Arsenal Looking For Strong Draw In Champions League

Hello everyone. So the Champions League group stage finished up yesterday, and Arsenal comfortably topped their group even though we lost 1-0 yesterday to Olimpiakos. We played almost all youngsters because the match didn't matter and we were looking ahead to Liverpool this weekend. So today I wanted to talk about the possibilities for who we can draw in the next round, and they are as follows:

AC Milan, Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, Porto, Lyon, Inter, and Stuttgart.

My theory on this (which is not really a theory but a well known fact) is that you have to beat the best teams to win the competition anyway, so it doesn't really matter who you face when, because eventually you have to beat them all. But in this case, I think I'd rather leave the work of knocking out Bayern and Inter to somebody else, like Chelsea or United or Barca. They're both strong teams when they're playing well, which is often for Inter and not nearly as often for Bayern, and could give us a rough time.

The only other team I'd like to avoid in the next round is CSKA Moscow. Not because it's an especially tough match up for us, but because I don't want the team to have to travel to Russia in the middle of the week. It doesn't bode well for the weekend fixture if you're traveling thousands of miles Tuesday or Wednesday.

As for AC Milan, Porto, Lyon, or Stuttgart...bring it on. I think we would beat any of those teams over two legs quite comfortably. Stuttgart looked good yesterday, but I would still fancy us to beat them after two legs. Lyon can be tough on their day, and they do have the keeper I'd like to have at Arsenal (Hugo Lloris), but we'd beat them as well.

As for the match yesterday, I thought Ramsey was exceptional, Merida had a very good first half, and Song was as solid as ever. Biggest disappointments for me were certainly Theo Walcott and Carlos Vela (who just signed a new contract today.) Walcott especially is starting to worry me. He's been in the first team for over three years now and has regressed if anything. I know he's had a bad run of injuries but yesterday he looked awful. First touch was especially bad, and he consistently seems to make poor decisions on the pitch. Hopefully he'll come around with more playing time, but I'm starting to wonder if Theo will ever make it at Arsenal.

Overall though I was impressed with the Young Goons, going to Greece and playing well for most of the match. The average age of the squad was 20, and that was WITH a 32 year old Silvestre playing. Now that's a young team. They should all feel happy about their performance, even if they aren't happy about the result. Many bright futures are on the way.

Alright, that's enough for today. Let me know your thoughts on who you want in the draw.

"Smoke weed talk sh*t like Lane Kiffin."

Tiger Woods' wife is a gold digger.

Cescual Chocolate, Barcelona are Cunts (Still)

Hello there everyone. A fine Monday to you all. Hope everyone had a good weekend even though there was no Arsenal. Mine was pretty good. My Under-9 boys team got their first win of the season in our third match of the year. We won 6-1 after losing 8-0 and 7-0 in our first two matches. So it was a big victory for us and we'll be looking to keep that run going.

I didn't really watch any of the internationals this weekend. Why? Because the USA match wasn't on tv and I was watching American football most of the weekend honestly. International Qualifiers interest me about as much as Cesc to Barcelona stories, which is not at all really. But seeing as there isn't shite to write about at all besides Cesc to Barcelona stories, that's what I'll be writing about today.

In a week where Cesc had to leave the Spain squad to be with his seriously ill grandfather, Barcelona thought it would be a prime opportunity to reiterate their desire to sign Fabregas in January. Stay classy, eh Barca? Check out these quotes from the cunt Txiki Begiristain:

"He's a player who fits the Barca profile. He was born suckling on football here and one day he will end up playing at the Camp Nou. I am sure."

What in the hell does that mean? I don't want to picture Cesc suckling on anything, much less Barcelona football. I'd think he could do a bit better than that honestly. I have some advice for Txiki, laid out in a few steps.

1. Get a real name. I cannot pronounce Txiki, nor have I ever met anyone else who would name their son that.

2. Stop talking about Cesc Fabregas. He's said at least one hundred billion times that he's happy at Arsenal. If he does go to Barcelona one day, then it will be when he and Arsene both decide that it's that time, and when it is you'll fork over about a kajillion dollars to us for him. So until then, just leave him alone.

3. When someone's grandfather is really sick, sick enough that you have to leave your team to go be with him, it's probably not the best time to talk about a transfer bid for him. It makes you look like the piece of shit that we all know you are.

4. Next time you think about opening your mouth, shoot yourself in the leg instead. That will probably make you reconsider, because I'd imagine that would really hurt.

Follow those steps and life will be better for all of us. I promise.

