Artgig Gunners...

That's a hat trick – Artgig, Apple & Arsenal, all in one post.

An Arsenal Fan Salutes Barcelona...

As an Arsenal fan, it's been an exhausting season that felt like a drunk behind the wheel of a Ferrari–accelerate! Slam on the brakes! Accelerate! Run over something and lose a tire! Accelerate! Hit the brakes! Run over something sharp that punctures another tire! Accelerate...Crash! Accelerate! Crash again!

Of course our European dream ended with a Manchester United bodyslam.
And that was immediately followed by a Chelski piledriver in the league to put the razor sharp exclamation point on the end of our season.

So forgive me if I wasn't exactly fired up for the Champion's League Final.
In fact, I almost forgot to set the DVR to record the match as I was leaving for work yesterday morning.

Still, the choice of who to root for was a no brainer.
I got behind Barca without hesitation.
It comes down to three reasons:

First, I've spent time in Barcelona and it's a great city loaded with personality.
I went on a whirlwind tour of Amsterdam, Spain and Portugal with my wife in 1997, before we were married and it was a fantastic adventure.
Somewhere along the way, I remember waking up in a Sevilla hotel to the sound of car horns blaring and general excitement on the streets below.
My wife asked around and found out it was a celebration–a Spanish side, probably Real Madrid, had won some important soccer match.
That's all I knew.
Mind you, this is just before I took my leap back into the world of football as a full-fledged Arsenal fan.
The idea that anyone would celebrate soccer with such gusto was so completely foreign to me.
And I loved it.

Second, as an Arsenal fan, you have to admire Barca's commitment to attacking football and that's exactly what tempted Arsenal's all time greatest weapon, Thierry Henry, to join the Spanish side two years ago.
Henry realized his playing days were winding down and he wanted one last grab at glory.
Unfortunately, he found himself surrounded by a gang of kids at Arsenal, who despite their talent, were clearly not quite ready for prime time.
The fact that Henry had come within touching distance of the CL trophy with Arsenal in 2006, only to lose it cruelly to Barcelona, made for a juicy backstory.
So, I thought, let's win one for Henry.

My third reason for choosing Barcelona over United should be obvious–for Barca to win, Manchester United would have to lose.

Still, like most, I thought United would simply overpower the smaller Barcelona and exploit their patchwork defense the same way they so easily discarded Arsenal.

I saw the result while at work but I didn't get to watch the match until I got home last night.

United started in the same formation they did against Arsenal and again dominated the first nine minutes of play.

It was all going according to plan until BANG! Barcelona punched United right in the mouth. To be exact, Samuel Eto'o punched United in the mouth after undressing Vidic.

And just like that, Barcelona was in control.

Ten minutes later, the mighty United already looked panicked and out of sorts.

And they would never recover.

Barcelona attacked and attacked and attacked.

In the second half, Henry turned Rio Ferdinand inside out on a move that nearly made the score 2-0.

So close.

The kill shot would come at seventy minutes from Barca's creative wizard, Lionel Messi, who launched his tiny five feet seven inch body into the air, twisting to direct a perfect header over the United goalie, Van Der Sar, and into history.

This Barcelona team, with their first year coach, Pep Guardiola, has achieved what no other Spanish side has done before–they've won the trifecta of the Spanish League, the Spanish Cup and the European Champion's League.

And in the process, they made United look positively ordinary.

Congratulations to Barcelona.

Now keep your hands off our Fabregas.

Arsenal: Three to Go...

It sure would be nice to sweep up the season with three victories in three matches.

Let's take a look at what lies ahead, shall we?

Sunday - Chelsea @ Home:

Arsenal meets the other Champion's League loser, Chelsea, this weekend.

As Wenger himself pointed out, Chelsea may be the only team feeling worse than us right now after seeing their dream of a historic Champion's League Final rematch against United absolutely blind-sided by a late Barcelona goal, crushing all hope with only 120 seconds to play.

I'm all for kicking a team who's already down and this Chelsea team is perfectly ripe.

I imagine it will take everything they've got to simply drag themselves out of bed to face us.

I mean, what do they have to look forward to?

Another season of managerial uncertainty, that's for sure, as their lucky Dutch rabbits foot, Guus Hiddink, return to the task of prepping the Russian national team for World Cup action.

In a show of solidarity and a symbolic gesture of support for misunderstood party-boy Nicholas Bendtner, I expect the entire Arsenal squad to take the field with their shorts around their ankles.

There's no doubt in my mind Arsenal can beat Chelsea with or without shorts...

As long as Arshavin takes the field.

But he's a huge doubt as he struggles to recover from the flu.

But wait, so is Arsenal's blue boogyman, Drogba, as he struggles to recover from a complete mental breakdown in the wake of their devastating Champion's League defeat.

No Drogba is bigger than no Arshavin at the moment.

And we don't have to do any tricky away goals math, which is a big relief.

Arsenal wins.

2-0

May 16 - Manchester United @ Old Trafford:

This one isn't so easy.

We've already seen the difference in class illustrated on the field and off.

As Bendtner was being dragged away from a nightclub with his jeans around his knees, the United crew were spotted wearing impeccably tailored suits, looking all about business in their respectable victory celebration.

What's to stop United from spanking Arsenal again, you ask?

Two things:

Arshavin and Arshavin.

That's right, I'm counting him twice because he's that good.

Arsenal weren't allowed to use him in the Champion's League and honestly, we were so poor maybe he doesn't make a difference but if anyone can change the game, it's Honest Arsh.

