Archive for the ‘Features’ Category

Morning all, and it’s a very Snowy Sunday morning today. The snow is sooo nice, it’s like out of movie… and today is a cold cold day too.

It’s been one hell of a year, 2008, and with our recent run, many people are wondering where it’s all gone wrong. I’ve read all the papers today and there is a sense of “it’s all over”, “Arsenal lost it”, “Fresh Ideas needed”, “Liverpool will win on Tuesday” and to be honest it’s all nonense.

Excuses are excuses, yes, but they “excuse” the status quo. What I mean by this is that whatever people say, we have peformed admirely this season and definitely not had lady luck on our side.

It’s all over? No way!

I don’t think it’s all over by any means. I have predicted in the title run in piece that Man Utd will NOT get three points at the Riverside. I think Middlesborough all raise their game against the big four at home. I can see them losing or at least getting just the one point. That would leave us either 5 or 6 points behind with United yet to play Chelsea and us. Game on is what I say.

Arsenal have lost it? Rubbish

We haven’t lost it, we’re one of the youngest sides in the premiership and we’ve played some fantastic football this season.  We’ve been extremely unlucky to have Rosicky, Eduardo, Van Persie and Denilson all out for long periods and the smaller injuries which have kept Toure, Fabregas, Hleb, Walcott, Diaby and others out of the season for long periods of time.

Just imagine United without Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez (site Rosicky, Eduardo, Van Persie), they would be a shadow of the team they are with those players. Just imagine Liverpool without Torres, Gerrard or Chelsea without Drogba, Anelka and Lampard. Any team would struggle.

So have we lost it? No. Are we tired and our players overused? Possibly.

Fresh Ideas Needed? I don’t think so.

We don’t need fresh ideas. We started the season in awesome fashion, which saw pundits and fans alike ulogise over the quality of football and the quality of goals. Adebayor has scored some amazing goals, especially the one against Sp*rs. We’ve beaten Chelsea (nearly twice) and played Liverpool off the park 3 times this season. We’ve had wins against top European sides and a night of glory in the San Siro. But our injury woes this season, we haven’t been able to rotate the players. The same nucleus of players have played nearly all the games all season.

If we didn’t have such unpredictable injuries this season, players such as Eduardo and Rosicky would have surely gained at least 8 points between them (Brum, Villa, Wigan, Boro) and we’d be up there. Next season we’ll have a few more players coming in, such as Vela and Botehlo. With Rosicky back and Eduardo returning in November, our squad should be bulkier. With the possible addition of one or two players in, we’ll defintely have more of a squad next season.

We definitely don’t need fresh ideas, we just needed a couple of lucky breaks especially with injuries.

Liverpool Will Win on Tuesday. Yeah right!

With our two draws against Liverpool, everyone seems to presume they will win on Tuesday. I don’t think so. We’ve shot ourselves in the foot and have some really unlucky decisions with stonewall penalties in both games. We should have won all three of the games that we’ve played against Liverpool this season have played them off the park. On Tuesday, we’ll be at Anfield and we’ll play them off the park again. This time, we’ll do a Milan and score a couple. Can’t wait, bring it on!

It’s Sunday and I’m looking forward to see Middlesborough take on United. It’s going to be an interesting game. Have a good one, more later…!]]>

Tomorrow is the 31st of March and it marks the 7th year anniversary of the great man's passing. For those of you old enough to remember the tricks, skills and flair of such a talented player, it's a day that you'll always remember. For those of you too young to know or see Rocky in action, he was a truly naturally gifted player and someone who can only be described as "Arsenal through and through". His love for the game was immense and played the way that Arsenal have always been affiliated with.

All About David Rocastle

In association with www.rocky7.co.uk 

Aron Lazarus and Marc Levy are two Arsenal fans and Rocastle fans who have set up the site, here’s an insight to what the site is all about and a bit of a history about Rocastle.

Who is David Rocastle? 

Rocastle, or ‘Rocky’ as he became known, made his Arsenal debut in a goalless draw against Newcastle on 28 September 1985 and soon became a regular member of the first team. In 1987, just before his 20th birthday, he helped Arsenal to a famous League Cup Final victory over Liverpool, and their first trophy in 8 years. This was followed up by another League Cup Final appearance a year later, but this time Arsenal surrendered a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 to a last minute Luton Town winner. Despite that defeat, Arsenal were on the up and, along with other starlets like Tony Adams, Paul Merson and Michael Thomas, Rocky was part of a young Arsenal team that were destined for greatness.

