Arsenal F C (Pride Of London)

[SE13]

Well, the fourth placed finish last season was our worst for several years, and I suspect that Arsenal supporters as a whole would have been mighty annoyed, if it was not for the fact that we pipped our nearest rivals, Tattenham Hotspuds to the placing. The toilet jokes are still rife among supporters, and will possibly be forever up there with the glory of taking the title at their place twice.

I think Arsene Wenger will almost certainly have a job for life. If he fails to cut the mustard, he will simply be moved upstairs. One thing to remember is not so much how he has changed the face and direction of Arsenal, but how much The English Premiership have looked at his ideas and methods, and copied them, adapting them to their own needs.
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[Dioufy]

[SE13]

Well, time to reflect on last nights abysmal result over in Moscow. Once again, it was a game that should have long since been put to bed before conceding the goal. And as for the "equaliser" ruled out for alleged handball, a certain official should be hanging his head in shame this morning. If he can stand that close, and still get a decision wrong, why is he in the game in the first place?

However, as previously stated, we have no-one to blame but ourselves. Had the countless chances been put away, then the goal that never was, would not count for anything this morning. As it is, we have slipped to second in the table, and almost certain qualification looks somewhat difficult now.

Next up is the return game against CSKA Moscow at Ashburton Grove, a game we can ill afford to drop points in.
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[Dioufy]

I thought you might have had a tricky time in Moscow, I only caught half of the game, but from what i gathered you did seem a little off. There was no width. Alexander Hleb, Thomas Rosicky, Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry were all not at there best, even though Thierry Henry had a good goal ruled out. That linesman should be shot, plus the fact Mr Henry picked up a caution for it. I just hope it does not come back and bite you on the arse.
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[SE13]

There has been some talk elsewhere, that Arsene Wenger did not let the players train on the pitch the previous evening. Given that he thought that the pitch was in a state, why would he deny the chance for the players to get a feel of how it would react to the passing game.

I have watched the goal several times now, and still can not see what the referee alledgedly spotted.
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[Dioufy]

[SE13]

Let us be honest here, the pitch could not really have been any worse than it was on Tuesday evening.

Meantime, I have spotted some pictures of the current events at Highbury, our former home, and for those of a nervous disposition, I would look away now. The seats have gone, the pitch has gone, and all that remains of The Clock End is a pile of rubble close to where the centre circle used to be

[img:c0de5845cb]http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4320/cnv00027pu0.jpg[/img:c0de5845cb]

[img:c0de5845cb]http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/334/cnv00026tk1.jpg[/img:c0de5845cb]

[img:c0de5845cb]http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/203/cnv00025xz6.jpg[/img:c0de5845cb]
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[Dioufy]

Some good pictures there SE13. I was gutted when Bolton Wanderer’s famous Lever End was torn down.

To get back to the on-pitch matters. You have a very difficult trip down to reading on Sunday, these guys have shown they are no puppy dogs, by taking CSKA Fulham all the way last week. Gael Clichy is set for a first Arsenal start this season and Mathieu Flamini and Philippe Senderos are in the squad. But you will be without midfielder Freddie Ljungberg for a month because of a calf injury, while Emmanuel Eboue and Julio Baptista remain sidelined.

Reading (from): Hahnemann, De la Cruz, Ingimarsson, Sonko, Shorey, Seol, Sidwell, Harper, Convey, Hunt, Doyle, Lita, Long, Stack, Gunnarsson, Halls, Oster, Little.

Arsenal (from): Lehmann, Almunia, Djourou, Gallas, Clichy, Toure, Senderos, Hoyte, Hleb, Fabregas, Gilberto, Rosicky, Flamini, Song, Van Persie, Walcott, Henry, Adebayor.

I am going for 1-1 with Fabregas equalizing..
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[SE13]

While Reading will be no pushovers, I really can not see beyond three points coming back to North London. They are a well trained and well disciplined squad, but surely not strong enough for the might of Arsenal?