In other news, Senderos, Fabregas, Gallas, Vela and Gibbs all scored for their countries this past weekend, and the injury front isn't looking too bad either. Theo Walcott suffered a dead leg but hopefully he'll be back soon enough. Also, Alex Song's Cameroon beat Togo 3-0 so they only need one win to reach the World Cup and Adebayor's team lost which makes it even better. So a good weekend for the Gunners on the whole.

I haven't heard any more news about Samir Nasri's recovery, but hopefully he'll be back before the Sp*rs match at the end of the month.

That's about all I've got for the day, so I'll talk to you tomorrow or Wednesday. Thank God the international break is almost over. Cheers.

Arsenal To Sign Two Prospects and End of Year Survey

Good morning all. What did you think of the Champions League Final? If I had to guess I'd say you probably all enjoyed it immensely, getting to watch the red cunts from the north crying and getting crushed by a team that resembles a better version of our team. We tried to play that exact same game that Barcelona played, but there are just a few differences. Denilson is not Andres Iniesta, Theo Walcott is not Leo Messi, and Adebayor is not Samuel Eto'o. So as we get those slight problems worked out, we'll be as good as them! Really though, watching that Barca team is fantastic. Iniesta was man of the match for me. He was pressuring United all over the field and his dribbling and movement was astounding. Of course Messi was scary as shite every time he touched the ball, but that's just a given now. He's amazing. I was really hoping Thierry would score, and I loved when he skinned Rio Ferdinand and Rio ended up on his arse and Thierry got in a shot, but it wasn't to be. At least he finally got the medal he deserves though. I love TH14, and if it couldn't be Arsenal winning the trophy, then I think Barca deserves it more than any other team, for the way they play, the players they have, and the way they have dominated everyone this season.

Right, on to Arsenal then. It appears we're going to have two new signings, but don't get your hopes up because they are both 15 years old. Jamie Edge, from Cheltenham Town, has had a fee agreed on by the two clubs and just has to agree to personal terms. The other player is Martin Angha or FC Zurich. Edge is a midfielder and Angha is a defender. That's pretty much all I know about either of them.

This does tell us a lot more about Arsenal though. We have previously discussed which trophies Wenger prioritizes, but now we know the answer to that undoubtedly is the FA Youth Cup. We won it this year, and now he's restocking the team to make another run at it. No wonder we haven't been making many first team signings, it's because what really matters at the club is whether or not our 16 year olds can win trophies next year. Now I see the project finally coming to fruition, all this time I thought we were trying to get things like the Champions League and the FA Cup, but really it's about holding onto the Youth Cup. Everything is clear to me now. It's also being reported that we're after 16 year old Dutch youngster Luc Castagoines. We're really going to make a run at that trophy next year!

Robin van Persie has been looking to sign a new contract but says that right now there is "nothing to report." He still has 2 years left on his current deal but with the way players can leave on Webster's and Bosman's and all of that you can never have long enough contracts. Hopefully they get this one done pretty soon because we all know what an important player RvP is for Arsenal when he's healthy, which unfortunately is not enough.

And last but certainly not least today is Theo Walcott being called up for the Under-21 Championships this summer. A lot of people seem to be making a fuss about it, saying he will be tired from not having a summer break, but I'm not buying it. He's only 20, it can't be anything but good for him to play more. I hope Theo has a great time and while I'm not from England I'll be rooting for them to do well because of Theo.

That's about it for today. Hopefully there will be more news soon enough, because the last week or so has been dreadful for Arsenal news. Cheers.

I've also made a survey to poll responses from all of you Gooners to reflect back on this season. It's only 10 questions and takes all of 3 minutes, so please leave your input. It will be much appreciated. Thanks. Click Here to take the survey.

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.

Arsenal Draw Villareal, Then Man United

Morning all. The Champions League draw was this morning for the next two rounds, and would you believe it, we've avoided another English team and drawn Villareal. I don't think it could have happened much better for us. Barca get drawn with a tough team in Bayern Munich, either Chelsea or Liverpool HAVE to go out since they are drawn against each other, and we won't have to face the Mancunian scum until next round as long as we both get through!

I have to say that I'm thrilled with the draw. I think Villareal are a team we should be able to beat if we're playing at our best, plus it means the return of Robert Pires to Arsenal! Everyone loves Robert Pires, so it should be just look Henry or Vieira returning in terms of the warm reception he'll get.

Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis, who remember is somewhat newly arrived, said this could be our year in the Champions League after he saw the draw this morning, and although this quote from his is really long, it's really good so I want to include the whole thing.