The Arsenal defense won't be mended in time for this match but maybe United takes us just a hair too lightly as their eye wanders ahead to their showdown with Barcelona.

And we pounce, seizing opportunity in a momentary lapse in concentration, hopefully with Evra and Berbatov turned inside out in the process, by none other than a rampaging Nicklas Bendtner!

I really want Nick to learn how to shoot because, for a big guy, he's good on the ball and he's certainly got no shortage of confidence but most importantly, he's not afraid to go out by himself and get so drunk his pants fall down.

I said Arsenal 3-1 in the Champion's League but that was before I realized it was opposite day.

I'm going to give this one to Manchester United, 2-1.

(Don't worry–another opposite day)

May 24 Stoke City @ Home:

Certainly doesn't have the sex appeal of the two previous matches but it's the last match of the season and if that's not sexy, well, I don't know what is.

Stoke is one of those very average teams that gave us trouble earlier in the season.

Well, Arsenal's not had much trouble with the likes of them, or anyone else in the last 21 games, and I don't think they'll slip on this banana peel.

Arsenal  just needs to take a page from United (after beating them, of course) and go about our ruthless business with cold surgical precision.

Just keep an eye on the big Jamaican, Ricardo Fuller, and let the offense do the rest.

No contest.

Arsenal will be tasting blood after feasting on the remains of Berbatov and Evra in the previous match.

Victory Arsenal.

3-0

So that's it, nice and tidy.

Then we can get on with the business of constant speculation about who stays and who goes and the summer flirtation and courting of new players to fill the rather large gaps in our defense.

Arsenal - Defeated and Deflated

When Arsenal exited the Champion's League last year, it was the Quarterfinals and Liverpool had just stolen victory back from us in a wild match that dealt Arsenal a cruel blow in the final six minutes to leave me feeling gutted.

Last night's Champion's League Semifinal against Manchester United felt like it was over in the first six minutes.

It actually took seven for the first United goal.

Despite trailing United by one goal from the first leg, I believed we could summon the strength and character to give them a real fight.

Almunia's heroics at Old Trafford kept us alive and I was thinking there could be something really special and really big yet to come from Arsenal's "kids."

We started strong, with an unusually boisterous home crowd behind the team in full force.

For a moment, watching Arsenal zip the ball around in United's half, it all felt possible.

Then Anderson squeezed a ball upfield, a ball that Ronaldo chased down into our area.

And then, in what can only be described as a a tragic accident for poor Kieran Gibbs, our baby-faced deputy defender slipped and fell in what should have been a routine interception of Ronaldo's pass, gifting Park Ji-sung the ball right in front of our goal.

Almunia charged and Park timed his shot perfectly.

And just like that, we were trailing by two goals on aggregate–one of them a devastating away goal, which meant we needed three to win.

Really, a shame for Gibbs and for the entire team.

But all was not lost.

Not yet.

The game would go on for another two minutes before the fatal blow.
Ronaldo flopped, earning a penalty kick from forty yards.

He launched a screamer that unbelievably rocketed right past Almunia for goal number three on aggregate.

With eighty minutes still to play, the game was over.

Arsenal was done.

This morning I'm still feeling hollow–stunned from the fact that we never had a chance.

It can only be said that over the two legs, Manchester United was the better team - head and shoulders over Arsenal.

It stinks but it's the truth.

I read this morning that an Arsenal fan in Kenya hung himself after the match.
All I can say is I'm grateful my life doesn't hang on this team.
Over the last few years, we've been fragile, both physically and mentally.

I credit Arsene and the team for their remarkable comeback this season, orchestrating a 21 game unbeaten run to overtake Villa and secure fourth place in the EPL and another season of Champion's League football.

But surely, fourth place can't be good enough.

It's a broken record at this point–we need to buy some experienced players this summer and I wouldn't mind offloading Adebayor if we can get a decent coin for him. He's dead weight and he's dragging us down.

And yes, Arsene needs to rethink the overall composition–we're built for the sprint, not the long haul.

We play for pride now.
Pride and revenge.
Chelsea this weekend and Manchester United again next weekend.

And I can only hope that Barcelona goes through tonight and a healthy Henry stars in a Champions League Final blowout that wipes that cocky smirk right off Ronaldo's face.

Arsenal: It's a Bird, It's a Plane...

It's Super Manny!

He rescued us in Rome once already this season.

If not for his heroics Wednesday in Man U's "shock and awe" assault on our Champion's League dreams, we'd be dead and buried right now.

Come Tuesday, we'll need Manuel Almunia suited up again in his lime green tights and flowing cape, and at his super-human best if we've any hope of edging United for a return to Rome and a chance to play for all the European marbles.

You just know it's gonna come down to Manny again.

United will come out, guns blazing, same as last time because they can.

Wednesday was so bad, I was thinking last year's 4-0 FA Cup embarrassment all over again.

Silvestre said it felt "like the Alamo."

The shots will come.

Manny just better be ready.

Arsene has said we will see a different Arsenal at home on Tuesday.

With our team further ravaged by injuries to players, we don't have the depth to change the faces on the field.

There's a slim hope that we may see a special guest appearance by RVP, which would certainly be a boost, but his return won't patch our defense.

It will come down to tactics and sheer blood and guts to change our game.

Wenger will no doubt pull Fabregas back in midfield where he can use his vision and creativity to dictate play.

He'll also need a hair trigger in responding to the shape of the game because we simply can't let United gain and hold any further advantage.

Any player on the field who is not giving 100 percent, should be substituted.

That means you, Adebayor.

