Archive for January, 2005
January 18th, 2005
Quite deliberately, I’m yet to comment on the most recent bout of “mind-games” from that troublesome twosome, Fergie and Wenger.
The reason for this is that I’m thoroughly bored of it. I don’t find it entertaining anymore. It’s just a distraction. We all know that Ferguson is a whinging, moaning idiot. But then we also know that Arsene occasionally says things he shouldn’t. The excuses he sometimes offers up, and his fabled myopia have been the source of some embarrassment in the past. What he should do now is just rise above Ferguson’s antics.
I know that can be difficult when you truly dislike someone, but what if every time Ferguson piped up with one of his comments, Arsene simply retorded: “The team will continue to do it’s talking on the pitch”? Wouldn’t that deter the Scotsman’s efforts? It’d also help Arsenal and the club retain their dignity in the face of such abrasive tirades.
We oughtn’t stoop to that level.
You are better than that, Arsene.
So just leave it.
January 17th, 2005
Bloody unlucky blue kit.
Bloody blue wangers top of the league.
Bloody blue monday.
Blue, it would seem, is the colour.
We weren’t very good at Bolton. I think the comment left on the end of this post sums it up best. Almunia was awful, Hoyte was a hinderance, Toure looked tired, Cesc was cream-crackered, and van Persie…. has ruined the alliteration of this sentence.
We didn’t seem to have enough in the fight. In that sense, Mathieu Flamini was missed.
It’s tough to know how to fix it. I’ve supported Almunia since he came into the side, but on Saturday he was shocking. When one reads this interview with Jens, he sounds almost sane. It’s tempting. I think that as long as there is no real bust-up between Lehmann and Wenger, we might see the madcap German return before too long.
I think that it might be worth trying something defensively. Without Gilberto, and with Cole, Cesc, and Reyes as regular members of our first XI, we do lack a little height. It has been said by some that we are forgoing graft in favour of craft. And also, that we play lots of little people. In order to sort this out, why not stick Big Phil Senderos in at centre-back, and shove Toure out to the right. Especially on days like Saturday, when Lauren is injured, and Hoyte is crubbish.
Dennis Bergkamp returns on Sunday. Let’s hope it’s the good one, not his evil, untalented, “I do nothing for 90 minutes” twin that they occasionally put out.
Can’t fool me.
Ps. I had a dream that I parachuted in to Arsenal’s training ground. Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure weren’t very pleased to see me. Arsene Wenger was, though, but then soon lost patience and told me to sod off. And David Seaman had replaced Gerry Peyton as goalkeeping coach. In secret.
January 14th, 2005
Well, I think it’s clever.
Michael Essien’s agent has admitted:
1) That his price is hugely inflated
2) That there has been no significant contact with Arsenal
3) That he doesn’t expect any movement ’till the summer.
So that’s that rumour dealt with.
The Sun would have us believe that Jens Lehmann has “played his last Premiership match for Arsenal”, and will leave at the end of the season following “an almight rollicking from Arsene Wenger”. I like the careful wording, specifying that it’s only the Premiership matches he’ll be excluded from, following his FA Cup appearance on Saturday.
I do think Jens will leave at some stage before the start of the 2005/06 season, though. There would appear to have been some sort of clash between Wenger and Lehmann, and what with the 2006 World Cup looming, the keeper cannot afford sit on the bench for too long.
Good team news ahead of Bolton tomorrow, with Henry, Ljungberg, Campbell, and Cole all set to return. Manu Eboue or Justin Hoyte will continue at right back, and Jose Reyes could make his first Premiership appearance since the dawn of time. Or at least a few weeks back.
Welcome back, blogger.
January 11th, 2005
I’ve used that “Persie-verance” pun before this season. Let me off.
Despite Stoke getting a half-time lead thanks to some fat bloke who looks like Wilfred Bouma, Arsenal came back to win 2-1 thanks to goals from our young strikeforce of Jose Reyes and Robin van Persie.
So it’s onto the fourth round, and a tie against Glenn Hoddle’s able-bodied Wolves.
In other news, Jens Lehmann hasn’t done himself many favours by biting back against Arsene and Almunia. Apparently he did OK on Saturday. I still think he’s very much out-of-favour, and will probably leave in the Summer.
Lauren could too. He’s currently wrangling with Wenger over the length of his contract. He’d like a two year deal, whilst the club will only offer a somewhat stingy one-year extension. I think he’s done very well for this club over the years, and deserves, as he says “to be be treated like everybody else”.
That’ll do.
January 8th, 2005
He’s here.
Yes, that’s right, after lots and lots of days, Arsenal.com have finally confirmed that we have signed breast-groping full back, Manu Eboué.
We’ve been expecting you, Manu.
And we’re poets.
And we know it.
He goes straight into the squad for the FA Cup tie with Stoke. Which isn’t till Sunday. I’d tell you why, but I don’t know.
I’d like to finish with an astonishing discovery. Playing with my new digital camera from my seat at Highbury, I took this incredible photograph.
It seems this man has been a given a MAGIC JACKET:
Look how it glows.
Admittedly, of exactly how this magic jacket works, I remain unsure.
Today’s Conclusion: Whilst I may know that we are poets who know it, there remains much I do not know (such as why our match is on Sunday, and how to operate a magic glowing jacket).
Enough.
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