"We are laser-focused on the next round. We think we can get a result, but when we played them in 2006 we only just squeaked by. It will be a difficult test.

"The one thing we do believe in is not just the quality of the team, but also the character of our team. I think we saw that in the really difficult environment in Rome.

"Young player after young player made their penalty kicks when they had to. And we will have to draw on those reserves of character to get past Villarreal.

"We have never lost belief in ourselves. We have a superb group of young players. We still believe there is a potential for a really great season for us.

"We can beat anybody on our day. But we can't think beyond Villarreal. We will worry about the next step if we can get by the Yellow Submarine.

"In 2006 we missed out on this trophy by a nose. It might be our year this year. But it is not going to happen just because we want it to. Don't underestimate the depth of character we have."

He's absolutely right I think. The draw sets up favorably for us, and Roma I think really did give our players a leap of confidence. Remember Theo after we won the shootout said it was like celebrating winning the World Cup in the dressing room. I'm getting really f'ing excited about the chances of winning the FA Cup or the Champions League this year. Obviously I want the Champions League more but just winning a trophy again would be magnificent.

Liverpool vs Chelsea for the 5th straight year is really a worry for me. Don't they know that these ties between these two teams are the most boring ties in the history of football? What's worse, I'm sure these will be the matches choosen for television coverage here, because they always favor Liverpool, Chelsea, and United over here in the states. So with two of them in the same match it's a given, which leaves me watching Arsenal on my computer. I'll live through it though, because I think we have a good chance to make it through to the semi-finals for the first time in...I think ever, since 2005.

In other great news, Cesc Fabregas was back in training for the first time yesterday. That's the most welcome news I've heard in months. Imagine him back playing with Arshavin. Won't that just be amazing? I hope we have room for Arshy, Nasri, Cesc, and Theo though once they're all healthy. It would be a crying shame to have to leave any of those magicians out.

There is however, some bad news today, as Theo Walcott suffered a knee injury in training. Arsene Wenger says it locked up while walking back from training, and thinks it could be a cartilage problem. He said he is "surprised and worried" which is never good, and it makes me surprised and worried as well. Theo has been great since we got him back from injury and he brings a whole new dimension to our attack when he's able to go on the right side. They are scanning the knee to see how long he'll be out but fingers crossed that it's only minor.

That's all I've got. I'll try to get a match preview up for Newcastle tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the fact that we got a good draw and Cesc's return! Cheers

Rosicky Injured Yet Again, Theo Walcott's Birthday

Morning all. Been a busy weekend I'd say so I haven't written anything. I actually had time to write something Friday but I just wasn't feeling it. Sometimes that happens. I actually didn't even get to see the Blackburn match because the match started at 11:00 here and I had to coach my team at 11:30, so I missed the whole thing. And it wasn't worth it either because my team got crushed 10-2 and Arsenal won 4-0 and unbelievably Eboue scored two goals! What is this world coming to? Then to follow that up I had to cheer for the Scum from the Lane to beat Villa! They did, thankfully, which kept us in fourth place, but it meant that I had to go puke for hours on end. My body doesn't react well to supporting Sp*rs, even for two hours.

So on to today's news then now that I've recapped the weekend. The first one is really some shite news...Tomas Rosicky has had another injury which will prevent his return to full training for an additional two weeks. *Sigh* It's really tough for me to come to grips with this. Every time he has come the least bit close to regaining match fitness, his hamstring flares up again. It has happened at least four times that I can recall just during this season. I don't see how it is ever going to get better if it hasn't yet. I think Rosicky could help us out this season if he could make it back to fitness ever but it doesn't appear that he will and I'm going to say that I think we've probably seen the last game Rosicky will ever play for Arsenal, and maybe in football period. If he can't get healthy and stay healthy than how can he ever be counted on to contribute to any team? Paying him to nurse his hamstrings for 14 months is getting a bit old. I'm sorry Tomas because it's not your fault, but please stop stealing your wages while you set in ice baths and never heal.


In other news, Andrey Arshavin has been getting some praise heaped on him from Arsene Wenger, and he has heaped right back.

"I like players like him who, in the final third, can give you hope and create something you don't expect. I felt we needed that with the players we have and with the type of game we like to play. But also he has won before and he has experience. We are very, very young. We sold (Alexander) Hleb, and (Tomas) Rosicky we have lost for 14 months. They were in the right age category, between 27 and 30, and we were a bit short at that level."

