More of Transfer Go Round

Shall I begin by telling you how Chelski ruin not only the real world football but also the football manager game I am playing? They are just unreal. They got Lukas Podolski and Fernando Torres now playing for them, with the rather useless Ronaldo as backup striker. All bought with inflated price. And they just tempted me to sell my Cesc so I teased them back by asking for 40 million pounds. Not that I would sell Cesc if they really come up with that money.

Well the real Chelski are now trying to buy Kolo Toure it seems. Let's just hope that Kolo doesn't ask for Cole's suggestion in this matter. Actually, I wouldn't mind if they want to swap Campbell with Terry heh. Anytime.

Speaking of Campbell, it seems certain now that he would move on. Looking back, Sol Campbell is the only established centreback with international reputation Wenger has ever brought to Arsenal. When he came, he was still one of the best defenders in Europe and his solid partnership with Kolo served us extremely well for some time. It is said that defenders have longer career span than attackers but Sol Campbell was declining fast. He has lost much of his agility and more importantly, his concentration and mentality.

Probably his argument with Wenger in last year FA Cup Final was the sign of an end. Arsenal have wanted to sell him and with that West Ham drama, it finally comes full circle. Poor Campbell. I think he is not a bad guy, just an emotional guy with too much pride for his own good. How could he accept losing out to Senderos? Going to Newcastle Utd might be good for him, considering they don't have many good defenders there. Oh I would love to see Taylor coming our way though. But I guess that it is Nzogbia that Wenger after.

Other than that, we have quite a number of players linked to us, as usual. Nuri Sahin is an exciting young player while Adil Chihi is someone I never heard of. But the most exciting among them gotta be Lukas Podolski. That guy is possibly German best young striker. I don't know about that Rooney comparison but I think Rooney is more of an all rounded playmaker forward while Podolski is more of a striker. Rooney is more creative and Podolski is possibly more clinical.

Of course nothing beats signing Fernando Torres but let's not expect too much.

There is another news on Fran Merida but that one is really like the Carlos Vela we signed. You won't get to see him for 1-2 years at least. So I am not too excited about that.

They say that PV might just return to England but I doubt Wenger would want to sign him. We do need a very good midfield general next season, that I know.

Buy Him, Sell Him, Release Him... Transfer's Fun

For some clubs, especially the ones in transition, transfer period is always fun and interesting. Suddenly your club are linked with players here and there. Unlike the previous seasons where Wenger left it late to clinch deals, he moved fast and swift this time around. One reason would be the World Cup. Players' price can soar if they perform well in the competition so Wenger would naturally want to buy his men before World Cup. Another reason could be the previous Summer experience where we were left with no one as Baptista and Robinho chose the greatest underachiever in La Liga.

Obviously I was glad with this as we all wish to see a well prepared Arsenal squad by the time we face the CL qualification rounds later on.

So the transfer parade begins with the arrival of Tomas Rosicky who probably will take the no. 7 shirt left by the departing Robert Pires. Rosicky arrived from Dortmund for an undisclosed fee, thought to be around 8 million pounds. Pires will be joining Villareal on free transfer for a two years contract.

During his six years with us, Robert Pires has mesmerized us with his left flank combo play along with Cole and TH. All too often he would make that crucial run into the box and score the simple goals other Arsenal players fail to score. He was so good in his second season that he won the Player of the Year award despite being sidelined for months due to THAT injury. I remember how excited I was seeing him pulling the string in the midfield with unparalleled mastery. His passes into the box were deadly and he could just make that killer pass from almost anywhere.

Sadly, the injury seemed to have taken away a part of his game. He still scored many many goals after that but he was just not as deadly anymore. But let's not talk about his decline. Let's just remember the man as one of the very best no. 7 to ever play in Arsenal shirt. He is simply one of the most elegant players we have ever had, and he definitely has that footballing brain you could never teach. That's why TH loves to play with him that much. Magnificent.

It may be a bit unfortunate that we have to see him go on free but considering what he has given us over the years, the money we paid to Marseille was well spent.

With regards to Rosicky.. well.. I suppose those who have watched him playing know how good he is. He is in a way similar to Cesc but I reckon he has better finishing rate than Cesc and physically he is stronger. I would not be surprised to see him featuring as withdrawn striker in our 4-5-1 formation come next season. One thing for sure, Rosicky will be part of the starting eleven considering his talent. He is not a finished article but he is almost there. This is the kind of signing Wenger needs to bolster the squad.

I have to rush now, more on transfer stories later.

It's Been Great

So it was finally over. I am sure there will be many who will give in-depth analysis of the game, what went wrong, who the culprit was, etc. Surely the ref would not be spared for his poor judgment. So I don't think there is a need for me to go into all these details. After all, it will only remind me of the pain and most importantly, it will divert myself away from the single major feeling that I have right now.

