ARSENALISM©

Today’s game was billed as the most expensive English game ever, and certainly in terms of cash recieved it probably was, however a feast of football was not forthcoming. In fact what was seen today was a disjointed performance from both parties. Chelsea benefitted from good fortune on their winning goal and on another day Arsenal’s near misses may have gone in.  The Terry sideshow was just that; a sideshow, and Chelsea showed that they could defend well. The Arsenal gave a lacklustre performance with perhaps only the fullbacks showing sufficient endeavour. All in all it was an uninspiring afternoon at the Emirates and, the result aside, it showed how insipid and chaotic strategically this Arsenal can be at times. At home against the Champions of Europe I think that those in attendance could have expected more from the players and certainly some inspiration from the touchline. What we got was uninspired and strange substitutions and nothing in the way of...

'JT''s view of FA HQ If Arsenal v Chelsea becomes a circus of vitriol let us ponder the reasons why. Terry was always a pantomime villain for his off field shenanigans and his general obnoxiousness and now he is defined as that blight on society; the Racist. His treatment by the FA was, in my opinion, lenient (let's not forget that they, in effect, allowed him to play in the Euros having played a part in delaying the court case) and his indignation at them having the temerity to want to take matters further smacks of arrogance and denial. He's an unpleasant individual and were he less important to his club he would have most likely been shown the door (Jody Morris anyone?). His 'rap sheet' is remarkable in as much as it covers all the bases of bad behaviour and when he rocks up at the Emirates I dare say he will have opprobrium heaped upon him with extreme prejudice. Ashley Cole, his collaborator, will feel relieved that he will not be the focus of ...

http://youtu.be/syhAnUX7xQI The Arsenal are doing alright. No need for hyperbole or false modesty; we’re doing alright. Our squad now has two good Right backs, two good left backs, three good centre halves, a reasonable selection of midfield players and a decent selection of attacking options. In Cazorla and Podolski we appear to have spent well and bought in some quality. Wilshire, Sagna, Rosicky, Arshavin and Frimpong have not appeared this season and we seem to have rediscovered a decent back up keeper in Mannone. Oxlade-Chamberlaine may just make that step up from potential to becoming an integral part of the team, Giroud may recapture the confidence in front of goal that made him top scorer in France last season and there remains some reason for optimism throughout the squad. To make comparisons with previous Arsenal teams is futile; that was then and this is now. The current Arsenal squad is a good one, not a great one, a good one and that is the starting p...

The Arsenal old boy reunion at Eastlands where Yaya & Kolo, Nasri, Clichy and  Wright  on the playing staff and Vieira, Kidd and Platt off the pitch await. Feeder club accusations or just some coincidental links aside a game against any club that are current league champions is a pressure fixture for both teams taking part. Certainly a good test for the Arsenal and, based on last season's head to head, we have nothing to fear from the game; in fact we may be better equipped in terms of personnel than last season against a team with physicality and power. Early days but a win takes us to third and I expect a win because that has to be our attitude this season; that we are as good as anyone. There is no one outstanding team currently plying their trade in the EPL we are as good as anyone at the moment. Believe in that and who knows?

 Arsenal's 20 defining matches – Guardian ebook http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/sep/13/arsenal-20-defining-matches-ebook Having just downloaded this excellent new eBook it got me to thinking about a match that, for me was a defining moment in our history: Arsenal 1 (1) v Chelsea 2 (1) Champions League QF 2nd leg 2004 Having come away from the first leg with Bobby's away goal in the bank in a 1-1 draw Reyes scored on the stroke of half time following a sensational 45 minutes from the Gunners. The first half was, in Phillipp Aucliar’s opinion, the best 45 minutes Arsenal had ever played in the Champions League, a "breathless, furious, intoxicating" passage of play which prompted one amazed Italian journalist to remark: "This is not football."   A second half of attrition would have seen us through into probably the weakest group of semi finalists ever; Porto, Deportivo and Monaco. The Champions League for the Arsenal ...