When did Rocky win his first league medal? 

In 1989, Rocky and his teammates tasted major glory, winning the clubs first League Championship since 1971 and in dramatic fashion, with a goal in the last minute of the last game of the season, against their nearest rivals Liverpool. It remains the most exciting finish to a league season ever and will probably never be matched.

This success was followed up 2 years later when Arsenal once again were crowned champions, this time in even more convincing fashion, losing just one game all season. Unfortunately, injury meant that Rocky’s contribution was limited to 18 appearances that season.

Did Rocky have International honors? 

By the age of 24, Rocky had been an integral part of a team that had picked up 3 trophies in 4 years. His huge contributions were well documented and on 14th September 1988, Rocky was selected to play for England for the first time, in a 1-0 victory over Denmark, which as provided debuts for England greats Paul Gascoigne and Des Walker.

Then what happened? 

Rocky was destined for a long and successful career on both the domestic and international stages. However, in the early 1990s, he suffered a series of injuries which began to hamper his game and in 1992 he was transferred to Leeds, much to the dismay of all Arsenal fans, by whom he was adored.

What happened after Rocky left Arsenal? 

After leaving Arsenal, Rocky played for a number of other clubs, including Leeds, Manchester City and Chelsea, however, the fans of these clubs only saw the Rocky magic in fits and starts as his career continued to be blighted by injury. In 1999, after further short term spells at Norwich City, Hull City and Malaysian outfit Sabah, Rocky succumbed to his injuries and was forced to retire.

What did Rocky mean to Arsenal?

In all Rocky made 14 appearances for his country, a staggeringly low total for a man with his talent. Despite leaving Arsenal in 1992, Rocky forever remained a part of the Arsenal family. The fans loved him not only because of his brilliance on the pitch, but because he played the game with a smile on face and his heart on his sleeve, and more than that, he always conducted himself as a gentleman.

Tell us more about Rocky’s illness 

In February 2001, Rocky announced that he was suffering from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer that attacks the immune system. He underwent a course of chemotherapy and thousands of fans prayed for his recovery, but this was a battle that was too much, even for David Rocastle. Rocky passed away on 31st March 2001, aged just 33.

What did David Rocastle represent to you?
 
David Rocastle represented everything that was good about football. Honesty, passion, teamwork, commitment, and of course, sheer brilliance, and we believe that this is why he remains in the hearts and minds of all Gooners who were privileged to see him play and who continue to sing his name, even today.
 
How did www.rocky7.co.uk come about?
 
The ongoing love for Rocky amongst Arsenal fans is what inspired us to create this website, so that people could have a place to share their memories and stories about Rocky. However, we also felt that it would be great to create an opportunity for everyone to do something really worthwhile in Rocky’s honour.

Charities have been setup to raise money for cancer. Tell us about ways of raising money?

We are delighted to have teamed up with Arseshirts.com to produce 3 limited edition t-shirts in honour of Rocky. These t-shirts will only be on sale from 25th March to 30th April 2008 and every single penny of profit from their sale will go straight to TreeHouse, a charity that supports children with Autism. Rocky did endless work with children’s charities himself, so we feel that this is the perfect way to honour his memory.

For more info and for details on how to purchase shirts and see tributes to Rocastle from family and friends, visit the site, http://www.rocky7.co.uk]]>

Where did it all go wrong, 5 points ahead 5 games ago, and then 6 points behind now. The reason is the 4 points we've gained out of a possible 15 points. We've choked at the final hurdle, but why? What happened? Where did it all go wrong?

Well, it's not all gone wrong, it's far from it. Yes, we failed at the final hurdle, but with seven games to go, six points behind, there may be one more twist to the title race still. But even if we don't win the title, this season has been a turning point in the world of Arsenal. It's been a year where players have emerged, personalities made and a great progression of the team. The same players who dropped 11 points are the same who've won the previous 56 points. They're the same players who beat Chelsea 1 - 0 and Milan 2 - 0.