It's true, you had little help against Ferdinand and Vidic, but you just gotta lay it out there and stick your neck out and get your lazy ass to work.

Bendtner scored two goals yesterday against Portsmouth, and you know he's dying to play.

Vela also scored and he looks hungry.

Our best defense will be our attack.

I'm feeling like we really have to strike first to have a chance.

And then we leave it to Fabregas to pull the strings and Super Manny to cover our ass.

Even in Tuesday's defeat, we showed we can deal with Rooney and Ronaldo.

And credit's gotta go to the kid, Kieran Gibbs, who recovered in the second half, showing great composure for a 19 year-old, after being thrown to the lions.

Speaking of recovery, it must be said that this young team has orchestrated a remarkable comeback late in the season to assure a fourth place EPL finish and Champion's League football next year, and that alone is an accomplishment worthy of praise. Add to that the brilliance of Arshavin, and the prospect of a full strength Arsenal team, and it's enough to get the mouth watering for next year.

And we've still got a puncher's chance to reach the Champion's League Final now, this year.

And our secret weapon–Super Manny.

I'll call it now–3-1 to the Arsenal and I'll see you in Rome.

Arsenal - Heading For an Upset or In Over Their Heads?

If there was any question about the quality of Arshavin before his four strikes and four goals against Liverpool on Tuesday, well, let's just say there's one tiny Russian sniper on this team who comes to play every day–end of story.

Of course, we were left scrambling at the office for a good pirate feed to watch the match but it seems at the height of the season, the pickings are suddenly slim to none. We ended up "watching" the epic battle and game of the season, via website text updates.

We're leaking goals at the moment and I'll be happy to see Almunia and Djourou back in the line-up against Middlesbrough this weekend. I'm willing to give Sagna a pass for his mistakes against Liverpool because he was still on jello legs from a bout with the flu. And we'll likely see Adebayor in a tune-up for the really big Champion's League match on Wednesday against heavily favored Man U.

I can't comment much on the Liverpool match because I've only seen Arshavin's fantastic highlight reel and it's difficult to judge a team performance from text updates but from what I've read it seems we're beginning to sag a bit, especially through the middle and back. We know Silvestre is crap, but Denilson and Song continue to play Jekyll and Hyde and we're never sure who will show up.

One thing's for certain, we'll have to be at our best when we face off against the league leaders next week. And we'll have to do it without RVP, Clichy and Arshavin.

The news today seems to indicate Fabregas will be suspended for a couple of matches over the "spitgate" incident. Fabregas is clearly a passionate guy, and I'm sure he'll be pissed–I can only hope he takes it out on Man U. I think he will.

Walcott will bring the speed, let's hope he also brings his guns.

We know Adebayor can change a game in an instant and he's done it to Man U before.

But the newest Man U slayer is Nasri and by all accounts he's one of the few who looked to be hitting top gear against Liverpool so we'll hope that continues.

We've got a few more wild cards up our sleeve in Eduardo, Diaby and the wildest of all, Bendtner.

And most importantly, we've already beaten Man U this season.

Hopefully, we've learned our lessons against Chelsea and Liverpool and we'll come hungry and prepared to secure victory this weekend against a Middlesborough team who is at the bottom of the league and clawing for survival like a rabid raccoon in a garbage can.

It's not a must-win for Arsenal on paper but I think we need all the steam we can muster ahead of next week.

A win against Middlesborough would be nice.

But a win against Man U at Old Trafford would be better than...(fill in the blank)

Arsenal - Half Full

Just finished watching our 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup Semifinals, and I'm not exactly surprised.

In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say it's a good thing this happened now, ahead of our heavyweight Champion's League bout with Man U.

The boys have been spectacular lately, but going into this one against a much healthier Chelsea side, who has also been on an incredible streak, well, I think I already said I'm not entirely surprised.

And it's no shock the fatal blow came from infamous Arsenal killer, Didier Drogba.

Our deputy goalkeeper and birthday boy, Fabianski, did his best Senderos deer-in-headlights impression as Drogba sidestepped him for the winning goal after easily shaking off old man Silvestre.

Damn you, Drogba! You done gone and did it again.

It was billed as the clash of London–two teams on the rise, after picking themselves up off the mat and finding belief in the darkest hours of seasons on the brink of collapse.

Perhaps, we were just letting the hype get to our heads a bit.

Surely, our Frankenstein defense was going to let us down sooner or later.

I missed almost the entire first half due to my son's soccer practice and a major scheduling screw-up. I had planned to watch the big game on a big screen at a local pub with a Setanta feed but that fell through and I was forced to watch on the internet. I really dislike watching on the internet - the small, stuttering screen makes it impossible to get a feel for the rhythm  of the game.

We were up 1-0, thanks to a Walcott goal, when I finally tuned in just in time to see Chelsea even the score through Malouda's shot–also misplayed by Fabianski.

I saw most of the second half but I never felt the pulse and I was surprised that we were doing so little and still hanging around.

Post match stats say we had only four shots on goal to Chelsea's 13.

It didn't appear that Adebayor or Van Persie were imposing themselves on the game so I didn't mind seeing them replaced, and it's not Bendtner's fault that Drogba scored right after he came on.

We were always going to need something a little extra special for this one, a little bit of magic, but Wenger started our best magician, Arshavin, on the bench.

Still scratching my head over that one...

What can you do?

I hope we can turn this into a wake-up call for the Champion's League.

And we go out there and beat Man U.

That's what we can do.

That would go a long way toward making this defeat feel not so bad.

