Flamini wants to leave

Mathieu Flamini has been talking to his French press mates and it seems he is to follow the latest fashion and become one of the first players to ‘buy out’ their contracts.

I find it very confusing how he expects to get what he wants, he seems to point to the aim of playing regularily and winning the champions league, how can expect to achieve both.

Flamini has been a great utility player for the gunners. He played a massive role at left-back in the run to the champions league final in Paris. It seemed though that in the summer he indicated he only wanted to play in the centre of midfield from this season.

This was very clear when young Hoyte had to play left back at the start of this season without Gael Clichy.

It maybe time for Flamini to move on but I doubt he will find himself getting what he wants, regular football, and a champions league winners medal. You and everyone else Matty!!

New kit rumours

It’s that time of the year when people start to think about what they can do with their money. Holiday, New Barbecue, Arsenal Shirt?

It would seem certain Arsenal will change at least their away kit as the design for this season was the same as 05/06.

I think one idea may have been an April fool by another gooner website, the thought of a white shirt will not sit well with many Gooners. Unless it is a way to really cement our relationship with our friends at Colorado. If you didn’t know they have a maroon home kit and a white away kit with white piping!

I think and hope we’ll revent to a yellow shirt with blue sleeves and like this design.

Will suit the traditionalist and hoepfully bring back our luck on the road and the form of the 2003/04 season.

Takeover beckons

The massive story of ‘The Arsenal’ is the probably takeover by our friends from across the pond. A string of events has lead to major media speculation over recent months.

With Villa and Liverpool both being snapped up by the Yanks and this follows the crazy scene’s in manqchester last season as they where bought out.

In February Arsenal announced an exlusive partnership with Colorado Rapids. It’s an exciting time for the Rapids as they have been totally re-branded in the build up to th new MLS season. Danny Fiszman then sold £4Mil worth of shares to an unknow party. The £4Mil Fiszman received was for 659 shares in Arsenal Holdings Plc. There are 62,219 shares in total.

It is now rumoured that the company who owns Colorado Rapids, Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE), are lining up to buy out ITV’s shares in Arsenal. If this is true this could turn out to be the arsenal takeover.

Arsenal 0 - 1 West Ham

Balls! 29 shots and we come out with f-all.

Arenal went out there with a team I think most of us would have picked for the game. Adebayor lead the line on his own. Arsenal had so many chances early on it was not funny. You can’t even pick on one player, they all missed their chances, you always felt one would go in. West Ham were that poor it wasn’t as though they were fighting for it.

Then on half time the un-thinkable. A punt up-field was toed in and over Lehmann by Zamora. The half-time mothers meeting concluded we would still grab at least two in the second half.

Wrong against. Without any fire power to speak of on the bench Arsenal could not change it and had no chance. The confidence was sapping at of our gooner hero’s. The full time whistle was greeted by boo’s from Arsenal fans. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I think the sad thing is that the majority of these people booing don’t sing and cheer when the team need them too. At least the away fans in Geordie world will be behind the XI that start the game.

I actually think we played well. With a bit of luck we’d have scored 5 today. I know we didn’t but you could be watching us create one chance in a game and the players not put anything into it. You can’t say that about Arsenal today. It just didn’t happen today.

New signing?

Jean Makoun of Lille recons he has been on the dog and bone to Mr. Wenger about a summer move to The Arsenal.

Makoun is a midfielder and has played over 100 times for Lille. He also has champions league experience and played well at Old Trafford for Lille this season. Makoun is also a regular for Cameroon. I think this would be one reason the transfer will be unlikely. I can’t see Wenger adding any more African players this summer. We will already lose Kolo, Eboue, and Ade to the African Nations Cup in January.

I would like to see us sign a scoring midfield player. Makoun has only got one goal this season. We now have no players with a decent scoring record from midfield. Ljungberg’s goal have dried up and the sale of Bobby has left us 25 goals short. We’ve found in recent weeks a consistent midfield scorer is very important in a push for medals of four fronts.

