May 2004 we finished the season unbeaten, had the Premiership and FA Cup won, it was indeed one heck of a season to look back on, it was our last really strong season.
There was more to that season though, the players, the flair, the self belief almost to the point of arrogance, all of which turns a great team into winners. It wasn’t just about the ‘first team’ either, it was about the squad we had, albeit a few names still make me cringe today – Cygan, Shaaban, Jeffers, Stepanovos to name a few 😉
Jens Lehmann had come in, taking over from David Seaman, one of the greatest goal keepers to play for Arsenal and England, Gael Clichy had been transferred from AS Cannes to us and replaced Oleg Luzhny and Senderos was given the number 20 shirt, vacated by Mathew Upson prior to the beginning of the season…
In the defence we had Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Toure, Martin Keown, Lauren, Senderos, Cygan, Clichy and Stepanovos. Volz, Juan and Svard had been sent out on loan. Our back up goal keepers were Stuart Taylor, Graham Stack and Rami Shaaban!! In the midfield we had, Bobby Pires, Ray Parlour, Patrick Vieira, Freddie Ljungberg, Giovanni van Bronkhorst, Edu, Gilberto and Jermaine Pennant. Then up front we had Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Kanu, Sylvain Wiltord, Francis Jeffers and Jeremie Aliadiere
Wearing the number 27 shirt through this season was a guy from Greece called Stathis Tavlaridis, he was a 6′ 2″ central defender who couldn’t displace any of our defenders so he was loaned out to Portsmouth, he was never to return. Funny though, I wonder what would have happened to him had he got his chance, he’s only 30 years old now and still carries the nick-name ‘The Bull’. Seems that players who have some kind of scary nick-name never really live up to it do they….
The ‘arrogance’ came from the likes of Henry and Vieira, the flair from the likes of Pires and Bergkamp, the grit from Cole, Campbell, Keown and Toure – the hard workers in the side were Parlour, Gilberto, Lauren and even Kanu sometimes. The nutter in the squad that season had to be Lehmann 🙂
Together though they made a wonderful footballing unit, every player knew his job and every player got on with his job and that is what made them winners in the league and FA Cup. There was also a ‘fear factor’ about them, other sides didn’t want to play us back then. If they parked the bus it didn’t matter as we had players who would still open up any defence, if other clubs tried to play football against us, we would destroy them…
Oh those days…
So what about our squad now?
We had Lauren, we have Sagna
Campbell and Toure – were they better than TV and Koscielny could turn out to be?
Cole – is Clichy or Gibbs as good?
Freddie – I’m sure Theo will be better?????
Gilberto – Song’s as good as, if not better I think
Vieira – Cesc – who would you prefer?
Pires – No-one we have is as good as Bobby in my opinion
Henry, Bergkamp and Wiltord – we don’t have that kind of strike force yet and Arshavin is the nearest thing we have to a Bergkamp, just not quite as good and he’s not played in that role… But if Robin stays fit, Chamakh gets used to the PL and Nikki one day returns, anything can happen. Lets not forget though, everyone seems to score it seems these days 🙂
Finally….. Jens Lehmann, was he really ‘That’ Good?? Or is it just that since he left our keepers have just made him look good, don’t forget, Mad Jens dropped many a clanger in his day.
I know I haven’t included all the players but pretty much the first team of then and now. It’s all about hard work and determination for our current crop from now on. Don’t give up, don’t let the referee over-take you when tracking back, don’t hog the ball and end up spilling it to the opposition. We didn’t do that in 2003/04 and if we don’t do that this season the good times will soon be back!
I suppose my point is, that back then we had some great players that gelled together and worked hard for each other but
player v’s player today, are we really that badly off this season?
If Almunia needed a kick up the pants, he has now had it. By Wenger looking at buying a keeper Almunia will know that come January Wenger may again try to get a keeper. He has four months to convince all of us fans and his boss that he doesn’t need to.
Maybe that was Wenger’s plan all along, a strange one if it was and if it was, I sure as heck hope it works. Almunia has started the season better than he ended last, long may that remain! Not that for one minute though do I honestly believe it will.
So are things really looking that bad this season with the squad we have or could this be the season we fans witness scenes like this again?
Only another seven days to go and club footie is back, roll on…..
Have a good day all….
Morning all
Morning Rico,
fame at last, and a nice article to start.