Arsenal - On a Run and Making a Grab

Arsenal have played some 50 matches this season in all competitions.

I read an interview with good old Bobby Pires this morning where he called attention to the fact that Arsenal haven't lost a match in three months.

I found this remarkable, especially after feeling for most of the season that we were spiralling down a black hole and yes, even doubting Wenger's plot in many maddening moments of frustration.

So I had a look at the season's fixtures for myself, and found even more astonishingly, that we haven't lost a match since Porto beat us in the Champion's League way back on December 10.

So Bobby was wrong - it's actually four months without a loss.

Of course, there's a whole lotta ties along the way.

And we needed double overtime and penalty kicks to technically beat Roma in the Champion's League.

But we are indeed, on one hell of a run.

As we look down the barrel of the home stretch, it's a do-or-die week ahead as we make our grab for silverware this season.

We play Villareal at home tomorrow in a replay against the Yellow Submarine. We only need a tie to make the Champion's League Semifinals.

And Saturday we'll meet Chelsea in the FA Cup Semifinals.

We'll either be in or out when we head back to the EPL on Tuesday for a match against Liverpool at Anfield.

Yeah, we're pretty banged-up right now but so is everyone else.

Well, everyone except for Chelsea.
They seem to also be hitting their stride at the right time under the magical spell of Guus Hiddink.
I can only hope that their Champion's League match today against Liverpool is a duel to the death and ends with both teams battered and bloody and licking their wounds.
I wouldn't mind at all if guys like Drogba, Lampard, Torres and Gerrard all end up on the sidelines for a few weeks.
Not one bit.

And of course, I'm crossing my fingers, hoping for safe passage for own boys as they face off against the Yellow Submarine at home tomorrow in Arsenal vs Spanish Arsenal - Part Two. We know the Spanish side is a real threat and Bobby Pires even showed he's still got his stuff when he came on as a sub, but they've been dealt a major blow, losing the dangerous Marcos Senna, ahead of the rematch.

Our rear guard is decimated with the loss of Gallas and now Djourou, and Lukasz "shaky" Fabianski doesn't quite strike fear into the hearts of opponents as he fills in at goal, but we should have enough firepower in attack to keep the pressure off the back. At least, to get past Villareal.

It would be nice for a change, to come charging onto the pitch and take this one by the throat early. It's good to know we can change the game deep into the match, as we have time and time again this season, but I wouldn't mind overwhelming Villareal like we did Roma in the first leg of that series, only with some actual goals as reward this time around.

Well, it's almost time for the Liverpool vs Chelsea slugfest.
Let the beatings commence.

Until tomorrow...

Arsenal - Calling Adebayor...

Earlier in the season, my three-year-old son and I had taken to calling Adebayor "Stinky-bayor."

Later, in this very Arsenal thread, I suggested giving Adebayor away if he didn't shape up quickly when he finally returned from injury. In fact, I think I said I'd only give him a couple of games to prove his worth.

It took him exactly 8 minutes in his return against Man City to score.

And earlier this week in a Champion's League Quarterfinal match in Spain against the dangerous Villareal, we found ourselves backed into a corner, down a goal and pressing, but clearly outplayed in the first half.

Who bailed us out?

Good old stinky, himself.

And it was a beauty.

With the grace of a gazelle,the 6' 3" African stunned not only Villareal, but all who witnessed his incredible bicycle kick, to even the score and take a precious away goal back to London.

MMMMM–these words are tasty.

Believe me, I'm happy to be wrong here.

We've got seven games to play in the EPL, starting away to Wigan this weekend.

Then we meet the yellow submarine in the return at the Emirates on Wednesday.

And then a FA Cup Semifinal showdown with a Chelsea team who is suddenly full of belief after thrashing Liverpool 3-1 at their own hallowed grounds.

All this in the span of a single week.

Yeah, we're hurting - Almunia, Clichy and Gallas are out.

We should get Almunia and Clichy back in a week or two, but Gallas is likely done for the season.

It's a big blow but others are feeling the pain, including Manchester United and Liverpool.

It's looking like a limp to the finish.

We're going to have to dig deep.

We need you Adebayor–do not let us down.

Arsenal and the Yellow Submarine

Can't wait to get back to Champion's League action against Villareal in Spain tomorrow.
A win would put us comfortably in the driver's seat for the return at the Emirates next week.
We're still missing Van Persie and Eduardo to injuries and Arshavin isn't allowed to play because he already appeared in the tournament with Zenit.
But Fabregas and Adebayor are clearly back and Nasri should be good to go as well.

I took my three-and-a half-year-old son to the local pub to watch the return of Fabregas on Saturday morning. Before you go and dial Child Protective Services, it's a respectable Irish establishment and they even have a kid's menu. I thought we might get a half out of it, because it's hard to keep a three-year-old interested in anything for more than twenty minutes, but we stayed for the entire hour and a half (if you're wondering, the secret ingredient is crayons). I have to say It's really refreshing to actually sit and watch on a proper screen in English, instead of constantly scrambling to find a working video stream on the laptop.

It was truly a remarkable return for both Fabregas and Adebayor–with Fabregas feeding Adebayor for both goals in a 2-0 victory over Man City. I don't remember either of them looking this good before they went down. It doesn't hurt that the supporting cast is finally hitting their stride. Denilson, Song, and Toure are all looking much sturdier, adding to the always reliable Sagna and surprisingly cool Gallas. 

And I have to say it, we need Adebayor more now, than ever. I've given the guy lots of flack this season, but he more than earned his keep Saturday. Perhaps Bendtner's hard work will pay off after all, in the form of a hungry Adebayor.

