Archive for May, 2005
May 14th, 2005
I’ve missed quite a lot.
But my exams are over. Which means more Gunnerblogging, and less discussion of the virtues of Old English poetry.
Hurrah.
I suppose we’d better start with the “not bad” 7-0 victory over Everton. Simply astonishing. It’s probably worth going through it goal by goal.
Goal 1: Dennis Bergkamp slides in the younger Dutchman Robin van Persie, who calmly slots the ball past Richard Wright.
Goal 2: Jose Reyes’ cut-back is met by Robert Pires, who heads home the rebound after Wright parries his initial effort.
Goal 3: Incisive passing from Van Persie and the Bergkamp allow Patrick Vieira to deftly chip the ball over the keeper for a third.
Goal 4: Second-half subsitute Thierry Henry’s deflected pass finds Pires, who slots home to bag himself a brace.
Goal 5: Henry’s cross is handled by some rubbish Everton defender: Penalty. The ball is handed from Lauren, to Bergkamp, and finally Edu, who scores to mark his last ever Highbury appearance. Emotional stough.
Goal 6: Love levels rise to previously unheard of heights as man of the match Bergkamp prods home what could be his last ever Arsenal goal. Probably won’t be, though. Especially when you consider the 8 he’ll score against Man U in the FA Cup Final next weekend.
Goal 7: It’s a first for the club for the returning Mathieu Flamini, volleying in after Cesc Fabregas knocked the ball back from the touchline.
The match was followed by the Arsenal players and fans sharing mutual acknowledgement through applause, and also by Patrick Vieira pulling Flamini’s shorts down.
Perfect.
Then what happened, was that this perfectly normal-looking man went and bought Manchester United:
…I’m sure they’ll do just fine.
Tomorrow, in our final game of the season, we travel to Birmingham, to face a team full of players either a) too rubbish or b) too criminal to play for us. Lauren is out, so Toure will play at right-back. Freddie Ljungberg could also get 45 minutes. Beyond that, it’s a bit of a mystery.
Gunnerblog prediction, based on current form: 7-0.
May 10th, 2005
3-1. Easy. Presumably that makes us one of the top two teams in Europe.
Or not.
It does however, pretty much confirm that we will be in the top two teams in the Premiership come the end of the season. A point against Everton tomorrow would serve to confirm that, as would anything less than a Man U win against Chelsea tonight.
A stunning free kick from Robert Pires, a nice run and finish from Jose Reyes, and a toe-poke from man of the match Cesc Fabregas were only interrupted by a deflected free-kick from Steven Gerrard.
It was the first goal that a side including Philippe Senderos has conceded in over 8 million games. Ya boo drop him etc.
Arsene might still be looking to strengthen the defence in the summer, but £10m for Joleon Lescott seems a bit steep.
And finally today, a very interesting story about the possibility of Lyon coach Paul Le Guen joining our coaching staff. It has to be said though, it’s pretty unlikely – despite his youth, Le Guen is very highly thought of across Europe, and could walk into a host of top jobs tomorrow. It reminds me of a story a few years back when it was rumoured that Big Phil Scolari was about to join us in a coaching capacity.
Utter bollocks.
May 8th, 2005
Which, from the heady heights of Anfield on Tuesday night, might not be the easiest task.
I’d suggest that after the victory at West Brom, youngsters Philippe Senderos and Robin van Persie will keep their places ahead of the experienced Sol Campbell and Dennis Bergkamp.
Both players are in tremendous form, and a collected defensive display from Big Phil along with an RvP moment of magic could be enough to seal a 1-0 victory that, after Man U’s draw with West Brom, would virtually guarantee us 2nd place.
Jason Cowley has written a fantastic piece on Patrick Vieira, and his decision to stay at Arsenal last summer.
Vieira says, “You make it sound as if I was in a painful position. It wasn’t a painful position. In fact, it was a great position to be in – to stay at Arsenal or join Real Madrid!”
Thanks. I’m glad you had fun, Paddy.
A few people have commentend that I’m yet to offer a formal congratulations to Chelsea on winning the championship.
Well, this is why.
But anyway, I relent.
Congratulations on winning the League Cup, Premier League, and the Champions League.
Oh.
May 6th, 2005
But does he mean it?
All the noises we’ve heard until now have suggested that Jose could well be on the way out. But Arsene is defiant:
“If Real Madrid wanted to buy him, they could have bought him a year ago,” he told The Evening Standard. “They can forget it. I have said many times that I do not buy a player of his age to sell him one year later”.
Stern stuff. He could, of course, just be trying to drive the price up. I know that’s cynical of me, but I’m still very unsure about just where Reyes’ future lies.
Many readers have complained that the new colour-scheme, devised by Blogasaurus Rex and I, is making their eyes hurt, their stomaches turn, and their pets die.
Frankly, I don’t care.
Goodbye.
May 4th, 2005
18 today.
It really has been a remarkable season for the little man, and not even he could have expected to have made 42 appearances. Long may he reign.
Any time he takes the field next season, he’ll be wearing this lovely shade of purple. Allow me to reserve judgement on that one.
Just a quick word on the enthralling Liverpool vs Chelsea Premi-final: there’s no doubt that the blues are the better side, but as my Chelsea-supporting brother pointed out prior to the game, “Liverpool have two things going for them: Carragher, and the Kop”. Both were instrumental in a momentous victory, which sadly was granted due to a goal which appeared to never cross the line. Still, that minor detail has been lost amidst the scousers’ euphoria.
Chelsea fans should be pleased: If Mourinho had won it all in his first season, I don’t think it’d be long before he was heading off for Italy.
But for now, it’s:
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