Arsenal Take On Underdog Lincoln In Emirates FA Cup: Follow The Match Build Up On These Twitter Hashtags

For some reason, today's Arsenal Emirates FA Cup quarter final against Lincoln City FC brings back memories of that 2011 Football League(Carling)Cup final against Birmingham. Maybe it's because we needed to win as badly as we do today. Maybe because, like that Wembley night,  we've lately been shooting ourselves in the foot with perilous defending. Maybe it's because us gooners know the haters are watching waiting to have a dig at our beloved Arsenal once again.

Mission Impossible: What Arsenal Fans Want To See Tonight As Arsenal Tackle Bayern Munich In Champions League Knock Off Tie

With the #TR4PHY fading, all indications are that this could be the last night for Champions League football at the Emirates. Gooners are hoping that is also is the last night Arsene Wenger leads us into Europe in search of our traditional round of 16 exits. It seems eons now when we won the group stage unbeaten

Winded Arsene Wenger, Angry Fans and Indifferent Superstars: A perfect Recipe For Hull City Tigers To Gore Arsenal In Saturday's Early EPL Kick Off

 This time, Arsenal fans concede that the implosion hit us below the belt.Wenger let us down (we are used to that) but he wasn’t alone and that is hard to take. This seasons’s habit of key players failing to turn up in crucial matches such as at home against Watford and then away to Chelsea did it for the fans. 

Starting With Watford at The Emirates, Arsene Wenger Needs To Show His Hand

There is that periods during the season when something inside snaps and you immediately know that in spite of all the work done prior; Arsenal will come up empty again. Once more, the season is dead and the annual chase for Champions league qualification is all that remains.

Last season, it was that FA cup quarter final at the Emirates where Watford knocked us out without a whimper. We were on course for a consecutive FA cup but had one eye on the Wednesday trip to Camp Nou for the second leg of round of 16 tie. Just like now, we were eight points behind the league leaders (Leicester).

With Watford tonight at the Emirates, like any other mid-table team, you just don’t know what to expect. What we know is that we cannot afford to let it slip once again thanks to poor schedule management. 

#Arsenal welcome a #Stoke city (with makeup) to the Emirates… for dinner?

With no wins this season, and in the setting of a torrid record at the emirates, Stoke city’s goose ought be cooked. But Arsenal is in the midst of a now infamous inability to score. Worse for the gunners, this dysfunction plays out right in front of their fans: in their own bed, at home.

This is the kind of situation that can spiral its own way. Here comes a Stoke all made up thanks to the Affelays, Shaqiris and Bojans of this world, desperate to right an unflattering record and eager to show off their new b**b and nose jobs.

For a weekend that features Mayweather-Berto, Mancherster United-Liverpool, Inter-Ac Milan et.al #AFCvSCFC has the potential to pull a Roberta Vinci- Serena Williams upset. Here is why

North London Derby Preview: Lets Claim That Fourth Place Trophy and March On

Happy Sunday everyone.Happy birthday Theo Walcott! Down at the Equator, we are a happy bunch. The rains are here and we break back on the farm. Dependence on rain fed agriculture is a definite no no this day in the 21st century,but we do our best for bountiful harvests. In the premier league, the harvest season is fast approaching and today could be the day Arsenal claims its first trophy

NLD day it is. On a larger scale, it is show-me what-you-got-to-be-champions day. Liverpool face the Manchester United of Moyes David (David? What on irony at the moment. Hopefully, the Liverpool that turns up today is Goliath and not Uriah’s wife) in the curtain raiser event this super Sunday. What a match day it was yesterday.  What a title race this is turning out to be.

The Swahili people say Hayawi hayawi huwa. The improbable comes to pass; though you cannot say that of Mou-reen’s tantrum yesterday day. Probably thanks to his success, we tend to smoother Mourinho’s uncouthness as some variant of genius flowering it with terms like ‘mind games’, ‘psychological edge’ et.al. Let’s face it people, the man is a c*nt.

Chelsea’s debacle though utterly a joy to watch, piles up the pressure on the lads tonight. Not only do dropped points and game in hand bode well in Arsenal’s title chase, the spanner of Chelsea missing their two best midfielders, Ramires and Willian, through suspension means that if we beat Tottensh*t today, there is every chance of at least 6 points from the trio of hell games that end with Manchester City at home.

We could as well dream of a perfect nine which surely will build the confidence and momentum needed at this time.  Manchester City though presents a different prospect given that they now have only the league to go for from a possible quadruple a fortnight thereabouts ago. Their win against an unimaginative Hull was to paraphrase the commentator, “the type to build a title campaign on.”