It was a rough day for Walcott–he was kicked about like a rag doll and ended the day with a huge ice pack on his knee. At one point I leaped out of my seat and screamed "They're going to kill him!" and my son dropped his crayons and hid beneath the table (just kidding). But it was that kind of day for poor Theo. I hope he can stay healthy long enough to find the goal again. The good news is, he's apparently well enough to play tomorrow.

Tomorrow–Champion's League.

It's like a big chummy reunion, the return of some old friends–former Arsenal squad man Pascal Cygan, who I honestly never paid much mind to, and more notably the great Robert Pires. No true Arsenal fan can dislike Pires. The Pires and Henry show was one of the greatest in football, treating us along the way to an entire undefeated season–that's 38 matches without a single loss. And what do they do for an encore? The team goes all the way to the Champion's League Finals in Paris.

That was over three years ago.

Arsenal was still at Highbury and my son was banging around our house (and shins) in his little walker.

To get to Paris, Arsenal first had to get by Villareal in the semi-finals.

Crazy Jens Lehman saved a penalty kick in the last minutes of the game to sink the submarine and advance Arsenal to the Championship game against Barcelona where, in a trademark moment of madness, he would single-handedly undo all his good work by getting himself thrown out of the game after only 18 minutes of play. Forced into a tactical move, Arsene sacrificed Pires to bring on Almunia, and Pires never forgave him for it.

That was it.

That's the Pires backstabbing backstory–an extra dash of drama behind the scenes tomorrow as we face off against our old friend.

You can't miss him, he'll be wearing bright yellow.

He's Back! The Return of Fabregas

"It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you

Without a strong rhyme to step to

Think of how many weak shows you slept through

Time's up, I'm sorry I kept you"

–Eric B and Rakim "I Know You Got Soul"

Fabregas returns tomorrow against Man City.

It's been a long time.

And you can't say we haven't slept through some pretty damn weak shows in his absence.

Sure, we've picked up the pace over the last month.

In fact, we're unbeaten in 16.

But all that matters now is the one match before us.

The international break has not been kind to Van Persie, Eduardo and Diaby–they'll all be sidelined due to injury.

Nasri's got the flu.

But Fab's back.

Theo's back.

And Adebayor will likely lead the line up front, possibly paired with big, bad Bendtner.

I don't want to pile expectations too heavy on Fab's shoulders.

As Arsene says, he needs games now.

Well sir, here you go–here's eight, and a crack at Champion's League glory and the FA Cup.

I'm sure he's spitting mad to get going.

Like a pent-up spanish bull about to be unleashed.

Excuse me as I wipe the drool from my chin.

I was just thinking about Fabregas, Arshavin, Nasri, and Walcott, all on the same field at the same time.

We'll have to wait for that one.

But it's a quarter after midnight here in New York so technically, Arsenal plays today.

Let's go Gunners. 

Arsenal Rising

My dad called me last night because he'd been watching tv and caught a bit of Fox Soccer news, he wasn't sure if he'd heard them right–"was Arsenal in fourth place?" he asked.

Last we'd talked a couple of weeks ago, destiny was out of our hands and things were looking pretty bleak.

Since then, it's been some dust-up in the top four, with Villa losing their nerve and games to drop below Arsenal on goals, Hiddink dragging Chelsea back from the dead and Liverpool manhandling Real Madrid in the Champion's League and then stomping Man United in back-to-back games.

I don't want to get carried away here but I like what I've seen in the last two weeks as we battle on three fronts: EPL, Champion's League, and FA Cup.

The return of Walcott and the emergence of Arshavin is one hell of a one-two punch as we head into the home stretch.

The two combined over the weekend to put on a dazzling display of speed, technique and creativity that left the Blackburn Rovers looking completely outclassed and downright foolish.

I also liked Almunia's Lehmann impression as he got fired up over the Rovers increasingly desperate and dangerous play.

I was left smiling from ear to ear and for once this season, feeling like we've got what it takes to go on a run, especially with Fabregas expected to join us for the heavyweight matches against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Man U in the last month.

Gotta feel bad for Bendtner though.
The guy works hard but he's crap in the box.
I only hope that Adebayor feels the Great Dane breathing down his neck for the spot.
I've got very little patience left for Ade, and I'll give him only a couple of games to prove his worth.

There I go, getting carried away and looking ahead.

Today we play a dangerous Hull side in the FA Cup quarters.

Please Bendtner, please find the goal.

Chelsea awaits in the semis...

Lucky Arsenal

There, I said it and I'm proud of it.
Enough of Liverpool hogging all the luck.
It's about time we got some.

I've been standing back and waiting patiently over the last couple of weeks for this–the showdown with Roma in Rome.

For the first leg in London, we took an Artgig holiday and closed the shop to watch the match at a local pub. My friend, and longtime Roma fan, Danny, even joined us (only because he'd managed to lock himself out of his house). And Jim's fiance, Nicole, who plainly admits to an older man crush on Wenger, skipped out of work for the occasion.

We were treated to some of the best football I've seen Arsenal play all season. They completely dominated a clueless Roma side for most of the match but came away with only a 1-0 victory. It could have and should have been three or four goals to the Arsenal.

"Would it come back to haunt Arsenal?" the papers asked.

Then Arsenal beat up on hopeless West Brom in a league match where Bendtner actually shined, grabbing two goals for himself, in a 3-1 victory.