I won't even throw in the "no shit" that is deserved when he says our team is very young and needed some experience, but it's true about what Arshavin does give us. I watched his goal against Blackburn several times and it really is a fantastic goal that I don't know that any of our other players could have scored. He wasn't scared to take on the defender by himself and when he made his move he went with it to the goal and made sure it went in. We could use a bit more of that from the rest of the team. He's going to be a big factor for us the rest of the year.

Today is Theo Walcott's birthday! C'mon you guys, let's bust it out for him:

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Lord Theo, happy birthday to you."

I'm sure he does really appreciate that, because he reads this site every day of course. He's not a teenager anymore, as he's turning 20. Arsene Wenger was talking of Theo on his big day:

"He gives us something that is important as well when we play at home. He goes behind the defenders and creates room and he has a direct game. We need that, especially at home. It is important to have him back and he gives you something that can make a difference in any game. Compared to one year ago there is no comparison, which is what people sometimes have problems to accept. At that age, every three months you go higher up but how much, you can never predict."

If you have read this site before you know how much I love Theo and think he's going to be amazing. He really made a huge difference in the Blackburn game, and while almost anyone would be an improvement over Eboue, Walcott is a HUGE improvement over him. With Arshavin on the left or up front and Walcott on the right...oh just imagine when Cesc gets back...think of how much better our team will be instantly.

So our next league game is Saturday at Newcastle, who are shite but not so shite that we can just say we'll win easily, especially since we have played badly against the worst teams in the league all season. Our next match though is tomorrow night against Hull City in the FA Cup. It's the quarter finals and the winner gets to head to Wembley to play Chelsea and I'd really love to win this. It looks like a lot of youngsters will play, including Gibbs and Fabianski, but the full squad hasn't been released. Andrey Arshavin says he is "desperate" to play against Hull, but he had eight stitches at half time against Blackburn so we'll have to wait and see. This is a really big match for us. Just getting to Wembley I think will give a big boost to this young team. C'mon you Gunners!

That's about all the news today. Maybe a match preview tomorrow but we'll have to see. I've got a midterm later on tonight, wish me luck. Cheers all.

Champions League Preview - Second Leg v Roma

Morning all. I am still sick as a dog. Not cool, not cool. What is pretty cool is that I went to WWE Raw last night and it was awesome. Not only did my friend mark hit on a fat girl and two 13 year olds, by favorite wrestlers, R Truth and Shawn Michaels, were both in attendance. Add that to the fact that we get Champions League today and tomorrow and it makes for pretty good times.

We have a 1-0 lead from the home leg, which is a good spot to be in but certainly not one that can't be overcome. Getting an away goal will still be important and we're going to need to come out and play to win, not play for the draw. Arsene Wenger agrees:

''We need to go there and play our game - it is very important for us to focus on scoring and going forward,'' said the Gunners boss. ''Roma are a very good team offensively, so if we allow them to spend 90 per cent of the time doing what they like to do, we will expose ourselves."

If we are able to get that away goal that will pretty much put the tie to bed, because they'd have to score three goals then. So it is an all important goal.

Injury news is good, with Kolo Toure expected to be back, and Eduardo and Theo will both be in the squad. Things are looking better every day for Arsenal aren't they? We keep getting players back and we're managing to at least not lose even if we have drawn a lot.

The full squad list for the match can be seen here.

Arsenal has warned the fans going to the match in Rome to avoid certain areas of Rome due to the Roma supporters being absolute cunts. Remember 2 years back when United played Roma they had a bunch of fights in Roma and in Manchester. They're probably just pissed that they'll never win a big match like this and they can't win the league either. But seriously, stay away from those Italian bastards.

Last thing is Theo saying that he'll need time to get back to his form he had before his injury, and he's right. We can't be expecting too much from him and I'm sure I'll be guilty of this too. When you know how good a player can be, anything less than great performances and we all jump on them. Theo will be a big player for us the rest of this season, so let's give him some time. He's been out for 4 months, poor guy, so let's just be glad to have him back.

That's about all I've got for the day. Time for some coffee and some homework. Cheers.

Villa Lose, And The World Is Bright Again - Man's Game Time

Morning all. I could lead into this post with a headline like "It's funny how things change" or "Football really is a funny game" or something else, but apparently all the other blogs beat me to that one so we'll just go without. I did predict Villa losing and us winning on Tuesday, so boom, outta here, correct. We're now within 3 points of Villa after their loss to City and our injured players are all going to be coming back at just the right time to really give us that boost.

Aston Villa aren't a team who are used to fighting for the Champions League places near the end of the season, and maybe the pressure is getting to them a little bit. They have a good team to be sure but none of those players have ever been locked in a battle to get into Europe like this and all that comes with that honor. They don't have it easy the rest of the way either.