I am sad, yes. But that feeling is totally eclipsed by the pride I have right now. I am proud because we lost the match, but never the battle. I am proud because our young players didn't lose their cool and courage when we were at disadvantage. I am proud because although the captain was effectively missing during the match, the other players defended vigilantly and fought hard. Yes, they FOUGHT hard. I am proud because they have made such a great journey right to the final. I am proud because this is the club I supported. Are you watching Sp*rs? Are you watching Roman?!

I believe we have what it takes to play our way into another CL final with these young players we have. If there is one thing I'd like to point out with regards to our failure to stop Barca, I would say that it is down to the inexistence of one type of player, a ball winner. A box-to-box midfielder who can win the ball and charge into the opponent's area. Mentally speaking, we need a midfield general with never-say-die attitude. You can't defend near your own box for 70 minutes against such a good attacking team without conceding. You have to stop them before they are even close to your box. You can't just wait when you only have one goal advantage, especially when you are 1-1 draw with 10 minutes or so to go.

Having said that, I don't think we would need to defend that deep if we were 11 against 11. In fact, all the neutral would tell you that we were more than capable of hurting Barca and especially from the left flank. Of course, it turned out that we had to do the heroic of keeping Barca at bay. The old Arsenal were able to defend and break with 10 players because there was a certain Patrick Vieira playing. Again, I am not criticizing anyone here, and definitely I am not suggesting that PV would have won us the game.

I said before that I have considered our CL campaign this season a great success regardless of the final result. This is more of my thought on how Arsene Wenger could improve our team for next season's campaign.

So we do need a 'Steven Gerrard', in other word an old 'Patrick Vieira', and in other word a 'Wayne Rooney'. Abou Diaby was expected to fill in that role but he is now suffering from THAT injury.

That's the main thing we need to solve this summer.

So the season is over. We are fourth, and we were in the CL final, were 15 minutes away from winning it. It has been a great and memorable season for me. It has been one of the most unforgetable ones. It has been great. Thank you Arsene Wenger, and thank you Gunners.

Tonight

I didn't have the courage to touch my blog and write any post for couple of days. As the day drew closer, I came to realize all the more how important tonight's match is. No disrespect to my own team but it's not given that we are playing in the ultimate competition's final. Behind that was failure after failure, so much so that many started to believe that Arsene Wenger's Arsenal will never win Champions League. I am the first to admit that I was one of them. Nothing seemed to be right when we played in Europe, not even when we won the Premiership unbeaten all season. So it's not given that we will be there in the final again next season, or the season after.

It's normal that we, fans, get all excited over the Final. But when our star players, for all their international football and world cup experience (Henry and Gilberto has even played in and won World Cup final), stated that this could be once in a lifetime moment for them, you can tell how much this CL final means to them.

When you are with England, German, France or Brazil squad in World Cup, it's an expectation rather than wishful thinking for you to fight your way to the Final. But when you are playing for Arsenal, it's a dream date with destiny to play in CL final. And to win it would be nothing short of miracle. We are talking about a team that was written off even before the CL competition begin. And we are talking about a team of youngsters who earned their place tonight by defeating Real Madrid, Juventus, and Villareal fair and square. Such a fairy tale.. who would believe it? Even now.. everywhere I go, and I mean EVERYWHERE, people would say that Barca are the one who DESERVE the trophy. Underdogs to the end, eh?

The magnitude of tonight's match is exactly the reason why I found it strange that some people took the trouble to worry about Barca's players crap about Henry's future. I personally can't even be bothered now. I don't think Henry would even bother to read the papers. And no.. Henry is not a person whose decision can be influenced by tonight's result. He, of all people, know very well that whatever the result going to be, this team has shown what they are capable of.

Back to the topic.

I don't feel like talking about the match itself because I think I can't really give any better insight apart from what have been written in other sites. We all know defense is the key. We all know Victor Valdes and the two fullbacks are Barca's weaker link. But most importantly, we all know that this can be a match determined by the brilliance of some of the very best players that will no doubt turn into legends in years to come. Of course, judging from the fact that the last two FA cup final and the last CL final was won through penalties, there is a chance we will have to endure 120 minutes match and penalty horror. Arsenal's revival of late was largely due to the fact that the spine of the team, Lehmann - Toure - Cesc - Henry, have played magnificently. Should these four players perform at their very best tonight, Arsenal will have good chance to win the match in 90 minutes.

With regards to the team selection, Sol Campbell seems to be starting ahead of Senderos. We all wish the Swiss will play but maybe Wenger feels that Sol will be more capable of dealing with big match's tension. Cole should also start ahead of Clichy or Flamini. Of course it's a bit unfair to Senderos and Flamini who have played their part when their senior counterpart weren't available. Only the final score will decide whether Wenger has made the right decision.