During the summer, many people called for big name signings. But Arsene knew the quality, knew the potential and knew what we could achieve. The reason Arsene hasn't bought is because when all our squad is fit, we've got one hell of a squad. With the squad we've got, and the new stadium debt, there is no need to buy big players.

It's been an unfortunate season in terms of injuries, as a few of our current big players have been injured for long periods of time. With Van Persie, Rosicky, Diaby, Denilson, Toure, Walcott, Hleb, Cesc and of course Eduardo suffering injuries which had kept them out of the team for more than 3 games in a row or longer.

The major turning point was surely Eduardo's injury. He got injured at Birmingham, and since then we have had this run. Eduardo was a big player for us and had really complimented Adebayor. But without him, the dynamic of the squad had to change. Ade can't be rested for any game this season and hasn't been since the Carling Cup semi final. Croatia manager said recently that it will be okay for Croatia but for Arsenal it's worse. And it's true.

We've had to rush back VP and he's just getting back to full fitness now. He's another player who've we have missed. He's a big player. And without him all season, it's been hard for the rest of the squad. But with him returning, then we do have hope to get out of this rut and start performing again.

The problem with so many injuries, is that although our first XI are pretty much okay-ish, they can't be rested. When United rotate and swap Rooney & Ronaldo with Tevez & Nani. We can't do that as Eduardo and Rosicky are injured. It means that our players tired quicker and make more mistakes, which at this season become more costly.

Then there is the Anderton of them all, Rosicky. We must remember that it must be even more frustrating for him than it is for us. As he's had to sit on the sidelines during a run we saw us go to the top of the table and he's had to sit and watch us fall from the summit.

Let's remember one individual whom could have been a big bonus right now, that's Lassana Diarra, but he's obviously someone who Arsene felt wasn't right for the club. And if he's not right, then let him leave...

So the question on everyone's lips would be how to rectify this for this season and how do we seriously challenge next season? The answer is not to do too much. Trust Arsene. With more experience for the likes of Bendtner, Walcott, Flamini and Fabregas, we'll be naturally stronger next season.

Keeping our squad fit for the season will be our main target. Having Van Persie & Rosicky fit for the season and squad members such as Diaby & Denilson fit for when they're needed will be the injection we need. We have players returning such as Carlos Vela and Pedro Botelho - the left winger we've all been calling for and then in November, the return of Eduardo.

If Arsene keeps the squad together, with the returning loan players, we will have a squad to be reckoned with. With Gilberto and Lehmann most probably leaving, we will have a reduction in the wage budget which will see just the one or two players in that we need. Our squad next season will be stronger and we don't have to burn the wallet to get there.

We were literally 5% off the title this season, let's see if we can get that 5% next season, and remember we still have a chance this season.

It's not all doom and gloom, in fact, far from it.]]>

The closest run in ever… 84 points enough to win the league?

Let me know your thoughts…]]>

* Just to clarify that the statement above was not to indicate that I am always in a bad mood nor that I have mood swings. On the whole, I am in a good mood, but the good mood stated is better than normal, maybe I should have said great mood?

It’s Friday and normally it would be the time to look at the weekend games. But as we’re playing on Sunday, I will preview the game on Saturday. This mean’s I’ve got time to do a feature on the title run in and examine who we’ve got, when we’ve got them, who the others have got, our winnable games and how we win the title…!

The Title Run In

There are just 10 games to go until the end of the season, let’s have a look at our run in as well as that of Man U and Chelski.

The run in sees us win the title, even with draws against United, Liverpool and Chelsea and a final day loss at Sunderland having already won the title… I’ll leave it to you to make your own mind up on this. I personally think we will beat United, Liverpool and Chelsea but then we’ve just won against Milan away so my mindset has changed. If you asked me after the two league draws my tune may have been different. With our injury woes easing up at the right time, this season really could be ours. Which leads me nicely into a quick injury round up….

Injury News

While the long term injuries (Eduardo aside) ease up and players return to the squad, the niggling injury count continues to chop and change our squad for this weekend’s trip to Wigan.

Theo Walcott
For some unknown reason, young Theo played a behind the doors friendly against Colorado Rapids yesterday and injured his thigh. He injury is believed to be short term which will see him return for the Middlesborough game the following week. Arsene says: “Today we lost Theo Walcott. He played against Colorado Rapids and he got a little thigh problem. “

Colorado Rapids 1 – 2 Arsenal: see the full match report from Young Guns.