Afraid Theo won’t improve if Capello keeps using him to prove a point. Last night the service he got was poor, and the substitution, at the very time when pace comes into its own, misguided,
Morning mike, thanks
i didn’t get to see much of the game in the end, i watched up until Rooney passed a dreadful ball to Theo which skied over his head…
Theo always gets dreaful service from the players around him, the only player who used to involve him was Beckham – England are a mess, it’s a divide between clubs imho, 4-0 was a good win, but things won’t get any better against the top sides in the world…
See Dawson could be out for a very long time, Arry won’t be happy……
Things are much worse than they seem just cant see it yet. Coming to the end on an era, crap keepers, Cesc is off at the end of the season, Wenger is losing it, Arshavin is a weirdo, 3rd place finish at best and no trophies again.
Morning LITP
A very depressed Gooner??
I don’t think things are as bad as we think but yes they could be a lot better, but we have what we have and can’t change that until January. We must be due a season where injuries don’t hit us so hard.
This morning there will obviously be an element of hysteria; 4-0 is a good scoreline, but…
The defence was shocking. Rooney wasn’t just playing off Defoe, at times he was midfield; and although he made one or two telling passes the end product was generally poor. Defoe took his goals well, but without serious challenge; to me he’s just a flat-track-bully… so are most of the England team.
Capello seems to be impervious; the only changes he made were defence and forced; with the exception of Walcott, who he is using to prove a point. Just about every attack started down the left-hand side.
All in all I think the Swiss will show just how vulnerable we are.
Still, never mind; it’s Saturday 😆
Ah LITP,
the joys of Newsnow 😆
We’ll do alright, and if Almunia can get his head right, after the transfer window, we’ll pick up silverware this year.
😆 mike, it is indeed Saturday and in a week’s time we will be playing Bolton and have something better to talk about than England 😉
I think half the problem is Capello is ‘frightened’ to drop Rooney in fear of a media outcry. Reality is though he is playing poorly and should be benched. He is prepared to drop Theo, but when it comes to players from Chavs, Mancs and Dippers, he bottles it…
And I thought he wanted to move this England side on….
Rico,
You really think Bolton are better than England ???
You may have a point there 😆
The problem is Capello; he is so desperate to tell the tabloids that he’s the maestro and they’re a bunch of no-nothing hacks he’ll take us back four years.
Until we reach the finals he’ll glide along and they’ll forget all about South Africa… but when we do reach the finals…
Without the ‘kids’ coming through and actually being played we’ll look foolish again.
Perhaps I should start hitting the England blogs and call myself LITP 😆
I’d much rather be watching Arsenal than England right now Mike, I don’t blame Capello entirely though. I blame the pressure put upon him to pick the big club players…
For example is Glenn Johnson the best English right back at the momment? I don’t honestly know the answer but he imho just isn’t good enough to be playing for his country. Where the FA/Capello go wrong is that seldom look beyond the PL to choose their players.
Young Guns report we have clinched the deal for Ryo Miyaichi and he will sign in December, finally we will get an out and out right winger, not that he’ll play for a while though….
I’d rather watch Arsenal than England any day. The last time I had anything more than academic interest in England, we were two-nil up against West Germany abd Bobby Moore was Captain; or am I giving away my age? 😆
I think the squad we’ve got now looks pretty good. If we don’t win the PL or CL it’ll be through injuries not skills and balance… this is our year.
What’s the keyboard sequence for one of those little faces saying ‘fingers-crossed’? 😆
Morning Rico and MikeB,
Another good Post Rico. It is all too easy to get bogged down in the perceived current “woes” and forget what a wonderful recent past Arsenal have had.
Thanks for reminding me of the good times and the thought provoking player comparison.
I simply cannot get interested in International football, it just interrupts the “proper” PL stuff.