A comfortable win having played with 10 men for 80 minutes, David Silva back to his best, six points behind the leaders and with three games in hand, it is City’s title to lose. For Arsenal, it seems rather odd timing for baby the steps approach: Today’s North London Derby should be about securing a top four finish, the Chelsea game should be about vying for second or third while for Manchester City, the aim should be at least stalling the Citizens run away with the title then we can dream.

A Night In Munich

A lady friend recently elucidated her concerns about dating a bloke whose work involves plenty of travel. This was a conversation that occurred before the disappearance of the 310 ton Boeing 777-200, Malaysia Airline flight MH 370; one of the bizarre happenings this 21^st century. It is in order to tuma rambirambi; pass our condolences and offer our prayers that any semblance of closure is arrived at. Pole sana; an empathetic sorry to the families and friends of the victims.

My lady friend, an Arsenal fan for the record, explained the reason for her unease was the instinctive drive by the Y- genome to mark territory whenever on its travels. Territory marking as exhibited in nature ranges from the simple leak on the fence by your mongrel somewhere along your evening walk, to the human male itch to deposit seed in a warm, wet, well innervated receptacle. Some of my friends call this sampling the local menu.

I am sure for a host of you, alongside the legendary tales of German beer, the possibility of exploring new lands ranks high on the osmotic pull towards Munich tonight. We envy you, us who cannot travel. What, however, makes us all equal is the hope-laced, nerves-tainted excitement; complete with a late kick of the aroma of finality.

It could be a case of a leak on the fence, or like an absentee father, arsenal could exit Munich and leave The Allianz arena crowd pregnant with sadness and bewildered at the cruelty of football. The fantastic @Optajoe quoting @1Davidwall reveals that Bayern have failed to score (only) once in their last 100 games , (the deviation from norm being ) against Arsenal in the last Champions League campaign; lending umpteenth credence to the at least-we-showed-up, at least-we-tried scenario.

The cathedral. Image: stvstreams.com

Arsenal Squad To Face Stoke: Forgett Ozil, It is All About The OX

A happy first of the month to you all.

As part of my mid-morning -OH group detox routine, I have just re-watched Arsene Wenger’s presser on ArsenalTV online; you just have to love the man. Sitting behind this blog sifting and shifting words through my cranium then sending them down my fingers, it remains a dream to have that kind of access that mainstream journalists have. The man “Le professor” is a class act.

Ozil is back

You’ve got to give it to the man. I mean outside Mourinho, who takes the liberty to troll whenever there’s a camera, and/or when a bunch of guys with iPads and microphones bustle to gather in front of him, there is little else that can pass for an engaging press conference.

I dream of that day when, with his discerning look towards my direction and his French accented English, he lets out another philosophical gem. We are allowed to dream, aren’t we? All the same, there are whispers about a possible bow- out by the boss given that he’s uncharacteristically stalling on his new deal.

I don’t buy into that train of thought. Look at the man people; he looks to relish every challenge coming his way. He actually is enjoying himself at this moment in time. I wouldn’t label him bullish as it would be a lazy word to use, but there is some blatant arrogance in his actions: Like throwing Sanogo into the deep against Bayern and Liverpool.

Yes, some might argue that the Sanogo trick is typically Wenger, but the juice lies in his responses to queries on his decisions: the man speaks as if he has his own oracle, “mganga kutoka Tanga”, looking into some crystal ball, perched on his shoulder and whispering wisdom into his ears.

The demeanor of le boss right now can only be compared to that of I-am-the-greatest-ever-F*ck- Messi- you-can-ignore-me-but-I-will-show- you-why-I won-the-ballon d’or-Ronaldo. Moving on swiftly to the away game against Stoke, the pundits build it up as the make or break tie for Arsenal. It is the tie that will set the momentum for the killer fixture schedule that March is.

Arsenal Squad To Face Sunderland

Giant slayers Sunderland are in town and going by manager Gus Poyet presser, they smell blood. Sitting in the red zone at the wrong end of the table, the Black Cats will give it all to take advantage of the likely negative effect of the much talked about handicap of our thin squad and a punishing fixture list.

How will we line-up against Sunderland?

This, when coupled with the manner of our loss some 72hrs ago against the reigning European champions: a game that had swara written all over it, meaning the stars simply didn't align for us.  I am reminded of the reaction of my new pub pal that eventful Wednesday night when Alaba’s penalty hit the post on its way out.