Abou Diaby
Injury prone Diaby picked up a calf injury against Milan and looks set to miss the Wigan game too.

Robin Van Persie
Robin played an hour against the Rapids yesterday and it was a good game for him to gain some match fitness. According to Arsene, he looked quite tired after the game and is most probably set for a role on the bench against Wigan. The boss said: “Robin played an hour and he looks OK. But it looks early for him, he finished the game very tired today so I will have to analyse that.”

Tomas Rosicky
The never present Rosicky will miss both the next two league games. He is currently suffering from a dislocated moustache, but will be back soon. Arsene estimates 10 – 12 days.

Kolo Toure & Alex Song
I’ve combined these two players because it seems that they will return at the same time. Arsene says that they may both be short for this weekend but will definitely be back next week. I don’t think we’ll risk Kolo unless he 100% fit, so if he does return it may be on the bench.

The starting line up will see the same outing as last time, but with Denilson replacing Walcott with Eboue suspended and Hleb moving to the left. Bendtner will get a start in place of the missing midfielders and Robin yet not fit to start.

More team news tomorrow.

News Round Up

Okay, let’s take a whizz round the papers and the net and see what else is going on in the world of Arsenal.

Arsenal FC Blog says this is our best chance to win the Champions League. With Man U & Chelsea having full & fit squads now and us having a little injury nightmare, it would be some acheivement.

The Champions League draw takes place on March 14th with Arsenal, Man U, Chelski, Barce, Roma, Schalke, Fenerbache and either Liverpool or Inter in the last 8. At this point, there is no restrictions on Nations, which means we could face one of the three other Premiership teams in the quarters. Paul Wright talks about how any team would be scared of us. But I’d still prefer Schalke, then Fenerbache and then a union with Barcelona in the final… let’s see what happens on the 14th.

Arsene talks to Arsenal.com about rumours that we were unhappy with the treatment at St. Andrews and mysteriously that Eduardo had a second operation. He also updates us on Dudu’s progress:

“I am informed by the medical people that he is alright. The first thing he must do is get over the risk of infection and that is going well. So we have no problems apart from the obvious big disappointment of him being out and not playing.” 

Here’s a link to Arseblog’s exclusive Eduardo interview. A lot of people read my reporting of it, but didn’t read the article and then asked me about it… so take a read today, it’s a very interesting read!

The media reaction has been great after the Milan game, but it has maybe a little bit over the top and this maybe doesn’t help when our players speak out. Almunia speaks about Cesc, and how he is a legend, but Ade goes as far as saying that we can beat everyone, he may not be wrong, but statements like that sometimes just intise the opposition…

A Cultured Left wants to start “beating every team in the world” by taking three points at Wigan.

Carlos Vela has been hailed by Osasuna coach Jose Angel Ziganda, saying: “He gives all time his best in a match, as well as that he has a great attitude to work very hard every day”. Read more on Carlos Vela News.

Young Guns also reports on 17 year old Pamphile Mihayo Kazembe, has been “put through his paces” by Arsene, is on trial with us. Spotted whilst watching his team mate Tresor Mputu. And The Arsenal Way reports on a young Welsh player, Aaron Ramsey, who is also on our wanted list.

A Huge Thank You

Thanks to all the readers who have written in with comments and suggestions… Yes, I’ve finally managed to replace the blue (non AFC colours) with red and white in the main image up on the top of this page. It’s had an immediate impact for me… let me know what you think! I plan to expand on this as time goes on and by the end of the season, I’ll have a more action packed blog. I love your views on the blog and comments on anything Arsenal, so do feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Well, it’s the end of a week, a great European night included this week and I’m sure you are all looking forward to our next game. Have a good Friday, Wigan preview tomorrow…

Update: An excellent comment on this blog did spot that maths is obviously not my strong point as I gave Chelsea only 2 points for a win against Wigan. If you do the maths, you’ll see Chelsea and United really fighting out for 2nd place.]]>

Evening all, it’s Tuesday today (well it may be Wednesday and not today when you read this (although it’s always “today”) but today on Wednesday would be yesterday, of course  – unless you read this on Thursday, in which although today will be today, the today I am referring to will be the day before yesterday).