And in the end, all I can do here is to cross my fingers and pray. The next time I touch my blog will be when the match is over!

Highbury

Thierry Henry said sometimes ago that there was something special about the stadium, the pitch. And so it proved. A special player needs a special stadium and a special occasion to show his genius. A great football game against the brave Wigan that showed no fear for us, a thrilling 90 minutes where everyone can't stop checking on the Upton Park situation, a hattrick from the deadliest no. 14 the world has ever seen, a win that see us leapfrogging Sp*rs, of all team, into 4th spot. Man.. that 90 minutes was surely not suitable for those with heart problem. A fitting finale, a grand finale for Highbury.

When we were about to start this season, I said that its gonna be a great and thrilling ride. It was just a gut feeling. I never thought it would really turn out to be one of the most memorable seasons I have had as a supporter. In fact it could just get better with a 1-0 win against Barca next week but let's leave that for now.

Let's just congratulate the team for their spirit and effort to fight till the last minute. When we were down 2-1, instantly we switched into top gear and for all Wigan's spirited play, they just couldn't cope with Arsenal. Many have been said with regards to the match. A thrilling 4-2. The winning game was actually a gift from Thompson who was responsible for the two goals they scored. He did a 'Gerrard'.

And the last goal was of course interesting in a way considering it was a foul by Johansson against Ljungberg who came on at exactly the same time. It was just such a great script that we could make movie out of it.

And speaking of the departing players.. I'd just like to tell you another gut feeling I have. We all feel that TH would stay and maybe you can consider him kissing the Highbury Turf as a declaration of his intention to stay. But it's not just Henry, I felt that Ashley Cole will also stay with us. I don't know. Looking at the way he played, his gestures.. I just felt that he will stay. I know that his mistakes make it impossible for us to be proud of him the way we used to be but still.. he is a very very good fullback and his experience (on the pitch experience, of course) will be very important to lead the young players. Just as long as he does not teach them to meet other club's manager in some hotels. As for Pires.. he seemed to be at the crossroad. He knows he won't be first choice anymore come next season but he loves the club and fans and he would love to be there at the new stadium. .

One player I would not hesitate to part with is Campbell. I don't want to criticize any player during such a good moment but I just can't help pointing out his performance. He was out of pace and he struggled so badly at times. Pairing Campbell with Cole who make forward runs all the time is suicidal. If I were Barcelona, I would invite Cole into my area. I would let him run unopposed and when Campbell begin to move into the flank to cover the area, I would try to snatch the ball away and launch a counterattack. Giuly will be more than capable of outpacing Campbell. Once Campbell is taken care of, I will only have to take care of Toure. With Ronaldinho and Eto'o up there, I should have a good chance to make something out of it.

Let's just hope that we will see a fully fit and focused Campbell in the CL final. We know he is a good player. He just needs to bounce back for one last time.

Enough of criticism. I am sorry for those negative parts. I guess in the end the lads have really gave their all and deserve the credits. And the fans.. the noise they made, the singing, everything.. I was so proud and jealous of them. That sight of Ian Wright and other Arsenal legends in the midst of supporters. The red and white shirts in the stadium.. It was just magical. Everything, everything, was just magical. It was something the Russian money can never buy. Let's just hope that if there is one thing that we can bring to the new stadium, it's the spirit.

Man City 1 - 3 Arsenal

Now this was a game with many good news for us. Ljungberg's 30th minute goal was his first of the season. I am really glad for the Swede. His determination and hardwork deserves that. And of course, Henry's pass for him was sublime. The fact that Henry was the man of the match without scoring a single goal was a proof of his complete game. A player with that many goals and assists every season, I wonder how anyone could replace him if he were to leave.

I think we will all agree that we can forgvie Jens and the defenders for Sommeil's goal. And I would say that Man City deserve that one goal for their effort in the first half.

And then we come to Reyes. I truly don't know what to say when it comes to him. I almost believed that Reyes' mind would turn blank everytime he reaches the penalty box. He just never seemed to do anything right when he was around the box. But last night, he played like a striker Wenger wanted him to be initially. Coming on as a sub, he scored two goal to ensure that the race for the 4th spot is still pretty much on. His second goal, an Henry assist, was class. It reminds me of the day when he scored that rocket goal against Chelsea.

Two years have passed and throughout this period, he has had hard time with the tackles and treatment by the opposition players. He has had hard time receiving that angry stare by Henry. But I can see that Henry was angry with him because the captain knew how good the Spaniard was. Henry just couldn't understand the decisions Reyes make at times.

