Afternoon all and what a weekend of football it was… we had some very interesting games – two games where I couldn’t figure out who I wanted to lose… in fact, I wanted all four teams to lose on the two main games yesterday… an impossibility of course.
For those of you who managed to watch Sunday’s football, it was very exciting – the Manchester Derby was pretty awesome, a seven goal thriller and I think United played well and City showed that they do have some sort of team out there. All in all, I have to be pleased with the two losses for Sp*rs and Man City… if we can win a few more, we can start climbing the table and get above them… then after that, we’ll hopefully see Chelsea and United lose a few?
Tomorrow sees us take on West Brom at the Emirates in what promises to be an awesome game of exciting young talent… we’ve seen players like Clichy, Cesc, Denilson, Walcott, Bendtner, Song, Diaby and of course the likes of Vela, Ramsey and Wilshere all come through the ranks and all of them have had significant time in the Carling Cup prior to their involvement in the first team. Tomorrow may be ideal for the likes of Ramsey, Merida, Wilshere as well as players such as Sanchez Watt, Jay Simpson and a whole host of the under 18′s from last year join in… We’ll probably see Szczesny in goal too, with Silvestre and Senderos getting a run out to help them gain some match fitness… more on the game tomorrow.
In other news, Thierry Henry has added his contribution to the situation regarding Emmanuel Adebayor… he had this to say:
“The fans at Arsenal were great. They were and always will be my family. I never saw them behave badly so to react like they did at the weekend shows just how angry and upset they were. No matter what Adebayor’s emotions were, he could have earned himself a lot of respect by not celebrating the goal.
“That would have shown real class and that to be honest is what most players choose to do when they score against their old clubs. I don’t really understand why he didn’t do that.”
“Arsene (Wenger) puts a lot of investment in you when he sees talent and I don’t think it would hurt for Adebayor to show him, the club and the fans a little respect.”
And he’s definitely hit the nail on the spot. Ade blames us, the fans, for him leaving, for him feeling like wanting to leaving and for his reactions on the pitch. Apparently, he blames the Arsenal fans for our voodoo majic, which made him stamp on Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas too… But in reality, ultimately, the players decision come from himself, from within, the actions of any human being are not dependant on other people’s action.
Thierry is an example of someone who acted in the right way. He always treated the manager and us, the fans, with the utmost respect. When he left and when he returns, he’ll always receive a standing ovation… and so will Kolo… I won’t go into the absurd levels of disrespect that Ade has shown us, the fans, the manager and the club, but ultimately, good riddance…
And finally, time to touch on the two Thomases…
Rosicky is officially back and ready to play, so congratulations to him on the comeback! He’s done very well in the last couple of games and it’s remarkable to see him back at this level, playing the way he is doing right now after such a long time out of the game. I don’t think he’ll be risked in the Carling Cup, but rested for the weekend game. With Nasri, Vela, Walcott and Arshavin out – he’s very important to our attacking play…
And of course, Thomas #2, Vermaelen has just been inspirational since he’s joined. He’s second goal on Saturday was absolutely amazing and he’s already got 5 in just 7 games at the start of the season. Good stuff from the Belgian.
Van Persie had this to say on our top scorer:
“The first one showed he is very, very strong from corners and free-kicks and that is very important for us,” said the Dutch striker.
“Even if we play badly we can always score from set-pieces.
“I would have been proud of his second goal.
“He is raised in Holland. I am not saying every Dutch player is good technically but when you are raised in Holland – especially at Ajax, Feyenoord or PSV – you are brought up getting the ball, moving it first touch, move again, pass, move.
“He was at Ajax since 15 so it is in his system for a long, long time.”
Time to go now, we’ve got a very exciting game to look forward to tomorrow…
Til then!
