The next few weeks, maybe even months are going to be tough, not because of the teams we have to play against because every team should be treated the same in my opinion, start every game like we are facing the tougest opposition and take no side for granted. We know from past results that the ‘weaker side’ is often the one who goes home with the three points when taken for granted.
Seldom do we get any luck on the injury front and the next couple of months will be testing times, especially for our strike force.
No Robin van Persie, Theo walcott or Nikki Bendtner, imagine how many other clubs would deal with such a huge loss.
We we aren’t any other club though, we are Arsenal and this could be a time for one or two of those lurking around the training ground, just desperate for Arsene Wenger to say the words, ‘Get your boots son, you’re on at the weekend’ We have many strikers in that catagory, Carlos Vela, JET, Sunu, Freeman and Afobe, any one of them would be able to come in and show just why they are entrusted to wear the Arsenal shirt.
In Theo’s absence I hope we get to see either Vela or Wilshere play but I suspect Wenger will go with Eboue, both Vela and Wilshere need a good run in the side, now injury could see that happen. Again, I don’t think either will let us down.
Two players could make their comeback this weekend as both Denilson and Nasri have returned to fitness, personally I would keep them on the substitutes bench, don’t risk them if we don’t need to and we have Braga in the Champions League in a few days.
Another reason I would play Jack is, not too long ago he was playing for Bolton whilst on loan. The reviews he had were something special. Owen Coyle raved about him and was desperate to get him back on loan this season. During many games for Bolton, Wilshere was their best player. When he came up against John Terry in the Chavs fixture he cared very little who he was facing, he just got on with what he knows best and played football giving Terry a bit of a torrid time along the way.
Coyle won’t want Jack to start against his side, that’s just the reason why he should. Of course, he deserves to be playing too.
Another conundrem is who will partner Thomas Vermaelen against Bolton, will Arsene Wenger stick with Laurent Koscielny or play the other new boy Sebastian Squillaci? The latter made his debut for the reserves in the week and had by all accounts a pretty good game.
I suspect we will see the usual home formation of 4-3-3, but who do will Wenger play?
It’s a tough call this weekend and I’m glad it’s not me having to pick the first eleven, especially with Braga lurking around the corner. But I always believe in facing every game as it comes, the next will be along soon enough. Most fans I’m sure want us to win the league this season first and foremost so I hope the strongest eleven play on Saturday and don’t take anything for granted.
We have a strong squad, all 70 odd of them 😉 If we take an early lead and that lead turns out to be a big one by as the game progresses, then think about Wednesday’s game against Braga and until then, lets just go and do our job and get three points against Bolton and stay on the heels of the Chavs.
So tough times ahead, or could this just be testing times and those who get selected, pass that test, or are there fans out there who really think we are doomed?
[polldaddy poll=3740734]Have a good day all….
Morning all…
Morning Baroness Rico…………
I think we will see JET and vela more often
Morning WATH 🙂
Freeman is on loan Rico. . . . . I think Vela should be played more and he seems to of bulked up a little so lets hope he can make the most of any opportunities that come his way as no doubting the boys class in front of goal.
Hi Bala, Thats the logical choice, hope wenger doesn’t do what he did last season and play one up front or push AA up, we have striker in reserve, lets use them..
WATH, he came back again – but I just remembered, he came back as he’s injured 🙁
Whats the chances of Wenger playing Vela on the right in Theo’s place?
Little, or none….
Thats another round peg for a square hole Rico seeing as Vela left footed…. Eboooooie on the right works for me as long as he plays Vela on the left…! Or reverts back to 4-4-2 with Vela up front with Chamack or AA behind Chamack n Vela left wing..? Also an option
Ya Rico I think the reason why wenger did not let JET go on loan is to use him for first team.Wenger knows that since Bendtner and RVP cannot be totally relied upon because of their frequent injury problems
Hi SuperRico, 🙂
My bet is that Eboue will be in the team, as well as Denilson. Not keen! 🙁
I voted and saw that Nil, Nul, Zero, Zip voted for we are doomed!
