Eyeball To Eyeball, Montpellier Blinked | And Mary Had A Li'l Girl On The Day

Montpellier 1 -Arsenal 2

We've never lost a game in France. Before yesterday's win at Montpellier we had won four and drawn one. Yesterday took it to five wins and one draw as the team showed a reluctance to change the trend even if it was the French champions we were playing.

Away At Montpellier | Steve Bould Takes The Reins

The team is in France today for our first Champions League game of the season. Steve Bould will be taking charge in the absence of Wenger who will be starting a three match touchline ban for being naughty. Bould will be in charge on the sidelines and is not allowed to communicate with Wenger for the duration of the match according to Uefa rules and I really do wonder if these rules are not circumvented considering the amount of technologies available to us today for covert communications.

Hitting Southampton For Six

Arsenal 6 - Southampton 1

After the first two games of this season against Sunderland and Stoke City, when we did not score a single goal, I must admit I started to wonder where our goals were going to come from this season. I mean, we had sold the most prolific striker in the premiership during the summer and brought in three players with a lot of promise that on paper made us look a much better team than we were last term but after both games, it looked like it was going to be a while before the team will gel as a unit and start delivering on that promise.

Watch Wenger's Pre-Southampton Press Conference | Thoughts On Issues Raised

            

 Arsene Wenger's press conference yesterday ahead of this weekend's home game against Southampton provided enough material to make up for the dearth of Arsenal news for the past two weeks while the international break lasted. He never disappoints when he has a microphone (or a bank of them as in this instance) stuck in his face. As usual he shot from the hips.

Is Wenger The Man To Lead Us Forward?

The best man to lead us forward?

Ivan Gazidis' interview yesterday in The Telegraph in which he paid glowing tribute to Arsene Wenger is the topic of most conversations this morning. Depending on which side of the pro and Anti Wenger divide you find yourself in, you may or may not agree with the club's plan to offer Wenger an extension of his contract beyond 2014 when it's due to expire.

“It’s not a sense of sentimentalism, not a reward for services, it’s a belief that we have an incredible manager who loves this club and is the best man to lead us forward,”

The excerpt above is one that has drawn the ire of fans who believe that a lack of trophies in the past seven years hardly qualifies Wenger as the "the best man to lead us forward."

Taking Stock After The Internationals | Played Fifa13 Demo Yet?

On song for France

The last of the international games were played yesterday evening; thank goodness for that. Now we can all turn our attentions to some real football this weekend.

Before we do that though we need to take stock and assess the state the boys who left to do battle for their countries have returned in.

I guess everyone's biggest worry was Abou Diaby; he was mine. After what I saw him do against Liverpool in the last domestic game before the international break, I believe he's an integral part of this team and it was with trepidation that I watched him go off to play for his country. The France game against Finland was not aired in my neck of the woods but I monitored it closely and was glad to hear he scored the game's only goal. I was even more glad to hear that he came out of it unscathed.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Cazorla? | Defending With Heart and Mind

Liverpool 0 - Arsenal 2

When the euphoria of finally scoring a goal this season and ultimately winning against Liverpool wore off yesterday, came the chance to assess the feat of going three straight games without conceding nada. Match that against this time last season -we had lost 2 games and conceded 10 goals and went on in that vein for the rest of the season as we leaked goals like a basket with bullet holes.

In Arsene We Trust?

Not fussed if #AFC don't sign any1.i will still support the ppl that pull on that shirt every match day. #InWengerWeTrust #deadlineday
— Michael Fenton (@goonermike86) August 31, 2012

After a frustrating night, spent watching the clock with nothing to show for it, I made a decision to be happy. You should too.

Tiote didn't happen! Neither did Michael Essien -he ended up at Real Madrid. Neither did Dempsey -he's a Spud now.

Wenger: 'We showed we are ready for a fight'

Dear Arsenal supporter,

Like last weekend's draw with Sunderland, Sunday's game at Stoke was one we should have won 1-0.

There were lots of positives - we showed we have a very strong spirit, we were dominant in the challenges, we were prepared, highly-focused and defensively very strong overall.

It's D-Day! Let's Go Win Something.

It's time. Let's do this, boys.

It was a flitting moment, wasn't it? That moment when Santi Cazorla was confirmed by the club and we all rose in cheer knowing that we had brought in more quality to add to Podolski and Giroud, the Sahin deal looked like it was almost done, there was still a glimmer of hope that our (ex)-captain will stay and of course there wasn't the slightest hint of a Song exit. We looked right there and then like a formidable team that was ready to challenge for honours with true intent.

Whatever Happens, RVP Is A Goner!

The Number 1 fan who went over to a bitter rival

The RVP saga is done and dusted now, isn't it? The shirt he threw into the crowd at Cologne last weekend was the last Arsenal shirt he'd ever wear and going by the stories making the rounds now, he was told before the game that he was going to be sold so he knew as he threw that shirt that it was bye bye Arsenal.

A Case For Song To Be Kept| And Robin, You're Not Arsenal's No 1 Fan!

Despite Song's statement two days ago that though he's aware of the interest from Barcelona, he's happy at Arsenal and Wenger following up shortly with that crack about Spanish newspapers, the Song to Barcelona rumours are not going away. Word on the streets today is that the Barcelona representatives arrived London this morning to close the deal.

