Arsenal 2 - 1 Bolton

Premiership - Ashburton Grove

Arsenal: Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Hleb (Julio Baptista 81), Fabregas, Silva, Rosicky, Ljungberg (Diaby 60), Adebayor. Subs Not Used: Almunia, Senderos, Aliadiere.

Goals: Rosicky 31, Fabregas 46.

Att: 60,101

Arsenal started well yet again creating chances but no finishing them off. But after only 11 minutes Nic Anelka yet again came back to haunt us. Arsenal were somehow one-down again. This has been a theme this season at home but as with most other game Arsenal would hit back. Rosicky and Adebayor tested the keeper and Freddie, who was playing very well, hit a free kick just over. Rosicky had a number of chances from outside the box but he scored from only a few yards and he kept his cool to poke it past the Trotters keeper. 

Hleb had a couple of chances to extend the league before half time but it wasn’t to be his day. Hleb had another one of those days when nothing would go right for him. It’s more noticeable when the other midfielders are doing so well. If the first half was Freddie’s and Rosicky’s the second half was Cesc Fabregas’. One minute into the game he scored a lovely goal. Set up by Gilberto he twisted and turned inside the box before picking his spot and running to the RedSection to celebrate. 

Arsenal controlled the rest of the game as Bolton lost their heads. Their reaction to being behind was to pump a long ball and put in rash challenges. Hunt and Campo made terrible tackles to receive yellow cards. Campo was again deservedly booked a second time for a nasty foul. On his last appearance at Arsenal he was sent-off no wonder he can’t find a better club to play for than Bolton!  Diaby went close a couple of time late on and Bolton wanted a penalty when the ball hit Eboue’s arm, hit being the correct word, Arsenal won the game and most fans even stayed for the final whistle. This is a great win on the road to Champions League football, with Liverpool dropping 2 points, Arsenal could even achieve 3rd place. One step at time though.

Sun and Smiles Return

What a weekend, beautiful weather, and a win. After watching my little brother lose his second semi-final of the season with another late goal in perfect sun it was nice to see him walk off the pitch with a smile. I think the smile was the fact that Arsenal had won and the spuds had struggled to get a 3-3 draw with wigan.

It was a good day yesterday, football always seems so much better when the sun is out, when you get a win against a team who fancies they might upset you, that’s even better. 

The stadium looked great with a large number of gooners wearing red and/or white. It shows the crowd can make a difference. It must be such a nice feeling for those 11 Gooners who step across that line, see all that colour, and hear ‘come on arsenal’. 

Everyone was behind the team from the word go yesterday, and even when we were behind, the team were being ’supported’. I’m sure it makes a difference, a lot of our lads are confidence players, they need the fans onside, not on their backs. 

Rosicky was magic yesterday I love to see him take on players and shoot from distance. He can become the Pires of the team but he needs to keep this effort up. I hope he takes this form on and continues. I don’t think the spuds would know what to do against a player of his quality. 

 I’m looking forward to City and the Spuds this week, should be a good jolly up, and 6 points!!

Atmosphere / City / Fabregas

In recent week Soccer am has been promoting a Japanese side who sing some great songs. Their fans are massively into it and it makes me very jealous we can’t create the atmosphere. I’m not on about haveing hooligans running riot and fighting everyone. Just loud colourfull fun.

The Urawa Reds are big team in Japan and they have one of the best songs ever as a terrace chant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TashGNRzFhg and also do 1-nil to the Arsenal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adZ7WZ-V7Yc  Can you imagine an Arsenal team with this crowd on their side.

The atmosphere was a lot better on Saturday. The fans backed the players and the players responded. Freddie, Rosicky, and Cesc had massive games and it is important those midfielders get it going. Scoring from midfield is something we’ve really missed this season.

Another big game tomorrow with Manq C coming to town. It is important Arsenal go on a winning run till the end of the season. After a great game saturday Freddie is out of the City tie. It will mean either Diaby (hope so) or The Beast are back in the starting XI. Other than that it should be the same team and hopefully the same result.

