Arsenal news:Arsenal boss Wenger happy with Mannone despite error

Arsenal boss Wenger happy with Mannone despite error

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger isn't concerned after a gaffe from Vito Mannone against Birmingham City.

The young Italian goalkeeper was at fault for Lee Bowyer's goal in the 3-1 win, but Wenger told the club's website: "He's a young goalkeeper. You have to accept that no matter the age of a goalkeeper that can happen.

"In the Premier League you are always challenged and he should have certainly fisted the ball out.

"The good sign was in the second half it didn't affect him. He came out for crosses, he saved a good cross and that could have been an equaliser, so it didn't affect him mentally. That's very good."

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world: Arsenal vs Birmingham Evil

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world: Arsenal vs Birmingham Evil

I can’t tell you how brilliant the correspondents of this site are. The other night “LRV” summed up the forthcoming Arsenal/Evil Empire game from this saturday with a perfect quote from Yeats: “Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” How good is that?

And would you know it, while we were discussing the appalling nature of Birmingham City and their vile attack on Eduardo, and the disgraceful defence of this action by the Birmingham City management, not to mention the terrifying beauty of Yeats poetry, the FA were announcing that Karen Brady, who at the time of the criminal assault of Eduardo was MD of the Evil Empire, is to be made a director of the England World Cup bid.

Birmingham City must surely represent the ultimate depth of football in England. And now we learn that not satisfied with being eternally known as the club that assaulted Eduardo, we also find they have joined Leeds and Notts C as being a club with an unknown owner.

I remember the last time they “played” (I use the word lightly) at the Ems, we watched their “manager” waving at players to go down and stay down to break up play and get the game stopped. So daft (or so corrupt) was the ref that he fell for it every time.

Then we had those arrests of Birmingham City directors, one after another after another, for financial and other matters. No charges of course. Just arrests.

Now the Evil Empire has a new owner – although we have no idea who he is or where he resides. The front man (Yeung) who only owns around 12% has given £40m to make the empire grow and grow by endlessly exporting its evil. Where he got the money, we don’t know.

The FA has done nothing – just as they have done nothing to force Notts County or Leeds U into revealing ownership. Just as they have done nothing about Ken Bates stating that when he said he owned Leeds it was “a mistake”. The contempt with which the FA treats Eduardo, Arsenal and all football fans is there for all to see.

It is of course not just the sheer horror of the tackle that crippled Eduardo, nor the way that the Birmingham City club tossed aside any responsibility, it was also the way that immediately the three match ban was over they brought the offending player back into their reserve team.

I have heard Birmingham City supporters say, “what else did you expect us to do?” The answer clearly is “show some morality”. Paul Davis was suspended for 9 matches for a punch thrown in a football match. The player he hit was back playing long before he was.

Even though the bent and corrupt FA and EPL would take no action, Birmingham, had the club had a single ounce of decency, it would have “rested” the player for a longer period.

As it was the most disgraceful team in the EPL, fell from their midtable position under the Curse of Arsenal, and were relegated. The directors were charged with an ever increasing number of offences. But then none of these matters were ever brought to trial, and charges were dropped, and Brady was invited onto the London World Cup bid committee.

Seemingly, it is now possible to buy the Evil Empire without anyone knowing who you are, while David Sullivan and David Gold and Karen Brady, the group who made the Evil Empire, have gone.

“I crave blood, I eat flesh, I am Anarchy personified. I am the Devil, I am Evil, I am the Destroyer of Souls,” said the spokesbeing for new owner. “We need new players for this club to devour, to turn into monsters, to embody the entire and total spirit of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.” Actually I may have lost something in translation from the Chinese, but you know what I mean.

The Guardian said, “McLeish has been dogged by many injury problems with his squad since taking Birmingham back into the Prem League, but has been adept at destroying the career of others through their disgraceful tactics.” (Again I may have got a part of this slightly wrong.)

“I will be eating the manager,” Yeung said (ditto about translation). “Our aim is to kill, destroy, maim and secure our position in the Premier League, not only for this year but for many years to come.” (possible error caused by Google auto translation programming).

“Birmingham can become as big as possible. We are competitors for Aston Villa,” (that’s the club that invented the “Hold Your Head” technique for players who are tackled. You go down, see if the opposition are attacking, and if so hold your head. The ref stops the game, and then you go off and have treatment for an ankle injury”). ” We can eat and devour and spit out the entire world. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” (Actually that last bit was some poet fella.)

Yeung also said: “I will be here three or four times a month and I will try and kill every living creature. The EPL is soft – in no other league in the world can you walk in without revealing who owns the club. I am here to laugh at you all.” (Actually I am sure he didn’t say that. I must get this computer fixed).

Anyway, it is Arsenal vs The Evil Empire at the Ems on saturday. And as the Saxons used to say when fighting the Danes under the leadership of the good, pious, refined and revered not to say godly King Alfred the Great, “Kill them all.”

