ARSENALISM©

So we play Leeds in the FA Cup. We generally get involved in mini marathons when we play them in the FA Cup. So far so good though, we seem to have got through eventually. The last time we beat Leeds in an FA Cup replay we went on to win the domestic Cup double. (which I would be happy with again). The FA Cup on a replay!  ...and one of our over looked last minute goals. 1993 Arsenal 2-Leeds United 2   Replay Leeds United 2-Arsenal 3   1991 Arsenal 0-Leeds United 0 Replay Leeds United 1-Arsenal 1 Replay Arsenal 0-Leeds United 0 Replay Leeds United 1 Arsenal 2 1983 Arsenal 1-Leeds United 1 Replay Leeds United 1 Arsenal 1 Replay Arsenal 2 Leeds United 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdaz7UxnuXo wright http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7sRQ0910B4 linighan

A poor Aston Villa scored twice today. Clark was left unchallenged twice. The first occassion was due to poor decision making from Clichy. Having responded well, courtesy of a Chamakh goal, to Villa's first goal that halved a two goal half time lead,  Arsenal began to show boat at 1-3. This is the sign of a team that is incapable of learning. The score then went 2-3 and the old anxiety began to set in. To be fair Villa's second goal was helped in no small part by Fabianski's view being obscured by Carew who was standing in an 'interfering with play' position. Never the less a three point haul from an away trip cannot be under valued. Arshavin and Chamakh both played well today and there where touches of row Z and taking the ball to the corner flag late on; yes this is also part of the game. The fourth goal in stoppage time was a useful addition to our goal difference, and as I write we sit on top of the league. Despite the result and subsequent league position ...

To finish a week where the voice of Sp*rsdom/Media/White Van man/ has proclaimed that Sp*rs are a bigger club, a better Club a blah blah blah, than Arsenal based on their victory a mere 6 days ago, let’s not forget that like Haley’s comet Sp*rs victories at Arsenal come along once in a blue moon.For some it's a once in a lifetime experience. No matter our current woes, what can’t speak can’t lie; here are the stats. 1992/93: Arsenal 1, Sp*rs 3 - Sp*rs won 1993/94: Arsenal 1, Sp*rs 1 –Sp*rs nope 1994/95: Arsenal 1, Sp*rs 1 –Sp*rs winless 1995/96: Arsenal 0, Sp*rs 0 –Sp*rs without win 1996/97: Arsenal 3, Sp*rs 1 –Sp*rs beaten 1997/98: Arsenal 0, Sp*rs 0 –Sp*rs draw without winning 1998/99: Arsenal 0, Sp*rs 0 –Sp*rs fail to be victorious 2000/2001: Arsenal 2, Sp*rs 0 –Sp*rs Leave without a point 2001/2002: Arsenal 2, Sp*rs 1 –Sp*rs didn’t win 2002/2003: Arsenal 3, Sp*rs 0 –Sp*rs taste defeat again 2003/2004: Arsenal 2, Sp*rs 1 –Sp*rs lose 2004/2005: Arsenal 1, Sp*rs 0 –Sp*rs single d...

Wenger has a squad that lacks character. That statement is an obvious one. The psychology of sport is often overlooked or misrepresented. I believe that in Wenger’s heyday he assembled a set of players who had the technical ability yet also had character. There was little for him to do during each ninety minutes; just let them play. Given their skill and character they would get the results 90% of the time. On the occasions when they needed something from Wenger during a game they were sold short. The ECWC Final v Galatasary, The Champions League final v Barcelona , The ECL quarter final v Chelsea for example. You could justifiably say there is an art top selecting the right players and just letting them play. But Wenger has stopped choosing the right players for that mission statement Wenger’s skill was in finding the players that had the requisite traits needed aside from playing ability. He was given a helping hand at the beginning with some of Graham’s boys. This set of player...

Amid the numerous opinions, blogs, articles on Arsenal there are sometimnmes views that seem to hit the proverbial nail on the head. One such is the following posted on The Gunning Hawk by Erik Ian Larsen, who is a former writer for the Chicago Tribune and an award-winning sports columnist. I  present his view (fith full recognition) on Arsenal in it’s entirety as I feel it is one of the most considered and thoughtful takes on the current state of Arsenal. "Let me begin this by saying I truly respect and admire Arsene Wenger. He’s the winningest manager in Arsenal history, has kept our club competitive and relevant despite constructing a new stadium, and continues to unearth top notch talent from all over the globe to wear the red and white. I am not a member of either extremist fan group that both lauds and lambasts our manager. I do not blindly support. It’s not in my blood. And I don’t blindly hate either. “In Arsene We Trust” and “In Arsene We Rust” are not factor...