And this past weekend, we put on a dazzling display in the FA Cup, eclipsing any hopes of a Burnley run at glory and banishing the demons of Turf Moor, with wonder goals from Vela, Eduardo and, of all people, Eboue for a 3-0 victory.

"A return to goal scoring for Arsenal!" the papers shouted.

It's good to see the goals flowing, I thought, but a couple of wins against lesser competition do not mark a return to anything–it's simply a market correction.

I remained cautious but a bit more optimistic than usual in the build-up to last night's match in Rome.

Pre-match reports had the entire Roma first team out injured while Arsenal was surely boosted by the return of Walcott and Eduardo from injury. And the previous night's showing by Liverpool and Chelsea, dismissing Real Madrid and Juventus from the competition, surely played to Arsenal's favor as the English domination of Champion's League football continues.

But this is still a young Arsenal side who has not played with any consistency this season and they were playing a dangerous, cornered Roma side in Rome.

The big match atmosphere in Rome is so bloodthirsty, Arsenal even handed out brochures and sent text messages to Arsenal supporters traveling to the match, warning them to stick to strict travel routes to and from the stadium, in order to avoid trouble from the rabid "Ultra" Roma supporters.

Okay, so I was a little worried.

Matchday brought an eerie calm to the office and bad omens at every turn: There's no daylight savings in Europe, the Arsenal plane had been delayed, Steve called in sick and Danny was tied up at work so it was down to me and Jim, and to make matters worse, when we got to the bar we found our parking spaces were taken.

But we were able to get the same lucky seats, Nicole was planning to join us, and Wenger had selected the same team that had bossed Roma so thoroughly in London.

Jim and I ordered a couple of beers and took our positions as the match started.
We counted exactly one other Arsenal fan seated at the bar, amongst a small gang of Inter and Man U fans.

No matter what happened, I was sure Roma would raise their game and Arsenal would need to do the same.

Well, Roma definitely raised their game but Arsenal certainly did not.

Arsenal looked flat-footed and devoid of ideas and Roma looked hungry and confident.
We couldn't string more than two passes together, we were losing the midfield battle and our chances were reduced to speculative pop-up crosses and set pieces that fizzled and died.

It was nearly a complete reversal of what we saw when the teams played in London.

Roma was doing an excellent job of breaking up any hope of open play and in the process, I'm sure Eboue learned a thing or two about proper diving technique.

It was only a matter of time before Arsenal were down 1-0, due to shockingly poor defending on a ball that skipped across goal and right past three Arsenal defenders, before one of Roma's walking wounded, Juan, fired in at the far post.

Did I mention that most of the bar was watching Man U play Inter and so we were forced to listen to their commentary as we followed the Arsenal action? And what sinister plan did Danny hatch to keep Steve from the game? And where was Nicole?

Thankfully, Arsenal were able to hang on as the half raced by and Jim and I were relieved to be tied on aggregate at the break.

Jim dialed Nicole and she made it for the second half.

And then things started to change.

Arsenal kept working.

It was a grueling effort and we never quite got our groove back, but we hung in there–thanks, in large part, to Diaby who kept us in the midfield fight.

The game swayed back and forth.

Almunia bailed us out of danger more than once.

Roma got tired.

When Walcott and Eduardo came on late in the match I was sure we'd find a goal.

But the sides remained deadlocked and Roma actually had the best chance of the game when ex-Arsenal man, the "Beast" Baptista, broke through for an open goal from a Totti pass, but he amazingly squandered the chance.

It was tense, frayed nerves kind of stuff, but we were a long way from done.

The Man U match ended with United victorious and we played on.

The bar switched the sound over as the after work crowd filtered in.

One period of extra time came and went–still deadlocked.

We would endure a second nail-biting period of extra time before reaching the only conclusion these two teams would allow–penalty kicks.

The thought had crossed my mind at some point but I'd quickly banished it because I was certain if it came to PK's in Rome it would surely mean the end for Arsenal.

The other Arsenal fan joined us at our table.

As Eduardo stepped up for the first kick the drama was almost too much to bear...

Ice cold Eduardo.

Blocked.

Pizarro scores for Roma.

I could hear the air coming out as we deflated.

Van Persie steps up and...scores for Arsenal.

And a funny thing happened, I think I saw Van Persie tweak Eduardo's nose in playful celebration, a small gesture with enormous meaning that I think shouts volumes about Arsenal as a team, or at least the usually intense and sometimes sulky, Van Persie as a teammate.

Next thing you know, Vucinic takes one of the worst penalties ever for Roma, Almunia simply falls on the ball and we're right back in it.

We would go through a total of 16 penalty kicks, what felt like forever, before another miss.

Lucky for Arsenal, it was Roma.

I couldn't believe it when Tonetto's shot sailed over the goal - missing completely.

Arsenal poured forward to mob Almunia in celebration.

We celebrated with a round of high fives, and then another...

Arsenal fought long and hard and held their nerve against a Roma team showing great heart and courage.

We live to fight another day.

And if Lady Luck calls again, I surely won't turn her away.

What Arsenal Needs...

Remember how warm and fuzzy it all was, once upon a time?

Will you look at how much fun these guys are having?

Look, there's a young, beaming Fabregas.

And his buddy, Adebayor.

And I think that's Alexander Hleb and little Freddie Ljungberg hugging our Captain for a minute, good old Gilberto Silva.

The year was 2006 - the inaugural year of Arsenal's spanking new Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal was a young, sharp team busting with the promise of unlimited potential.

It was a year where Gilberto would lead the Arsenal kids in a league battle for fourth place after losing the great Henry to injury for most of the season.