Next week: West Iceland United vs Arsenal in the style of William Wordsworth

Meanwhile, back on planet earth…

100 years ago we played Sunderland. For details of that game (which involved very little slaughter) take a look at MAKING THE ARSENAL. www.blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk The book will be out in a another couple of weeks. Birmingham City and the heart of all evil do not figure in it.

(c) Tony Attwood 2009

arsenal:Arsenal immortal

I closed yesterday's blog talking about how anyone paying a visit to the Grove of late will have seen that Mr Gazidis is most definitely not all mouth and no trousers. The more astute amongst you may have noticed that I couldn't quite work out how to finish yesterday's blog and it just kind of ended, but that's not important right now.

When you go to the Grove on Saturday- I'm not, but I will be there for the Carling Cup game in two weeks- you will see a brand new mural embracing the stadium.

As you can see, Dennis Bergkamp, Bob Wilson, Eddie Hapgood and Charlie George have joined Adams, Brady, Bastin and Henry in footballing, well Arsenal Stadium, immortality.

It's curious, I don't think anyone can dispute Bob Wilson's commitment to the Arsenal cause, having had the pleasure of meeting Bob I can personally say that not only would he bleed the proverbial red and white, but he is also a top man. But should he be on that wall instead of David Seaman, who served Arsenal for so long and with such success? There again, Dennis didn't feature on the first mural, did he? So perhaps there's time for old "Safe Hands" to take his place in the pantheon.

Elsewhere, not to dwell on it, but perhaps I was a bit harsh on Barcelona yesterday. Reading what their club and those associated with it went through under Franco, it certainly seems to me that if they are indeed "mes que un club", it's only because the Spanish authorities treated them so. Us Gooners have a bit of a persecution complex when it comes to referees, right? Well Barcelona once lost a match to Real Madrid 11-1. It was a game they went into for fear of their very existences, harshly treated by referees, constantly barracked by a partisan crowd and so they gave up trying when Benito was sent off for nothing more than being a bit of a star.

Reading further, it pleased to me to note that they lost out on Alfredo Di Stefano by trying to "lowball" his club. Though the fact that they lost out to Real Madrid I like less. Negotiations went on for ages until Madrid stepped in and well... the rest is history. So, despite continued pressure, Barça were unable to land their man. This didn't, however, stop the local press jumping the gun in announcing Di Stefano as a done deal. Old habits die hard... So, where yesterday, I was quite accepting of Arsenal and indeed Cesc Fabregas' fate, it now seems to me that when he goes, it will be under the best possible circumstances for this football club.

And I wonder too, if Cesc might not fancy doing something to render himself an Arsenal immortal before he leaves? The man himself is doing his utmost to render such talk premature, as it undoubtedly is, whether that's through his actions on the football pitch or in his public declarations. In celebrating his great mate Rosicky's return to the first team, he- consciously or not- echoes his manager in talking up the team spirit and saying this,

"It's great to have him in the team; he's like a new signing."

Is that an early bid to be the man who replaces the boss when he eventually departs? Not likely, I think. I also think the boss has it spot on by saying he will not be the one to name his successor, but it's a measure of the influence Arsène has had at the club that such a story could even be considered as news. As he says himself, it's not his job - so why would he do it? There are those out there, no doubt, who feel the boss has had too much influence as it is. It seems to me that, as sad as the day will be when it comes, the best thing for everyone will be a clean break and a new start.

But we shouldn't have to think about that for a while yet and yes, I am assuming it's just a coincidence that this story, which prepares the psychological landscape for his eventual departure , comes justa day or two after Gazidis' "Second place is not good enough" rallying cry...

Hasta mañana (with apologies for the Barcelona diversion).

source arsenal mania

Arsenal:How do we replace Song

Only at Arsenal would you be wondering one season whether a kid of Alex Song's age should be on the pitch at all in such an important position, just to find yourself the next season wondering about who is going to replace a vital 22-year-old when he goes away for 6 weeks. So we look towards an even younger bench. Crazy isn't it?

Song has really grown so much. The little things have really made the difference with him. He knows on which side of a player to be in a defensive situation. That way he doesn't have to give away free-kicks and he will slow down the player even if he doesn't win the ball.

Small, but vital to killing the opposition fluency. 4-3-3 also gives Alex more options to pass the ball and space to recover in. In a crowded 4-4-2, he would run into his midfield partner. I remember we conceded a costly goal last season as Song and Abou Diaby ran into each other. Alex has his space and he has mastered that space.

The next improvement for Alex is to win and release in one move. Right now, he wins the ball, protects it and then looks to release. The improvement I have seen in him assures me that I only have to be patient and that too will come. Diaby, by the way, has the same problem. He needs to release quicker.

We have seen that Song can pass surprisingly accurate long and short. The importance of having Rosicky is that Arsenal now have Andrey Arshavin, Tomas Rosicky, Francesc Fabregas and sometimes Robin van Persie who can take the ball in a crowded place and still find an exit pass. That has improved Song's options and you can now see how he can make telling passes. However, it is also a HUGE shame that Song has no left foot because he cannot pass to Arshavin. That is a huge loss but you can't have everything.