Tottenham - Home
Liverpool - Away
Man United - Away
Everton - Home
West Ham - Home

I figure they probably lose to United and Liverpool away and probably either Everton or Sp*rs will take some points off of them. That's a lot of chances we have to take that 4th spot from them. While we still have to go to United and Liverpool, I'd take our schedule the rest of the way over theirs any day. Ten games left in the season, it's Man's Game time.

Theo Walcott and Eduardo are back in the squad Sunday for the match against Burnley. I can't wait to see Theo back. I feel like he's been out about ten months and it'll be great to not see Eboue out there and to have someone that is actually a cool guy that has skill, pace, and ability, unlike Eboue.

"I will see how they (Walcott and Eduardo) look tomorrow and Saturday but they will certainly be in the squad, especially Theo. We have to wait and see how Eduardo reacts and responds to his injury."

On the defensive front, Arsene Wenger says that Gallas should be back for Sunday and Kolo should be back for Roma next week, which is great news. Djourou had been playing well earlier in the year but last match he was a bit shaky. It's probably just because he hasn't gotten many matches lately but for the Champions League I'd prefer to have Gallas and Toure, who have been doing well together. Never thought I'd say that.

The next league match isn't until the 14th against Blackburn, so we have to wait a while for that. Maybe by then we could have Adebayor back as well, and who knows what Rosicky's status is. (By the way, calling him Rosicknote or some variation like Rosick List is not funny or imaginitive, so please come up with something original or just call him by his name) Cesc could be back in April for the stretch run against the other big guns so all is looking up.

Optimisim is the key now! Remember 2005-2006? Sp*rs thought they were going to be Aston Villa that year and steal our Champions League spot. But the lasagna saved the day then, and the lasagna will find a way to infect Villa as well. 4th place here we come!

"I Have Seen Him On YouTube A Lot." - Theo

That is one of the best quotes in history from a professional footballer. Theo was talking to Arsenal.com about his rehabilitation on his shoulder, and he said he hopes to be back in the next month. He also talked about how he had a problem in his other shoulder that they had to fix as well.

"I am nearly there, and hopefully [will be back] by the end of this month. I am doing a lot of rehab work now with the shoulder, landing on it, and also in the gym with a lot of weights to build the muscle strength back. I just feel it will be when I am ready. Obviously I do not want to do it again, so I have got to be 100% fit.''

Then they asked him about Andrey Arshavin, which led to the best line ever.

"Hopefully when I am back fit again, I can play a lot of football with him. When he gets his [match] fitness back up, he will be a top player for us, definitely. I have seen him on YouTube a lot, watching how he plays, the balls he can spot. He can do unbelievable passes."

I effing love Theo already, but this just makes me love the guy even more. Can't you see Theo reading NewsNow, seeing that Arsenal are trying to sign Arshavin, then going and looking up clips on YouTube? I think that is amazing. I don't think you'd see William Gallas or Alex Song on YouTube looking at new signings. Theo, you are the man. Free beer on me if I ever happen to see you. And not just one either, you can have all the free beer you can drink. You're the best. Get well soon mate.

In other good news, Eduardo is going to be back in action this week, playing for Croatia. I think in this second half of the season he can be a huge player for us, one we've certainly missed. If he comes through this game without getting any injuries (cross your fingers) then he could be ready to play for us against Cardiff or at least Sunderland. That could especially be huge while Adebayor is out. We've been needing goals lately and this man can certainly provide them. I'll be watching that match on Wednesday and hoping for the best for Eddy.

There isn't a whole lot else to write about, there is an article about how Nicklas Bendtner hopes to make his place in the first team while Emmanuel Adebayor is out but honestly I don't ever think Bendtner will become a first eleven player ever, and I'm not complaining. I don't think he's that good and I think he has a terrible attitude.

And last but not least, the best band in the world, blink 182, got back together Sunday night at the Grammy Awards. It was also confirmed on their website that they are putting together a new album and a world tour. It's amazing that they are back playing together after four years of not talking, and I'm pretty stoked.

That's all I've got. Leave awesome comments. Cheers.

Nasri Makes His Impact, Fenerbache Preview

Morning all. It appears Arsene Wenger is quite happy with Samir Nasri's start to his Arsenal career. While it sometimes takes time to settle in for foreign players in a new league, especially younger players, Nasri has caught on to the system quite quickly.

"I didn't count Nasri in here for the first six months of the season, like I do for everybody we buy at such a young age.

"When you look at the impact he had already here you can say he's ahead of what I planned for him."