Morning WATH, Bala. 🙂
Ya Rico I think the reason why wenger did not let JET go on loan is to use him for first team.Wenger knows that Bendtner and RVP cannot be totally relied upon because of their frequent injury problems
Square pegs etc, just up Wenger’s street then 😉
Fair point and he is ‘very’ left footed too
Eboooooie???? 🙁
What’s all this about square pigs then? 🙂
Bala, I certainly think he is ready to step up, he’s a big lad, I guess like WATH says it kind of depends which formation wenger starts with as to who plays..
right now its anyones guess 😉
Arsene hinted few weeks before that he will play 4-4-2 when RVP and Chamakh are available,now since RVP is not there I think we will see the same 4-3-3
Morning RA
I hope Denilson doesn’t play, we don’t need him in this one, I think Eboue will start too, would prefer he didn’t though 😉
Sorry Rico,
Forgot to say your post was excellent. It must be your new site that is bringing out the best in you. You are consistently interesting! 🙂
Morning RA, Denilson, pls no swearing so early in the morning that will give my arse a headache…!
WATH,
🙂
Al
Sagna Squilli TV Clichy
Cesc Song Diaby
AA Chamakh Vela
Thats who i think he could play, Jack, JET, Nasri, Rosicky, Kos and everyone else one the bench 😉
Thanks RA you old smoothie 😉
Rico,
I think you use IE. I have used it for years, but since blogging or reading Newsnow, I am bugged by the intermittent “refreshing” of the screens.
I have now switched to Firefox, and so far it has been fine, with no refreshing when I am typing. 🙂
RA, what is IE??
Rico you old croon…….. Internet Explorer even I kno that
Ah, oops, stoopid me, so what does one have to do to change to firefox… 😳
Just once Rico I’d like to see AA play behind the main striker and see how he gets on….. Song n Cesc in the middle Vela left Eboooooooooie right…! Think your line up is far more likely though.
Did Song play 4 Cameroon midweek………….?
AA is going to have to be on form tomorrow, Cahill will be after him…
Also, with a rookie keeper in goal, it has to be a few stingy testing shots from the off….
I don’t know re Song..
Rico,
Most computers come with a “Browser Choice” option, following an EU directive, rather than just IE, so you can choose all or none of Firefox, Chrome, blah, blah.
If it isn’t on your start up screen, you can usually find it on the “all programmes” option when you go to the Start button.
You simply click on Firefox to install it. You don’t lose IE, so you can go back to it if you don’t like Firefox.
Better get back to footie, so if you want more info, send me an email, or ask someone who knows what he is talking about. 🙂
Thanks RA, I will give that a go in a bit 🙂
New widget in the sidebar 😆
I like the look of your team choices WATH, not that I am keen on Eboue.
AA behind Chamahk would be interesting, although as Cham spends half his time on the wing, ala bendtner, we could have a crowded right wing. 🙂
Wuzzup ma Peeps?
Hows it hangin’ on this cool Friday afternoon?
I personally would not want to see Song on the pitch till he gets rid of that peroxide mishap on his head!
I’m guessing The Pass Master (a.k.a Eboue oooo) will fill in for Theo tomorrow as Wenger has always loved playing him in that role.
I haven’t got that option on my start up button RA 🙁
Hi T-Buzz, 🙂
Peroxide mishap? I thought that was just his roots growing thru! 😉
How is your ‘flu? You sound O.K.
Why do all our strikers drift…. bugs me
Morning T-buzz, certainly not Song’s best move, eh, he looks hideous…
I think Eboue will play too… Especially if wenger goes 4-4-2, Eboue, Song, Cesc, Diaby, I can see it now….
I see it hasn’t taken long for VDV to become a complete and utter tosser……..!
hasn’t he just, gone off him after his comments…
What did I tell you. . . . . . . . . . . . !!!!!
Ok, smart arse 😉
Mines smart and someone we know has a red one…… Don’t wanna know what he gets upto to make it red…!
too much sitting down 😆
The mind boggles. . . . . .