Rico,
Forgot to say, well done on the NN links. Worked perfectly! ❓
What game would that be then mike 😉
I think we went on to lose 3-2, but then my memory isn’s what it was 😆
Morning RA, I aim to please 😉
I think had wenger got a keeper, fans would have great expections for this season… If and its a big IF, Almunia concentrates and carries on as he started we still could have a great season…
I have to admit, when Jens was in goal I wanted Almunia to replace him, now…….. !! 😉
You are teasing me mike, i thought we won 4-2 😉
Morning RA,
What ‘current woes’? Look on the bright side; it’s Saturday and you’re not a Balckburn supporter 😆
4-2??? Even I’m not THAT old 😆
even worse would be, being a season ticket holder at Blackburn and your seat is the one next to Fat Sam when he sits in the stands 😉
MikeB,
Shame on you Biggles, I wrote “perceived woes”, and I thought you hung on my every word. 🙂
😳 maybe i have just given my age away 😉
I thought he had the two seats either-side reserved for ‘seepage’? 😆
I know I might sound curmudgeonly with my praise for Theo, but he was only “alright”. 🙁
RA,
one man’s perception is another man’s reality… just ask LITP 😆
RA,
I thought the service he got was very poor. He had three on him the moment he got the ball, which wasn’t often, and some of those cross-field balls were optimistic to say the least.
Nice positive post but dillusional. Lehman better than all our keepers put together. Cole better than Clichy by a country mile. Lauren and Sagna about even. TV and LK yet to prove themselves as a unit. Song better than Gilberto? LOL. Vieira = Fab4 though differnent types of players. Glad you acknowleledged Bobby P. Walcott will be better than Freddie? No way. Our strike force has quality but not the same as Denis and Co.
Guys, I’m actually not bothered how Theo plays for England, its how he plays for Arsenal that I care about…
With England he gets little to no service and what he does get is poor, he has the potentil to be one of the best England players right now, but he wasted…
😆 re the FS comment mike
RA,
I always thought Biggles was Gay… does that mean I should start calling you ‘Ginger’? 😆
Rico,
I do agree about the playing for Arsenal thing, but the trouble is that football is such a psychological game, and what he does for England has repercussions for us. That’s why Capello and the tabloids annoy the hell out of me.
As for the 4-2 thing; I think I saw that once on a video. 😆
Fair point mike, but dropping him did him the world of good…. for us 😉 😉
Wenger will tell him its the rest of england who are poor, not theo 😆
Morning GG,
They were questions to the readers….
I actually think Song is as good as Gilberto, thats my view…
Gotta go folks,
might catch you later; if not, have a good one.
have a good day mike, laters…
Hello. Things are not so bad but could be very much better, don’t think Almunia will get any better just because of the fiasco in the summer.
Hi Pea..
Sorry for the delay, all first comments go into moderation – agree it would be a lot better with a great keeper but as said, right now what we have is it, all we can hope for is Almunia gets better..
Big hope though 😉
Hola! well someone seems to be on NN now… 😉 That didn’t take too long now, did it, rico? Fantastic.
We are approaching greatness again. We have to keep our key players though (ahem, Cesc), keep them fit (RvP, AA, TR7, Theo), buy a beast of a CH, and a GK, of course. 🙂 🙂
I hope Almunia convinces this year, because he has, and I am trying to be gentle, just not been good enough to be our no. 1. 😉
Howdy agag,
I’m really pleased it’s on so quick 🙂
I keep trying to convince myself about Almunia, but I know the truth, deep down 😉
It still narks me – we weren’t asking for the world, just another couple of players, would have cost £20M max and he didn’t do it…
rico, I’ve been thinking about that too. How much was our net spend again? We did, after all, sell Dudu and got Chamakh on a free transfer.
I am trying to console myself with the thought that maybe AW is waiting for Akinfeev to be available on a free as well. And Affelay too. And VDW. 🙂 🙂 Yes, yes. Hope springs eternal.
van Nistelhorse has been talking about Robin. He has some nerve. He has been poor since leaving the Mancs, what business has he to speak of Robin’s scoring skills?
I’m not sure how much we spent overall agag, must be around £6-8M, but I did read yesterday that Squilli failed his first medical so we got him for less than rumoured after a second medical was passed…
Akinfeev is free next summer isn’t he? So Jan we will be able to start begging him to join us, joke though isn’t it, another season will be over….
Saw old horsey comments, he’s an old has been with an attitude, mind you what he says is true 😉 😉
Hello all.. Almunia had the last smile over us.. and.. a..bloody international week :
Hi STV, didn’t he just, after all that throwing his shirt and the captains armband, he stays…. grrr
As for the internationals, boring boring boring…
yes Rico, much to the anxiety of all of us.. 🙁 to be honest am not satisfied with any of the signings other than chamakh. just hope all stays injury free and give a trophy for the hope’s sake.