Here's how it looked when the smoke cleared:

1. Man U
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Tottenham Hotspur

Gilberto finished the season Arsenal's second highest scorer and he received top honors as Arsenal's Player of the Year.

I remember being really impressed by the way he stepped up and led by example.

Gilberto always struck me as the kind of guy you'd like to play alongside.

He just went about his business and did a damn good job.

In the 2007 season, Gilberto the veteran, would be rewarded for his quiet, steely leadership and loyalty with less playing time to make way for a much younger Mathieu Flamini.

Even more insulting, he was passed over for full team Captaincy in favor of William Gallas.

The writing was on the wall but Gilberto remained loyal, despite being entirely eclipsed by the flame that was Famini.

He finally left Arsenal just last summer in a relatively quiet move to Greek team, Panathinaikos FC. 

The sale flew under the radar, overshadowed by the more spectacular move of, you guessed it, Flamini to AC Milan.

Alexander Hleb would also run for the doors when Barcelona flashed some cash.

And Adebayor had one long leg out the door, flashing his smile for the cameras in his media manipulation to land bigger Arsenal bucks himself.

Now look at us.

Our great playmaker, Fabregas, is injured - out for most of the season.

We're in a fight for fourth again, but something is different.

We want to feel that glow, that promise of something special.

We want to feel like anything is possible.

But we don't.

We don't have a leader.

Today, Gilberto returned to the Emirates, but not for Arsenal.

He made the appearance in a much hyped international friendly match, appearing for his country, Brazil, against the mighty Italy.

By all reports, Gilberto put in a stellar performance,  turning back the clock to anchor the Brazilians, lifting them to a 2-0 victory in a London stadium filled with 60,000 fanatics.

Good for Gilberto.

We could use a guy like him right now.

Arsenal - One Game at a Time

Must beat Spurs.

Must beat Spurs.

Must beat Spurs.

I don't care how we do it.

It can be the ugliest win in the history of the sport and I'd cheer it just as I would the most beautiful game ever.

Because a win is all that will do.

High drama, as usual when Arsenal makes the five mile trip across town to face off against their hated North London rivals.

I hope the team feels the same lift from the Arshavin signing that I'm feeling.

I really hope he's a spark and not a distraction.

It will take a dedicated unit to break through and secure a spot in the top four.

If we don't, well, we won't be allowed the honor of playing Champion's League football next season.

It's that simple.

Five points to catch Villa.

We must not look past our Sunday challenge against a buzzing Spurs side, lead by their own savior and sideshow, starring Robbie Keane in a return engagement.

After a lot of talk about a top spot early in the season, the Spurs find themselves fighting for survival at the bottom of the league - like a wounded animal.

It's all going to come down to Mr. Consistent - Adebayor.

As much as I would like to see him on the bench for his recent poor performances, Ade does seem to have a knack for terrorizing Spurs, and I'd much rather see him suddenly break out in an explosion of goals and prove all the haters wrong, even if that means me.

In fact, I'd love that.

Five points to catch Chelsea.

And they look entirely catch-able these days.

The only sure bet looks like old reliable, Manchester United.

So it's up for grabs.

14 games.

As luck would have it, we'll be treated to a Villa vs Chelsea slugfest at the end of the month.

So all we have to do is win.

One of them has to drop points.

And we're right back in it.

Arshavin to Arsenal - the Final Chapter

DONE DEAL!

For those of you Gunners fans who weren't holding your breath (because, you'd be dead and buried and rotten by now), we can finally rejoice in the news that Andrei Arshavin is officially an Arsenal player.

I think we all deserve a round after being dragged through this transfer soap opera like some cruel medieval torture.

We likely won't know the true value of his signing until next season and due to his Cup appearances for Zenit, he can't help us later this month when we face off against Roma in the Champion's League.

But bringing Arshavin to the side should give some of our current sleepwalking stars a much-needed kick in the pants (Adabeyor) and convince our other stars (Cesc, Walcott, Van Persie) that we mean business.

And without question it sends a message to us, the fans - a message from the Arsenal organization that says "we hear you."

Now if only we can get them to address our defensive troubles...

No matter how you slice it, Arshavin is a big ray of light in a stale, desperate dip in the season.

His arrival is bound to be a huge boost for the team and I can't wait to see him on the pitch.

Look out Villa.

Arsenal - What Time Is It?

Don't look now, but it's time for our regularly scheduled late season collapse.
Good thing we got a head start this year.

Sure, we didn't lose in a must win game against Everton earlier this week.
But a last gasp wonder goal to secure a draw after looking clueless for most of the match is a long, long way from winning.
It's as if the fog on the field was a physical manifestation of the fog in the teams leadership and communication.
We lack clarity and creativity and every team we play believes they have a chance.

I shudder to think at where we'd be without RVP.
We're hanging by the hairs of his mohawk and the reinforcements can't come soon enough.
My three-year-old son announced the other day that Van Persie was replacing Sagna as his new favorite player.
When pressed, he explained the change was "because Van Persie scores more goals."
As much as I like Sagna, I can't argue - when chasing points, you need goals.

Which brings me to a giant hole in our game plan - Adebayor.
I checked his Premiership stats the other day and he's literally a third of the man he was last season - with only a third of the shots on goal and goals scored.
But most bothersome, is his general attitude and commitment.
After all we've been through, this is not a man who should be caught walking about the pitch and watching balls go by.
I can live with losing when a good, honest days work is put forth - it happens.
But Adebayor quite plainly is taking up space at the moment.
Sure, he's good for the occasional header but I think even big, bumbling Bendtner is a better choice if we're looking for height and physical presence - at least he plays like he's got something to prove.
Or even better, bring on Carlos Vela for a spark.
I just can't take Adebayor anymore.
I say bench him.
Bring his inflated salary and prima donna ego back to earth because his spaghetti leg strikes aren't scaring anyone.