As 4 VDV he was a tosser to go there and now he’s turned into a delusional tosser. . . .! Must be a condition in their contracts “must act like a tosser and talk utter bollox about being better than The Arsenal”
What choice has he got though WATH? I don’t actually know why he feels the need to comment about us really, again its probably some knobhead asking him if he can help tottenscum catch up with their bitter rival…
to heck can they….
Hi R.A, Rico thanks I think the worst is over as per the flu so I’m on the road to recovery.
I think we SHOULD play every game like it was a cup final and never underestimate the opposition, look at the way Chelsea played last season…every game they played they had a very strong 11. Can we really boast that with what what we have a present,we can win the league or any trophies apart from the Emirates Mug?
Sorry, what hs Rafael van der Vaart been blabbing about this time?
T-buzz, glad to hear you are on the mend, typical man flu 😉
I think we can win something this season, even though we lost so many defenders, with it we lost the thorn in gallas, squilli looks the part and kos seems really controlled and confident…
yes we don’t have the big names, but as long as we have the big hearts we will be ok…
I can’t print his words T-buzz, here’s a link
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6367643,00.html
VDFart has been going on about the yids beating us on all fronts this season T-Buzz………… what a complete knob….!
There’s a few tricky fixtures this weekend…
mancs away to everton
yids away to wba
chavs away to west ham
and lets hope fat sam gets in the faces of citeh 😉
Hi Guys back again, briefly.
Oi WATH, you leave my red bum out of this. Although I did get the occasional pd whuppin when I was at school. 🙂
Van the Fart was desperate to get away from Real because he was told he would not play. The deal with Bayern went sour and the Spuds with barrow boy ‘Arry threw him a lifeline at the last minute.
The nonsense he is spouting is like whistling in the dark. 🙂
Off 4 a bit c’ya lata………….
Am a bit loathe to ask what that entailed at school RA if I was you i’d keep that to yourself you know what they say about all you lot that went to all boys schools etc etc……………
RA & WATH 😆
I’m surprised VDV didnt say that he had always supported Spurs since he was a kid and it has been his life-long dream to play form them!
He’s just blowing smoke up the Spurz ass, we’ll see how that goes. Let him blab all he wants, he’ll soon be joining his life-long hero (Bentley)on the bench in no time!
😆 T-buzz, either that or Defoe in the sick room….
Popping off for an hours, catch up shortly
Adios Rico, catch y’all after lunch time!
booooo
anybody home
🙂
morning all…
Boo…. 🙂
Thomas Vermaelen is out for tommorrows match!!
What Rico what happened
🙁
Hi Erick, not sure but wenger said in his conference about TV, just tried to check on afc.com but it won’t show his full i/v, looks like Squilli aand Kos in defence…
Morning all.rico does it mean we will have an all French defense?…
hi ktr7, seems like it, dont know how long TV is out for, hopefully back for wednesdays game…
Rico i also saw defoe is out for 3 months…how ironic would it be that after Defoe saying they’ll better us in the CL only for him not to play a single minute of the real action not qualifiers when they get KOed in the group stage?the yids tease us about not winning trophies but we’re still their benchmark.imagine if we start winning again?we’d look like madrid to them.i also praised diaby’s perfomance vs Bosnia there is a clip to back up my claims.look it up…
KTR7, it would be ironic and they say the great man works in mysterious ways….
i can’t see them getting through their group, its a tough one, especially for the first time in the competition..
its bizarre though both he and theo’s injury, the england camp both were very minor, but now both out for a long time….
Got to pop off again for a bit 🙁 back later
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Arsenal-s-Thomas-Vemaelen-has-been-ruled-out-of-Bolton-game-so-Sebastien-Squillachi-makes-debut-article576187.html
Typical aint it? Has there been a time in the past 5 yrs where we’ve had a fully fit squad??
Hi T-Buzz,
All clubs have injuries at times in a season, but we have had our share of long term injuries.