Let us not forget, that last season we put five past Reading with just the kiddies and reserves, so I feel certain that the senior players would want to emulate, or surpass this achievement.

Although it is unlikely to happen, I would still like to see Thierry Henry partner Theo Walcott up front, giving Theo Walcott perhaps the best striker in football to play alongside and learn from. However, if Theo is to start, he will be in the midfield just behind the probable starting pairing of Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie.
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[Dioufy]

Does anyone know what's happened to Flamini? I haven't heard anything about him for about a month now. He's not on the injury list and he hasn't even made the bench recently. This seems odd considering the fact that he's substantially better than either Hoyte or Song. He put in better displays at left back last season than I've ever seen from Hoyte. Even a fully-fit Clichy should have to work to displace him - much less Hoyte. He would be my first-choice left back until Clichy takes it from him - or the first-choice RB until Eboue is fit. Maybe he's been terrible in training? Anyone know?
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[SE13]

Matty Flamini has been injured for the last few weeks, however he is scheduled to start either tomorrow against Reading, or in The Carling Egg-Cup against West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday evening. Sadly, our first choice right back, Lauren, seems set to miss out until the new year, although the signs there are more promising than they were a couple of weeks ago. If it is eventually into the new year when he returns, it will mean that he has missed a year from first team action.

Freddie Ljungberg is another casualty, and will not travel to Reading, and Julio "The Beast" Baptista is apparently out for some time, without a real explaination. The official word was that he tweaked his hamstring in a game played behind closed doors. Most curious indeed.

News improves slightly with Abou Diaby being only four to six weeks away from return after that horrific ankle fracture and dislocation last season and Emmanuel Eboue about five or so weeks away from a return also.

With the team making gradual improvements on the disasterous start to the season, and with all these players working their way back to fitness, the future is looking bright once again.
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[Dioufy]

With Jose Antonio Reyes impressing at Real Madrid, It is likely that the Spanish outfit will want to keep him and it's obvious that Jose Antonio Reyes himself would want to stay at the Bernabeu. I don't know what that will mean, Julio "The Beast" Baptista has yet to impress, he has looked decent on the ball, but i just don't see anything special from him (yet). Would it be conceivable to hold Real Madrid and Jose Antonio Reyes to ransom and get around 15,000 million for him, Instead of a straight swap between him and Julio "The Beast" Baptista ?

Thoughts ?/
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[SE13]

I am not too sure of the full details, suffice to say that Julio Baptista is actually only on a long term loan at this time. Jose Antonio Reyes has been sold on, so it is really difficult to say what will happen come the end of the season. A lot will depend on Baptista's current injury, which all seemed a bit strange to me. I have a couple of questions with regard to it, firstly how come we never heard anything until several days later, and why was there a game against Charlton Athletic played behind closed doors? Or is this some sort of cover-up?
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[Dioufy]

Why would Arsenal play a game behind closed doors ?! It all seems a little bit suspect, I know Julio "The Beast" Baptista had an attitude problem at Seville when he wasn't played, so i hope that is not the reason why he is not playing.

I didn't know that Jose Antonio Reyes had moved to The Bernabeu on a permanent deal. How much may i ask ?!?

I also see that Cesc Fabregas has signed an 8 year deal to keep him at Highbury (I really mean the Emirates though). 8 years is a long time, he has said he would like to move to Spain in the not to distant future.

What do you Arsenal fans think of this >?!

[SE13]

Reading 0-4 Arsenal

We battered them, there is no better way to describe it. That was an utter football masterclass, the like of which would only usually be seen in an exhibition match. Thierry Henry with a brace, Robin Van Persie and Alexander Hleb also on the scoresheet, and in all fairness had we put all the chances away it would have been a cricket score. Every goal was a true contender for Goal Of The Month/Season. For the neutral as well as The Arsenal supporter, it was a joy to behold, but one must spare a thought for the Reading supporters, who despite the masterclass, stayed until the end, and applauded both teams from the field of play.
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space