And let's get back to the work of catching Villa.
Beating West Ham this weekend would be a good start.

Arshavin to Arsenal?

It was a weekend of last gasp winners from the likes of Man U and Chelsea, who were both lucky to escape their games with maximum points.

We had a scare ourselves in our grudge match against Hull when they equalized in the second half, but we found another gear and I must say we looked quite good in the last ten minutes, scoring twice to turn the dagger for a 3-1 victory.

It's inspiring to see Van Persie finally emerge as the offensive threat we hoped he'd be all along.

I'm not sure what the guy has against goal posts, but he blasts balls at them like they owe him money.

For once, I think Bendtner proved his worth as an impact substitute, coming off the bench to score one on a rumbling give-and-go with Van Persie and he was unlucky not to score again on a powerful header in the final minutes.

The big Dane celebrated his 21st birthday the day before - is it too much to hope he's finally over his kiddie funny hair and boots phase and getting serious about football?

Adebayor looked ten feet tall on his leaping header and he scored just as I was about to chastise another lazy, ineffective performance.

Nasri continues to impress.

With a few more pieces in place we may still have a go at it.

I don't agree with Wenger that we've got all we need in the walking wounded who are set to return, but the thought that Eduardo may join us again in the coming months is enough to generate a real buzz of excitement.

Forget Rosicky.

Maybe we'll see Cesc again before the end of the season but I'm not holding my breath.

Which brings me to the Arshavin question.

I honestly don't know much about him, aside from a few glimpses during the Euro Cup and our reported pursuit of him immediately following.

From what I saw in the Euros, the surprise Russian team looked dangerous all over the pitch.

I was most awed by their powerful long range shooting.

All news reports indicate Arsenal officials are on their way to Russia to complete the deal as I type.

Of course, we all know better than to start counting chickens but I really feel like this deal is a must if we're to challenge for the top four this season.

I watched some Arshavin clips on Youtube yesterday and he looks like the consummate Arsenal player, brimming with skill and creativity to add another dimension to our play - a midfield dimension we've been lacking since Cesc went down.

Of course Arshavin doesn't do anything to plug our defensive holes so I'm hoping Wenger still has another card to play, but the deal, reportedly to be the biggest in Arsenal transfer history, is sure to give us a boost as we look to extend our streak of eight matches without defeat.

With Man City reportedly set to spend $200 million on Kaka it seems silly to quibble over a transfer worth about one tenth of that.

You could nearly field an entire first team of Arshavins for the money Man City is reportedly about to spend.

Crazy.

Hopefully, Arshavin will be wearing our shirt by the end of the week and we can maintain our focus for our FA Cup match against Cardiff City on Sunday.

Arsenal - Nothing Left to Lose

What else is there now that Fabregas is gone?

Such a cruel twist of irony - just a day after the Champions League pairing of Arsenal vs Roma (Danny's team) is announced we both lose our captains to injury.

Reports have Roma's talisman, Francesco Totti, out for two months.

Fabregas could be done for the season.

The only bright spot to emerge from all of this is that we put in one of the most fearless performances I've seen in a long time against lucky Liverpool.

I loved the ball from Nasri and Van Persie's battle to fire home a goal from a crazy angle.

Even without Cesc, and after Adebayor got tossed (who says Liverpool isn't lucky?) - I found myself believing not only that we wouldn't lose but I even considered for a moment that we might even win.

We didn't, obviously, but Liverpool were exposed as the weaker side, only managing a draw with an extra man on the pitch.

The team and the fans finally stood together and we played our hearts out.

This wasn't the desperate Arsenal we've seen so many times this season in the last minutes of the match, this was a dangerous Arsenal.

Let's keep it up against a Villa side who's got some injuries of their own.

We're not going to win the league.

But we can play for respect.

I've got a plan...

How are we supposed to take this team seriously?

The above photo is real (no Photoshop up my sleeve) - I snapped it right off the Arsenal website.

It's a scene from a video the Arsenal boys made for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and truth be told, it's well done - warm-hearted and downright cute.

Hats off for the effort and a welcome feel-good moment in an otherwise gloomy season.

Still, cute may be appropriate for charity but it doesn't win games in the Premiership.

Cute is what got us here - a reliance on baby-faced teens and dazzling footwork that doesn't seem to be fooling anybody these days.

We're limping to a showdown with league leaders, Liverpool, and we'll meet the new number four, Aston Villa, the day after Christmas.

Crazy, frustrating weekend where each of the big four (apparently, we're still included despite being number five), tied.

Gotta love the fight in the Hull City Tigers - right behind us at number six.

I think we can raise our game and beat Liverpool.

Just need to keep an eye on that shifty Dirk Kuyt at all times.

I'd love to payback the luckiest team on the planet for the miseries they heaped upon us in Champion's League and the Premiership last season.

We're up against it once again - this is where we shine.

We'll rob Liverpool of their little rabbit's foot or Leprechaun or whatever the hell it is they've got in their back pocket and ride our luck right into the January transfer window when we'll purge the team of the spoiled, pink-booted, lackluster performers and bring in some new cool, serious heads who will lead us in storming the tables to the top in a fight to the death.

Sounds like a plan.

It's at least as good as the one we've got right now.