Let’s start again…

It’s Tuesday today and we’re all settling back into our normal routine, many things have happened and many things have been said, it’s time to review and reflect on a crazy few days. As reported yesterday, the official announcement from Arsenal is that we’ll probably see Eduardo back in action in about 9 months.

That’s great news, and a real bonus considering some of the reports saying that he may never play again.

Our Attacking Options

With Eduardo out for the rest of the season, there is now some concern for our attacking options. Let’s have a look at who we have got available and their contribution to the team.

Emmanuel Adebayor Ade has scored 19 league goals this season and has really shown his class. When Thierry left, everyone wondered who would be the 20 goal a season stiker. I will be the first to put my hands up and say that there were many a time last season when I thought somewhat negative thoughts about Ade… but I seriously proven wrong… he has been amazing this season. He has been a real gem in our attack, scored all sorts of goals (with a few crackers too). Arsene once again has proved that we should all trust him! Surpirsingly, Ade has not scored in the Champions League yet… Ade spoke today on his lack of CL goals:“When the goals come they will come. Of course that is what I am fighting for. But it does not worry me. I am not putting pressure on myself. Against Milan [at home], the ball did not want to go in.”I agree with him, they will come and a hatrick against Milan will do nicely

Something quite rememborable is Ade’s miss against Milan, and hopefully that’s something he resolves out in Milan with a few goals and a sterling performance. He has been talking about the game:

“We will go there with confidence. We know that beating Milan is something that will be important for us, our families and the fans, so of course our confidence will be very high. We will play our football, pass and move and if we have a chance to win the game that is what we will do.

Robin Van Persie When Thierry left, everyone looked at Van Persie as one of the main players who would become an integral part of our team and give us the “va-va-voom”. He certainly showed promising signs of such a season when he scored an excellent goal against Inter Milan in the Emirates Cup earlier this season. But for the two and a half seasons running, we have seen VP get injured and stay injured for big periods of the season. No one thought he would get injured so many times this year, but I think VP will be the most disappointed player. Wenger recently talked about his return to the squad:“He is not a very long away from being fit at all but he lacks match-practice. Could he be in the squad? Maybe but don’t forget he has not played regularly for five months now.”He could return, but I won’t put my house on him keeping fit during the run in!

Robin could be in the squad this Saturday against Aston Villa, we’ll find out more tomorrow…

Nicklas Bendtner Nicklas has had a promising start to his Arsenal career with some good performances in both the cups and the league. He won hero status when he scored his first league goal against Sp*rs in the league match, which turned out to be the winner. Nicklas is good on the floor and good in the air. However, he does have the ability to fade in and out of games, and a few FA cup and Carling cup games he has really been anonymous. We have to remember that Nicklas is only 20 years of age and will not have the consistency this year as he will next. He spoke after the Birmingham game:“We need to recover quickly and start coming out on top again. We can’t keep thinking about this day because it has just been terrible.He has the ability, he has his biggest chance now.

Niklas will start against Villa, with our lack of midfield options, we simply can’t play 4-5-1

Theo Walcott “Young Theo” as he is known to some of us, has had a stop start season. He has shone in bits last season, but suffered a shoulder injury which affected him both physically and mentally. He has impressive for the England Under 21s and seems to play with a little bit less pressure when away with England. On Saturday, playing on the right wing, Theo really was the man of the match. He scored his first two league goals and was a different player in the second half. Overshadowed somewhat by the Eduardo injury. Although Arsene believes he will ultimately play as a striker, he says he is currently more apt“He looked more comfortable on the right. In the future he will certainly be a central player. But at the moment with his back to goal, he does not look completely comfortable yet. When we play on the counter-attack, he is very good though the middle. When we dominate the games, he is better on the flank still I feel.” He could play an increasingly bigger part in our quest for the title.

Theo will now get a run of games, we hope we can see a bit more of the cameo against Milan and performance against Birmingham.