Cesc Fabregas has been nomianted for both the young and normal PFA player of the season award. It really is great for Cesc at 20 to be gettign this recognition. Not a bad signing for Wenger really????

Arsenal 3 v 1 Man City

Premiership - Ashburton Grove 

Arsenal: Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Hleb, Fabregas (Denilson 85), Silva, Rosicky (Senderos 90), Diaby (Julio Baptista 30), Adebayor. Subs Not Used: Almunia, Djourou. Goals: Rosicky 12, Fabregas 73, Julio Baptista 80.

Goals: Rosicky 12, Fabregas 73, Julio Baptista 80.

Att: 59,913.

Two wins on the bounce. Come on! 

Arsenal controlled city for 90 minutes and deservedly took the lead after only 12 minutes and shock once again it was a midfielder and even more of a shock was it was at the South End of the stadium where most of the HBGOONERS sit. Goals have been hard to come by at that end but Rosicky is setting a trend! We hope! 

Eboue crossed for Thomas to finish. Another goal for Tommy showing the fans he could be the answer to Pires (Legend!). Diaby did very well to get the ball to Eboue. His battling qualities are a massive boost for the team. It was a loss when he had to go off with a head injury but Arsenal were to still keep control of the game. 

The Beast made a better impact in this game than in recent weeks. Baptista and Fabregas had chance to extend the lead. Then city scored before half time. Beasley finished when Lehmann failed to clear with a goal kick. 

Arsenal did not seem fazed and kept attacking city in the second half. Keeping possession and passing with style and creating chances. This Arsenal team don’t seem to panic when they need a goal. The teams control paid off when the other scorer from Saturday struck again. It was a beauty. Cesc struck a volley from outside the box. He has stepped up to the plate in recent weeks, long may it continue. 

7 minutes later Hleb showed us why Wenger has stuck with him cutting into the box and laying it on for the Beast. He had no problem finishing City off. 

Arsenal seem to half found their swagger again . . . .

YOU TUBE LINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXQi1LInWWE

Dein / Cesc

Tonight the massive news broke that David Dein, devoted gooner, and long-term board member has left the club. Dein owns approx. 14% of Arsenal Holdings. His decision to step down from the board was total shock to most Gooners. Dein is seen as being responsible for bringing both Dennis Bergkamp & Arsene Wenger to the club. It is obvious fans will want to back Dein, who is seen as a gooner through and through. It is important to remember Peter Hill-Wood is also an Arsenal man. The reason for leaving is that Dein did not agree with the rest of the board and it is pointed to that it was over the potential sale of the club. Nobody knows whether he was for the sale or against it but the rest of the major share-holder equal to 45% have signed a deal to guarantee they will not sell the club for 12 months. 

If Dein was to sell his 14% he would get at least £55 Million. If KSE purchase his shares it would send Stan Kroenke over the 25% fresh-hold. Personally I’d like to thank Dein for all his effort with Arsenal. He has been a major part of what has been a great 10 years for the gunners. 

One worry Gooners will have is Wenger’s stance on the situation. I can’t see him leaving his post as Arsenal chief just because Dein (a friend) has gone. After all Wenger’s position is totally to do with football and nothing to do with the business issues Dein left for. Wenger has been saying since the City game that Cesc already has a big physical presence in Midfield.  Cesc has had 2 great games in the last week and driven Arsenal into an 8 point lead for 4th spot. Even pointing the way to third spot. Cesc also scored the 50th Arsenal goal at Ashburton Grove on Tuesday. It was a beauty too. If he could become a double figure goal scorer we’d be in a lot stronger position. We need goals from midfield all through next season to mount a bigger challenge on the Premiership. 

Positive news on the injury front, both Freddie and Diaby should be fit for Spuds away, with those two back in the squad we should ease past the girls from the wrong side of the Seven Sisters.

Back our lads the rest of this season

Dear All,

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Wenger Reacts / Cesc

Arsene Wenger finally spoke late this afternoon in reaction to the ‘Dein Saga’. 

