement if he goes? Well I've got a couple on my list. Of course I like David Villa, if you read this site often then you know that. I like Podolski, I don't mind Santa Cruz, and honestly Eto'o wouldn't kill me either. Like I said though, I think Ade is probably going and I'm 110% positive that Arsene already knows for sure one way or the other if he's staying or not. So if he is leaving than Arsene knows it and he's already looking for that replacement now. Things could get very interesting in the next few weeks...

In news apart from all this, Gael Clichy has signed a new long term contract. Like I said on the podcast, this is why we love Clichy and Sagna. They have brilliant seasons and still show no desire to move clubs and in fact both signed new deals this month. It's outstanding. I hope they're our fullbacks for the next ten years. I know it's unrealistic but would anyone complain if it were to happen? I think we should be thankful that Clichy and Sagna didn't get selected to play for France. That team was destined to be shite and now we can be thankful they weren't injured.

Speaking of the Euros though, Russia beat Holland 3-1 yesterday and Andrei Arshavin was the main reason why. Now he's been linked with a move to Arsenal after saying that he wants a move to a bigger club. He's currently plying his trade for Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia, so it would be quite a step up to the Premier League. He's 27 years old which is a bit old for Arsenal's usual signings but he's been absolutely fantastic in the last two games for Russia. I wouldn't mind seeing him replace Hleb and Nasri replace Rosicky at all. Or just bring him in and have them all compete for places. That would be nice.

Apparently we're also trailing some Brazilian named Diogo from Portuguesa. I don't know anything about him but the club are claiming to have rejected an Arsenal bid for him of 6 million pounds. They say they want 12 million for him. I bet they do.

So yeah, the speculation is getting crazy. It's going to be interesting guys so hang in there and don't let it frustrate you too much. Enjoy the match today and maybe I'll do a podcast while I watch it! PS, listen to the first one, I still need feedback on it. Cheers!

Arsenal To Sign Nasri

Ok so it's a very very late post today, and it's not going to be a long one because I am sick at the moment and I'm also tired after work. I was going to wait until tomorrow for this but it appears our first signing of the summer is going to be Samir Nasri. Quotes from the Marseille playmaker seem to point to a move to Arsenal in the next week.

“I’ve maybe played my last game at Stade Velodrome,” said Nasri. “In any case I wanted to finish well.”

Several sources are reporting that the fee is going to be 13.5 million pounds and that it should be completed within the next ten days. It looks like Alexander Hleb may be moving to Barcelona and Nasri is seen as his replacement.

This article contains a quote from his agent confirming that there have been approaches for Nasri.

In other news, Roman Domanech has again proved how much of a cunt he is by leaving out Gael Clichy AND Bakary Sagna from the Euro 2008 squad. They both were in the team of the season and yet can't make it into the French squad at all. Absolute bollocks.

Also, Justin Hoyte has been linked with a 4.5 million pound move to Aston Villa. I like Hoyte more than I like Eboue, but I think Wenger likes Eboue more and he isn't really listening to me, so I'm guessing he'll probably be off. At least it'll bring us some money. I'd be sorry to see Hoyte go though.

That's about all I have time for right now because I've got to lay down. More tomorrow if I get a chance but cross your fingers on the Nasri thing. Cheers.

Wenger Loves Eboue, Fabregas Review

Morning all. I'm right tired this morning honestly so this one may not be as long as usual. It sucks not having any matches to look forward to. Can you believe it thought this blog is almost one year old now. Next month will be one whole year. Ridiculous.

Arsene Wenger enlightened all of us who were baffled as to how he could keep playing Eboue on the wing. He said that you cannot only go by assists and goals but by how the team plays and how many team goals and chances there are. He said Eboue brings defensive balance to an offensive side, but I'd say he's lost his mind. He compared Eboue to Ray Parlour saying that Parlour didn't score many goals on the right side either. First of all, Parlour scored more than Eboue does for sure, plus he was just a better f'ing player Arsene! Also, Parlour was a central midfielder so I don't know what on Earth Wenger is talking about. Moral of the story is that now we know why Wenger plays Eboue, because he thinks that he's the new Ray Parlour. You're an idiot Arsene (in this case).