Alexander Hleb Alexander has played an instrumental part in our season so far. He has been our wizard in midfield. In a 4-5-1, Arsene has opted for him in a support striker role. Hleb will be the first to tell you he is a creator rather than a finisher. Hleb says that Arsenal have been set free this season (it’s a rather long quote):“When we play on the counter-attack, he is very good though the middle. When we dominate the games, he is better on the flank still I feel. Until last summer, we had just played for Thierry Henry. He was running the show. Whenever I got the ball, I was looking up, ‘where’s Henry?’ I did not care to go for goal myself! And if once in a while I dared to pass the ball to someone else, he would shout, ‘hey, I was free!’ When he was on form, we won everything. When he was off form, we lost. That has all changed. We are not a one-man band any more. Nobody complains when I risk some dribbling. That’s the reason for our good performances – we were set free.” I prefer to see Hleb ply he trade in midfield and have two stikers feed off him, but with away ties to United and Milan, you feel he could be used in this tactic more often.

Alex will most probably play as the support striker in the San Siro, but we will see him on the left of midfield this weekend as Rosicky and Diaby are both still out.

Giles Sunu Giles joined us this summer from french club Chateauroux. He is a talented youngster, a good finisher and a hard worker. He is only 16 at the moment, but has the body and stature of a 20 year old. He will be 17 this March. He is definitely one for the future, but wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the bench. Liam Brady said:“He’s an all-action centre forward. We had him come to a tournament in Italy in late April and he did very well. He’s hard-working and good on the ball.”Academy coach Steve Bould added, “Gilles is a really hard working lad. He runs the line all day long and we’ve been delighted with his attitude. Everyone’s taken to him and through shear endeavour he’s enamoured himself with everyone at the Club.”It may be too early, but then as Arsene knows, if you’re good enough you’re old enough.

Giles is pacey and strong, he may be the one who we see first, on the bench at least.

Rui Fonte Rui Fonte joined us from his home town club, Sporting Lisbon last summer (2006 -yes, for an undisclosed fee). He is a Portuguese Under 21 stiker and has been a star of the Reserves and Under 21’s this season. He is a fast, skillful player, who turns 18 later this year. One for the future, but may be may called upon sparingly at the end of this season.“The game in England is faster and more physical than in Portugal. Playing in the reserves last season I do not believe I was quite strong enough and so I played a very mobile and quick give-and-go style until I gotused to the physical side and developed my strength. “One for the future… but may be called upon this season…

Rui has recently been called up to the Under 19’s match and definitely worth keeping an eye on his performances.

For next season, Carlos Vela Carlos Vela has been touted as the “next big thing”, “a whizzkid”, “something special” and I really hope he shows what he’s made of. Carlos is currently on loan at Osasuna and has been in good form, creating and scoring goals in the Primera Liga. It’s unlikely that he will be recalled from his loan spell or can be. But he will join the first team squad this summer and definitely has something special about him. Carlos himself is very excited at the prospect of coming to London.“I hope to join them as soon as possible. I will keep on working hard to improve to fit in quickly.”Although, we won’t see any of him in an Arsenal shirt this season, keep an eye on his performances in Spain.

Carlos recently scored one and created one against a very strong Athletico Madrid team.

A Cultured Left Foot talks about Vela’s recent comments, quoted here:

I lack everything. At 18 I don’t need to hear that I’m a phenomenon, a ‘crack’ – it’s not the case. I’m still growing. Every game sees my gain experience and learn things, and I see that in all aspects.

Here is an interesting blog that blogs only about Carlos.

Quick Round Up

Gunnerslive (formerly thirdGenn), has a nice picture from a mini Gooner, take a look! 

I’ve had a review of our attacking options in the final stretch of the season but here is a quick round up of all the other news in the papers and on TV today.

Cesc has been speaking to the news today and talks about how it would be unbelievable to win the league… I hope he believes it… 11 games to go… his recent interview in the Arsenal magazine reads:

“It is true that people were taking us out of the top four at the start of the season, even placing us in the middle of the table. I don’t think it added pressure, in fact it probably helped us more because we wanted to show everyone what we could do. It fired us up. We knew we had the quality, we know what we can do. The important thing is always not what others believe, but what you yourself believe.” – Read more here.

Meanwhile, good news, Mr Arsenal himself, Kolo Toure has recovered from his injury and although too short for Aston Villa, should make a return to the team for the game in Milan…. He is confident that we can get through this game and qualify, he may be the hidden gem, leader of the pack that is required for a game out there.