Following the Braga Debacle and after the ways things have been, and are; Some songs, some images.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLgdcGEqgcw we've already said... To add insult to injury we lose to a team wearing our kit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tic9e8MLAA iv'e had enough http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0am_B7czAs when you gonna learn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXOgQN1a7bE same old scene

When, on a cold winter afternoon Arsenal lost in miserable fashion to Blackburn Rovers, legend has it that, after the game, the captain spoke to all the players and impressed upon them that they had greatness within arms reach but needed more than just ability. The date Saturday 13 th December 1997. The team went on to complete the double, with a mixture of players signed by Graham, Rioch and Wenger. A set of players who went on to be considered world class, players that went on to Join Europe’s elite clubs; Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus. This team changed and as quality players left or retired quality came in. As every student of football knows, the ultimate achievement from this ‘generation’ was the unbeaten Season; something that probably won’t happen again. The final season at Highbury was marked by an appearance in The Champions League final, having reached this summit with the best defensive record in the tournaments history. With the move to the Emirates Wenger’s experime...

how the club see us? After Yesterday I came across this straight from the ticker tape of broken dreams: ‘Arsenal supporters take stock of their recent patchy home form, amid the confirmation that we will probably be the first in the Premier League to be charged over £100 for a normal match day ticket .This landmark moment seems likely to come in January, when VAT rises from 17.5% to 20%, pushing the price of a the most expensive non-corporate seat at the ground from £98.50 (including postage and the inevitable “booking fee”) to over £100. The Arsenal website’s ticket booking page confirms that, “with the VAT increase due in January 2011, our matchday ticket prices will be subject to change”, and there has been nothing from the club to suggest that this will not happen. Arsenal has long been the most expensive place in English football to watch a match. Although The Emirates Stadium holds more than 60,000 people, ticket and season ticket prices there have shot through the roof, to lit...

a woman collecting for CIN @ AFC today post game Where to begin? I don't mind losing to a better team, but let's face it Sp*rs were no great shakes. A first half where Sp*rs made poor choices when they had the ball and Arsenal were dominant reaped a two goal lead. At this point it felt that Arsenal would consolidate this lead and go on to win and go top of the table (frustratingly Chelsea went on to lose to Birmingham) This was not to be. Sp*rs scored a soft goal in the second half and we went on to concede the softest of penalties. The third goal from the visitors was a result of poor defending on a set piece.  That was that. Arsenal showed little to suggest that they would overturn this setback and at least get a draw. So the Emirates had to bear witness to jubilant Sp*rs fans celebrating their first away win at Arsenal since 1993.Today's game, however, does not tell the full story of where Arsenal Football Club finds itself. The press in the run up to today was full...

It's 24 hours until Arsenal's next fixture. In the cold light of day I don't think too much about Sp*rs. They are what they are; slightly delusional like most fans not as important as a game against ManU or Chelsea. But, and here's the thing, once I'm at the game I F*CKING HATE them! it's all " come on Arsenal these lot are shi*te!" "Sit down Redknapp you twitchy c*nt!" We stand for all that's good, with our history sense of fair play and commitment to the principles of good football! They are the epitome of evil with their vicious sallow faced supporters and their overwhelming bitterness and inferiority complex! We must defeat them! send them to the bottomless pit of defeat and despair!   God I detest them! and beating them has everyone walking on air as the crowd disperses. Then soon after it's back to indifference. It's just another team who we need points from not that much of a deal really. It's only a game... Bu...

So pre- international anxiety sets in. Arsenal have a plethora of players turning out for their countries in a number of meaningless friendlies at the worst time of a fixture saturated season. They are opportunities for Arsenal players to become crash test dummies. It's almost as if FIFA have gone "oh Arsenal are doing okay, let's give their cut glass crystal boned players a chance to go back to the treatment table." The thought of Keiron Gibbs and RVP in particular ending up the proverbial two steps back, fills me with terror (ok maybe not terror, more like mild trepidation). Quite honestly I get fed up after game upon game of International football that inflicts injury upon injury on our squad. I know it's not just us but I honestly believe that every Arsenal fan believes that until the final whistles blow around the world there is that nagging feeling that Van Persie is on a stretcher, or that Gibbs is hobbling down the tunnel or that Walcott Nasri and Sa...