For those of you interested in what happened during the recording of The Cesc Fabregas Show, there is a good report on it here. Basically he won new kits for the enitre audience, answered questions, talked about his past, said the goal against AC Milan was his most important goal, and said he would like David Villa at Arsenal. Yes, he really said that. He was asked if he could bring back one player with him from the Euro's who would it be, and he said David Villa. Would be nice Cesc.

Gael Clichy is reportedly very close to signing a new 4 year extension on his contract, which is great news. Sagna and Clichy have both been reported to be getting new contracts and as we have seen with Hleb and Flamini, it's really important for us to tie down our best players for as long as possible.

"We're at the end of our discussions," Clichy told www.francefootball.fr. "Everything's going well because my intention is clear: I want to stay at Arsenal."

Now that attitude is just what we want to hear! Just one more reason of many to love Clichy. He continued to say that he'd love to stay at Arsenal for a long time and leave a mark on the club like Vieira and Henry.

There have been reports of Emmanuel Adebayor wanting to go to Milan and Madrid, and recently they have been Barcelona. Ade again shot those down with a response on Arsenal.com.

I don’t know why people want to put words in my mouth. As I said on Friday, I love Arsenal and I will be here next season. I am off to Togo tomorrow but will return to Arsenal for pre-season training in July.

I feel for the guy. I wish the Spanish press wasn't as bad every transfer season. We lose one star striker to Barcelona and the very next summer they're after another striker of ours. Ade wants to stay thought so we won't have any Henry-like departures for Barca this year.

Mad Jens is in the news again, and he's talking about Manuel Almunia yet again. This time it's actually nice though, telling him not to take anything personally and that the competition in the past year will help Manuel to improve. He said if he sees him in the summer or anytime after he can shake his hand and there will be no problem between them. That's good to hear because I was sure Jens wanted to murder Almunia last year.

Ok so now time for round three of player reviews, starring Cesc Fabregas.

In the Past: Fabregas came to Arsenal in 2003 after starting as a youth at Barcelona. Wenger snapped him up when he was sixteen and put him in the Youth Academy. He was something of a prodigy though and made his first appearance on October 23rd, 2003 in the League Cup versus Rotherham United. This made him Arsenal's youngest ever player at sixteen years, 177 days. He became the youngest goalscorer not long after in a win against Wolves that same season. Once Patrick Vieira left, Fabregas really got to shine in the first team, with the climax of the transition coming in the Champion's League when we were drawn against Juventus and Cesc completely out shined the former Gunners captain. In 2006/2007 he made 13 assists in the league which was good enough for second in that category. He was also named Arsenal's Player of the Season that year and was named in the UEFA Team of the Year.

This Season: This season Fabregas had, by most people's opinions, his best season as a footballer. He won the O2 Player of the Month award for the first three months of the season while chalking up many goals for a player that hadn't scored many for us in the past. He made 45 total appearances, scoring 13 goals and making 24 assists, 19 of those coming in the league, which is tops. He was at his best earlier in the season, when he was putting in goals almost every match. He stepped up in big moments as well, scoring the decisive goal in the San Siro to beat AC Milan in the Champion's League, the only English team to ever win against them there.


Next Season: Fabregas is the essential part of our team that we can't play without right now. If you watch matches where he isn't playing the movement seems to be off as well as the pace of the attacks. He dictates almost the entire game for Arsenal and his passing skill allows us to play our high pace, passing style. The day we lost Cesc Fabregas is a sad, sad day indeed. For now though, he is still only 21 years old and (scarily for other teams) he will keep on improving. I expect him yet again to be our best player in the coming season and to be the key in our drive for trophies. Keep it up Lord Fabregas.

One last note, I'm still looking for contributers for the upcoming ArseNole podcast. If you would like to co-host with me I am looking for one and if anyone can think of anything funny or interesting to put on there that would be great. Just add it on the comments, forums, or email me, ArseNole@arsenole.com