“I should be a bit short for Saturday against Aston Villa, however against Milan, fingers crossed, I will be fine. We are going there to qualify, Milan will be favourites in their stadium, however we have already won there heavily so they will be ready for us. We beat Inter 5-1 in the San Siro so we can do it to their fierce rivals.”

Finally, young goalkeeper Fabianski has been busy visiting the FACT charity and has been speaking on Arsenal.com.

Okay, it’s been one of those slightly longer than usual posts today… I hope you’ve finished that cup of tea by now!]]>

Me and Eduardo have one thing in common - we share the same birthday. I'm sitting here fit as a fiddle having come back from my birthday dinner. Eduardo, on the other hand is in hospital recovering from his unfortunate weekend.

Public reaction has been good and bad. GilbertoSilver from Gunnerblog re-interated my feelings from yesterday’s blog in reaction to Stephen Kelly’s comments. Sometimes you back your team mates, but sometimes you just keep quiet.

Another team mate and former Gunner, Seb Larsson basically loses all the respect he gained with the winner at Sp*rs earlier this season with his comments. He calls Wenger childish and a sore loser. Not great timing Mr Larsson. Here’s the quote.

I am determined to overcome injury

Eduardo, who turns 25 today, released a statement last night, which I have quoted here in full:

This statement sums up the attitude of Eduardo. He is a professional and he has so much passion and desire that he knows he will come back from this. You have to admire his sheer desire and will to not let this prevent him from acheiving his goals. Eduardo famously slept in a Croatian stadium as a teenager at sub-zero temperatures, he has got to where he got to by hard work and will power.

Eduardo moved to praised the Arsenal medical staff and the staff from Selly Oak Hospital, and it was confirmed today that if the medical staff had not been so quick in attending and treating the injury, Eduardo could have lost his foot. As these pictures show, he foot was virtually disconnected from the rest of his leg. Sorry for the graphic description, but in reality, this is what has happened. People some time forget how a brutal challenge can end someone’s career. Hopefully for Eduardo, that is not the case. The Gooner Forum talks about how the FA really need to take steps against this sort of thing.

I remember when Eduardo joined Arsenal this summer, his determination was apparent…

This goal against Man City was a real gem, and an example of his quality.

BBC radio 5 live had an osteopath on their show today, who said:

Well, there is a lot of truth in that, and most people are saying that recovering from this psychologically is half the battle. I must have read / watched a dozen interviews and discussions and I’m confident that Eduardo will come back stronger than ever.

There is a slightly twisted picture, not of Eduardo but of Martin Taylor, so if you fancy a twist to this blog, take a look. I don’t think it’s real personally and let’s all hope it’s not.

Flamini has been talking about how this incident will fuel the team’s hunger even further to win the title for Eduardo. I hope we win it for him. Flamini spoke after the game on Saturday and said:

Better news this afternoon, Eduardo could be running again in 6 months

Arsenal.com have been posting messages for Eduardo and you can send your messages to the web site or write to him personally.

You can read the messages here or as suggested, if you want to write to him, the address is:

Eduardo da Silva, c/o Arsenal FC, Highbury House, 75 Drayton Park, London, England, N5 1BU.

A club statment released today says Eduardo may be back in approximately 9 months, which is awesome news.

It’s amazing that he could come back so quickly. Full recovery in 9 months? – it may be a bit premature to estimate that; fitness levels will play an important part in the recovery too. But I’d say let’s wait and see what happens in the next few weeks. In 9 months, or even 10 months, would see him return next December. As East Lower says, The next pint you have, raise it to Eduardo.

A little something that Young Guns pointed out is that you can vote for Eduardo for the Carling Cup player of the season. Some people may think this is in “charity” due to the injury – but realistically, he scored 4 wonderful goals through out the campaign and they were all special.

Tomorrow I will be looking at our attacking options in his absence in more detail having briefly mentioned our options yesterday…

Just before I go, a shout out to all the fans of other teams, even our bitter rivals, who have taken time out to spare a thought for Eduardo; OnlyOneUnited said, “I wish Eduardo a speedy recovery and hope everything works out for him”, cheers guys, I’m sure Dudu would be touched.]]>