In recent times we have lost Tomas Rosicky, Theo, Diaby, Ramsey, Dudu and RVP, but Bobby Pires had that horrible knee injury for months and there have been a lot more over the years. 🙁
Think the answer to that is simple T-Buzz, No…!
I think it’s a lewin curse…………….!
Tbuzz we are due some luck…i hope he is available for Braga.it will also be a good opportunity to see how kozzer and squillaci cope with davies.
I think Squillaci playing will give us a good indication as to how he can handle the ruff stuff and the hoof ball, not a bad game to come into actually.
Squillaci gets a big test then
The problem with us is that most of our players get injured at the same time.
true Ktr7 in a week Theo is out Rvp and Verminator what a big blow, Its time for the bench and reserves to show us their worth
Come on Arsenal
Had anybody else thought that Wenger is punishing Vermaelen on the Cesc talk…
I know it’s silly but that’s the first that came to me.
Also gr8 post miss Rico 🙂 totally 4got that we play the Arsenalista in the CL.
l8r
Nope def don’t think AW punishing TV at all Stef, TV said it as it was can’t see where or how thats a problem to be honest.
Could be a right old mix n match team 2moro….!
ha ha ha ha ha Wath nice
Weedman how’s you fella..?
Am good sailor what you up to
GG foe the weekend after the Arsenal game
A quiet weekend me thinks Weedman, have a little stash of GG for saturday night but apart from that it’s gonna be a quiet one, think the game will be interesting another 3 points will be good and most important but so too the fact we handle elbows Davies and the hoof ball…!
by GG u mean this
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/04_02/GeorgeGrahamES_228x300.jpg
hope u don’t keep him in fridge 😛
anyway hope our new French defender does well
Empress Rico is nowhere to be seen…
Skywalker is out to looking 4 her 😀
Boooo!
Sooo quiet. rico, news on TV is depressing. Another one in the sick room. 🙁 I hope the second stringers are up to the challenge; and I really hope our Captain’s head is not somewhere else.
AGAG have you seen what ur mate VunderFart been saying………..!
It’s a slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww day and GG in the fridge def ain’t that GG Stef my GG is Grey Goose Vodka 😉
Gotta shoot off 4 a bit and no AGAG it’s not cos ur here I’d never run off and leave you on purpose…!
No, Stef. GG, in HH actually means this:
http://www.greygoose.com/
🙂 Check the “Cocktails” tab. Loveliest little things. 🙂
Oi, WATH. You leaver. 😉
I can’t believe I was so mistaken about what a class act VDV is. 🙁
And I thought u were all drinking our past glory 😀
funny thou Arsenal fan drinks french vodka.
Hi agag, vdv even made some comments on the oranje squad.
Wells, ours is almost a French team, Stef. 🙂 Our players are French or speak French. It’s only fitting. 🙂
Yeah most of our team are francophones 🙂
Never been fan of vodka bad experience with a Polish vodka.
But I might try a glass gg, some1 need to make aw vodka also. that would be great 😀
GG is fantastic, Stef. I promise. And WATH and Erick can attest to that fact. 🙂 Keep of the shoe polish vodka stuff! 🙂 Can’t be good for anyone.
I suspect VDV is saying all sorts of things cause he’s trying to convince himself that the Tott move is a good one. Maybe in a hundred years, he’ll actually believe it. 🙂
lovely intro on the site agag, would like to try the peartini never heard of it but looks tasty…
ahhh need to arse up(put my arse up lol)
Agag market GG they must be paying you alot of dosh this international breaks are crap they do more harm than good
Erick, I know. I should be a spokesperson for GG. Haha. But check out the “Cocktails” tab of the website. The concoctions are so pretty you almost (well, not quite) do not want to drink them.
I haaaate internationals. Sick of them. Can’t wait to get back to proper club football. How’s the internship, Weeds?
VDFart will never believe it agag, because it will never be true… 🙂
Evening fine people, what have I missed 😉
Smart, rico. Very smart. 🙂 I’m distinctly 😡 at VDV.