 It was something along the lines that Arsenal’s football gods were finally awoken from their deep slumber. As it turns out, that fair bit of luck was merely a startle from their deep REM sleep as we were soon immersed into the nightmare that in the first place had startled them from the slumber.

It must have been a particularly harrowing experience for Mesut Ozil. The past few days for the German star upped the ante as he has lived through the nightmare of partisan, sell-the-papers, get-the-page views media talk. When he signed for Arsenal, part of the talk was how his move finally afforded him the stage to shine.

Arsenal v Chelsea - Why That Early Christmas Gift May...

Decisive times indeed. It should be god sent, the match being at the Emirates. You and I know that  home always doesn't irrevocably feel like so.

Could be the spouse you can't stand or the neighbors who ought be glad that you don't bear a screwed sense of justice about you.

Tv pundits have been all about how home advantage should tilt the scale in our favor. I suppose it's all part of their job: Build up scenarios to wet the appetite.

Not to discount them,principally because we are cut from the same cloth, home as I mentioned earlier, can be a drag.

BE WARNED! Understrength Manchester City Does an Arsenal in Munich

A look at the Manchester City starting line-up against Bayern Munich at the Allianz arena for their final group stage match would have left the taste of home concocted sugar-salt and warm water ORS (Oral rehydration Salt) in any Arsenal’s fan chops.

Pep Guardiola’s  Munich machine was going to chew this version of the  Manuncian blues to bits: No Yaya Toure, no Sergio, no Negredo, no Kompany. For a team struggling on its travels, having the spine of the team absent while away to the Ribery charged, Goetze engineered seven star UEFA Champions League defending champions was sure to be suicidal.

Pellegrini’s men to do the German job of a two goal margin win, that would see Manchester City take control of the group and land a favourable draw in the last 16; included just a recovering Silva, a Dzeko with bench imprints on his tooche, a beleaguered Joe Hart and the supporting cast of the likes of Jesus Navases,Kolarovs and Lescots.

Just?

Arsenal vs. Olympiacos A test of Depth

Olympiacos. Whenever I come across that, am reminded of Gilberto Silva’s move to the Greek champions. The Brazilians’ sale has to be the least trumpeted departure of The Departures of recent past. Just a few murmurs at Arsenal’s neck of the hood in blogosphere; on how Wenger should have let the World Cup winner with Brazil hang about the dressing room and pass on words of defensive wisdom to the likes of Song and Flamini or maybe even just help mould the young minds, Fabregas et. al, on how to better The Invincibles.

Welcoming Olympiacos tomorrow to the Emirates, thought is centered on the best thing since sliced bread Gilberto: Arteta. Afflicted by an ankle injury probably picked up at training, the Spaniard awaits to be cleared by pregame tests. This probably means he didn’t train that much with the rest of the team but being not only so pivotal, but so a seasoned hand in his trade a Diaby kind of gamble may just be at hand.

Upfront: Arsenal vs. Chelsea The Mind Games

Upfront seems to be the keyword; that is  62 pounds at MINIMUM it will cost you; and who will play (that word) for Arsenal ii against Chelski come Saturday’s early kick off London derby at the Emirates; financially and football-speaking  respectively.

On the back of the news of freshly minted cash- 36million pound net profit made by Arsenal PLC the past financial year as per the released end year returns, all that bloody dough made in the midst of a hostile investment climate globally, most certainly Europe, as rightly pointed out by Wenger; understandable it is why tagging entry to London’s hottest sporting event since the XXXX Olympiad at such a premium finally makes its way as trending sports news in mainstream media.

This ‘revelation’ unmasked way after the deed had been done when the big dogs at Arsenal decided on the abridged ticket prices structure.

Arsenal v Ac Milan: Experimentation, Voyeurisim, Dreamy Stuff

Oh  my, ain’t  I excited.  I loved what we did to Tottenham at the Emirates. Ecstatic over doing Liverpool over at Anfeild. Now, for the perfect hat trick  with Ac Milan visiting.  If  Arsene is to be trusted,  some show this one is going to be. 

Four-nil. We all know too well about that. The Italian champions they are, well on course to claim a second scudetto on the trot, that not lost to us either. But still, never before have I wished this much to be at the Emirates.