     Hold up, we play Southampton tommorow and you know what happens when we play Southampton? Blam! Ian Wright's first League goal for Arsenal   Pow! Dennis Bergkamp's first League goal for Arsenal   Whack! Thierry Henry's first League goal for Arsenal   Thwack! Robin VanPersie's first League goal for Arsenal

  Today of all days a pause for thought for those fans who went out to watch a game of football and never came back.

http://youtu.be/TWrC2Ms5uP8 Our next home game: a fixture to conjure with! http://youtu.be/XlpC8-9iI0A

 http://youtu.be/uAGowzEBI6I Come on, we all know that's an Arsenal Shirt! http://youtu.be/75YLrlwMRhA Arsenal Shirt on The Old Grey Whistle test http://youtu.be/j1gVS4siLc4 Arial Arsenal   CURB YOUR ARSENALISM  

    During this international break what better way to spend a few moments than compiling a list or two.       All time Premier League XI ( 4-3-3 formation)   Schmeicel   As.Cole-S.Campbell-R.Ferdinand-G.Neville   R.Keane-P.Vieira-S.Gerrard   R.Giggs-A.Shearer-   T.Henry   Subs: Bergkamp Scholes Ronaldo An.Cole Essien Manager: Alex Ferguson     A tough one as Dennis is my all time favourite player and Adams is the quintessential Arsenal Captain but in putting this team together I'm looking at what would work as an effective attacking side but with strong defensive attributes. I think it's not a bad XI, of course the Premier League landscape has changed considerably and perhaps this XI is best described as a 'golden age prem' team; certainly a Prem XI of the last six/seven years would feature a number of players from the newly rich clubs.    ...

It seems that the recurring theme of Sunday's victory at Anfield is that Liverpool were rubbish. That's what the media  are saying. Not a lot about how good the Arsenal were. Yes Liverpool were poor and tougher tests lie ahead; predominantely Man City away and Chelsea at home but to win at  Liverpool is no walk in the park. The ole's that rang around Anfield were not for the home team but for the men in Purple and Black (with a touch of red) and put a smile on our collective faces. The Arsenal away fans were, yet again, magnificent and it's clear that our former Captain is in for a torrid time when we play his new club. With the dreaded interlull ©arseblog ahead of us we can reflect on 3 points no losses and zero goals conceded, which is not bad from the squad we are stuck with until at least January. It's pretty much the softly softly apptroach as far as I'm concerned; let's see how we go, one game at a time and all that. Despite my issues (regular re...

An away fixture at Anfield in the second half of the 1990/91 season, and having recorded a 3-0 victory at Highbury earlier that season, The Arsenal went up to Liverpool and grabbed a 0-1 victory. This was a telling result in deciding the destination of the League Championship. The Arsenal took back the title finishing 7 points ahead of Liverpool having lost only 1 game while conceding a paltry 18 goals. Manchester City finished 5 th , Manchester United 6 th , Sp*rs 10 th and Chelsea 11 th ; this was the English first division. The bombast of the inaugural 1992/93 Premier League was just over the horizon. Times change and Liverpool v Arsenal is no longer the clash of title challengers, it is a competition of the once mighty; two of England ’s greatest clubs who have seen a decline in fortunes, for differing reasons, but a decline never the less. The football landscape has changed over the two decades since that day in March 1991 when an Arsenal victory brought h...

   http://youtu.be/KpN_TOP9hg8 I don't feel angry or disappointed or frustrated or bitter or sad or much of anything other than embarrassed by Arsenal's failure to bring in any new faces in the transfer window. I feel embarrassed as an Arsenal supporter that the manager, and by implication the board, feel that our current squad is  good enough to challenge for honours. Yes we bought some new players; none of whom are the real deal, but we are still in profit from VanPersie and Song and the savings from Park and Bendnter moving on. That profit is safely tucked away in the vaults while the Arsenal squad for the 2012/13 season looks as exciting as a wet weekend in Rochdale; and believe me I know of which I speak as a I spent last weekend in a wet Rochdale. Looking at other club's activities in the window you have to say that there have been some imaginative and bold moves. Not from us though. We stay stuck with this latest Wenger experiment until the January windo...