You haven’t missed anything. Just my vodka spiel. 😉
Poor Theo. Poor Robin. Poor us. At least, Sami’s back. 🙂
Hi Ladies Agag Its getting crap just useless work but it got to keep going 🙁
You are being good Erick. Everyone has to go through the rough times! 🙂
Rico, I leave you alone for a short time, while I make a few bucks, and when I come back you have let TV injure himself! What did you do to him? 🙂
Pretty soon, you’ll be doing hardcore newspaper stuff, Just grin and bear it, Erick. 🙂
Ha ha – we moan when theres no news then all we get is bad news, i’d rather we got stuck with no news… if that makes sense??
agag, VDF has annoyed me too and to think we once liked him 😉
RA, don’t shoot the messenger 😉
Erick, we will still win 🙂
Erick,
What better invitation could you ask for, a female gooner asking you to grin and bare it! 🙂 Of course, you might be arrested! 😉
Rico,
There’s nothing wrong with shooting the occasional messenger and fricasseeing her! Unfortunately, as I am a pacifist who used to be a vegan, I am a bit squeamish, so I will have to let you off, after all! 😉
RA when is voluntary u don’t get arrested.
Are we on the same page? 😀
RA, you are on good form 😉
Welcome back Rico I am making dinner( well I am gonna) you are invited 🙂
bit offsky but will be backsky
Stef, it’s all in the context. On a Tube train, during the rush hour, in Central london, it might get you 5 years!
Not that I have any direct knowledge. 🙂
Rico,
Slightly better day today. Every one turned up on time and I was able to kid them I knew what I was talking about! 🙂
RA, in the rush hour no1 will notice well hopefully they will not bother if they do.
5 years is too much sheesh who makes those laws.
Thanks Stef, I am just doing mine too, Toad in the Hole, vegetarian style 🙂
RA, not for a first offence, surely 😉
I think AW will go with this squad
Sagna Koscielny Squillaci Clichy
Song Wilshire
Fabregas(c)
Eboue Chamakh Arshavin
Would like to see Vela in the first team.
Rico what will you eat if there is no meat?
Rico,
I know you are not keen on Big Al, but no GK? 🙂
With onion gravy, rico. Sounds yum. 🙂 Now, I’m feeling peckish. 🙁
Good line up, Stef. Right now though, I’d rather Rosicky over Fabregas.
Quorn sausages in the TITH, onion gravy and mash potato, with runner beans from the garden 🙂
agag, nothing like onion gravy, especially with mash pots 🙂
Rico,
What’s a TITH?
Got it!
Toad in the Hole! 🙂 Yum yum. I will be straight round, tell your better half to move over. 🙂
Toad in the hole RA 🙂
Ha ha, its just me and the dogs for tonight only and I’m not sharing my toad with them so you have no chance 😉
Onion gravy, I knew it!!
You sound like a fantastic cook, rico. 🙂 Even I cannot muster any kind words for my cooking– and I am extraordinarily magnanimous to myself. 😉
You were spot on agag about the gravy 🙂
I love cooking and its amazing what you can do with Quorn, I wouldn’t go so far to say I’m much good at it though 😉
One of my favourite television programmes is Masterchef, its incredible how much they improve …
Quorn sausages, vegan meat lol 😀 what’s in it soy?
Would like to try it with the real thing looks really tasty, besides onion there is garlic in some recipes.
I am a meat lovers so don’t mind me 😉
No Stef, quorn is an ingredient in itself, veggie stuff has come on leaps and bounds, I’m not a true veggie though as i eat fish… need it for my bones…
Everyone gone I take it…..
rico, your lovely meal has me hungry. I’m better off just sleeping it off, I think. Good night, all. 🙂
Yeap read that there is eggs and milk in the mix.
I still don’t get what is quom thou I read it but is still new to me.
g nite big day 2morow
Nighty night agag, go eat something otherwise you won’t sleep 🙁
Night Stef, don’t worry about the Quorn 😉
i’m off too, til tomorrow
night all stay safe
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