Thanks:Phyllis/bitsandpieces1

Feeling at Home with West Bromwich Albion, Still Laughing at Chelsea and am not talking about the 5-3

West Brom at the Emirates ought make a Saturday for many a Gooner. Oh yes, this is the English Premier League and of late upsets have been part of the afternoon weekend barbecue, but it would be outright greedy for the Arsenal haters fraternity to hope on West Brom making it two wins out of two premier league outings at Ashburton Grove.

Robin Van Persie comes back after his midweek rest from the spotlight, while Arsene Wenger is doing his bit at  protecting his star player by talking up Park and flaunting his riches at the back. With the three center-backs looking good, the decision is whether Per Mertesacker needs a breather and if, as been part of the game plan of late, the defence takes up one of the limited to three substitution slots as Varmaelen (or will it be Koscienly) comes in on later.

Chelsea v Arsenal, a preview too early

Chelsea v Arsenal, a preview too early

Kick Off  Saturday 29, October 2011 at 12:45
Venue      Stamford Bridge- Capacity: 41,841
Match Record-Premier League Chelsea win 44, Arsenal win 60, Drawn Matches 44
Last Five Premier League Encounters Chelsea win 4 (2 at home), Arsenal Win 1(at home in 2010)
Chelsea Home Record 4 wins, 0 draws in nine premier league matches 2011/2012. Average points per home game 3 vs 0 for the opponents.
Arsenal Away Record 0 wins, 1 draw in nine premier league matches 2011/2012. Average points per away game 0.25 vs 2.5 for the opponents.
Betting Odds: Chelsea win ( 4/7 paddypower, 8/13 bet365, 8/15 Landbrokes)
Arsenal win (5 paddypower, 5 bet365, 9/2 Landbrokes)
Draw  (13/5 paddypower, 11/4 bet365, 11/4 Landbrokes)

Too early a game preview for The Game of  the English premier league this weekend and for that matter the entire football world ? Definitely not.

A big game? Yes. Season defining? I would say just as much as the Bolton,Stoke or any other encounter after doomsday at Old Trafford: Not to play down the significance of the London club rivalries neither am I blind to resurgent run that sees Arsenal now within six points of the final automatic champions league qualification spot.

Who Said We Are Going To Lose At White Hart Lane

Free will as described by Einstein? The product of intelligent advertising meeting sophisticated market segmentation?  The irresistible allure of a universal Darwinian trait that of hardwired competition; whose expression only gets remodeled by time but never muted? An emotional connection as vaguely understood as love.

From this blog's description, easy to tell that Ashburton groove is nowhere in my neighborhood and that I only got to read of the Tottenham riots in the media. All the same it's the NLD and I hate Tottenham.


Infact as Gooner, the most distasteful event the past seven years is not the kick in the bollocks by lady luck in that Carling cup final, neither is it the 8-2 at Old Trafford nor is it the Paris Champions league final. Though, the later comes close. It is that the Spuds got to be part of European soccer's A-List event the year past.

It's Oxtail Soup Time

Quite an anticlimax for the most sold out event these past nine months, save for the Royal Wedding of course. What had been an edge of the seat, fixating thriller tapered off in a fashion less dramatic than and as predicable as only a low budget Mexican soap opera. London was disgusted more than disappointed or envious while for Manchester, well, the party is still on.

Sir Alex was right in his assertion earlier on when following defeat to Chelsea at Stamford bridge, he remarked that the English premier league title race might as well be in the hands of the officiating officials.

For Arsenal, It Starts All Over Again With Liverpool

In football just as in life, nothing lasts forever. Every situation is different from the next and every minute different from the last. Whenever the referee blows the whistle signaling the first of the 90 minutes, it all fizzles away. The history, the talk and hype fail to matter anymore at the reality of the opponent before.

This Sunday, it will be no different. The piece of history that informs that Liverpool haven't mastered a win away at Arsenal in a decade counting, counts just as much as what a crashing win for Liverpool at  The Emirates might mean for another piece of history that Liverpool wears proudly on their sleeve: being the most successful premier league side.

I point, 2 Must Win Games, 4 Trophies: Arsenal Vs Stoke City

It is a full diary for Arsenal at this point of the season. With February coming to a close, the football diary is packed and as the season enters its final third, these are the times often referred to as the business end.

Has the Russian Picked at The Right Time?

Image: Zimbio.com (February 21, 2009 - Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images Europe

As much as I dislike the term- business end- as it is a misnomer at the very least; indeed these are important times for Arsenal lest come April, the infamous 2-1 triumph over The Great Barcelona in the first leg sweet 16 Champions league tie at the Emirates remains as Arsenal’s only cheer this 2010/11 season.