Still in poor form rico. Anyway, like you said, he’s a has been. And his opinion does NOT count.
I haaaaate internationals. Our players always come back much the worse for wear. 🙁
hey, STV. Howdy?
Am good AGAG, how’z you.. internationals are like break in a film
I agree, poor form indeed, to be fair, everytime robin goes on a scoring run he picks up an injury… Horsey didn’t pick up injuries as he fell over before any player got near him, the cheating… *%^$££$^II!!!
Kos will be ok i think STV, Squilli I’m not sure about, don’t know much about this injury he has which is supposed to have made him fail his medical….
When he will be back Rico?? Good thing he dont have to play the internationals.. CR7 use to skip them cleverly.
They are both available for this weekend STV, is Squilli in the French squad? I’ll go check…
Haha, rico. His karma caught up with his trippytoes. 😉 He’ll never be one of the greats.
I’m okay, STV. I hope you are too. Internationals are the bane of my existence.
I meant RVP, what roud said is right,, but said it in a not so good way.
RvP, a month is rumoured STV, sorry i thought you were tlaking Squilli 😉
Remember that red card he got Paddy, he was about a metre away when he conned the ref…
Ooh Agag!! I did’nt thought they are so detrimental!! 😉 😉 am fine here going to have a confined fixture in curriculum but onl later…
I begininng to miss the transfer window 😉
Transfer window v’s International Week ??
Window 😉
Guys and Gals,
I’m off for a bit, muttleys to walk 🙂
Back later
Greetings all………… Well done Rico on NN not bad for all under two weeks you must be very happy…! Good stuff, Also top post. Bit hectic here but will pop on bit lata as and when I can. Be good u lot.
Hi WATH, sorry to have missed you 🙁
Really chuffed that newsnow accepted HH so quickly. Hope you get back later and thanks re the post ….
Anyone about??
How quiet is this……….. like a morgue in here….. Mind you no news and this international stuff really is rather boring….!.
Hi WATH, its dreadful isn’t it zzzzzzzzz
And now my email system has gone banannas and crashed!! 🙁 🙁
Hello all
Do you post everyday on this site?
Pea – good to see you have come back, we welcome new bloggers.
HH is a new site, its only been running for two weeks, tha aim is to post every day, however at times like this its a bit of a struggle.
Today is the first day the site has gone on to newsnow, just have to see how things progress..
How long have you followed our fine club??
We’re sooooo quiet. Slooooow and boooooring news day.
My life is that much richer, however, having just found out that P.Diddy is an Arsenal fan. (straight face)
What hath interlull wrought? (someone clearly needs a cocktail or two or two dozen.)
Boo agag, its quiet everywhere thank goodness, otherwise a girl can get a complex 😉 😉
who is P Diddy???
Hey Rico, thats cool!
Early 80’s, Adams, Dixon and Winterburn years and of course Ray Parlour. Rosicky is a fav these days.
You’re one of the few who has no reason to worry about that. 🙂 Must be people are out; I’m still debating whether to stay in. 🙂
He’s a rapper. I just saw it on newsnow, and felt like… mygod if this is the type of news we’d be getting in the next few days, interlull will have sent me into a coma by Friday. 🙁
Hello, Pea! Welcome! Bienvenue! Mabuhay!
Hello agirlagunner, thank you. Forgive me but I don’t understand the rest.
How do you do the funny faces please?
I’m a bit new to all this blogging, so many blogs I have read but don’t often comment.
It all means, “welcome”. Hover your cursor over the smileys, and the code should flash. Try it.
(Where’s the rest of you, emoticon experts???)
😆 agag, i didn’t have a clue who he was, honestly and i may end up in the coma next to yours 😆
oliver has a holiday weekend, he did say he may not make it, but I worry about Erick, he hasn’t been around much, he studies too hard 🙁
KTR7 hasn’t been around either, I think someone else has stolen him 😉
agag, i am no expert, that’s RA, he seems to have nabbed by aliens these days 😉 😉
Thank you agirlagunner, for the faces and the welcome.
🙂 Has this worked?
No excuse now pea, we are quite fond of the smiles here 😉
agag – is that agirlagunner? ok for me to be using that too please?
See France got beaten again yesterday, they are in a mess….
poor old nasri, diaby and sagna..
Pea, you don’t need to worry, we all shorten names, its easier and no-one takes offence 🙂
Good for you, Pea! You should meet RA, cause he loves these faces. The pink and green ones are cute.