Yes, Arsene I agree with you, he's a really, really good player. The scary thing is since he's come here he's been injured a good bit. It's a scary thought because of what has happened to the last player we've bought from another country and played on the left wing...When he has been fit though he's been great, and I've already ordered my Nasri home kit and am looking forward to it. We need him to have a big match for us if fit against Fenerbache.

The best news heading into the match against Fenerbache tomorrow is that Johan Djourou and Nicklas Bendtner have been declared fit after missing the last match against Everton. Djourou's return is especially key because Gallas and Toure will both be missing the match. So Djourou should slot right into the center of defense, probably along with Alex Song or Silvestre. My guess would be Silvestre.

Here's how the lineup will probably look:

Almunia
Eboue-Silvestre-Djourou-Clichy
Walcott-Diaby/Denilson-Cesc-Nasri
Rvp, Adebayor

I know Walcott is worn out and Arsene really wants to rest him but he can't really afford to at this point because we don't really have much cover there. If he knew Walcott would get tired during the season he should've invested in another winger during the transfer window. Plus, right now he's our biggest impact player and we need him in the squad. Big ups to Theo, keep it up lad.

Want to hear some funny stuff? Tottenham have played 8 games this season so far, and guess how many points they have...TWO! That's right, they lost again yesterday, this time to Stoke City, and they are still without a win. It's one of the worst teams I've ever seen in the Premiership, and even Derby had more points last year than Sp*rs have after 8 games. I really hope they get relegated, because I hate them so very, very much.

Some transfer rumors you say? Well it appears that we are scouting Standard's skipper Steven Defour. He's only 20 years old of course, because anything older than that is much too old for Arsene Wenger. He's a midfielder and has an 8 million pound value stuck on him. I've never seen him play before, and don't really know anything about him. I know he's about the average age of our squad and that's about it. Maybe he's a holding midfielder though, or could at least play there. He's a Belgian international already, so that can't hurt.

Some other weird transfer(ish) news comes from Julio Baptista who says he would have loved to stay at Arsenal. He says the only reason he didn't get to stay was because Real Madrid didn't want to buy Jose Antonio Reyes.

"I wasn't fed up and don't regret it at all. I learnt a lot of things from Wenger, one of the top-class coaches in Europe today, and I wanted to stay.”

He wasn't very good for us when he was here, but it does make me feel a bit more fond of him hearing these nice things. I give you props Julio.

Alright other than that I don't have much else. Get your emails in for me to read on the next podcast, just whatever shite you want, funny stuff, talk about Arsenal, make fun of Sp*rs, or just leave some feedback. Email me at ArseNole@arsenole.com and it'll be awesome. Best email gets a prize from SoccerPro.com. So get them in and enjoy the match tomorrow. Cheers all.

Blackburn Review and Walcott's Brilliance

Morning all, I'm finally back. I'd like to say I have a great excuse for not writing for almost a week, but my excuses aren't that good. Friday I just didn't get a chance to do my match preview, Saturday I woke up to watch the match and then coach my Under 8's to an 11-2 win, and yesterday I went to the Jaguar game. But today I'm back and hopefully I'll be able to keep it up.

So what has happened during my last post? Well we slaughtered Blackburn away 4-0. I have to say I was a little nervous going in. I always hate playing the teams that just try to kill us at all costs like Blackburn, Bolton, etc. I need not have been worried though. We played pretty fantastically throughout and Theo was on display again after his England hat trick midweek. His first little scamper and pass through to van Persie was magnificent. When I saw him pick out that pass it really showed some maturity from Theo because I don't think he would have made that pass in the past. So not only did he beat 3 or 4 defenders but he was able to finish it off in quality Arsenal style, and van Persie made no mistake with the finish. You can watch that fine goal here.

Adebayor of course got his hat trick. It was good for him to get off the mark and he did it in splendid fashion. I think most of the fans have forgiven (if not forgotten) his actions over the summer and I think if he has more games like this one it'll make it even easier to forgive.

So a great 4-0 and we're looking great even with a depleted squad. Granted it is still early and we haven't played any of the big teams, but for now we're looking good so you have to be happy with that. Third in the league behind the scousers and Chelski after four games is not a bad place to be.

We've got Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday for our first match in the group stages of the Champion's League. I'll get a match preview together for that tomorrow but looking ahead at the injury situation it looks like we could have Nasri out for sure as well as maybe Eboue and Clichy. Mikael Silvestre looks set to make his debut so if Clichy isn't able to go I'd guess that's where he will play. I honestly wish he would never ever play for Arsenal but I suppose if he makes it out onto the pitch without tripping and breaking his leg or something then it's going to be inevitable. What a shame. Kiev are a team that has a good chance to get a result. It's tough to play away in Ukraine, but the weather should be much better than it would be in say, November. I think we'll probably win, but I'll save my prediction for the morning.