Reyes has come good though. The brave young Spaniard has not lost his smile I like to see despite the struggles. He has shown that he cares to track back and defend and unlike Pires, he is not afraid of tackles. But Pires is still better when it comes to keeping the possession and making the right pass at the right time. That is something Reyes may learn as he matures. Technically I believe Reyes is still somewhat better than the departing Frenchman.

Of course when it comes goals, Pires is still much much better than Reyes. I believe that is why many fans wish that the Frenchman stays. His goal contribution has been vital for us in previous seasons. That is one thing Reyes needs to pick up fast.

The fact that Ashley Cole completed his 90 minutes was another good news for us. I suspect that Wenger will play Cole in Paris final should the player regain his 90% fitness in time. Although I would not mind to see Flamini play and in fact I think the young man deserves to play in the final, Wenger will probably opt for experience this time around.

And talking of experience, quite a number of fans would wish to see Bergkamp play in the final. It will be sweet to see him coming on as a sub with the score at 1-1, and in the injury time, he scores that Bergkamp goal to win the match. That will be a dream but who knows?

An article by Victor Predictor talks about the possibility of Wenger offering our no. 10 another year and it seems that Bergkamp is keen to play for another year. To him, it's either Arsenal or retirement. I would personally not mind to see him in the squad for yet another year. His presence and experience can only help our young players to grow. While many expect van Persie to follow his path, I expect Cesc Fabregas to take on the Dutch legend mastery in playing as second striker.

All in all, it has been a good day and good win for us. This Sunday will be massive. It has been a hard season, for Wenger especially. But the last two match can turn it into one of the most unfortgetable season for Arsenal. Fight on!!

What if you are the footballer?

I was not in the mood to talk about the Sunderland game for many reasons. To begin with, the game was largely dull despite the 3-0 scoreline. I can tell you that I love the Cesc's goal but then it was not enough to compensate for the loss of Diaby in the second half. I have read numerous articles on that tackle, and the comments made by fellow gooners and the attempt by Sunderland fans to defend Dan Smith.

To be fair, I do think that Sunderland are never a dirty side. I've never seen them counting on the tactic Bolton use to win games. I've also never seen them use players such as Savage to survive. I might be wrong but I do feel that Dan Smith's tackle was very much a desperate attempt rather than a planned assault. I don't know the lad but I can't see him planning it the way Roy Keane planned his revenge. Yes there were many reckless tackles in the second half but when you are playing a game against a top side that makes you look like a bunch of useless footballers, I think the frustation level can sometimes be unbearable. Naturally, they would turn physical.

The fact that you don't get much punishment for fouling Arsenal players nowadays make it even more tempting. So what if they are redcarded? Their season is finished anyway.

That's the most I can think of on behalf of Sunderland.

BUT... the way Dan Smith came out to apologise was RIDICULOUS! His heartless comment took away any sympathy I have for the young lad. He seemed to think that it was just a reckless tackle that often happen. He seemed to think that the injury Diaby had was down to his own bad luck rather than the tackle. He seemed to feel that it is just normal for footballer to suffer injuries, even if that is an injury that could threaten the player's career. I just wonder what he will say if he is the one who was tackled. Can he come out and tell Diaby that he doesn't blame Diaby because it is the risk of being footballer?

My goodness.. I feel that people begin to confuse footballer with gladiator. Look, I was not happy when Diaby broke Campo's foot despite him playing for Bolton. I will not be happy to see any Arsenal player break someone else's leg no matter what the circumstances are. Even if we are 1-1 against Barcelona in the CL final with 10 minutes to go, I still think it is wrong to do such thing. These footballers are human. They are paid ridiculous wages, yes. But still, they are human.

I can accept it when someone is injured accidentally. But Dan Smith's case was never accidental. He probably did not know such tackle could cause such serious injury but he surely knew that he was going for the player's legs rather than the ball.

Of course the Roy Keane's planned revenge was even more unacceptable. That's why I would never want him to play for Arsenal even when he was available for free few months ago. Such people should just become martial artists rather than footballer.

While I think it's wrong to target Sunderland as a club, I do think that FA has to do something about this. A solid rule has to be defined to avoid such incidents in the future. Should Gilberto intentionally break *cough* Drogba's legs in the future, I would still condemn him. A heavy fine and serious ban should be imposed so that the players would think more than twice before they attempt such assault.

And please, for the other clubs' fans that bring up the van Nistelrooy's incident in an attempt to justify Dan Smith's tackle, you are just not making sense. You are just as vain as the FA. What did Keown and co. do to van Nistelrooy? Did they break his leg? It was ugly, yes. I never said that Arsenal are the most disciplined side ever, with no bad record whatsoever. But that shouting and pat on van Nistelrooy's back and even the pizza throwing are nothing compared to a situation where a young man's career is threatened in such a way.