Newcastle 0 - 0 Arsenal

Yawn! One of the worst games this season, probably in the last 4 years or so. Arsenal and Newcastle had clearly cracked open to many Easter eggs. The game lacked any pace or real invention.  Recent form really has dented the confidence and it will take a lot of good work from Wenger to pick the lads up. 1 Goal could change it all though. An early goal in one of the upcoming games and Arsenal will hammer someone. Spuds hopefully.  Although it is 2 points dropped for our mighty club Everton and Bolton drew 1-1. As our nearest rivals it’s still all-square. The next game is against Bolton so that is now a biggy.  

I still even think third is on with the scousers European commitments but I do always try for a positive angle.

No pressue lads!

Wenger said today he doesn’t feel under any extra pressure, well I do! Still he’s in control so he must know better than me. Fabregas the came out and said the players must ease the pressure, well done Cesc state the obvious, we could do with a goal from our maestro midfielder. 

There is still loads of talk about Lehmann possibly leaving but I think all Gooners are pretty relaxed. We’ve seen this with Bergkamp for years, I’m sure Jens will sign a deal in the summer, it’s not likely he’ll go a try and settle somewhere else at his age. 

Henry was on sky sports news saying he thinks he should by a t-shirt with staying on it because he doesn’t know what else to do. This is true, sign a new deal, only score 10 goals in the league, at least the Arsenal fans know not to bother reading papers. Henry loves the Arsenal and we all love him. He’s a legend whatever happens in his career now but I am sure with a decent rest this summer he will be back to his very best next season.

Support the lads

The main objective of block19 is to support the Arsenal and be positive. I can’t stand to hear fans boo Arsenal. I know we lost to West Ham, who are a poor side, but we played so well. Last night Manchester Uni-ched beat Roma, they got seven goals, and were good value for their win. They had less chances than Arsenal created against West Ham. Arsenal deserved a massive win against West Ham and if we’d have got five nobody could have complained so how can you boo that? I don’t know what some of our fans are on.

I was a great article of vital football today ‘Gooners, YOUR club needs you’ it was well written and had the perfect intent. If everyone backed Arsenal and sang and were postitive I have no doubt we would win more games. I think we may have picked up points earlier in the season at home games we drew. How diss-heartening is it for a player to look up when the game is 1-1 with 8 minutes to go a 5,000 so-called gooners are walking up the stairs. No wonder they haven’t found the extra affort to turn a couple of 1-1’s into 2-1’s.

Come on Gooners find your voices and ’stand up for the arsenal’.

Official Share News

Arsenal.com confirmed today that KSE (aka Stanley Kroenke) has purchased ITV’s 9.9% of the club.

This gives big Stan a total of 11.26% of Arsenal Holdings PLC because his other company JPMorgan Chase Bank London already owned a stake in the club. This mean KSE own 6,216 shares and JPMorgan Chase own 791 of the 62,219 shares that there are in Arsenal.

It is a continuation of the trend set in English football at the moment of Rich Foreign owners. It gives everyone a problem to know what is the right thing to do. Do you stick with the well run club we have that is stable and run by fans basically or do you go along with everyone else just to keep up with them. Mega-bucks comes in handy when you want players but what happens when Mega-bucks disapears?

It is likely a business-man like Danny Fiszman would sell his shares in Arsenal, at this rates his 24% would be worth over £100 Million. Hard to turn down!!

Friday Feeling

I’ve got that friday feeling, the weekend is nearly hear, and Arsenal have a massive game tomorrow.

It’s nice to have a short week especially when it is ending!!

I really hope we see Arsenal fans tomorrow standing and cheering their team on. There is far too much negativity around Arsenal at the moment. When you think of the football we see week-in week-out I can understand it. Manq U got lucky this week against Roma spanking the for 7. It could so easily have been that for us with a bit of luck against The Hammers. We created some great chances and some of the players fluffed their lines but don’t forget we are missing the best player in the world and Van Persie too. These two would have loved that West Ham game, come on Gooners back your team.

In Wengers pre-match interview he commented on the share dealings this week not changing anything. I hope your right Arsene. He also hopes Lehmann will sign his new deal. Good news as well Rosicky is fit to play tomorrow.

On a non-football topic my tip for the national is an each-way bet on Simon.