Silvestre talks about the reasons he decided to come to Arsenal, which hopefully isn't to sabotage the squad or something sinister like that.

"Arsène Wenger wants me to play more centrally and that's fine by me. I wasn't having enough opportunities at United, even if Sir Alex Ferguson wanted me to stay. But I wanted to play a bit more which is why I felt it was time to move. I'll also have the chance to help the younger players. Experience comes naturally as you develop and the younger guys will look up to senior players like myself and William Gallas as we're the ones who have been around for a while."

Great...so our young players are looking up to Silvestre, the Man United lover, and Gallas, who played for Chelski and isn't even a good captain. Something is severely wrong there.

Not much else to write about today, but I'm thrilled with the Blackburn match and really hoping we'll get off to a good start in the group stages. Thoughts on Theo? I'd love to hear them. Cheers all. More tomorrow.

Gallas Could Be Sold, So Let's Make It Happen

Morning all. Today is July 21st which means that all the players that played in the Euros, including Samir Nasri, report for training today. So welcome to Samir, welcome back to van Persie, and not welcome back to Emmanuel Adebayor.

So we'll start with the boss talking about Theo Walcott. He improved dramatically at the end of last season, sparked some might say by that amazing run against Liverpool in the Champion's League. (Great run but tough memories right after the conclusion of that goal.) However, he wants to play striker, not on the wing, and Arsene has said he intends for him to be moved up front down the road. Arsene had this to say about him:

“Theo made a step forward last season and you expect him to improve again,” said Wenger after the 2-1 win over Barnet on Saturday. “The target last year was for him to play 15 to 20 games and show quality. The target this year is to become a regular player.

“What position he’ll play in I don’t know. At the moment he looks more at ease wide than as a central striker. But we have to wait through the preparation games and see how ready he will be. The Barnet game was not a good opportunity to judge him.”

And I agree with him whole heatedly. I think if he continues to improve on the way he played near the end of last year he can certainly win the starting spot on the right side of midfield and if he pushes on from there he can get some games as a striker as well. Think about what options we have on the right, Walcott, Eboue (no comment), and maybe Rosicky or Nasri if the other is playing on the opposite side. Not exactly an impossible spot for Theo to lock down as his own. I'm looking forward to seeing more of what Theo can do this season. He didn't look good at all up front in the Barnet match but that's to be expected as he hardly ever plays in that role plus it was the first game back. I have grown out my facial hair to match Walcott's chin-strap style beard and have dubbed it "The Theo." It's actually quite nice.

I hope the boss doesn't persist with Eboue. Surely he realizes that the man brings nothing to the table. It's been a lingering thought in the back of my mind all summer, that of having to deal with another full season of Eboue starting on the wing. But I think the boss may finally realize that Theo can bring much more to the team playing in that spot. Eboue is no more than a backup right back and it should be kept that way. The farther away from the pitch he is kept, the better. We should just get him a cage that he can be locked in to watch all the matches, so that Arsene isn't ever tempted to play him. Have I mentioned I'm not an Eboue fan?

Theo Walcott Run Box To Box - 8 4 08
Uploaded by yuksel7

It took me ages to find this video so I hope you enjoyed it. Not the best quality video but if you watched it live it'll still be amazing to relive it; it was for me.

As far as transfer news, The Telegraph reports that PSG and Barcelona are interested in William Gallas for 6 million pounds and that Juventus could put in a 15 million pound bid for Robin van Persie. For once that actually sounds like a player Arsene Wenger might not mind losing. I wouldn't be upset at all to see us sell William Gallas for 6 million pounds. He's 31, he shouldn't be captain and this would be a great way to make sure we bring in a new defender and keep Kolo Toure in the starting lineup. There's not a bad way to look at it. Then Kolo would get the captaincy, we'd get our powerful defender and we have no whining from Gallas. I don't know if the interest from PSG is real or not but if it is then I'm begging Arsene to sell him. It would just take care of a bunch of problems all at once. Anyone disagree?

As for Robin van Persie, I don't think Arsene would let him go, especially with the fragile state of Emmanuel Adebayor's relationship with the club at this point. So I don't think we have anything to worry about there. I'd probably take 20 million for him though, if they offered that.

Bakary Sagna spoke about his injury and how well he's recovered from it, saying that there is still some pain but he can play normally.