So how will Arsenal replace Song when he goes to Africa?

Patrick Vieira has been mentioned. Vieira was a defensive midfielder when he played with Petit. Then Emmanuel Petit was sold and Vieira had a torrid time trying to hold midfield by himself. The blessing in that painful year was that Vieira learned how to play offensively. When Gilberto arrived, Vieira was an experienced offensive midfielder with massive defensive capabilities. Vieira cannot really be classed as a defensive midfielder so he is not ideal to replace Alex Song.

We also have to consider the mileage and the recovery speed that Song has to execute to cater for Arsenal playing in 4-3-3. That's no job for a 33-year-old. If Vieira comes in January, Wenger will have to use him on the bench and risk one of his kids or Diaby on 4-3-3. Afterall, Arsenal need to place their bets on their attack so there is more sense in keeping the system that is delivering goals.

If Arsenal are away from him or go into a second half needing to tighten up and nick a goal or protect a lead then Vieira can come in with a switch to 4-4-2. Vieira can contribute in 4-4-2. With Arshavin, Rosicky, Samir Nasri, van Persie, Eduardo, Theo Walcott, Carlos Vela and Nicklas Bendtner, Arsenal has limitless possibilities on how to balance the strike force in 4-4-2 for half a game.

Last season I would have been opposed to Vieira's return but now the team has its own life and its own structure and feeling so a big player like Vieira will not be able to upset it as easily. He will not be a leader – the team has their leaders and they have results that show they are good enough by themselves. But what he can do is contribute experience. In delicate games, he can help the talented squad do the right things at the right time. If Arsenal miss anything, it is the experience to do the right thing at the right time.

So I would welcome Vieira and he might be lucky enough to be the one Wenger player from the past that wins the Champions League with Arsenal. Thierry Henry would be jealous because I am sure Titi would have liked to win it at Arsenal instead of or in addition to winning it at Barcelona.

Written by Joel Che on Wednesday, October 14, 2009

source arsenal mania

Arsenal Colour

For much of Arsenal's history, Arsenal's home colours have been bright red shirts with white sleeves and white shorts, though this has not always been the case. The choice of red is in recognition of a charitable donation from Nottingham Forest, soon after Arsenal's foundation in 1886. Two of Dial Square's founding members, Fred Beardsley and Morris Bates, were former Forest players who had moved to Woolwich for work. As they put together the first team in the area, no kit could be found, so Beardsley and Bates wrote home for help and received a set of kit and a ball. The shirt was redcurrant, a dark shade of red, and was worn with white shorts and blue socks.

In 1933 Herbert Chapman, wanting his players to be more distinctly dressed, updated the kit, adding white sleeves and changing the shade to a brighter pillar box red. The origin of the white sleeves is not conclusively known, with two possible inspirations having been put forward. One story reports that Chapman noticed a supporter in the stands wearing a red sleeveless sweater over a white shirt; another was that he was inspired by a similar outfit worn by the cartoonist Tom Webster, with whom Chapman played golf. Regardless of which story is true, the red and white shirts have come to define Arsenal and Arsenal have worn the combination ever since, aside from two seasons. The first was 1966–67, when Arsenal wore all-red shirts; this proved unpopular and the white sleeves returned the following season. The second was 2005–06, the last season that Arsenal played at Highbury, when the team wore commemorative redcurrant shirts similar to those worn in 1913, Arsenal's first season in the stadium; the club reverted to their normal colours at the start of the 2006–07 season... Since the 2008–09 season, Arsenal has slightly altered the design of their traditional home shirts, replacing the all white sleeves with a thick white stripe. The remainder of the sleeves is red.

Arsenal's home colours have been the inspiration for at least three other clubs. In 1909, Sparta Prague adopted a dark red kit like the one Arsenal wore at the time; in 1938, Hibernian adopted the design of the Arsenal shirt sleeves in their own green and white strip. In the 1930s, Sporting Clube de Braga's coach returned from a game at Highbury and changed his team's green kit into a duplicate of Arsenal's red with white sleeves and shorts, giving rise to the team's nickname of Os Arsenalistas. These teams still wear these designs to this day.

Arsenal's away colours are traditionally yellow and blue, but there have been exceptions. Arsenal wore a green and navy away kit between 1982 and 1984, and since the early 1990s and the advent of the lucrative replica kit market, the away colours have been changed regularly. During this period the designs have been either two-tone blue designs, or variations on the traditional yellow and blue, such as the metallic gold and navy strip used in the 2001–02 season, and the yellow and dark grey used in 2005–06 and 2006–07. Currently the away kit is changed every season, with the outgoing away kit becoming the third choice kit if a new home kit is being introduced in the same year.

Arsenal's shirts have been made by a variety of manufacturers, including Umbro (from the 1970s until 1986), Adidas (1986–1994), and since 1994 they have been made by Nike. Like most other major football clubs, Arsenal have had shirt sponsorship since the 1980s, with sponsors including JVC (1982–1999), Sega (1999–2002), O2 (2002–2006) and current sponsors Emirates (from 2006).