A mediocre game where Arsenal scored twice and came away from Goodison with three points and no injuries. Everton never showed much endeavour until the last five minutes by which time it was too little too late. Defensively Arsenal were ok and looked to be under little pressure. Yes it was a dull game but frankly who cares? it's a 'bounce back' result that matters Given Man Utd and Man Citeh’s results on Saturday these three points were essential and put Arsenal into second place, two points behind the leaders. The following game between Chelsea and Sunderland was due to return Chelsea to a five point lead but, as someone once said “football is a funny old game” and Chelsea’s perceived impregnability at home was shattered by three Sunderland goals. It goes to show that if a bad result is followed by a win the three points can have a radical effect on league positions. Next league game is against Sp*rs and, as it’s an early kick off, it gives us an opportunity to put pres...

In the post Wednesday dissection of Cescs' tackle his subsequent apology doesn't seem to be good enough. Joey Bartons apology for deliberately punching another player is okay though. Is that because he's a footballing hard man? In the modern game there have been so called hard men, some of whom could play and some of whom were more clumsy oafs than thugs. Then we have Newcastle United, the wonderful friendly, everybody’s second club from The Tyne. Having been to Newcastle to watch Arsenal I have to say that those Newcastle fans I met were completely friendly and nice. What the club seem to be is an opposite of those fans. Has there ever been a selection of such unbridled thugishness, rank stupidity and general nastiness than the set of players who have turned out for NUFC during the Premier era, not to mention players that got up to law breaking shenanigans off the pitch. General bad eggs seem to rock up at St James Park. Here's a set of them that combine affray, ...

Following on from yesterdays post, I never thought i would say this , but after lasts night's Match of the day final straw; I agree with Stan Collymore! 'If MOTD isn't a debate show and just a highlight reel, then why have pundits at all? 'It's a lazy show that doesn't provoke debate in our game and just says, "We've been there and done it and we don't have to do anything but sit here and dole out clichés". 'MOTD just looks like a golfing clique who have a passing interest in football, and that can't be right?' “Shake it up someone, please”-Stan Collymore on MOTD   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ravfBYfpGF8 this would definitely improve the show A footnote: Yes I’m moaning about MOTD, but Wolves v Arsenal could only be viewed by going to Molineux or by watching highlights on MOTD, therefore I had no option but to wait up to see the condensed version. I make it a general rule not to watch it as it has little relation to the actu...

Yet again the Northern centric MOTD leaves us Arsenal fans waiting for the highlights of what was clearly the most entertaining of tonight’s matches. We had the turgid Manc derby low lights followed by the predictable home win at Stamford Bilge the dull Newcastle Blackburn Villa Blackpool double header and a reminder from Mr Walkers Crisps that Football focus was on Saturdays, as it has been for umpteen years. The game itself? Well, Mick McCarthy’s assertion that Wolves were the better side seems misguided at best given the highlights shown. Arsenal seemed to have as many, if not more chances than the boys in Gold. Chamakh’s goals that topped and tailed the game were examples of good clean finishing and over all I feel he has been a success. Fabianski also made a couple of very decent saves. The fact is while he may be error prone in much the same way as Almunia, he will also pull off a great save; something Almunia doesn’t do. That and the fact that Fabianski is making progress. And...

Will the Gunners keep the Wolves at bay? Recent meetings would suggest so, but as its November who knows? With the Manchester Derby on the same night Arsenal cannot afford to drop any more points and given that Wolves have the worst disciplinary record in the league we can't take this encounter for granted. No fixture at the moment is a given such is our current status. Let's hope history repeats itself: Sat 03 Apr Arsenal 1 - 0 Wolves PREM 2009/2010 Sat 07 Nov Wolves 1-4 Arsenal PREM 2004/2005 Sat 29 Jan Arsenal 2 - 0 Wolves FAC 2003/2004 Sat 07 Feb Wolves 1 - 3 Arsenal PREM 2003/2004 Fri 26 Dec Arsenal 3 - 0 Wolves PREM 2003/2004 Tue 02 Dec Arsenal 5 - 1 Wolves LGEC 1998/1999 Sun 24 Jan Wolves 1 - 2 Arsenal  FAC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgT-0dtbOHA goal v wolves

andy carroll looks like this from behind (ish) Undone by Stripes again! First things first. Newcastle United won today and that’s not something to be begrudging about; they came and got a result, fair dos. Andy Carroll took his chance and that's all there is to it. Today Arsenal showed no appetite for success; an appetite that needs to be fed by success . Arsenal also had, in the fourteen players that appeared , enough ability to compete with most teams. Ability alone doesn’t cut it, you need some cajoles and some desire. We have neither it would seem. What made today’s result more galling was the rapturous applause given to Liverpool’s first and second goal against Chelsea at the Pub I went to after the game.     Had we won against Newcastle; a result that it was not unreasonable to expect at The Emirates against a team who have come up from Div 1, the Chelsea loss would have been meaningful. A result that would have left us just two points behind the league leaders. To...