Not United Van Persie. You Can't Go There!

"RVP's going to Juventus."
"Who gives a rat's arse?"

"RVP's going to Manchester City"
"So bloody what?"

"RVP's going to Manchester United"
"#%&*$#@$&#*^%%$#@$%^&*&^%$#@$%#$"

"Stick to Japanese football, you bloody novice"

Arsenal fans have been making their feelings known in no small measure since yesterday afternoon when rumours made the rounds in cyberspace that RVP had left the training camp in Germany to fly back to England to complete a switch to United.

Sagna, Per & Podolski Came To Play Monkey Post In Nigeria?

It was a serio-comic show yesterday evening at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos as Airtel and Malta Guinness hosted Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Bacary Sagna in an interactive session with Arsenal's fans in Nigeria.

The players came to participate in promotional activities with regional partners Airtel and Malta Guinness who recently signed partnership deals with Arsenal that will allow them harness the club's merchandising, hospitality and content rights.

Podolski, Per & Sagna taking questions from Charles Anazado while us ordinary mortals watched

Like Arsenal fans every where else in the world, Nigerian fans were mostly interested in extracting guarantees of a trophy next season and one wanted assurances from Sagna that his injury from the end of last season had healed sufficiently enough for him to ensure that no goal will be scored through his position at right back.

It was a lesson in diplomacy to see the trio deflect all sorts of questions like, "Sagna, will you leave Arsenal if the likes of Manchester City offered you good money?"

"If it was all about money, a few of would have left ages ago," Sagna replied.

Is it just me or does anyone else see the answer to that question in that response? Not that I blame him though, that's a question no player can answer honestly.

Charles Anazado who emceed the occasion did a good job of protecting the players from some questions that would have embarrassed them. One female fan took the microphone and asked, "What do you think of Arsenal hiring a new manager?"

I turned around to see if the chick was blonde but she was blacker than my black arse and that's saying a lot because my arse is black.

What did she expect the players to say? You're right, Honey. The club needs to sack Wenger and bring in Redknapp.

Charles took the microphone back from her and as tactfully as he manages Victor Ikpeba, Daniel Amokachi and co on his SS3N football show, answered the question himself by reminding the audience that Arsene Wenger has only recently turned down a job offer from the Brazilian Football Association.

It was good to see the boys out here really but it hardly makes up for the disappointment of the cancellation of the game that was planned for August 5th. My ManU friend actually said the trio had been sent down to play "monkey post" in Nigeria; that's the backyard football game that requires 3-5 players on each side that's popular in Africa using a small goal post that can be set up with stones or sticks.

Monkey Post

All-in-all, it was a good show but we now look forward to the big one with the whole squad in attendance as  has been promised by the club.

We'll get back to transfer rumours and speculations in this space from tomorrow. See ya.

When Per, Sagna and Podolski came to Lagos, the clowns came to welcome 'em twitter.com/naijaendgooner…
— lalah D Gooner (@naijaendgooner) July 30, 2012

The Wenger-Persie Conspiracy Theory

Is it possible that the club wanted to sell RVP from the beginning then slowly and methodically pushed him towards releasing that infamous statement? Could the club have reasoned that they need to recoup all the monies that have been spent over the years on Van Persie while he stayed out injured for most of his eight years in Arsenal knowing that the form he displayed last season may soon be disrupted by another long term injury?

So what better time to sell him than now when his ovation is at its loudest after all he is going on 29 years and sports science (read common sense) which Arsene Wenger has been known to favour its benefits have shown that the law of diminishing returns creeps up on most footballers at about this age.

My friend Obinna came at me with this conspiracy theory this morning and I tried to fault his reasoning but I had to admit he made a lot of us sense.
  
"Wenger always renewed RVPs contract even when he was injured but stalled this time because I believe he realised RVP is advancing in age, so any long term injury now could end his career! Do you want to have a £180k\week player in your books that's always injured?," Obinna said.


By calling Van Persie's bluff at the meetings between player/agent and club, the club may have reasoned that RVP will resort to something desperate like releasing that infamous statement which ultimately pitched the fans against RVP while ensuring that the club will not once again be accused of always being ready to sell off their best players.

While the statement released by RVP did not do the club's negotiating position any favours, it ensured that an auction for the player began in earnest.

"Now we look like reluctant sellers, and to do business with a reluctant seller, you need to do like Don Corleone said and make him an offer he can't refuse," Obinna reasoned. "Why else would we have bought two strikers in a hurry which goes against our usual transfer dealings and are in the market for a third one?"

"We need to make Wenger an offer he can't refuse"

 Can you fault this line of reasoning?

Arsene Wenger -The Last of The Alchemists

Arsene Wenger granted an interview yesterday to Hong Kong Magazine Time Out and as has become norm these days his critics couldn’t wait for the ink to dry on the interviewer’s paper before tossing him in the shredding machine.

When asked what goals and aims he has set for the coming season, Wenger said, “The priority is again to fight for the championship and Champions League. To finish the season as high as possible…”
 

Unsurprisingly, given the bent of even Arsenal fan’s to take swipes at him these days, the critics took on him for mouthing this ambition.

What do they expect him to say? That he has a squad that’s only capable of fighting for a Europa league place and he’ll ensure that we fight hard enough to finish above all the other teams that will qualify in that category?