Who stole KT?? 🙁 😡 😥 (showing off) 😳
agag, when i hover the cursor over you last smilies, it doesn’t show what to type… 🙁
Also agag, can you tell me please if the side bar on HH sits to the side and alongside the post, sometimes its right at the bottom of my page ggrrrrr
Hey, thanks you guys, its nice to made welcome, what is RA??
rico, the P. Diddy news is exactly why internationals shouldn’t go on too long. Stuff like that kills brain cells. And going through it was two minutes of my life I can never recover…
agag – i dislike the break to play internationals too, what i don’t understand is that so many countries have just finished the world cup so why so soon the euros come along. clubs like ours will suffer so much.
rico, the HH page looks perfect from here. The sidebar is a-ok.
If you’re using firefox, the codes won’t flash. Internet Explorer and Google Chrome should, if I’m not mistaken…
why play two gamess at one i say agag? just have a week break, not two, clubs play saturday, CL on wednesday then a game again on saturday, whats the difference…
then look at the chavs, lumpard and terry pull out, bet they are ready for their club match….
Thanks agag, i’m a simple IE girl… 🙂
Pea, spot-on, but if wenger were to moan, the answer he would get is don’t have so many international players….
Exactly, Pea. Internationals do absolutely nothing for me. And our players end up getting knocks or worse getting crocked. 🙂 Me no likey.
And rico, it gives the stains (that’s Barcelona, Pea) more time to be whispering sweet absolute nothings in Cesc’s ear. Pfft.
That’s in tomorrows post agag, i saw his latest comment, at least Puyol isnt with Spain…
Pfft indeed!!
Ah, stains are the barca mob! they were terrible, their words, the players comments, the oh so silly offer they made for a player worth double what they offered. I read the rules, I am not able to call the what I want.!!
Haha. I didn’t want to bring it up, rico, cause just the other day I was professing eternal love and devotion for Cesc… But if he keeps it up, he’ll be YKW to me again in absolutely no time at all.
Well i can but i’ll be spammed 🙁
agag, deep breaths, that should do it 🙂
Pea, by the way, YKW is short for you-know-who (Cesc). Over the summer, when Cesc seemed so intent on moving to the stains, we called him YKW.
I’m tempted to say you can call them all the cuss names you want… but our lady rico has rules; and we are all very nice here. There’s an occasional troll or weirdo but they’re few and far between.
rico, I can take in all the deep breaths that the atmosphere will allow me; but it won’t change a thing. I’d still want to break Xavi’s jawey jaw. 😀
you and me both agag, add to him many others too 😉
I thought Erick was done with his exams??
agag, but i am the new kid on the block, best i behave, well, for today 🙂
thank you for making me welcome, i will be back tomorrow. good luck highbury house, i seem to have found a new home in the arsenal world.
Thanks Pea, see you soon, enjoy your day 🙂
you still around agag or have you gone for the day too?
See ya, Pea.
Still here. My ride is taking forever… 🙁 I’m about to feign a sudden bout of migraine…
Haha. Go if you must, rico. 🙂 The night is young. There’s much to enjoy where you are, I’m sure.
I’m an angry lady agag, we have a neighbour who has BBQ’s every weekend and all weekend, he has about 30 folk there and he is hard of hearing so he shouts so loud, the BBQ stinks, his kids and grand kids are loud it does my head in, and i’m a few doors down…..!
The only thing I am soon to do is burn a load of grass and dead plants in hope it blows his way!!
ok, i am going to set the flame to the fire….
catch up tomorrow agag, enjoy the rest of your day too, whatever you get up to 😉
Nghty night, stay safe all 🙂
oh and what really makes me angry is my email is still crashed 🙁
That is awful. Don’t you have laws/ordinances on acceptable noise levels??
In the Phils, people by and large have absolutely no regard for disturbing the peace; and you are perceived as killjoy if you ask noisy neighbors, however politely, to keep the noise down.
So when relatives visit, I make sure that every single drunk person (especially the tone deaf old uncles) gets a shot at the videoke… and I turn the mic volume to the max…
Good night! Deep breaths, rico. 😉
this one is a Scot agag, they are as bad it seems 🙁
😆 agag, we have laws, but they are never upheld, its too trivial…..
Nighty Night
Morning all,
New Post up