"I needed to find my performance level again and be prepared to give more than I have before.

"I do think, though, that I will be fit for the start of the season.

"I want to focus on my own game, perform for Arsenal and see what the season brings. Hopefully it will be some cups."

I love Bakary. He always has a great attitude and works hard, not to mention he's the best damn right back in the league. Here's to your full recovery mate! Cheers!

Walcott Picked For England

'Eyyyyyyyyyyyy. That's my greeting today in true Fonz style. Anyways, got some news and lots and lots of rumors to go through today so let's get right to it. We'll start with the Sunderland match yesterday, the last of the season, which we won 1-0 through a goal from Theo Walcott. It was a beautiful through ball from Gilberto that Walcott ran on to and finished easily.

Mark Randall also had a goal but it was ruled out for offside. While it was by no means our best performance, it was good to finish the season with three straight wins especially while sitting some top players out. The pass from Gilberto really was wonderful and I have to tell you I hope he stays for next season. He's still got something to give even at this age and he does have experience and leadership that you need in a club. He spoke to Arsenal TV yesterday, saying his future will be sorted out soon. Let's cross our fingers and hope he stays.

Theo Walcott has been putting in some great performances since he has gotten into the starting lineup and has been rewarded by being called up to Fabio Capello's England squad to face the United States. Arsene Wenger even revealed that he thinks Walcott can be a regular starter for Arsenal. I think he could be just what England needs, some pace and freshness and I hope they keep selecting him as well as Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Lennon, etc if they want England to improve their teams instead of having the last few years of mediocrity. Hopefully Theo gets a run out in the match but obviously I'll be hoping for a US win.


Robin van Persie says Arsenal will be back to getting silverware soon. He goes on to say that it will create a lasting memory in people's minds if we win trophies with the style of football we play. If van Persie could stay healthy next season it would definitely be a big boost for us as we have missed him for large portions of the last two seasons now. It's a shame he has to go play the Euro's this summer because I would much prefer him getting some rest. Let's just hope he can work out a better fitness plan and stay in the squad next year.

Tomas Rosicky has said that he is going through "the worst time of his career." No, it's not another player wanting out of Arsenal, he's speaking about his injury. He has an operation tomorrow to try to see what is wrong with his hamstring and there is no timetable for his return at this point. The ligament has apparently separated from the bone and it's going to take a minimum of two months to recover from it but it could be more depending on what they have to do to repair it. You have to feel bad for the guy. He's had injury troubles since he got to Arsenal and if he could just put together a whole season of play I think he definitely has the quality to help us out. Get well soon Tomas.

And now time for all the transfer rumors:

Lyon's Hatem Ben Arfa has said that he has spoken "about" Arsenal. He did not say he spoke to Arsenal, just about them. It was reported by many sites that we had signed Ben Arfa already but the deal is not done and it appears no contact specifically with Ben Arfa has been made by Arsenal.

The new name today (there is a new one every day) is Mario Gomez of Stuttgart. Some in the media are now linking us with him because someone updated his Wikipedia page saying that he was moving to Arsenal for 20 million Euros. This has since been removed from his page and I find this story to be just a rumor. I don't see Wenger buying a striker as he said he wanted a defender and a creative player (midfielder by my estimation) and I don't think he would spend that kind of money on him either.

Sky Sports has linked us with Jean II Makoun of Cameroon. Sorry I would have put his club team but it rhymed so that was too tempting. He plays for Lille and is a defensive midfielder that looks very good in my opinion. Can anyone tell me what his middle name is? Is it the number two or something? Ridiculous. Apparently Tottenham are also interested so they'll probably pay him 20 million just to go there or something. The article also says we could bid for Sevilla's Seydou Keita.

I need your help! I've been trying to think of what to do for the end of the season and I have thought up a few ideas. Please let me know which one(s) sound good and I'll do it.

1. Player reviews - I thought it might be good to do a review of each player, one per day complete with stats and analysis going into the new season. I'd do pros and cons for each player, etc.

2. A Season review - Just a one time season review where I wrap everything up in one post, quick player grades, etc.

3. Transfer news/rumors - This one is pretty obvious

Just let me know what you want to read and I'll do it. I want input to make this as good as it can possibly be! Also, if you read the site often, think about registering for the forums by clicking the link in the top right of the page. It'd be nice to get a community going on there that can talk Arsenal 24/7 between posts.

And that's about all I've got today, I'm sure it'll be another day packed full of a bunch of nonsense and rumors tomorrow so you have that to look forward to. Cheers.