Wenger seemed to be friends with Dein and they have a personal relationship. I am sure Dein sees’ Wenger in the same light all Gooners do. Wenger said that it was a sad day for Arsenal but he remained ’strongly linked’ to the club. A strange choice of words but they will send positive vibes through the club leading up to the big day Saturday. Wenger said his relationship with the rest of the board is also strong. 

Some more opinions have formed as the day has gone on over the Dein / KSE link. It seems that the most popular idea is that Dein and KSE will form some sort of partnership. Once that partnership reaches 30% then it will trigger by law a possible take-over and Arsenal could become American Owned. 

Wenger has also stated that Cesc Fabregas is only 50:50 for the trip to Shirt Hart Lane. That would be a massive blow in the build up to the game. Rosicky and Cesc have been the two best players in the games against Bolton and City. 

The Beasts’ comments also seem to have upset a few, I had to laugh when I read that he thinks the teams up north are awful, how funny! True! He’s probably referring more to Bolton, perhaps he hasn’t heard of other clubs further up that Watford Gap.

Wenger Stays. / H8 Spurs

Arsene Wenger stays, full stop. The media circus is running full-time around Arsenal. They are jumping of every string they can try and pull. Today papers lead with stories Wenger could leave and Henry, Gallas, Toure, etc etc were on their way out.

Wenger then came out and said all of this was crap and lets’ crack on with smashing the spuds to pieces.

Wenger says he is committed to the club at least until the end of next season. With KSE again upping their share today to nearly 13%. I’m sure it is clear to all a takeover is imminent. As with Manure the strongest and wealthiest will succeed and I doubt Fiszman and the Hill-Wood can fight off one of the Richest Men in the States and his wife who is ‘Air’ to Wal-Mart. It seems the thing the rest of the board were so unhappy about was Stan went direct to David Dein and not them, ooops.

Arsenal face Spuds tomorrow lunch time. Obviously Tel, Van P, and Walcott are out for the season. For this crucial game away in scum-land we may also be without Cesc who has a virus, Freddie who has a hamstring problem, and Diaby who has a big cut on his head. Diaby looks like he may make it and bolster the centre of midfield. It’s a wide-open game tomorrow which will make it more fun to win, the spuds will think they might win, when we beat them, he he he, all the way home!

I’m sure tomorrow the papers will be fully of what Hill-Wood has said. I’d like to hear from Fiszman and Dein but I don’t suppose we’re that lucky. The most important thing from this weekend is we come out on top of the spuds. 3 points and a couple of goals. Come on you gooners.

2-nil and you fucked it up

Scum 2 - 2 Arsenal

HAPPY St.TOTTERINGHAMS DAY - The day our “friends” from down the seven sisters can no longer beat us in the league. Slightly later than normal but it’s here. The trouble with spuds fans is they think they are a big club. In reality they are a waste of space on the league table. Arsenal were in cruise control today and when Freddie put Adebayor in early it should have been 0-1 but the linesman interfered. Then against the run of play spuds scored. Freddie pulled his hamstring and Fabregas came on to replace him. Arsenal never looked back they took total control of the game and we never worried again. 

In the last 3 weeks Cesc Fabrgeas has shown he is brilliant in every aspect of being a midfielder. What a player to base your team around. Arsenal pummelled the woodwork before Toure took Arsenal level in the second half. Toure turned in a Cesc Free-kick and 15 minutes later again it was Cesc with a free kick but Adebayor who applied the finish. It was a much-deserved lead and Arsenal continued to pass it around spuds without finding a killer touch. As spuds fans poured out of the stands they equalised in injury time. They hadn’t had a shot for 54 minutes but Jenas cracked a hopeful drive in.  It was clear that the spuds were please with a draw, so happy that they managed to avoid defeat. Very sad.  It was a great performance, with a great performer (Cesc), and it is now 18 games since spuds last beat their mighty neighbours. 

Happy St. Totteringhams day.